That Puppy Video

Posted By Laughing_Wolf

[Update from Blackfive:  Thanks to some very diligent readers, we had this video in the early stages before the internet buzz took off.  Mudville led and Mr. Wolf approached the powers that be to look into this before the story broke.  Laughing Wolf, who I neglected to bring on board on this topic, speaks for us on this one.  The Marines were investigating this long before the story had hit the big bloggers and news media (like FoxNews and the AP).  We wanted to give them time to get to the bottom of the veracity of the video before posting - and then the media, probably watching Digg, got a hold of it.  Regardless of whether the video is fake (hope so) or not, this Marine gave the enemy a moral victory here at home.  His chops need bustin'.]

I didn't hear about this until this morning.  By the time I did, YouTube had taken it down (did it upset the Pakistanis as that seems to be the reason du jour for removing videos from YouTube).  Based on various accounts of the video, there is some question as to if it was a real puppy or a dead puppy or even a stuffed animal. 

If it were fake or dead, this was an asinine video to make.  Even if it were clearly a stuffed animal, it is still going to play into the hands of the anti-military bigots that seem to permeate the "progressive" crowd.  This is the crowd that believes our Soldiers and Marines to be the scum of the Earth, capable of any depravity and simply looking for a place without witnesses to do same. 

That such people are bigots is a given, but for the trolls here is a quick exercise:  replace "Soldier" or "Marine" or "Airman" or such with the N-word.  Then compare that commentary with commentary from the KKK or even old-time segregationist politicians.  Same playbook, just different target. 

If it was a real, live puppy...  Well, the Marines are investigating and if -- repeat, IF -- this was real with a live animal, throw the book at them, and add on.

Before the trolls start up, and some claim they did/their men could have done/etc., I will repeat my comment for the record that no, our troops are not saints.  In any population that large, even in a volunteer force, you are going to have the cream that rises to the top and the fecal matter that sinks to the bottom.  For a number of reasons, our troops do tend to rise above the norm on several positive attributes, but that doesn't mean that some of them are not scum.  Scum usually gets weeded out quickly, but some does slip through.  It does seem from the numbers, however, that the scum is a smaller percentage of the population as compared with the general population (sensational reporting and misleading headlines aside), and the cream seems to be a larger percentage in comparison as well.  As a final note, I don't want saints protecting me.  I'd much rather have rough men and women who have chosen to stand between the darkness and the light, and are ready to do violence on my behalf.  Besides, saints aren't nearly as much fun to hang out with...

Whomever made this video frelled up badly.  If a fake, they have given domestic enemies ammunition to use against the military and in support of the enemy.  If real, well, the only positive thing I can find is that they have identified themselves for what they are. 

If fake, they need to stand up, admit it, show the proof, and take their lumps for giving aid and comfort to the bigots and other domestic enemies.  If it was real, I reiterate that the book should be thrown at them, and may their brothers in arms add to that as well. 

LW

UPDATE:  I've now seen the video, as it is now getting reposted by the people noted above, and it is indeed disturbing.  More than ever, I think we need some facts and am very glad that the Marines are investigating the matter.  No matter what, those who did this need some serious busting as they have energized and given great propaganda and ammunition to the anti-military crowd.  Way to go guys, instead of focusing on the ignored progress, real gains, and other good news, guess what the MSM and the anti-military crowd is going to focus on now... 

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Comments

[Old Tanker]

That Marine needs a cluebat upside the head for what he's putting his corps through, well, according to the left, the whole military is like that....not smart.

Funny, I've seen one of these...and it went from 0 to moonbat outrage faster than light. How many stories have I seen here of military personnel rescuing dogs?? Any of them highlighted by the left??? Riiigghhtt

[Mobius]

Check Michelle Malkin's blogs. There seems to be problems with the video. e.g. dog not moving, yelping not trailing away, etc. Personally, the dog's legs look unnatural. I believe it's stuffed.

