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Marines kick Talibutt in Afghanistan (video); Marine (possibly) blindsided by skater-thug gang in Redondo Beach; Update: Not a Marine

By see-dubya  •  April 30, 2008 08:20 PM

Scroll down for update…

When the Marines come to town, good things start to happen:

Helmand province is an interesting choice because that’s the center of the opium industry that’s keeping the Taliban armed. Here’s a very interesting report on the Taliban’s drugs-for-guns procurement system. As much as I hope the Marines will torch some poppies, bust some labs and vaporize some smugglers, though, I think they’re mainly just where they are in order to secure a base for future operations.

I’m very glad our NATO allies are there, and I don’t take any pleasure in saying this, but the Marines are having to re-fight the Taliban today because British troops weren’t ordered to fight them, since their strategists preferred to manage the region instead of killing the enemy. It’s a distinction that goes back quite a ways, and not just in Afghanistan.

Again, I have nothing but admiration for those extremely brave British and other NATO troops on the front lines. My only complaint is how they are told to fight.
______
Meanwhile, a little closer to home, there was a story up just a little while ago about a Marine just back from Iraq visited his hometown of Redondo Beach. A gang of thugs asked where he was from, and he said he was just back from Iraq. The gang then beat the crap out of him, hit him with a skateboard, knocked him out, kicked him while he was down, and stole his money.

But as I write this, that article appears to have been taken down from its original URL and I can’t find it on the Daily Breeze’s site. There’s only a little ghost in the Google News cache:

marineredondo.png

Shenanigans? Why pull the story?

_________

UPDATE: Commenter “Michelle Malkin” links to a couple of blog posts at the Daily Breeze blog that are still up about this incident. I think I’ll check in with Breeze reporter Larry Altman to see why the story went away.

ANOTHER UPDATE:
Update coming soon on Marine — Don’t miss this one” ?

__________

{Post by See-Dubya.}

***

Update (Michelle): ‘Victim’ beaten in Redondo Beach was never a Marine or a soldier

And more from See-Dubya here.

Posted in: Afghanistan

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Comments

  1. #1
    On April 30th, 2008 at 8:27 pm, John Ansell said:

    That’s messed up that they pulled that story. The Daily Sneeze should answer.

  2. #2
    On April 30th, 2008 at 8:39 pm, atxcowgirl said:

    Yes, but they left up the 170 some comments on the story.
    Here’s one from Larry Altman Pomona, CA: 4 hrs ago

    I’ve received telephone calls and e-mails today from Daily Breeze readers who want to help the young Marine who was beaten and robbed on The Esplanade in Redondo Beach over the weekend. The readers want to send him money.

    I called Camp Pendleton today and told an official of the reaction and asked if there’s an address to send him checks. I was told by a spokeswoman in the media office that Marines cannot accept personal gifts.

    So, what I will say is this: If you want to send messages of encouragement or thanks for the job he’s done, send them to me and I will post them on the Crime Blog. He can then view them on the Internet.

    I haven’t had any contact with him today, but left a message. I can’t give out his name for you to send letters because he asked me to keep his name confidential.

    And:

    P.S. That would be Larry.Altman@dailybreeze.com

    Maybe you could follow up with him.

  3. #3
    On April 30th, 2008 at 8:40 pm, Boomer said:

    Good to see our guys are sending more and more of the Jihadist to hell! Sorry to hear there were 4 injuries from the assault landing though. Broken legs and/or ankles are not any fun. God bless our troops!

    I could be wrong, but with the illegal invader street theater coming out tomorrow the report of the beaten and robbed Marine veteran recently by Hispanic gangsters does not blend well with the pro-illegal invader agenda of the MSM. It sounds like the local Commander at Camp Pendleton needs to empty out the barracks and organize an urban combat exercise on the streets of Redondo Beach to rid the good citizens of their gang problem. A great start to eliminate the gang problem in most major population centers of the country.

    Thanks to John Ansell for posting the link on the Mayday thread! It got the blood boiling big time.

  4. #4
    On April 30th, 2008 at 8:46 pm, Michelle Malkin said:

    A couple of Altman’s blog posts about the story are still up:

    Here and here.

  5. #5
    On April 30th, 2008 at 8:49 pm, zorro said:

    The gang then beat the crap out of him, hit him with a skateboard, knocked him out, kicked him while he was down, and stole his money.

    Hunt them down. If they are still breathing, arrest them.

    Love the footage of the fight in Helmand Province. FNC has footage as well. The USA is proud of the USMC! God Bless them all.

  6. #6
    On April 30th, 2008 at 9:01 pm, undrseige247 said:

    Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem.
    -Ronald Reagan

  7. #7
    On April 30th, 2008 at 9:01 pm, Peejz said:

    I loved this:

    Q. Just read your article in the Daily Breeze about the Marine who was beaten unconscious and robbed while walking on the Esplanade. What struck me as odd, was the complete lack of any sort of physical description of the assailants.

