Why would a staff or faculty member expend the massive amount of time and energy it takes to report an honor violation-including writing multiple sworn statements, giving interviews, and testifying at the honor hearing-when they know without a doubt the cadet will not be found (or, if found, the Superintendent will not separate the cadet)? We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote! Trump: Miss Me Yet? Many are publically chastised for seeking out a community of likeminded people because it is such a common belief that Humanism and other non-religious philosophies are inherently immoral and worse. Our vaunarbl…, If I'm not mistaken...there was a secret dea…, T. Shaw: . He had long hair, was unshaven, and I was honestly unsure ifhe was even a cadet. This is part of the ongoing war against masculinity in our “culture” designed to destroy even marriage & turn boys into feminized, over protected pussies. Many here are regularly told they do not deserve a place in the military. The auto-bio subscript to Spencer Rapone’s essay, “The Syrian Revolution of 1925: A Gramscian Redemption”, offers this background on [2nd] Lt. Rapone: “Spenser Rapone is a US Army infantry officer and recent graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. The recent coverage of 2LT Spenser Rapone – an avowed Communist and sworn enemy of the United States – dramatically highlighted this disturbing trend. tail gunner joe was after more than what your little mind can understand, AT EASE AND AS YOU WERE, DISMISSED! It seems that the Academy’s senior leaders are intimidated by cadets. The academy has had its fair share of famous graduates, of course, but we looked back at a few who didn’t make it all the way through. It used to be a place where standards and discipline mattered, and where concepts like duty, honor, and country were real and they meant something. He looked more like a prison convict to me. This brings me to the case of now-2LT Spenser Rapone. They are so reticent to separate problematic cadets (undoubtedly due to the “developmental model” that now exists at USMA) that someone like Rapone can easily slip through the cracks. Perhaps now some of the 136 cadets, faculty and staff at West Point that are represented by the MRFF may find the courage to make themselves heard. Moreover, since they refuse to enforce standards on each other and police their own ranks, cadets will rarely find a cadet at an honor hearing despite overwhelming evidence that a violation has occurred. A Continuing Series-42. This story appears in Issue 27, available Friday, Dec. 14. It is not at all surprising that the Academy turned a blind eye to his behavior and to his very public hatred of West Point, the Army, and this nation. Sorry to say, times change and military requirements change with them. Turns out he took the entrance exam after returning from a tour in Afghanistan as an enlisted man. There are no shortcuts. ST AP (Summer Term Academic Program) is also now an accepted summer detail assignment, so retaking a course during the summer translates into even more summer leave for the deficient cadet. This anecdote highlights the fact that West Point’s senior leaders lack not the ability but the motivation to enforce their will upon the Corps of Cadets. While to most, John Sedgwick’s legacy is … Yeah, go ahead and cite statistics from the early 1970’s. But in the evening of my memory always I come back to West Point. The US Military Academy at West Point is dealing with the fallout from a major cheating incident involving 73 cadets, the largest cheating episode at the elite school since 1976. The gulf between the intent of a General Officer and the execution of that intent by those in positions of immediate authority is massive in a complex bureaucracy entrenched in over 200 years of tradition. As the President of the West Point Secular Student Alliance (SSA), a Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF) affiliate, and first Director of Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) Affairs at West Point, I have been in a position to hear countless cadets recount their personal stories of frustration in dealing with the ongoing oppressive and unconstitutional bigotry they face for being non-religious. I was waiting for this picture to be exposed as a hoax or a joke. Let us hope so Colonel. It is as if West Point’s senior leaders believe their job is to “protect” cadets from the staff and faculty at all costs. This in tum has caused the staff and faculty to give up even reporting honor incidents. Edgar Allen Poe . All of these things seem enticing, but for me personally they are not worth it. As happy as I was to hear his words and see his genuine concern expressed, his influence alone will not be enough to change the confidently bigoted culture of this sad place. Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half-truth when the whole can be won. A great lake property. A Continuing Series-41, Lent With Job and Saint Thomas Aquinas: Chapter Twenty-Two, Matthew Archbold of Natl Catholic Register, Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition, Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICRSS), Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus, Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius (SJC), Latino Partnership for Cnsrvtv Principles, Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney, The Republican National Hispanic Assembly, Just in Case You Doubted the Insanity That is Cancel Culture. TO; TOWNIE DON MCCLARY,,,,it’s obvious you are from mayberry, never enter a battle of wits,,,,,UNARMED. That brings me to another point: cadets’ versions of stories are always valued more highly by senior leaders than those of commissioned officers on the staff and faculty. TO: Any Plebe considering leaving West Point at this time. In addition to his political activity, Spenser has marched alongside activists of various other leftist organizations.” you can tell yourself that's not true, but any enlisted soldier or officer will tell you