[Lands’nGrooves]

If legitimate, I’d feel just a little silly asking a young man to go to war and conversely be upset if he decided to throw a puppy off a cliff. I’d prefer he didn’t, but I’m willing to look the other way while keeping the priority of killing the jihads in perspective.

Exactly what is the punishment, if any, for such an offense?

[Kath]

Of course early this morning it was on Fox News on the internet, I did NOT watch it. It's stupid to even have the thing running around.

I CANNOT believe what kind of a poophead would make such a video. Idiot. BIG idiot. You're in a freaking Marine uniform doing that? Yeah, yeah, meant it as a funny joke and somehow YouTube got a hold of it. Horse feathers.
Idiot.

[DinobotPrime]

Honestly , if I want to kill a puppy that much , I will join PETA not the US Marines , they have a much more reliable record in killing puppies and dogs they were supposed to save and getting away with it .

Oh ,about the video , the puppy was dead or if the thing was a puppy to begin with . Truth be told , if the MSM and the Left is outraged by this taped "puppy murder " that might or might not be real, then the question I asked is this , then why do the Left and the media are so quiet if islamic jihadists released a video that shows graphic content in murdering another human being that is real . Is it because the American soldier/marine is a much easier and tamer target to hit than the jihadists who will kill if criticized ?? People , get a grip , what those guys did was idiotic and yes , they are jerks , but ask yourself this question , what if the thing was a toy and the whole video that was not dubbed and edited showed the true facts , then what ?? You have wasted a lot of emotions for nothing .

[Fenris]

Lands, if he were a Corporal or below (likely), bare minimum would be a serious hit in his pros and cons, specifically for lack of professional conduct. That, and a serious a$$-kicking by his squad or section leader and whatever sundry crap details his platoon sergeant can come up with in his fevered mind once the rage fades.

One could make a case for hitting him with an Article 134 Clause 1 or 2 charge (for conduct unbecoming, not the Abusing Public Animal specification; presuming validity of the video, the dog isn't a military working dog), but I don't see that happening. Since we've been known to catch local dogs and toss food into buildings we're unsure of to see what the dog trips, I doubt anything THAT official will happen to the schmuck.

[Larry Sheldon]

I've not watched the video, and won't unless I get tricked. But from the descriptions these questions come to mind:

Are you sure it is a Marine?

If it is a marine, we are talking about one in how many? How does that compare to the general population? To PETA?

And for the lefties: Assuming that it was a life puppy killed, what is the difference in principal between that and other late-term abortions?

(A clue to that thinking, in New York, a truck driver can not keep his sleeper berth above freezing or below dangerously hot unless he or she has a dog in the cab.)

[johnston45]

I have read some frightening remarks from the comment sections on several websites. They made me ill. Along with the wishes that he be killed, the Marine's name, address, and phone number are now published on the web along with threats against his family.
Do you think that we are going to reach a point where the DoD is not going to allow military videos to the published on YouTube?

[rick554]

I am wondering if this video actually portrays US TROOPS. Any one can buy tactical gear and with the media's long time record ,You wont see me making any speeches about about our TROOPS yet. I'd be looking for identifiers before I make any judgements. I havent seen the vid its viral I guess

[rick554]

Wheres the MARINE's name and address john??

[Froggy]

As LW said, it doesn't matter whether the puppy was dead or alive, real or fake. That kind of behavior is disturbing and definitely calls into question the judgment of these two morons in a shoot/no shoot situation. Marines are trained to kill, but they are more importantly trained to be moral guardians of our society. These douchebags have disgraced themselves and brought discredit upon the Corps.

That said, I have seen this kind of false bravado before with new guys over the years (nothing as lame though). Young new guys for some reason do stupid things like this thinking that it will somehow make them popular in the platoon. In an environment where you are training to kill people, it seems that these displays of cruelty are a way for an insecure punk to "win" the oneupsmanship competition. If you sat that kid down and asked him why he did it, I imagine that he would be quite ashamed of himself.

But then again, there is always that 10%.

