How Could You Not Help The Adorable Mug..and His Dog Too!

My friend Jean emailed this request to me and I am asking for your help in bringing Sage safely home. Please help Sage by donating funds to bring her home.

I’d like to introduce you to Sage and Lcpl Werner, their photo is attached to this email:

Lance Corporal Alex Werner lives in Milford, PA. He is the 2nd of four children. He joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, and chose to be a combat engineer since he’d always enjoyed construction, as well as destruction – ie bombs and blowing things up with them. One night while on a mission with his platoon in Iraq, Lcpl Werner’s vehicle rounded a corner and a dog ran out in front of them. The dog was killed, leaving behind a puppy who was on the side of the road. Lcpl Werner heard her crying and caught her (not an easy task he says). From that moment on, she has been with Lcpl Werner and the rest of the Marines of his platoon, being loved on by them and, according to Major Kleber’s telling, carried everywhere by them. The men have named the dog Sage. She is being showered with love and affection and toys that have been sent in care packages.

SPCA International has agreed to assist with transporting Sage back to the US from Iraq. Due to operational movements, it may be necessary to bring her home very soon. The cost of bring a dog from Iraq is over $7,000. SPCA International covers the majority of the costs, but requires the service member to provide at least $1,000 towards the cost of his own pup’s transport.

I am asking that everyone consider giving a gift to SPCA International to help get Sage home where she will live with Lcpl Werner upon his return from Iraq. If everyone gives just $10.00-$25.00 each, we can easily raise the $1,000 required to get Sage home and help take that burden off of Lcpl Werner.

Donations can be made multiple ways. Checks can be sent to SPCA International

Operation Baghdad Pups Program

P.O. Box 1230

Washington, DC  20013

The memo line should read “Operation Baghdad Pups – Sage”

Credit card donations can also be made on the website SPCAI

If you would prefer to purchase items that will be used to bring Sage home, such as her crate, please get in touch with me and I will get you a list of items that need to be purchased for her.

Hmmm….

If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the past  22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington , D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period.

That means you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the  U.S. capital, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the  U.S. , than you are in Iraq .

Conclusion: The  U.S. should pull out of Washington.

Bill O’Reilly has a talent of grating on my last nerve, but his talking point memo for June 10th is something I can support 100%. Releasing the photos with out a proper context will inflame our enemies and U.S. soldiers will die. Every sane citizen understands this basic principle. Please contact Madame Speaker on this crucial issue, and tell her to not issue death warrants for U.S. soldiers.

Bill O’Reilly TPM:

There comes a time, ladies and gentlemen, when ideology can cause death. I am so tired of zealots, primarily on the left, putting their insane personal agendas above the safety of fellow Americans.

Do you think the brave soldiers and Marines operating in dangerous areas right this minute want grisly pictures all over Al Jazeera and the terror Web sites? So let’s look out for our military, OK?

If you’d like to contact Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, here’s the contact information that you’ll need:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi
http://speaker.house.gov/contact or http://www.speaker.gov/contact

If the web contact form doesn’t work, use this email address:
AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov

Office of the Speaker
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-0100

Photo and text shamelessly borrowed from my favorite heterosexual LT:

The results for the Iraqi provincial elections are mostly in, and the NYT Baghdad Bureau has the results broken out by province. The big winner is Prime Minister Maliki’s Dawa party, which won in Baghdad and most of the southern provinces. The Iraqi Islamic Party won in some northern Sunni provinces like Salahuddin and Diyala, but the winner in the largest Sunni province (Anbar) was won by the secular Iraqi National Project. The awakening tribes finished in a close second and they are satisfied with the results and backing off on their initial call to arms amidst fraud allegations. Hakim’s Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (with very close ties to Iran) and everyone’s hero, Muqtada al-Sadr, lost big too…even in Muthanna and Basra.

You can read more his brilliance over at Lt. Nixon Rants.

Yes I know, I can get away with this because I’m just so damned cute.

Not reported on O’CNN.

BlackFive reports on the recent elections in Iraq. This is a must read, folks.
ToThePoint News contributor observed on this election:

I’ll make the observation that the world’s oldest civilization has taken a giant step in securing itself as the world’s youngest democracy.

H/T: American Sheepdogs.

With a lineage stretching back to this nation’s struggle for independence, the 56th Styker Brigade prepares to continue this tradition of excellence in Iraq.

The Bulletin, in partnership with Tastykake Baking Co., the Liberty USO of Philadelphia and South Jersey and the National Bible Association, would like to extend best wishes to the soldiers of Philadelphia’s own elite 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) of the 28th (Keystone) Division, Pennsylvania National Guard during their mission in Iraq.

In recognition of their service, Tastykake is furnishing Tastykake cakes and pies to members of the 56th as they leave from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.; Liberty USO will be hosting a send-off; and the National Bible Society is providing Bibles to any member who wants one.

“We appreciate the offer from Tastykake to donate up to 4000 Tastykakes to the deploying soldiers of the 56th Stryker Brigade,” said Gen. Wesley Craig, the interim CEO of Liberty USO. “I can tell you that Tastykakes are the most popular food item we offer at (the USO center at the Philadelphia International Airport) and Ft Dix/McGuire (USO Center).”

The Bibles were furnished by the American Bible Society. Philadelphia was named the National Bible City by the Nat. Bible Assoc. for this year. Events are organized around the city featuring the Bible.

Via Instapundit:

“THE WAR IS OVER AND WE WON:”

Michael Yon just phoned from Baghdad, and reports that things are much better than he had expected, and he had expected things to be good.

“There’s nothing going on. I’m with the 10th Mountain Division, and about half of the guys I’m with haven’t fired their weapons on this tour and they’ve been here eight months. And the place we’re at, South Baghdad, used to be one of the worst places in Iraq. And now there’s nothing going on. I’ve been walking my feet off and haven’t seen anything. I’ve been asking Iraqis, ‘do you think the violence will kick up again,’ but even the Iraqi journalists are sounding optimistic now and they’re usually dour.” There’s a little bit of violence here and there, but nothing that’s a threat to the general situation. Plus, not only the Iraqi Army, but even the National Police are well thought of by the populace. Training from U.S. toops has paid off, he says, in building a rapport.

He says the big problem everybody is talking about now is corruption. But hey, we have that here, too. He’ll be heading to Afghanistan next week. “Afghanistan is a bad situation, but on Iraq I can’t believe things have turned out so well.”

He thinks that Obama will be able to pull troops out, and send some to Afghanistan, without creating problems in Iraq. Michael will be reporting from Afghanistan soon, and sending back video, so stay tuned. Things aren’t going swimmingly there.

UPDATE: Zombie declares November 22 to be Victory in Iraq day

Back Channels: Despite Iraq successes, U.S. has more to do