differently. He's always had a hang-…, Don, Forgive me if this is not appropriate. Why West Point? Is it because you have seen the Army, some elements of its life and people, and decided that it is not the *life* you want? As a graduate of the CG Academy, I understand the scenarios you describe, but the actions, reactions and lack of action go totally against my experiences. What a betrayal this is to the faculty! I also heard of its strict conduct codes, i.e. had a run in with the Commie Cadet, Spenser Rapone, at West Point, and warned the West Point chain of command about him in 2015. In all courses, the bar has been lowered to the point where it is irrelevant. Those ideas have been replaced by extreme permissiveness, rampant dishonesty, and an inexplicable pursuit of mediocrity. The Truth About Cadet Blake Page and Why West Point Is Not Anti-Atheist On Monday, the Huffington Post published an article written by soon-to-be-former Cadet Blake Page, entitled “Why I Don’t Want to be a Graduate of West Point”. I can feel your frustration and total disbelief for what is occurring. The commandant of cadets he refers to as berating him over the phone was likely Robert Caslen as well. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Bowe Berghdahl was never prosecuted and Bradley Manning was sprung because the commander-in-chief did not disapprove of what they did. Jackfish Lake is a spring fed lake, great for swimming, boating, fishing, and other recreational activities. The "pandemic" is not exactly fake, but…, Now we know he has no supernatural faith whatsoeve…, Pandemix do not have expiration dates. This is the new norm for the cadet honor system. In addition to the scholarships they also receive room and board and base pay. During the course of the berating I received from the Commandant, I never actually found out why he was so angry. To begin to restore some sanity to all this would be to simply take a stand & state that women simply do not belong in the military academies & that the current female plebes will be the last freshmen class allowed in. The cadets and midshipmen in federal service academies receive very expensive educations. They exist on paper, but nowhere else. As soon as I stepped out I knew it … I have personally taught cadets who are borderline illiterate and cannot read simple passages from the assigned textbooks. You're misreading Francis. I am a West Point Graduate and also was a West Point Professor, so I can give a bit of insight. During a discussion about cadet standards between the BTO and the Dept. In other words, West Point’s leaders choose the easier wrong over the harder right. He noted that a human organization may have a composition as follows: 5% scoundrels, 5% heroes, and 90% just trying to do their jobs. In reality, separation is not a possibility anyway because the Superintendent refuses to impose that sanction. He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, the DSA’s Veterans Working Group, and Socialist Alternative. Fr. But to get to that point, students have to be willing to work hard both in and outside of the classroom. The only reason why I'm interested in West Point is because of its reputation, academics, and I also have an interest in the military. However, if a staff or faculty member attempts to correct the cadet in question, that staff/faculty member is sure to be reprimanded for “harassing cadets.” For example, as I made my rounds through the barracks inspecting study conditions one evening as the Academic Officer in Charge, I encountered a cadet in a company study room. My daughter saw a clear honor violation done by a classmate but the squadron put tremendous pressure on her to drop her charge; they refused to believe her and the investigation was shelved. Personally, I learned self-discipline and respect for authority during my four years and I’m proud of what I’ve become because of that experience! Once you compromise on one thing – in this case gender – you sooner or later compromise on everything. I…, https://fatima.org/news-views/catholic-apologetics…, I agree with Edith: “Every damn fool thing you do…, The devil appears to have the management of the Ca…, Prayer and penance is the task most of have been a…, Lo and behold the leprechaun lives. It’s not that any given white man at West … This chasm is widened by the rarity of people like General Martin who are willing to take on a proactive role in attempting to ensure that equality is established. They were all what could be called motivated and professional. Both the spike in MRFF clients at West Point and the silencing of its officers speak volumes about the very matters of disgrace that I have expressed herein. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and nothing else, and was covered in tattoos. The integration of women into the main body of the military (as opposed to auxilliary forces like the WAVES) was a project of Margaret Chase Smith, ordinarily a sensible New England widow. This really hit me hard! It has been made clear that cadets can fail a multitude of classes and they will not be separated. Mary Jane hangs around in your system for weeks; traces of cocaine disappear in a few days. Instead, when they fail (and they do to a staggering extent), the Dean simply throws them back into the mix and expects the faculty to somehow drag them through the academic program until they manage to earn a passing grade. Even in Los Angeles, only a single-digit minority of the male youth population have anything to do with gangs. These transgressions are nearly always committed in the name of fundamentalist evangelical Christianity. On the other hand, an entire semester of military history was recently deleted from the curriculum (at West Point!). The survival of our country demands it. They are shown through policy that the Constitution guarantees their freedom of, but not from religion. I knew a man in Rochester who had eczema on his insteps. The evidence was overwhelming-there was not the slightest question of his guilt, yet the cadet was