[dnice]

I'm not sure what the status of the video's credibility is but regardless its a propaganda tool. I just hope that people without any connection to the military will recognize the act by the alleged perpetrator as just a bad apple amongst a bunch of dedicated/professional Marines, Soldiers, etc. The haters will just continue to hate regardless. Its our job to let the public know how hard our military works to protects their butts (mine included) and how professional, discipline, and dedicated they are.

[FbL]

The commenters at Ace of Spades are making some interesting points about the video. They've got a good case for the video being staged (puppy dead already), based on video analysis, sound analysis, and puppy behavior. It's still appalling, though, because we obviously have an example of one (or two) Marines who are beyond stupid for putting together something like that.

[FbL]

Oops! Forgot to include the link for the Ace of Spades comments: http://minx.cc/?post=257011

[otcconan]

Somebody needs a blanket party.

[Miss Ladybug]

L'n'G~

If this does turn out to be an actual Marine and a living, breathing puppy, the problem is this:

Sociopaths usually starts out doing things like pulling the wings off flies, move on to abusing animals (dropping a puppy off a cliff), and eventually graduate to abusing people.

If this is a video of an actual Marine dropping an actual live puppy off a cliff, that Marine has no business being in The Corps.

[Kath]

If -- giant, giant IF -- the idiot is a Marine, hope he won't be one for long. The Marines don't need him. They are too good for this.

[Lands’nGrooves]

Miss Ladybug,

I understand your point, but killing someone, even when they deserve it such as the enemy that this marine (can I assume) has faced, cannot be a pleasant experience. I’m not willing to label this guy a sociopath because of this, anymore than I’ll label him a murderer. Call him stupid, an idiot; anything for whatever your beliefs are regarding throwing a puppy off a cliff.

I merely think this is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things regarding being in a war zone. I can only image the things that would make us recoil in horror that are done presently and in past wars that do not get publicized. I refuse to judge someone on something I know nothing about.

To me it boils down to perspective and this type of thing is WAY down the list of thing I’m worried about concerning the people who are confronting the evil that is our enemy.

[Miss Ladybug]

L'nG~

I still can't agree with you. God only knows I can only begin to imagine some of the things our service members have seen, especially in Iraq. And, I know that can have an impact on their psyches. However, if one of them begins to think it's funny to throw a living, breathing puppy off a cliff, how long before they think it would be funny to do something to a person that is against UCMJ/rises to the level of a war crime? If you think the press was bad about Haditha, when so many of those Marines have been cleared of wrongdoing, how much worse would it be if things like that were done with malice and forethought? If (and I know this is what the anti-war, anti-military people think) being in combat in Iraq/Afghanistan is turning this Marine into a sociopath, he needs to not be there, or in the Corps, any longer.

[Mr.Sparkle]

There is also a video of a stray getting shot by an m203 training round, and various others.

This guy should prepare for turbo vilification.

[Ray]

I don't understand people grouping all soldiers together because of the acts of one person who obviously has issues.

I also don't understand people who group everyone who is against the war together.

We cannot have serious discussions in our society until we have people willing to stop group think on all sides.

I hope this soldier gets the help or punishment he deserves.

It doesn't change my opinion of honorable soldiers.

[Lands’nGrooves]

Miss Ladybug,

We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

Though I’m not sure if puppy throwing is a stepping stone to war crimes and it classifies someone as a sociopath.

Lastly, I think it would be a mistake if the MC booted him based on this alone.

[kev]

Does anything really matter any more now that Brett Farve retired. Life as we know in the free world has ended.

[The Wolf]

Kev-

No, it just means now that those cheese-head hats are 5 for a dollar...

-Wolf

[Kath]

The whole puppy business made me sad, aggravated, disgusted -- but Brett -- my man Brett -- that, I can't deal with. Not Brett -- no way. It's all over now.

[Deltabravo]

Sorry, Cheeseheads...

