Toledo Mayor kicks Marines out of city...

[Train]

Even thought the city police dept approved the training weeks in advance.. And the marines had used the same building several times before (4 times within last 3 years) without any problems... the mayor stepped in at the last minute and kicked them out.

City council is considering a public apology on the cities' behalf (despite the mayor not wanting to apologize) and is even considering reimbursing the marines for thier 5 charter busses that travelled 4+ hours to get to Toledo.

http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/m...Code=TSTY&pageId=3.3.1

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The mayor of Toledo, Ohio, pulled the plug on a plan by Marine reservists to hold an urban warfare training session downtown.

Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner comments about why he asked the Grand Rapids Marine reservists to leave Toledo during the start of their exercise, Feb. 9, 2008.

Mayor Carty Finkbeiner told about 200 Marines based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to go home Friday.

A spokesman for the mayor told The Grand Rapids Press that Toledo residents were frightened by past training.

Major Dan Whisnant says members of the Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines were extremely disappointed by the mayor's decision. The training was planned for Friday and Saturday at an abandoned 10-story office structure.

The Marines last trained in Toledo in February 2006, prior to an Iraq deployment that year

Mayor Takes Flak:
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pb...EWS16/802100347/0/NEWS

more info: http://www.woodtv.com/Global/s...asp?S=7846408&nav=0Rce

City council apologizes, plans to ecourage mayor to do the same:
http://www.mlive.com/news/inde...gets_apology_from.html

 

[Nebor]

Wow, reservists taking time out of their busy, regular schedules to go train to defend this country, and some asshat libtard mayor kicks them out of his town? Fucking ridiculous.

 

[sandorski]

If citizens were annoyed/frightened by the exercise, then it was the right thing to do. Not sure why they'd be frightened, unless it wasn't publicized, but whatever.

When I was a kid(10ish) the Canadian Military did an exercise around the city I was in(Ft McMurray). It was cool to see the Infantry running through the bush and setting up by the highway all geared up and whatnot.

 

[dphantom]

Military trying to get ready to deploy and arranged some realistic training so they would be better prepared for what they will see in Iraq. Then an idiot mayor cancels the training potentially putting in jeopardy these Marines.

Luckily, the Marines may get a chance to do training near where I live. There is an abandoned building very suitable for what they are trying to do. Hopefully, this mayor pulls his head out of his @ss and regardless of his views on the war, lets our military get prepared as best they can.

 

[Train]

Originally posted by: sandorski
If citizens were annoyed/frightened by the exercise, then it was the right thing to do. Not sure why they'd be frightened, unless it wasn't publicized, but whatever.

As stated, this would have been the 5th time in 3 years the same battalion used the same abandoned building. I was personally part of the first numbers 1, 3, and 4. The mayor saying people were frightened is complete BS to cover his own ass. The building in question is among a whole block of abandoned buildings. There is literally no one around, especially on weekends. There is not a single registered complaint from previous visits, which is what the police dept uses to judge wether or not to issue a permit.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Among the few office workers downtown yesterday was Bob Gardner, an owner of the Miller, Gardner and Co. accounting firm, 500 Madison Avenue. Mr. Gardner said he and other employees witnessed the Marines 2006 visit, and recalled seeing camouflaged figures firing blank ammunition rounds"It scared the heck out of us, until we knew what was going on," Mr. Gardner said.

I think that's the key here. I bet I would be freaked out -until I knew what was going on-. The Mayor, if what he says is true, didn't know that the training was happening until that day, and made a knee-jerk reaction. I don't think it was a great reaction, but he, for whatever reason, appears not to have been "in the know", and reacted out of a bit of fear.

In my opinion, the story has been way overblown, which leads to arguments like:

"Military trying to get ready to deploy and arranged some realistic training so they would be better prepared for what they will see in Iraq. Then an idiot mayor cancels the training potentially putting in jeopardy these Marines."

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Train

Originally posted by: sandorski
If citizens were annoyed/frightened by the exercise, then it was the right thing to do. Not sure why they'd be frightened, unless it wasn't publicized, but whatever.

As stated, this would have been the 5th time in 3 years the same battalion used the same abandoned building. I was personally part of the first numbers 1, 3, and 4. The mayor saying people were frightened is complete BS to cover his own ass. The building in question is among a whole block of abandoned buildings. There is literally no one around, especially on weekends. There is not a single registered complaint from previous visits, which is what the police dept uses to judge wether or not to issue a permit.

Ok, thanks for the info.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: Nebor
Wow, reservists taking time out of their busy, regular schedules to go train to defend this country, and some asshat libtard mayor kicks them out of his town? Fucking ridiculous.

I agree. But oh so typical of the left.

 

[Zenmervolt]

I grew up near Toledo. Carty was, is, and forever shall be an idiot child. He has never held a steady job in the private sector, yet for some reason he keeps getting elected by people in Toledo because they don't seem to think there are other choices.

This is a man who once suggested forcibly relocating deaf people to houses near the airport in order to reduce noise complaints. He also arranged for riverfront land to be taken through eminent domain. Land that he personally owned. Land that eminent domain paid more than market value for, resulting in a huge profit for him. The man is a crook and an imbecile.

ZV