A Forgotten Hero

Sergeant Stubby

(1916 or 1917- March 16th 1926)

 

Sergeant Stubby displaying his many medals

Although dogs were highly utilized in Europe, the USA was reluctant to use dogs in World War One. It did make use of a few hundred which belonged to the Allies, but did not employ nearly the same number of dogs as European countries did. However, one dog, a bull terrier cross affectionately named Stubby became the crowning glory of the US army.

Stubby's beginnings were humble. A stray Bull terrier cross, he found himself wandering through an army training session at Yale Field in Connecticut. After befriending the soldiers, one in particular named Corporal Robert Conroy took a shine to the dog. Conroy named him Stubby, probably on account of his short and stubby tail. Legend has it that Corporal Conroy was so smitten with Stubby that when it came time to ship out to the Western Front, he smuggled the dog onto the vessel bound for France. Even when he was discovered, he was allowed to remain with Conroy and so found himself on the Western Front in the thick of combat.

Stubby remained with the 102nd Infantry, 26th Division, known as the Yankee division. He was present at many battles, including at Chateau-Thierry, the Marne and St. Mihiel. Over time, he survived a number of injuries, including those from shrapnel and gas attacks. It is said he became so well-known and admired that he was treated in Red Cross hospitals, as human soldiers were.

Having survived gas attacks, he became very sensitive to the smell of gas, and with his sensitive dog nose, was able to detect gas much earlier than his human comrades and alert them in time. His acute doggy hearing, allowed him the advantage of hearing even the quietest sounds from advancing enemy and so Stubby proved excellent at silently alerting his comrades when he could hear the enemy was near. His major triumph was hearing a German spy who had tried to sneak into Conroy's camp during the dead of night. The loyal and diligent Stubby managed to grab the intruder's leg and immobilize him until Conroy and other troops came to investigate and imprison the German. He also asserted himself as a 'mercy' dog, scanning the battle fields for injured soldiers and comforting them whilst they lay dying or alerting paramedics to the wounded.

Stubby was named a hero, to the point where, after the liberation of Chateau Thierry, the women of the town made him a special chamois blanket, for which his many medals and service chevrons were displayed. Stubby returned home a hero and became somewhat a celebrity in the USA. He received more medals than any other soldier dog and even outranked his owner. Stubby was even awarded lifetime membership of the American Legion and participated in every march and convention until his death in 1926, all the while, remaining in the care of Corporal Robert Conroy. Conroy himself enrolled at Georgetown University to study law. Such was the country's pride in Stubby that on his death in 1926, the New York Times submitted an obituary which read,

'On Feb. 5, 1918, he entered the front lines of the Chemin des Dames sector, north of Soissons, where he was under fire night and day for more than a month. The noise and strain that shattered the nerves of many of his comrades did not impair Stubby's spirits. Not because he was unconscious of danger. His angry howl while a battle raged and his mad canter from one part of the lines to another indicated realization. But he seemed to know that the greatest service he could render was comfort and cheerfulness.'

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/sergeant_stubby.htm#at_pco=cod-1.0&at_si=53e8c0e11c489dea&at_ab=per-4&at_pos=7&at_tot=8

Follow up E mail To Mayor Robertson August 4 2014

Follow up E mail To Mayor Robertson  August 4 2014

Another Goddamned Rant and Request

Read What I Wrote

I have sent another e-mail to Mayor Robertson and Chief Chu about Jim’s Weeds. I want you all to read it and consider what I request when you’re finished.

First however I have to deal with a communication problem and I will resolve it right now.

.

The reaction to my Friendship Blast was about as expected: Almost Normal Apathy! A few positive supporting Comments from people with their heads screwed on straight, a flurry of likes, a couple of really pissed off negatives, but from all you others. SFA!

About as Expected

I can live with that but what really pissed me off was the fact all the negatives were the same! They stated:

I DON”T TAKE ORDERS FROM ANYONE!

Well NEITHER DO I- but

A few guys took exception to my lecture and chewed my ass up for ordering them to do something and are no more. They never bothered to read and understand what I wrote. I threatened no-one!

I gave you all a Choice not an Order

I outlined the problem with Jim’s and I informed you of a Petition that I wanted signed. There is a difference between “Ask” and “Tell”

I did not ask anyone to do anything. That is a total waste of time so I decided not to be so “nice” and I simply told you what I wanted done and gave everyone the choice to do so! I also added a rider that if you chose not to sign; you were declaring yourself an enemy. I don’t stay friends with enemies and if you were one “unfriend me”. Thanks to those who did! I don’t need you in my circle.