    I find it hard to believe that the victim could describe their baggy pants, and remember exactly what was said, but could not at least identify the race of his attackers.

    Could it be that the Daily Breeze is putting political correctness ahead of the need to report important details that could help solve this crime?

    John S. Campbell
    Rolling Hills Estates

    A. Thanks for writing. Plenty of people regularly ask about this.

    We publish descriptions when they are more specific, including race, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, and other aspects, including clothing, tattoos, jewelry or what car they were driving. To say the suspect was a “20-year-old white man, or 25-year-old black man in a red shirt” isn’t specific enough.

    In this particular case, police told me the victim was unable to see much beyond age, race and their baggy pants before he was clobbered on the head.

    The description — young men in baggy pants — identifies a large section of the Southern California population.

    Some might consider it politically correct to leave race out of the story, but the race makes up a huge Southern California population. There’s no reason to indict an entire group of people for the actions of some.

    Feel free to send your responses and I will post them below.

    So if you get mugged, robbed, or threatened and the cops ask for a description of the attacker, such as race, be sure to tell them that it doesn’t matter what race as there is no need to indict an entire group of people for the actions of some

  8. #8
    On April 30th, 2008 at 9:28 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    So if you get mugged, robbed, or threatened and the cops ask for a description of the attacker, such as race, be sure to tell them that it doesn’t matter what race as there is no need to indict an entire group of people for the actions of some

    Please leave out their age too, and height and weight, oh and hair and eye color, and don’t forget gender…each might “indict” a group of people.

  9. #9
    On April 30th, 2008 at 9:29 pm, pubscout said:

    How about sending in the Marines to kick some gang-azz? Everywhere. Tag ‘em and bag ‘em.

  10. #10
    On April 30th, 2008 at 9:33 pm, brooklyn red said:

    OK, it is a felony crime to assault a transit worker in NYC. I assume that such a law protects our military. I propose that Congress passes a law making it a Federal offense to assault a member of the armed forces and/or an immediate family member, and the penalty should be harsh.
    I suggest that in a time of war 25-life is appropriate.

    It would be very interesting to see who opposes such a law.

  11. #11
    On April 30th, 2008 at 9:58 pm, spo-con said:

    Since this attack happened on Palosi’s watch, in her state, she should be the first to speak out against it. And then I woke up…….

  12. #12
    On April 30th, 2008 at 10:03 pm, Mookie said:

    On April 30th, 2008 at 9:33 pm, brooklyn red said:

    OK, it is a felony crime to assault a transit worker in NYC. I assume that such a law protects our military. I propose that Congress passes a law making it a Federal offense to assault a member of the armed forces and/or an immediate family member, and the penalty should be harsh.
    I suggest that in a time of war 25-life is appropriate.

    It would be very interesting to see who opposes such a law.

    How would you enforce it if they’re out of uniform?

  13. #13
    On April 30th, 2008 at 10:09 pm, GaMidnightRider said:

    On April 30th, 2008 at 8:40 pm, Boomer said: It sounds like the local Commander at Camp Pendleton needs to empty out the barracks and organize an urban combat exercise on the streets of Redondo Beach to rid the good citizens of their gang problem. A great start to eliminate the gang problem in most major population centers of the country.

    Sounds to me like K-bar the door time

  14. #14
    On April 30th, 2008 at 10:17 pm, brooklyn red said:

    Mookie #12, Re: “How would you enforce it if they’re out of uniform?

    Good point, well in this case the victim stated he was just back from Iraq, oooh so it IS a hate crime… thanks for reminding me… but back to your question, same way you protect an plain clothed officer.

    Or consider it like concealed carry… oooops! your (too freakin) bad!

  15. #15
    On April 30th, 2008 at 10:31 pm, GaMidnightRider said:

    I say we find out what gang it was and go check their green card status… Oh I am so sorry that would not be PC would it….. and it would be an invasion of their rights….

    ok how about something more humane…. we introdunce them to kate…. Semper Fidelis

  16. #16
    On April 30th, 2008 at 11:31 pm, Straight_Talk_Luigi said:

    Again, I have nothing but admiration for those extremely brave British and other NATO troops on the front lines. My only complaint is how they are told to fight.

    Exactly!

  17. #17
    On April 30th, 2008 at 11:58 pm, alaskangrizzly said:

    Stories like these with the Marine getting jumped by a gang of hooligans only reinforces why I have a CCW permit. The story (likely) would have read like this:

    And today 3 members of the ______ gang are in critical condition at ______ hospital after attempting to attack an Army veteran who shot the assailants when they tried to swing their skateboards at the veteran’s head.

    Semper Fi Marine, if we can be of assistance I would be glad to help as well in helping the Marine recover the money he lost.

