Double-dog

Question

The other day on Democracy Now I heard an interview with a former U.S. Marine staff sergeant named Jimmy Massey. He recounted what he would say to subordinates who had emotional problems arising from their shooting of peaceful demonstrators. His speech included addressing the soldier as "double-dog". Anyone know the origin or meaning of that term? It's not at the Urban Dictionary.

(What Massey was doing on that lefty show was discussing his decision to get an honorable discharge instead of continuing to serve in Iraq.)

Jerry Friedman

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]The other day on Democracy Now I heard an interview with a former U.S. Marine staff sergeant named ... on that lefty show was discussing his decision to get an honorable discharge instead of continuing to serve in Iraq.)[/nq]
A lefty show?! Oooh!
Anyway, 'double dog' seems to be most commonly heard in the phrase 'I double dog dare you' as an emphasis to the challenge. Maybe it comes from that. Maybe if you quoted his speech in full so we had the context, it would be clearer? Apart from which, I'd rather like to know what he said. 'Dog' (or, as the eye-dialect fans would have us convey it, 'Dawg') is an increasingly common form address between young men so maybe it's just building on that. 'Wassup dawg?' 'Lookin good double dawg'.
BTW, when you reported "He recounted what he would say to subordinates who had emotional problems arising from their shooting of peaceful demonstrators.", did you mean to suggest that he was recounting what he had in reserve to use in case any of his people ever shot a peaceful demonstrator (which they hadn't yet), or did you mean to say that he recounted what he was accustomed to saying when they actually shot peaceful demonstrators (which had occurred)?

John Dean
Oxford

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]BTW, when you reported "He recounted what he would say to subordinates who had emotional problems arising from their shooting ... to say that he recounted what he was accustomed to saying when they actually shot peaceful demonstrators (which had occurred)?[/nq]
I don't see the emotional problem here: if somebody got shot, it wasn't a peaceful demonstration.
Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]BTW, when you reported "He recounted what he would say ... saying when they actually shot peaceful demonstrators (which had occurred)?[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't see the emotional problem here: if somebody got shot, it wasn't a peaceful demonstration.[/nq]
He ditten say they shot people at a peaceful demonstration. He said they shot peaceful demonstrators.

John Dean
Oxford

Usenet · Answer

Mike Lyle infrared:
[nq:2]BTW, when you reported "He recounted what he would say ... saying when they actually shot peaceful demonstrators (which had occurred)?[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't see the emotional problem here: if somebody got shot, it wasn't a peaceful demonstration.[/nq]
"Maybe we didn't find any weapons, but we did find mass destruction."

Peter Moylan peter at ee dot newcastle dot edu dot au http://eepjm.newcastle.edu.au (OS/2 and eCS information and software)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2] I don't see the emotional problem here: if somebody got shot, it wasn't a peaceful demonstration.[/nq]
[nq:1]He ditten say they shot people at a peaceful demonstration. He said they shot peaceful demonstrators.[/nq]
You liberals are always playing with words.
Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]He ditten say they shot people at a peaceful demonstration. He said they shot peaceful demonstrators.[/nq]
[nq:1]You liberals are always playing with words.[/nq]
Cos we're not allowed to play with guns

John Dean
Oxford

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]The other day on Democracy Now I heard ... an honorable discharge instead of continuing to serve in Iraq.)[/nq]
[nq:1]A lefty show?! Oooh! Anyway, 'double dog' seems to be most commonly heard in the phrase 'I double dog dare ... increasingly common form address between young men so maybe it's just building on that. 'Wassup dawg?' 'Lookin good double dawg'.[/nq]
It wasn't clear from what I heard. It sounded like a nickname.
[nq:1]BTW, when you reported "He recounted what he would say to subordinates who had emotional problems arising from their shooting ... to say that he recounted what he was accustomed to saying when they actually shot peaceful demonstrators (which had occurred)?[/nq]
He was recounting what he would say to one of the marines under him if they came to him with problems. It was an answer to a follow-up question after he had described firing on unarmed demonstrators.

You can listen to the interview here:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/05/24/148212&mode=thread&tid=25

Fran

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]A lefty show?! Oooh![/nq]
Yes, I get an illicit thrill out of hearing people say bad things about the President.
[nq:2]Anyway, 'double dog' seems to be most commonly heard in ... just building on that. 'Wassup dawg?' 'Lookin good double dawg'.[/nq]
I suspect it is, but why "double"?
A friend of mine says "If you want to make double-dog sure", by the way.
[nq:1]It wasn't clear from what I heard. It sounded like a nickname.[/nq]
Something like "Listen, double-dog, your job is..." As who should say, "Listen, soldier."
[nq:2]BTW, when you reported "He recounted what he would say ... saying when they actually shot peaceful demonstrators (which had occurred)?[/nq]
[nq:1]He was recounting what he would say to one of the marines under him if they came to him with problems. It was an answer to a follow-up question after he had described firing on unarmed demonstrators.[/nq]
My impression was that the Marines did come to him with problems. Sorry for the imperfect imperfect.
He and others fired on the demonstrators after someone else in the area fired.
[nq:1]You can listen to the interview here: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/05/24/148212&mode=thread&tid=25[/nq]
You can't at the moment (and I'm not sure I'd have listened to an unknown amount of it, anyway).

Jerry Friedman

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Yes, I get an illicit thrill out of hearing people say bad things about the President.[/nq]
Query whether it's truly lefty isn't Democracy Now! complicit in the anti-union forces at Pacifica? Anyone? Anyone? Gary G. Taylor?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]You can listen to the interview here: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/05/24/148212&mode=thread&tid=25[/nq]
[nq:1]You can't at the moment (and I'm not sure I'd have listened to an unknown amount of it, anyway).[/nq]
A transcript of the interview is available at the saem site. Here is the relevant section:
"AMY GOODMAN: In the case of the protests, when you realized that you had open fire on defenseless civilians, what was the he reaction of your troops? How many people felt the way you did?STAFF SERGEANT JIMMY MASSEY: The reaction of the troops was they were joyous. You know it's not their job to play politics. That's the job of the staff sergeant and the lieutenant, to make determinations on whether or not we were in the right or we were in the wrong. I didn't tell my troops. My job was to keep them motivated so they go home alive, and in one piece, and left with some sort of sanity after the war. However, I did have several of my younger troops come up to me in private and say, you know, staff sergeant, can I talk you to? And then they would go on to tell me, you know, that some of the incidents were affecting them.

So, I told them, I said, listen double dog, we're here to do a job and provide democracy for the Iraqis, and you questioning and you playing politician is not helping them. So, I want you to get back out there on the gun line and do your job as a marine, and let the politicians do their job. But deep down, it was seriously affecting me, because it was so evident. Marines are trained from day one that you go in when you go in to boot camp you learn what the Geneva Convention is, what the rules of the Geneva Convention are, what the rules of engagement.

However, Iraq violated every rule of engagement that I have ever been taught - violated every rule of the Geneva Convention that I have been taught. If you have young marines coming up you to and asking you, staff sergeant, what's going on? You know, we have got a problem."
Fran

Double-dog

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