Back to the topic... someone said they had fake stuffed animal dogs online. I looked it up. Yes, a case can be made that this could have been the dog in the ad.

Whether real or not, and putting aside the question of the stupidity of the videographers and puppy tosser, an interesting part of the debate that can't be missed by the Islamofascists:

If he had taken a video of himself throwing an al-Qaeda member off the cliff, everyone would have cheered, no?

It must grate someone somewhere that Americans value the life of a dog over the life of one of their martyrs.

[Jnash]

Drop the conspiracies. If those 3 retards were in my platoon, it would take every shred of discipline I had as an officer to not beat them into the ground myself.

Marines are capable of both superhuman acts of heroism, and conversely, stupidity.

That kind of callousness and indifference has no place on the battlefield or in the Marine Corps. They have failed themselves, each other and the corps.

I would never again trust any of them with a loaded weapon or any situation that required any sort of judgment. I wouldn't even assign them to the gunny's shitter burning detail, becasue I'd be afraid they'd burn down the FOB.

These three assholes deserve everything they get.

-Lt Jim.

[Deltabravo]

LT. Jim takes no prisoners!

[douglas]

(If this is actually as advertised) This guy is about as representative of the USMC as Michael Vick is of the NFL. Perhaps less so.

Now if only people would realize the PR value to the enemy of a video like this. Why do people think it's a good idea to videotape yourself doing stupid things? It's a 'Jackass' culture we live in now, I guess.

Froggy- haven't heard from you in a while. Glad to see you make an appearance, I assume you've been pretty busy.

[Cincinnati_Bob]

In large part because the MSM reports NOTHING good that happens or happened in Iraq, like villages being vaccinated or water supplies being cleaned up, or virtually thousands of other successes one can read about at defendamerica.mil in the Iraq Reconstruction category, one incredibly stupid act like this counters so much good. You know it's going to continue. 140,000 military in Iraq. There have to be some bad eggs. Hell, most companies follow the 80/20 rule. *0% good stuff, 20% boneheads. The Marines do a hell of a lot better than that but it is not possible to have 100%

Honestly, the media in this country is so counter America's success it boggles the mind. It is like we're getting news from 5,675 Tokyo Rose's and nothing else.
WTF...
Makes it hard to understand how this place can survive as a going concern. To most of us, it's not hard to cut through the crap and see the reality of a situation, but I have to wonder about kids growing up saturated by this constant negative propaganda.

[Ymarsakar]

The media is motivated by two things. The desire to defeat their enemies, which would be us, Bush, the military, etc. The second thing is personal self-aggrandizement.

Reporting character assassination videos about their enemies is always a standard to fall back on. Reporting things your peers will fete you for is also a good thing for reporters to do, as it benefits their social and career status.

So there's two primary reasons why the media doesn't report anything that would make people feel better about the war. The first reason is that it would help their enemies, which is a big no no. The second thing is that they would not get any career or social benefits out of it. On the contrary, they would get lambasted by their peers and bosses.

[Cincinnati_Bob]

Ymarsakar. Surrealistically Ironic is that if 'they' succeed, they will end up living in a society where no-one can win.

Liberal Perfection!

[Fenris]

Lt. Jim succinctly defines the thoughts of every member of our Corps that I work and live around. It's a basic truism that your average Marine Lance Corporal-type is: 1) a singular source of the most awesome acts of common sense, valor, controlled agression, compassion and good-natured professionalism, and 2) capable of inexplicable acts of stupidity that the best fiction writer in the world couldn't come up with in his most fevered dreams.

Often in the same two-hour period of time.

All you can do your best impersonation of the avenging hand of Crom, or whatever culturally-inspired invisible entity one begs to, and smite them when the stupidity happens.

[vincenzo4]

I am interested in how a video camera wound up in an AO. Haven't we had enough of this war being made a spectacle? Iit were my command, that chain of command would feel me and those soldiers who possessed and used that camera would surely feel me. This OPSEC nightmare needs to start getting people fired and prosecuted, because it kills.