  18. #18
    On May 1st, 2008 at 1:57 am, Christian Soldier said:

    Just finished watching my Marines on our marines.com
    It gives me peace to know they are out there.

    Saying that-I am getting mighty tired of our troops being brutilized here in the U.S. My guess is-that I’m not the only one.

    It’s time for the laws that were written to protect our military personnel be enforced.

  19. #19
    On May 1st, 2008 at 2:01 am, Spazdog said:

    Luckily Google hasn’t yet purged its cache

  20. #20
    On May 1st, 2008 at 6:56 am, Fineous Reese said:

    seems the victim exaggerated a bit and wasn’t really a Marine at all…

    http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9115129

  21. #21
    On May 1st, 2008 at 8:32 am, caligulajones said:

    Meanwhile, a little closer to home, there was a story up just a little while ago about a Marine just back from Iraq visited his hometown of Redondo Beach. A gang of thugs asked where he was from, and he said he was just back from Iraq. The gang then beat the crap out of him, hit him with a skateboard, knocked him out, kicked him while he was down, and stole his money.

    Michelle, I have worked with gangs before and the question “Where are you from?” is asking someone what gang they are in. They probably didn’t even know where Iraq is. I am not defending them, but I don’t think they were anti-troop, just plain scumbags.

  22. #22
    On May 1st, 2008 at 8:38 am, On-my-soap-box said:

    On May 1st, 2008 at 6:56 am, Fineous Reese said:
    seems the victim exaggerated a bit and wasn’t really a Marine at all…

    http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9115129

    From the story”

    “I exaggerated a little bit on my stories,”

    Related to Shrill? Wondering… :roll:

  23. #23
    On May 1st, 2008 at 8:43 am, Cameron said:

    20 years old, graduated from high school last year, already has a record for public intoxication. Yeah, I can see why he’d make up stories about being a Marine.

    Pinhead. I’d say make him join the service, but I wouldn’t want him in. I’d rather have him sink into obscurity.

  24. #24
    On May 1st, 2008 at 9:04 am, Fineous Reese said:

    it truly sucks that he gave anti-troop folks something to crow about (haven’t seen anything but it seems something they’d jump on) but the little light it sheds on the continued need to deal with the gangs is a silver lining.

  25. #25
    On May 1st, 2008 at 9:11 am, Cameron said:

    it truly sucks that he gave anti-troop folks something to crow about

    If those folks crow too loudly, quietly remind them about Jesse Macbeth and Jimmy Massey.

  26. #26
    On May 1st, 2008 at 9:17 am, henryinga said:

    ‘How would you enforce it, if they’re out of uniform?” By their Military ID card, and liberty pass.

  27. #27
    On May 1st, 2008 at 9:57 am, Hexadecimal said:

    On May 1st, 2008 at 9:17 am, henryinga said:
    ‘How would you enforce it, if they’re out of uniform?” By their Military ID card, and liberty pass.

    I think what he was getting at was that if the soldier/sailor/Marine isn’t in uniform, the assailants don’t know they are attacking someone in the Armed Forces, and therefore could not be successfully be prosecuted until anything more than the original assault charges.

    At least that’s how I read his post.

  28. #28
    On May 1st, 2008 at 10:57 am, MNUSMCDavid said:

    I’m ticked that he lied about being a Marine. But, in all candor, this still is a gang issue that needs to be addressed. These punks think they can do what they want.

  29. #29
    On May 1st, 2008 at 8:39 pm, GaMidnightRider said:

    On May 1st, 2008 at 10:57 am, MNUSMCDavid said:
    I’m ticked that he lied about being a Marine. But, in all candor, this still is a gang issue that needs to be addressed. These punks think they can do what they want.

    Here here… he needs to sent through basic just to get a taste of it.

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Narcoterrorists. I hate these guys.

July 5, 2008 02:34 PM by see-dubya

21 Comments | 0 Trackbacks

Precursors to terror. Plus a similar case in Mexico.

Blackwater asks Federal court to judge them under Sharia law

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Sort of missing the point of the whole fight.

Biometric checkpoints to be installed at the border

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An advance in border security? Of course there’s a catch.

“The Taliban took us from the rear and we gave them a good spanking.”

June 8, 2008 03:14 PM by see-dubya

26 Comments | 0 Trackbacks

Sexist British paratroopers back up their claim that the Taliban “fight like women”.

Meet Marcus Luttrell

May 12, 2008 12:48 PM by Michelle Malkin

37 Comments | 0 Trackbacks

Lone survivor, American hero.

Al-Qaeda and Taliban totally pwned

April 25, 2008 04:06 PM by see-dubya

60 Comments | 1 Trackback

Righteous punking.

“Progress in Afghanistan” actually means…progress in Afghanistan

April 10, 2008 04:32 PM by see-dubya

24 Comments | 1 Trackback

Re-snatching victory from the grubby hands of defeat which snatched it from the jaws of victory.


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