Ratcheting Up Support to Bring "Ratchet" Home

Army Sgt. Gwen Beberg of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a fellow soldier, saved a puppy from a burning trash pile in Iraq. Now she wants to bring the puppy, named Ratchet, home. The word ´ratchet´ means to steadily move by degrees, and that is what is happening in Sgt. Beberg´s defense. Over ten thousand people have signed the petition supporting Sgt. Beberg´s wish of Ratchet´s journey to the United States. The steadily increasing pressure applied by the public should move the Powers That Be toward the conclusion that this is a no-brainer.

What could be wrong with bringing the puppy home?

Well, first of all, it is against the rules. The Defense Department prohibits soldiers serving within the US Central Command from the befriending or adopting of animals.

Secondly, the procedure for actually consummating the adoption process is a myriad of daunting, time consuming tasks. Once the young animal, in this case the puppy, is properly identified, it requires immunizations. The vaccinations must be given at least thirty days prior to exportation. In a war torn country, coordinating the efforts of local authorities to obtain the vaccinations is enough to turn most people off.

Once the puppy is cleared for transport from Iraq, the SPCA--through Operation Baghdad Pups--determines how the puppy must transport, via land or air, and to what neighboring country. This alone can cause another delay of a thirty day quarantine, depending on the chosen receiving country´s individual regulations.

Finally cleared, the puppy can continue on to the United States to be reunited with his new old friend. Operation Baghdad Pups' website states it will offer continued support for any socializing problems the puppy may experience once on American soil.

This is a lot of expense and a lot of effort to save one stray puppy´s life.

We waste more time and money in this country than anywhere else in the world. We see madness everyday in our headlines. Think about it.

For example, Richard Cooey, recently executed in Ohio, tied up the courts--and spent our tax dollars--for months petitioning the courts saying he was too fat to receive a lethal injection humanely, as the professionals would have difficulty finding his veins to place the intravenous access. He had no difficulty causing intense suffering in the murder of two young women.

Then there is Barry Beach who sits in a Montana prison for a crime he reportedly did not commit. In the nearly thirty years that have passed, his efforts for another trial are continually thwarted by a malignant ex-governor who insulated himself with similar politicians since--and using our tax dollars to perpetuate the lie.

What about our mortgage crisis? It is the worst since the Great Depression. Ten thousand homes a day are reported victims of the foreclose mess, leaving tens of thousands of families wanting for shelter and relief. The government is supposedly bailing folks out of the problem not of their own making. Again, our tax dollars at work for madness that could have been avoided.

How about that hurricane? Many Katrina victims are still without regular basic necessities and rely on the government to provide. Where is the money for that? You guessed it: us. And how long has it lasted? Too long.

So, why should we spend more time and resources to extricate a stray mongrel from some

place so far away? With the country going to the dogs, why do we need one more?

While we fight the other nonsense day in and day out, it is time for something positive.

We have a young soldier who committed her life to serving this great country, who believes in her country, who was sent into a war we never should have entered, and who is willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice in order to fulfill her duty--for our lives and for our freedoms. In light of the ineptitude of our government, her request to bring Ratchet home is one of the saner headlines in the news. That´s why.

Sgt. Beberg will be coming home in about a month. She is coming home after serving her country with honor and dignity; and, in the midst of the hell she witnessed day in and day out, she was still able to risk her unhardened heart to care for a puppy in distress. Frightened for Ratchet´s life if left behind, Sgt. Beberg, who has bonded with this so-far-fortunate pup, is fighting to bring him to the United States.

This isn´t rocket science, nor is it brain surgery. The tools are in place to do the right thing. For all Sgt. Beberg has given us, we owe a deep debt of gratitude. For God´s sake, let her bring her puppy home.