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1940 - NYC premiere of "The Marines Fly High" starring Lucille Ball, filmed in Placerita Canyon [story]

Our Unknown Soldier

The Real Side | Commentary by Joe Messina

Joe Messina | Monday, Sep 29, 2014

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At the time of this writing, Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi will have been in jail six full months – 180 days. A soldier in the United States Marine Corps. His crime? Accidently making a wrong turn into Mexico – our friends, our neighbors, to the south. Yes, they claim to be our friends.

Sgt. Tahmooressi was in San Diego to get the medical treatment he needed for combat-related PTSD, among other things. He had parked on the American side while joining friends for a few drinks. Not being very familiar with the border area, he chose the wrong lane in which to turn around. When he realized his mistake, he immediately told the guard what had happened and that he was simply looking to get back to the U.S. He also immediately disclosed that he had guns in the back of the pickup, legally owned in the U.S.

The guard understood the mistake and called for an escort car to take the sergeant back across the border. However, an overzealous Mexican military official decided he was not going to let that injustice happen.

He was not going to let that arrogant American soldier who dared to bring guns into Mexico get away with it, and he was going to administer justice.

Is that the same military that fires on American border patrols when they are close to the Mexican border but still on the American side? YES. The same Mexican military known for taking bribes from the cartels to allow tonnage of drugs to be smuggled over the border in America? YES. Could this be the same Mexican military that can’t seem to see the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants passing through Mexico on the tops of buses and trains? The same illegals they used to shoot and abuse in times past when they crossed the southern border into Mexico with the intent of staying in Mexico, but since they are continuing on to the U.S., they are ushered along without incident? YES. The same. But they can’t seem to find an ounce of humanity toward Marine Sgt. Tahmooressi.

Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, USMC

The Mexican government and especially its president, who decries the inhumane U.S. treatment of his people, who incidentally are running away from him because of his corrupt government’s inhumane treatment of them, are hypocrites. He is appalled that we didn’t set up water facilities in the desert for his people as they break our laws. He was upset because we deport his people who intentionally break our laws. We jail them for repeatedly breaking the law when they get past the Border Patrol. He wants us to welcome them with open arms and without exception or background check. Hmm. I’m surprised the United States of Obama hasn’t issued them weapons yet.

The Mexican president can’t even, in a gesture of good will to show how “open armed” he is, push along the sergeant’s legal process and make sure he is safe. Maybe we should treat the illegals coming over the border the same way they are treating the sergeant. Let’s capture them, put them in a hot, non-air-conditioned tent or room, strip them down, chain them to their beds for four days with little food and water, and should they need medical treatment, deny it. That must be what he means by humane treatment, because that’s how he is treating Sgt. Tahmooressi. He couldn’t complain if we treated his law-breaking citizens illegally entering our country the same way, right?

And to the other Hypocrite-in-Chief, Comrade Obama … what can I say except: You exemplify none of the traits a true commander in chief would show in a case like this. You traded five terrorists responsible for the murder of thousands of Americans for the release of one American private traitor. Good job. Do you need another hit off of the crack pipe? Yes, I am being disrespectful. If you disrespect our military, then you don’t deserve any respect yourself.

The Hypocrite-in-Chief has said he has a phone and a pen and will act without Congress if he needs to. Apparently, his phone must be dead and his pen out of ink. The so-called leader of the free world could call the Mexican president and request that the Mexican legal process be expedited, or the phony charges be dropped, or the medical treatment Sgt. Tahmooressi needs be administered, or that he be properly protected so as not to fear for his life.

He could threaten to start deporting 25,000 Mexicans a day until Tahmooressi is released. He could suspend NAFTA until Tahmooressi is released. He has many legal options, and if he follows his regular M.O., he has no problem doing illegal things, as well.

His distain and disrespect for our military men and women is shown every day, as Allen West puts it, from his “latte salute” to his rules of engagement for our active military.

Mr. President, what will it take for you to act like a Commander in Chief? Do you not know how? Carter and Clinton did a better job than you have done. Take a lesson or two from them. Step away from the golf clubs and look at the NSA reports and former presidents’ processes for handling these types of situations.

Because your State Department has done nothing, and you, sir, have shirked your constitutional duties and done nothing, I have to assume you don’t know that he is in prison and that you don’t know who he is.

He is Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, a Marine who would take a bullet for you or any other American, a Marine who would hold an umbrella for you while getting drenched himself, a Marine who would allow you to insult him by saluting him with your coffee, a person who obviously loves and cares more about America than you do.

Again, that’s Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi.

America, pray for this man. He is in danger, mentally and physically, and even though our president says we never abandon our soldiers, he, Mr. Obama – not “We the People” – has abandoned one of our known soldiers.

Joe Messina is host of The Real Side (TheRealSide.com), a nationally syndicated talk show that runs on AM-1220 KHTS radio and SCVTV [here]. He is also an elected member of the Hart School Board. His commentary publishes Mondays.

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7 Comments

Paige Weaver says:

Monday, Sep 29, 2014 at

This is a national disgrace. If it were any Congressman or woman’s child, You can bet that he would be released, with a huge apology.
What is happening to our County? NVM I know what it is. I am boycotting Mexico products and certainly won’t go on a cruise that stops in any Mexican port.

Reply
- msc545 says:
  
  Monday, Sep 29, 2014 at
  
  That’ll show, Paige!
  
