The United States Marines Corps is finally responding to international outrage over Marines the video below of a Marine throwing a puppy over a rocky cliff in Iraq. The Marine is called by the name Motari on the video and bloggers believe that they have identified the culprit.
The Marine based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, has confirmed that they have a Marine who meets the description and name on the video — a Marine who recently returned from Iraq.
On the film, the Marine is shown joking with the puppy and a fellow Marine and then throwing it over a rocky cliff. He laughs and says “Oh, I tripped,” as he tosses the crying puppy. The other Marine is heard saying, “That’s mean. That was mean, Motari.”
For the disturbing video, click here.
This is not the first such video of cruelty to animals coming from Iraq. A video of soldiers taunting a crippled dog was released in 2007, click here
A host of Internet blogs and sites have circulated what they speculate is the dog-tossing Marine’s full name. Click here
Since then, an apology has been posted from someone alleged to be Motari, click here.
The most likely criminal charge could be Section 934. Art. 134, which serves as a catch-all for such bizarre acts of abuse, including abuse of animals. It states:
Though not specifically mentioned in this chapter, all disorders
and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the
armed forces, all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the
armed forces, and crimes and offenses not capital, of which persons
subject to this chapter may be guilty, shall be taken cognizance of
by a general, special, or summary court-martial, according to the
nature and degree of the offense, and shall be punished at the
discretion of that court.
There remains a question of the other Marine and whether he knew that Motari would commit this terrible act. It should obvious that we should not give guns to people who like to have fun by throwing defenseless animals over rocky cliffs. It also should put some focus on our filtering out of psychotic and disturbed individuals before giving them the latest weaponry and the opportunity to commit abuses.
Mr. Turley, I have often wondered just how left you are since I see you regularly regurgitating Keith Olbermann’s points for him regarding your understanding of law.
Now I find you have joined the internet mob that has tried, convicted, and called for nothing short of a death penalty for this man.
Wouldn’t it be more prudent for a man of your caliber to call for waiting for the facts and an investigation. This young man’s family has been attacked, slimed, threatened, and made a spectacle over what very well could be a phony video or what more likely appears to be a dead dog sick joke.
Now I know why I don’t listen much to MSNBC and neither does most of America.
Mark:
There seem only two possibilities here. First, as Malkin suggests, this was s dead dog and they staged crying to stage this scene. Second, he threw a live puppy over a cliff as a joke. What am I missing here? In either case, it is an outrage. If he staged the scene to cause such an outrage, he has succeeded and will now pay the price. For our part, we are not required to withhold our reactions to such horrific scenes pending trial and appeal. He clearly has a right to deny the charges. However, the only reason that I can see for this investigation is the collective outrage of internet sites and bloggers.
The guy’s from Monroe, Washington, where they raise their kids to be brainless, heartless, and shirtless. I’m kidding – no one here actually raises their children. BTW, the Marine pictured here is standing next to Mr. Motari who actually threw the puppy. As to whether or not the puppy was dead prior to throwing it – dead puppies do not draw up their hindquarters when “scruffed” – live ones always do. If the hindquarters were drawn up due to rigor mortis, then explain why the limbs were flailing upon being chucked over the cliff.
Let’s see if the Armed Forces really live by the maxim that no-one is above the law or if they have adopted the rule of Bush that is an exemption from the law. If the facts prove to be as depicted in the video of the little puppy being tossed over a cliff like garbage, then this Marine deserves the cell next to Mike Vick. Such cruelty to animals is an oft-cited criterion for predicting anti-social behavior like serial killing or raping. This Marine may have acquitted himself honorably in the field of battle, but he has now squandered whatever good will he had earned. Once his identity is verified, he should be tried, convicted and punished, and then, when he is returned to society, he will be treated as a pariah. Beware the Puppy killer!
Mark, could you please show all of us, JT included of course, WHERE in his column he called for “nothing short of the death penalty for this man?” I read the column twice, maybe three times, and can see nothing close to what you claim.
In any case, why shouldn’t this “marine’s” (quotes intentional) conduct be called for what it is; cruel, barbaric, and outrageous, worthy of all the contempt such an act richly deserves? NO reason that I can see. Or is such contemptuous behavior “okay” with you because “it was only a dog?” That is your obvious implication, as I read it. And I assure you, sir, I DO know how to read.
There is one thing, that if true, I will agree with Mark on. If there has been any hatefullness directed at the family of this marine, that is reprehensible. The marine is responsible for his own actions. Vigilante justice is always disturbing. If we don’t want a violent society then we can’t run around being violent.
As a father, I think the most difficult thing to deal with is not the outside anger, but the shock that a child that you raised would be capable of such monstrous conduct. It goes without saying that any harassment of this family is a uniquely stupid act — much like throwing a puppy off a cliff.
It is my understanding that the iraqi insurgents are raising these dogs to deliver bombs in suicide terrorist missions against the marines. Isn’t that a factor here? This is a deplorable act of animal abuse on part of the iraqi insurgents. In fact, these terrorists gave the marine no other choice but to preempt a terrorist strike by removing the threat. As usual, the liberal media and the bleeding hearts are all over this. I remind them that if it wasn’t for this proud soldier protecting their freedom, they wouldn’t be in such a position of privilege to insult true american Heros.