Back to the Matter at Hand

Regarding: The Raid that Closed Jim’s Weeds

What now follows is the Letter sent to Mayor Robertson and Chief Chu. Once again I will tell you what you can do to help with this and add emphasis to our problem. I would like each of you after reading what I have asked the Mayor; look at the five final questions to the Mayor and copied to Chief Chu for answers.

If you would like to know the answers as much as I

Ask for them!

E-mail or phone Mayor Robertson  and Chief Chu

You don’t have to be formal or nice or give a lot of detail. Just ask a question referencing the raid and you want information about it. No reply necessary but a public answer is

A simple statement;

Regarding: The Jim’s Weeds Raid. I would like you know the answers to the five questions asked you by Blaine Barrett today in his e-mail. Please provide them.

Even simpler.

Why did you destroy Jim’s Weeds? I want answers .

Even that is too fancy! Anything you want to say will make a difference and you can tell them any way you want. Every complaint received will heighten the visibility of our supply crisis to City Hall and the Cops. If a miracle happens it will be noticed by the local press who should have been on their ass long ago and actually wake up the public. We can only hope.

 

I have posted the E-mail addresses and Phone numbers of both the Mayor and Chief Chu at the end of my letter. The choice is simple. Help or not help, Read judge and decide.

 

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As Sent Today

To: Gregor Robertson  Mayor of Vancouver

gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca

Phn: 604-873-7621

Cc: Chief Jim Chu     Vancouver Police Department

pss@vpd.ca or vpd@vpd.ca

Phn: (604) 717-3321

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Mayor Robertson: Chief Chu                       August 5, 2014

5 days ago I sent you both a request for an explanation of the Fiasco at Jim's Weeds. You have not see fit to reply! Why not? Embarrassed about a violation of common decency by the SS I thought you controlled? I think you can tell by the tone of this letter that you have a problem that isn't going to go away. Me! Every word of this is being sent to all my Facebook friends who also were customers of Jims and now have no place to get, much less afford to buy their medications. WE are not going to disappear and we would like some answers Numero Uno Who did this to us?

I am not going to repeat the recital sob story I attached to my last e-mail "In Memorium” outlines the callous brutality your minions handed out in their Phoney Photo Op Raid. A first hand account of a witness who was there watching the farce go down and involved in it

“SWAT Team Practice for the Riot Squad”

Horseshit

1.  Ramming into the place, jamming Jim out of the way! Poof!

2.  Threatening and intimidating staff and customers ad lib.

3.  Taking money out of a wallet? Poof!

4.  Illegaly seizing an innocent customer’s medication? Poof!

5.  Seizing all the store contents required to reopen. Poof!

Mickey Mouse crap! There is no point in pursuing and investigating that minor stuff because once again cops investigate cops and walk away. Do I sound Disillusioned? You had better believe it! I thought better of the VPD

This raid was not the result of some street level Cop overdoing his duty as an arrogant contemptuous asshole.

This raid was designed to destroy the business because Jim was selling weed for as low as $3/gra. and he was hurting the Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary business and being threatened for doing so but it doesn’t matter who made the complaint. There are too many assholes to suspect.

But there’s lots of money at stake to fester corruption and

I think I can state with confidence that whoever decided to break the cease fire has a lot of clout and a comfy seat way up in in the bureaucracy: either the Cop Shop under Chief Jim Chu or City Hall under you.

I think everyone wants an answer because of questions like:

These are addressed to you and Chief Chu separately. I think we are owed an answer from the Chief as well.

In order then: to you both:

1.  Was it you who authorized the Raid? Plain and Simple. Yes or No

2.  Were you aware of the Raid beforehand?

3.  When did you first hear of it?

4.  Do you know “Who” authorized the Raid?

5.  If not, why not? and

6.  What do you intend to do to find out

I will now leave you and let you digest that, grit your teeth!

I suggest you both start trying find out and I don’t mean sometime next week! I want some answers from you Chief particularly the names and rank of all the officers involved. To hell with privacy and security and freedom of Information.

Just ask them WTF went on there and I’d like a summary of their side of the story if possible.

I look forward to a reply at your earliest possible convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration of the situation: unfortunately this is not the end of a problem, just the start. Now you’ve got me on your back.