  Reply
Ric says:

Monday, Sep 29, 2014 at

Joe, It is amazing how you will twist the facts to try make your argument. Try reporting facts and not twisted lies to make Obama look bad.
Facts:
–He is not a Marine, but a former marine.
–It was not his first time into Mexico, he had walked across the border 2 hours before being arrested and got a hotel room, then walked back across the border to his truck and drove into Mexico and got arrested.
–The guns he was carrying were not legal in California or Mexico, so regardless of where he was, he was in possession of illegal weapons.
–The medical treatment story is a made up story by his friend on Fox News and even his lawyer says it is not true.

–What ever happened to the rule of law? You scream weekly about Obama and the rule of law, should not this former marine also do so, if he is truly innocent it will come out.
–So if Obama was so disrespectful by his coffee salute, was Bush with his dog salute? Or is it only when Obama does something it is disrespectful?

Joe your HIPOCRASY knows no bound

Reply
fishfry says:

Monday, Sep 29, 2014 at

An astonishing collection of absolute misinformation about this case.

* “A soldier in the United States Marine Corps.”

No. He was honorably discharged in November, 2012. His status is inactive reserve. His legal status when he gets into trouble, here or abroad. is that of any other civilian.

* “His crime? Accidently making a wrong turn into Mexico”

He claims his entry was an accident, but why did he deliberately go through the “Nothing to Declare” lane, when he had other choices such as not going in at all? And why did he lie to authorities? He’d been in Tijuana several times recently, had a girlfriend there, and had even rented a hotel room in TJ on the day of his arrest.

So there’s doubt as to his claim of “accidental” entry. And he was arrested for carrying three loaded guns into Mexico. His guns were in his front seat within arm’s reach. They were all chambered and ready to fire. He was in violation of California law as well as Mexican law; and the fact that he had three guns locked and loaded in his front seat was no doubt a factor in his detention by Mexican authorities; who recognized him as a danger to himself and others both in Mexico and in the US.

* “Sgt. Tahmooressi was in San Diego to get the medical treatment”

Completely unsupported by facts. He lived in Weston, Florida, 3000 miles away. Don’t they have VA hospitals in Florida? What’s actually true is that he drove out to San Diego, carrying loaded guns across state lines in violation of Federal law and certainly California law; for the purpose of staying with his friend in San Ysidro.

Not one single shred of proof has ever been put forth that he was being treated or was seeking treatment for anything, not PTSD and not a hangnail. If such proof existed, wouldn’t his supporters have produced it by now?

* “He had parked on the American side while joining friends for a few drinks”

LOL That story was proved a lie back in early June when a Mexican newspaper published a copy of his hotel registration in Tijuana for that very day. Tahmooressi subsequently admitted he lied … about that, and about several other things.

At this point I stopped reading. It’s clear that you have not bothered to acquaint yourself with even the barest facts about this case.

Reply
fishfry says:

Monday, Sep 29, 2014 at

An astonishing collection of absolute misinformation about this case.

* “A soldier in the United States Marine Corps.”

No. He was honorably discharged in November, 2012. His status is inactive reserve. His legal status when he gets into trouble, here or abroad. is that of any other civilian.

* “His crime? Accidently making a wrong turn into Mexico”

He claims his entry was an accident, but why did he deliberately go through the “Nothing to Declare” lane, when he had other choices such as not going in at all? And why did he lie to authorities? He’d been in Tijuana several times recently, had a girlfriend there, and had even rented a hotel room in TJ on the day of his arrest.

So there’s doubt as to his claim of “accidental” entry. And he was arrested for carrying three loaded guns into Mexico. His guns were in his front seat within arm’s reach. They were all chambered and ready to fire. He was in violation of California law as well as Mexican law; and the fact that he had three guns locked and loaded in his front seat was no doubt a factor in his detention by Mexican authorities; who recognized him as a danger to himself and others both in Mexico and in the US.

* “Sgt. Tahmooressi was in San Diego to get the medical treatment”

Completely unsupported by facts. He lived in Weston, Florida, 3000 miles away. Don’t they have VA hospitals in Florida? What’s actually true is that he drove out to San Diego, carrying loaded guns across state lines in violation of Federal law and certainly California law; for the purpose of staying with his friend in San Ysidro.

Not one single shred of proof has ever been put forth that he was being treated or was seeking treatment for anything, not PTSD and not a hangnail. If such proof existed, wouldn’t his supporters have produced it by now?

* “He had parked on the American side while joining friends for a few drinks”

LOL That story was proved a lie back in early June when a Mexican newspaper published a copy of his hotel registration in Tijuana for that very day. Tahmooressi subsequently admitted he lied … about that, and about several other things.

At this point I stopped reading. It’s clear that you have not bothered to acquaint yourself with even the barest facts about this case.

Reply
msc545 says:

Monday, Sep 29, 2014 at

My question is twofold-

1. Why does Joe’s half-baked garbage continue to run in this column ?

2. If the publisher is going to give a platform to a right wing nut like Joe, don’t journalistic ethics suggest that you give some time and space to someone from the left ?

Reply
- SCVNews.com says:
  
  Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at
  
  Probably because he wants it to? Any local person can run anything he/she wants here. (As long as they don’t drop the f-bomb and that sort of thing.) We have unlimited “space” and plenty of “time” to run all of the commentaries we receive “from the left.” Oh, wait. Nobody ever submits any. Maybe that’s why.
  
  Reply

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