John:
Indeed, the Marine seems to be fighting for his life in this video. What is most remarkable is how small these IEDs can be given the fact that the puppy’s stomach probably only holds a few ounces. I only hope that we can find an appropriate addition near the Iwo JIma memorial Perhaps a heroic Marine tossing a small puppy over a foxhole to save his buddies.
“A beast does not know that he is a beast, and the nearer a man gets to being a beast, the less he knows it.”
–George MacDonald
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/munclefecker/david-motari-myspace.jpg
It appears he may have issued an apology and an explanation and expressed concern over the harassment his family is receiving.
Good start. When does he report to Leavenworth?
mespo, he is a soldier under fire. this was in a war zone. i think everybody has more important things to worry about than a soldier doing something stupid while serving the country. the military will handle this according to their own rules & regulations. as far as the internet MOB; they should be ashamed of themselves. google blogs “motari puppy” and you will see numerous examples of your internet MOB.
I saw no bullets flying and I don’t buy this under fire excuse. My family has two decorated combat veterans from WW2 and Korea both wounded under real fire and they deplore this kind of “battlefield excuse.” They are American soldiers and we expect and demand better. Btw I have nothing more important to do that point out, object to, and decry cruelty whenever I see it, and, in my judgment, neither should anyone else.
Mark:
A Marine has to be able to maintain good order and discipline in a war zone. Acts of cruelty may reflect combat stress, but it also reflects someone who cannot handle such stress.
JT:
I certainly agree with your comment on stress, but in no way can this be linked with stress. This was a deliberate act involving some perverted sense of humor. He admits that in his my space apology. It’s unfair to guys who really have PTSD to equate this god-awful and cruel horseplay with life threatening stress experienced by men and women under fire.
Point well taken Mespo.
Forgive me mespo, and please understand that I would ever defend acts of animal cruelty, however, the clinical diagnosis of PTSD and other mental illness, still requires a medical degree in Psychiatry which neither you nor this Marine hold, despite his welcome apology
- unless I miss my guess.
Patty C: Without doubt, a medical degree would better qualify me to opine, but I have litigated scores of post-traumatic brain injury cases and the routine defense is PTSD as an alternate diagnosis. For better or worse, I have had to become acquainted with the condition and have more than a rudimentary knowledge of the subject, but far less than your average MD, of course. I defer to them, but I don’t see a rush of physicians lining up to defend this action. Let’s not fall into the trap of credentialism when experience might do just as well.
Mespo727272,
Are you and “MESPOS727272″ the same?
I only ask because a few days back someone placed some objectionable posts under a close variant of my sign-in….
Not that your reply was in any way objectionable…..
My point is that even your limited medical knowledge and/or personal experience should tell you, automatically, that a person, any person, who abuses defenseless animals, has mental problems to some substantial degree.
As JT puts forth here – Res ipsa loquitur (”The thing itself speaks”)
Patty: I agree that unjustified cruelty implies some form of maladjusted behavior but I don’t want to stigmatize bona fide illness with cruelty that just isn’t there in most cases.
Deeply: I did log in incorrectly adding the “s” to my usual moniker in my last post. Sorry about that, and I really hope no one is fudging on the names because I like our little discussion group.
“… Patty: I agree that unjustified cruelty implies some form of maladjusted behavior but I don’t want to stigmatize bona fide illness with cruelty that just isn’t there in most cases.”
***
Again, I suggest you are in no position to make that distinction
- sorry.
Well, this old-time conservative thinks Mr. Turley is right and did a good thing when he brought this to our attention.
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but if I had been standing beside that ill adjusted asshole when he threw that dog, I would have shot him dead with my gun and called it friendly fire! I hope he gets his head blown off.
The person/persons who committed this heinous act should be stripped of their uniforms and given a dishonorable discharge at once.
A fitting punishment would be to invoke the same treatment on them as they did that poor animal.
The persons who committed this act need a mental evaluation. Such behavior is truly menacing. It is well known that serial killers begin by torturing anmials. These persons are a danger to society and should be treated as such.
If and when they are returned to the U.S., they should be closely monitored and incarcerated in a mental institution for extensive evaluation.
The U.S. armed forces are supposed to set an example for the rest of the world. This behavior should not be tolerated. For those who say it was just an animal’s life that was taken, IT WAS A LIFE-A LIVING BEING which was totally incapable of defending itself.
I truly hope that justice prevails in this case and in similar cases.
This world is changing, and not for the better.
1st of all the marines are put throuhg a lot o f stress ibeleve no one can judge and say ohh i would never do that cuz u have no idea what they go throug. secondly the dog could have been dead theres no proof yet. and just let me say it sikens me how these people can fight 4 u and our country and u stabb there back b4 they have a chance 4 explination. p.s. if there r misspelled words im only 13 and dislecksick ‘darn it y do they make that such a hard word 2 spell’