Best regards:

Blaine Barrett

TheSmeeGoanGuy

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And here we are and you know the problem.

Now I’m telling you that you can help me and magnify whatever impact this message has on the Mayor and the Chief by either calling or e-mailing to back up my request for some answers. I’m not asking and I’m not telling you what to write just get the point across that you want answers for the Jim’s Weeds atrocity. Feel free to link your request to my letter and the six questions for each. Complaining either way text or phone will do me no favour but is a big one for your “self”

Once again here are the contacts for the recipients:

As Sent Today

To: Gregor Robertson  Mayor of Vancouver gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca

Phn: 604-873-7621

Cc: Chief Jim Chu     Vancouver Police Department

pss@vpd.ca or vpd@vpd.ca

Phn: (604) 717-3321

Now you make the decision “Do I help or don’t I?” and act on it. I know where I sit on the totem pole of Character and Ethics. Look in the mirror and ask your self where you think you fit?

If you help: you make yourself a place in the Clan of Decency and Pride and you will be able to stare the mirror down.

If you don’t start helping I hope you are too ashamed to try to look at yourself.

Do what you will but do it. I would prefer mid-morning to ruin coffee break and overload the machinery downtown but anytime in the next couple of days would be lovely.

I hope to hell this protest does have impact and force an apology. If it does I am planning others because now you are going to show me whether I have managed to break through to and who will listen to reason and help if they judge the cause worthy.  That is all any Advocate could ask.

Balls in your court.

Blaine Barrett

TheSmeeGoanGuy

My Complaint to Mayor Robertson and Chief Chu

Re: The Raid that Closed Jim’s Weeds

My Complaint to Mayor Robertson

TheSmeeGoanGuy Blaine Barrett <thesmeegoanguy@gmail.com>	Jul 30 (6 days ago)
to gregor.roberts., pss

Attn Mayor Gregor Robertson                                                          gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca

Copy: Chief Jim Chu  VPD             pss@vpd.ca or vpv@vpd.ca

Dear Mayor Robertson;                                  Jul 30, 2014

My name is Blaine Barrett

I am a Medical Marijuana Advocate and Ethical Critic from Surrey BC

My nom de plume is TheSmeeGoanGuy

I have  blog named: Medical Marijuana with TheSmeeGoanGuy at

http://goan-smee.blogspot.ca/

For the past couple of years the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department have been held in high regard for their tolerance of Medical Marijuana. We felt there was recognition of our needs for medication and all of us who need it were grateful. Now the stupid bastards of the VPD have raided and driven out of business; the most reliable and reputable Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Vancouver. Their service quality and knowledge out of the 45 Dispensaries allowed to operate that is only matched by the BC Compassion Club. The rest are profiteers out for a quick buck selling crap that has no medicinal value.

The loss of Jim’s is the loss of the lowest priced source of Medicinal Cannabis for all his customers and the best informed counselor as to its use for a variety of ailments.

I have attached for your consideration the farewell note to the customers of the Dispensary. Read it with disgust. The cops were stupid, rude and aggressive, There was no need for the physical attack on Jim when they entered and there is no justification for the removal of a customers money and refusal to return it. Straight goddamned theft from a cop that his buddies will swear never happened.

To my knowledge they found nothing to support their allegations of illegal sales to youth or to unlicensed customer when they made the raid. Why then did the vicious sons-of-bitches remove all the shit they seized. Without any arrest for a crime they emptied the store to prevent its reopening and they succeeded. If they had left all the material they seized the store would have reopened the next day and all that they would have to do was apologize for stupidity but we would still have a source of supply that we could afford.

The cops intentionally removed anything that would enable a reopening of the business and now we all have to buy from shysters like The Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary next door at 880 E. Hastings.

I would have liked to chew out Jim Chu but he’s in hiding and I can’t find an e-mail address for him so I simply copied the complaint box at VPD with this communication. You may not even even known this was in the works but its your city and its your top Cop who authorized the raid. He should have known better than to send the Goon Squad

I’m not going to say more. Read the attachment for a first hand account of how the bully boys acted out of control. They showed a complete lack of respect for Jim, his staff, but more importantly his customers. Why was it necessary to remove the customer’s legal medication before they were allowed to leave? They were all licensed or Jim would have been removed under arrest. They not only stole money they stole the customers pot. It almost made me sick. I hope it does you!

Disregards

Blaine Barrett

Attachments area

Preview attachment IN MEMORIUM.doc