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.

 

<><><><><><><><><><><>

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

<><><><><><><><><><><>

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

<><><><><><><><><><><>

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

 

IN MEMORIUM of JIM’S WEEDS

Nation's Best Weeds Society

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT.

Dear patrons,
With heavy hearts, we must inform you that we are no longer open for business, as of Sunday July 27th, 2014. Our doors shall remain shut, permanently. Truly, we cannot begin to thank you for all of your support and love throughout this past week, and past year.

The crew at Jim's Weeds has worked hard to ensure a comfortable, safe, non-judgmental environment for everyone that visited. People of all ages, ethnicities, and walks of life came through our doors, and happily relaxed and mingled with each other. People coming from abuse, dealing with disease, mental illness, and disabilities have found our little spot to be like a second to home them.

During the raid, the VPD shoved Jim (an elderly man battling cancer) when entering the store, and proceeded to scare our clientele by shouting and placing them under arrest. It was upsetting to see our elderly customers so visibly distraught by the presence of the police. Two of our customers began to have panic attacks, as they suffer from anxiety disorders, and Jim quickly set out to reassure them of their safety as the cops carried out their operation. Their medicine was confiscated, and they were escorted outside the store and released shortly thereafter.

Typical items were removed during the raid, while the Constable stood in front of a white van, over watching her evidence being collected and deposited within. They didn't seem to be prepared for the raid as they had to overturn all of our storage containers, and then used those to carry out all of the cannabis products and merchandise.

Confusingly, personal belongings, gifts, momentos, etc. were also confiscated. In one incident, an officer asked one of our staff for his wallet which he quickly handed over. The cop then took the money inside of it, stuffed it in his own pocket, and then handed the wallet back over to the aforementioned employee. A thank you card from a family who's little girl we helped to successfully treat her Dravets Syndrome was also removed.

Police approached customers and staff, asking them if they had the combo to the safe and demanded they open it. After refusing to do so, they threatened to bring someone in to drill open the safe (which is illegal) hoping that we would concede and allow them access.

There have been reports that our clientele have been buying and redistributing amongst local neighborhood kids. What people do with their medicinal cannabis once they leave the premises we cannot control, but we most certainly do not condone the re-selling of purchased cannabis products, whether it be to a minor or someone of age.

In fact, we have a strict policy of cutting up membership cards and banning patrons if they are caught exchanging either money, and/or cannabis. Jim's Weeds believes firmly that neither alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis should be bought and redistributed to minors. In all fairness, why haven't there been investigations into underage drinking and smoking of tobacco? Walking down the street, you will see far more youth choking down cigarettes and guzzling down liquor than puffing on a joint.

So why out of over 50 dispensaries in Vancouver, was Jim's Weeds targeted? Out of the thousands of people who are patients of dispensaries, there are going to be people who (despite everyone's best efforts) will take advantage and abuse the system for their own benefit, with the consequences and blame falling onto the shoulders of those who work at dispensaries.

Fearing the safety of our customers, staff, and families, we here at Jims Weeds have decided to cease business and terminate Nations Best Weeds Society. There is a bigger picture happening in the background...This event unfortunately has little to nothing to do with protecting our youth.

This has never been about money, about greed. Our intentions were genuine. To provide safe access to affordable medicine for everyone. For the sick, disabled, low-income, and otherwise. Jim is a selfless person, and was always there to help people out, especially those in desperate situations. This unfortunately has stirred up some negative attention from other dispensaries, and jealousy is not a flattering color for anyone to wear.

This is supposed to be the Cannabis Community. We should be brothers in arms working together towards a higher cause, not taking jabs at each other from behind.

For the small period of time that we were in business, the dispensary next door to us has done nothing but act with malice towards us. They have called the cops on us a multitude of times claiming nothing but poison and lies, which is huge waste of an officers time and tax payers money. Eventually, they started to take out their frustrations not only on us, but on their own members who visited our store. Phone calls were made to their own members, demanding they immediately stop attending our store otherwise their memberships would be revoked.

Again, this should be a community, not a competition. This kind of petty, shallow behavior reflects poorly on all of us who are in this fight together, wishing to make a difference. What kind of message does this send to those on the other side of this? We should be setting an example.

Everyone of you will be missed, and we cannot even being to thank you enough.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Thank you.
With love,
- The crew from Jim's Weeds.

I posted this for permanent view of an eye-witness account of how the Cops carried out their duty at Jim’s.

INSULTING-IMMORAL-ILLEGAL

Standard Operating Practice

What else is new?

Blaine Barrett

TheSmeeGoanGuy

I’m So Disappointed I Could Cry.

DO I HAVE FRIENDS(?) ON FACEBOOK? NFW!

FRIENDS HELP EACH OTHER- YOU DON’T

TO YOU- MY SO CALLED FRIENDS

YOU WANT A RANT? YOU GOT ONE COMING

THIS IS DIRECTED AT  YOU

Two Days ago I had a brainstorm that verged on genius. I finally thought I had come up with a Request to all my Facebook friends that would actually get a response. Several times before I have requested your cooperation and help for some sort of mass action mailing as a protest to an atrocity or to let some asshole know what you thought of them. Things like the “Help Alexander Stewart mailing Request”was a failure I cannot comprehend.

All I asked everyone to do was simply send a prewritten e-mail to a Minister with copies to a mayor and a Police chief. It was a simple task. I had written all the text all that had to be done was copy and past a single E-maill address, the subject line, the text and hit send. For me that is less than two minutes and 8-10 clicks maximum.

Imagine the impact of a simple request to simply use your influence to create an exception for a dying man. The political impact of jamming three inboxes and fucking up the system for a while would be enormous. I posted the request and waited.

Google+ is an audience of ??? viewers.

Facebook is an audience of ??? viewers

There are 40,000 Licensees watching,

I was proud to have 3000+ Google friends

and

747 Facebook friends.

I waited to see how my friends would respond? I honestly was stupid enough to believe I would get a flood of maybe 50 in the first couple of hours. Less than one minute after I posted the first Facebook “Like” came from my site: Bonus people are watching me! Then “Like”s hit both Facebook comments as well as my mailbox and my expectations of success soared. If each “Like” meant a Request sent to the Minister and the other two top turkeys: then there were three top mailboxes jammed full of individual fingers up their ass! 

My Heil Harper Salute delivered in person. 

I stupidly had not requested any feedback re sending and I was in the dark for a whole hour before I couldn’t stand it and I posted a request for anyone who had sent a request to confirm it by simply sending me a Yup so we could know what was happening.

I already had two acknowledgements, the Yup’s  yielded 3 more and I knew of five others who had done so. That makes a great bif total of TEN for coming up 3 days now. What makes me so fucking mad is that everyone of you out there who sent me a “Like” took the time to read my request, to hit the like spot and probably made a comment of some sort, then just hit the “Ignore!” button and forgot what I requested!

My question to you all!

What the fuck is the matter with you friends anyway? You can’t take time out of your busy schedule posting photos or links to old news, creating pages (that will do absolutely fuck all) and asking me to like them, or spouting rants about your problems and composing long stupid comments?

All it would have taken you, with no physical effort was take the time to just reach out help a friend who needs it. No more was required but you people just ignored it or simply don’t give a shit about others needs, you’re too focused on your own.

I was so disappointed I honestly didn’t know what to do? Is there anybody listening to me out there? Am I getting through to anyone? I have been publishing my blog for 2 ½ years now and I very seldom if ever get any comments or feedback on any of the topics’. What could be a forum for discussion at the bottom of my posts is just a blank fucking page.

I was seriously considering walking away from you all in contempt and focus on my advocacy but that would be letting a whole bunch of sub-standard friends, who now know I am alive; get away without some straight goddamned talk about Apathy and their indifference to others needs.I am talking to you!

I have decided: What I am going to do is speak my mind, no holds barred, on whatever subject I feel like: pro or con.  If you don’t like it , well I’m TheSmeeGoanGuy and you can Goan! LOL

I started my blog and advocacy for Medical Marijuana to reach out and help people find whatever they needed to keep the home fires burning. I joined Facebook in order to find out WTF was going on with Medical Marijuana and make contacts to help with my advocacy.

 I simply watched what was happening on Facebook and I was impressed beyond belief. I thought I’d hit the jackpot. An enormous circling pool of Energy beyond belief: anger, hostility, fear, hatred, confusion, anxiety, depression, uncertainty: all the stresses from an infinite number of sources bundled together in one great big ball of frustration. One problem that was immediately apparent was that there was no focus for all this emotional power. It expended itself in a continual discharge of rage over injustice broadcast to all the parties in the circle of Facebook friends.

Only a very few politically driven groups had any contact with no impact on any external problem target and nobody was hammering the Press who were busy ignoring it all. When I was ready I started my blog, got my ball rolling and then I got distracted from my initial objective of focusing the latent power of the group into a controllable discharge of power at a political or ethical problem that needed a boot in the ass.

Suddenly I was involved in the Kamermans outrage, and a war with the power groups in play, and a continuously changing focus as things developed. That is now at an end and I have decided on about 5 problems. Asking Facebook to do something gets fuck all for results. I intent to verbally bully you into doing what I am ordering or fuck off and keep your mouth shut. I want to form an Army of typists and techs to do some real things using using the focused port of modern communication to draw attention and shame: to above all Harpo. I am going to be the General and I want to recruit you as a part of my army!  What I propose to do is reasonable.

That is all for now. I will be absent for probably a week or so to write out what I am proposing to do as regards several rot spots and present my plans to you.

I was so disappointed I could cry but I got over that! Now I intend to figure out how to lash your asses into line.

While I am composing my Art of Modern Warfare for Idiots I would like you to look at your index finger and realize it gives you a power that no other generation has had. It gives you and only you the power to express your opinion or opposition to what is going on across the country and the world directly to the asshole you disagree with. You can use the internet to strike at the enemy and let him know you are pissed off. 

You can use it right now! Go ahead! Just send an e-mail to Harpo or phone his office and tell him to fuck off. It will be read or heard before they can hit delete and it won’t do much.

Now! What if you can wait for my target and when told send an e-mail to Mr Xyz at Xyz@asshole.ca and if you have time tomorrow? call this number (1-800-FUCKEM1) starting early in the morning. 

What if the other 2500 other Warriors o the 4’F’ Battalion of My Personal “Grin And Bear It Army” all did the same thing. 

In one day an office of a prominent visible opponent will be out of business and incommunicado. Target? Doesn’t matter: Political, governmental, corporate, commercial, ethical and even personal targets if justified are all fair game. The Flying Fickle Finger of Fate Battalion will show no mercy when it strikes

As I said                                   Think About It 

I will be back with my Introduction in due course

Blaine Barrett

TheSmeeGoanGuy