not found. My wager would be that the fall in standards has several sources, and one might have been the recruiting trouble the military was having when the Iraq War was going south. Cadets know they will not be separated for violating it, and thus they do so on a daily basis. Trump should immediately fire the current Commandant of Cadets and appoint Heffington in his stead. Suggest that what’s in the tail of the bell curve (and how normal officers interact with it) matters. Unfortunately, they have largely succeeded. This appears in our weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, in the iTunes App store. I understand the head of the Air Force Academy is a “married” lesbian mother of two children! The dregs of what Michael Harrington wasted much of his life on. I believe this trend started approximately ten years ago, and it has continued to get worse. West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. It is named after a failed black Marxist, Fred Hampton, who died in a shoot-out with the police in Chicago in 1969]. Your high school curriculum should include four years of English, college preparatory math including algebra, geometry and trigonometry, two years of a foreign language, two … Some arrive to class unshaven, in need of haircuts, and with uniforms that look so ridiculously bad that, at times, I could not believe I was even looking at a West Point cadet. Heffington, a former member of the faculty at West Point, has written an open letter which details the rot that permeates West Point: Before you read any further, please understand that the following paragraphs come from a place of intense devotion and loyalty to West Point. When West Point is pressured to admit more women, it has shown that it can. Naturally, along the way you’re going to have questions. During our last bout of military conscription, 12% of male age cohorts were categorically disqualified and 12% were contingently disqualified (it was a tad lower during the 2d World War). Just look at everything wrong within the Church Herself — which has such a promise. Not buying. Douglas MacArthur, address to the Corps of Cadets, May 12, 1962. Congressional representatives might be restricting nominations (for some unknown/unspecified reason), which are essential to attend West Point (and other service academies), and therefore are preventing women from attending. Life Lessons From Babylon 5: Is It Worth It? Above-average high school or college academic records, and good scores on either the ACT or SAT tests are also expected. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the American Revolution. I’d recall Fr. Not everyone can make it through the famed U.S. Military Academy that has been training Army leaders for more than 200 years. This pattern is widespread and pervades every academic department. I firmly believe West Point is a national treasure and that it can and should remain a vitally important source of well trained, disciplined, highly educated Army officers and civilian leaders. I was on the West Point campus about 4 years ago for a football game. They give you the chance to do and see things that you won’t experience anywhere else. 2. http://www.hamptoninstitution.org/the-syrian-revolution-of-1925-a-gramscian-redemption.html#.WeZpM4de5LM. Where this gets bad, however, are the comments that are made in lieu of such a decision. Examples of these policies include mandatory prayer, the maintenance of the 3rd Regiment Shield, awarding extra passes to Plebes who take part in religious retreats and chapel choirs, as well as informal policies such as the open disrespect of non-religious new cadets and incentivizing participation in religious activities through the chain of command. These men and women are criminals, complicit in light of day defiance of the Uniform Code of Military Justice through unconstitutional proselytism, discrimination against the non-religious and establishing formal policies to reward, encourage and even at times require sectarian religious participation. Kapaun was named a Ser…, Lent With Job and Saint Thomas Aquinas: Chapter Twenty-Four, Saint of the Day Quote: Saint Luigi Orione, http://www.hamptoninstitution.org/the-syrian-revolution-of-1925-a-gramscian-redemption.html#.WeZpM4de5LM, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db76.htm, https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html, Trump: Miss Me Yet? A great asset. It is about far more than the USMA. They have only begrudgingly given us a pitifully inadequate budget, continue to refuse to list us on their website, and one of their staff has openly laughed at the idea that we could organize a conference or even produce club t-shirts for our members. (It went away when he magically shrunk an inch on the bus to bootcamp. Also, since they get full grade replacement if they must retake a course, cadets are actually incentivized to fail. It’s now a hobby organization run by a graduate student at Chapel Hill and some guy in Jersey. The things you learn on the internet! Lee’s return to a place of honor at West Point occurred as a result of a reconciliation process that downplayed the Confederacy’s treason as the primary transgression for which southern officers required forgiveness, papered over the issue of slavery, and ignored the underrepresented black officers of the US Army. (Learning about it not serving in it.) West Point was once special, and it can be again. Without much change in the proportions, you can have an organization wherein malefactors are sanctioned and the heroes set the overall tone or an organization devoted to containing the embarrassments generated by the scoundrels. It is like everything else in the PC crazy Romper Room – reality means nothing, only if everybody FEELS good. It also has an in-depth application process with some unique requirements that you won't see at non-military colleges and universities. While walking around I overheard several conversations by cadets. I’d wager another was the usual depredations of institutional diverstocracies, present nowadays wherever you find careerist professional-managerial types and likely on steroids during the Obama msAdministration. I hate to say this, but some of this may have been forseen when women were admitted to the Academies. Conduct and disciplinary standards are in perhaps the worst shape of all. He was classifed I-Y. Conduct and behavior that would never be tolerated at a civilian university is common among cadets, and it is supported and defended by the Academy’s senior leaders in an apparent and misguided effort to attract more applicants and cater to what they see as the unique needs of this generation of cadets. At first glance, East Point seems like a pretty topsy-turvy name for a place that juts out to the west. Without Prayer nothing good is done. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps. Go here to read about it. Criticizing these changes is not popular. Even after finally receiving hard-fought recognition this year, that same organization continues to work with us only half-heartedly. I guess the “Bird” portion of Lieutenant Colonel was so chagrined at what has become of West Point that it temporarily flew the coop! “The average cadet today is every bit as patriotic and professional as his/her predecessors and we are blessed as a nation to have them protecting our future.”. Have y…, “They should promote the gospel, but without engag…, In agreement with Michael Dowd. Our vaunarblity is…, If I'm not mistaken...there was a secret deal stru…, T. Shaw: . If you asked me why I chose West Point over a “normal” college, I’m not sure that I could give a straight answer. Edgar … The Superintendent of the Academy is Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen. Even when we run, If this pope ends up in Hell, may God save him from that fate, PopeWatch hopes that whatever pit he is. It was a very strategic turn in the river. The Army Mules were a long standing tradition that served as the mascots for the United States Military Academy. I think the problem is, the effective addition of fighting manpower to recruiting women therein is quite small, and if I’m not mistaken the women’s proportion has been propped up by gender-norming certain performance scores. of History faculty, I asked why plebes were going on leave in civilian clothes. l was unfortunate enough to experience this first hand during my first tour on the faculty, when the Commandant of Cadets called my office phone and proceeded to berate me in the most vulgar and obscene language for over ten minutes because I had reported a cadet who lied to me and then asked if “we could just drop it.” Of course, I was duty bound to report the cadet’s violation, and I did. In fact, I am positive of it. The end result is a sort of malaise that pervades the entire institution. Among Lt. Gen. Caslen’s predecessors as superintendent were David Huntoon (2010-13) and Franklin Hagenbeck (2006-10). You can have… I think up to two, but my info is quite old these days. Those occupying the post of ‘Dean of the Academic Board’ during the period of decay he identifies were Patrick Finnigan (2005-10), Timothy Trainor (2010-16), and the current Dean, Cindy Jepp (2016-). Every fall, the Superintendent addresses the staff and faculty and lies. Cadets derisively call it the “I Hate America Course.” Simultaneously, the plebe International History course now focuses on gender to the exclusion of many other important themes. Managed to miss this the first time around, but– I can’t find ANYTHING in Proceedings about an enlistment eligibility rate that’s almost a quarter of the previous report (’09, I think?) Every year, West Point admits more than a thousand students to its incoming plebe (freshman) class. Yes even the vatican has fallen. Although I have decided that I do not wish to be a part of the Long Gray Line, there are many other bright young men and women who will remain here and continue the work I started. Forgot to add the Boy Scouts (soon to be referred to as Boy/Girl/Question Mark Scouts) to the list of institutions caving and going down the tubes. Update: I am proud to affirm that I am continuing in my public position as the Director of West Point Affairs for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which currently has 165 cadets, faculty and staff clients; a 21 percent increase in client load since I went public. ). Always seek the minority view of any situation or story! being at west point, and our minimal exposure to the real army, there is one thing we learn: west point produces the same quality officers as any other comissioning process. 1997 written by a lapsed DSA member about the organization’s sad demographic evaporation – moving from one hq to a smaller and seedier one that they could still afford, &c. I’m surprised they still exist. In fact, there is now an addition to the honor system (the Willful Admission Process) which essentially guarantees that if a cadet admits a violation, then separation is not even a possibility. “Not buying. Dissent is crushed-I was repeatedly told to keep quiet at faculty meetings, even as a LTC, because my dissent was neither needed nor appreciated. People are running away from reality & objective truth as fast as their two legs can carry them. While there are certainly numerous problems with the developmental program at West Point and all service academies, the tipping point of my decision to resign was the realization that countless officers here and throughout the military are guilty of blatantly violating the oaths they swore to defend the Constitution. they … The place has a board of visitors which includes nine members of Congress. of only 25%, and THAT stat was mostly due to failure to graduate high school— when I was in boot camp in ’01, we had a GED program. He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Special Assistant to the President, Military Religious Freedom Foundation, Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter. They’ve been behaving this way institutionally, it’s because politicians (and judges) have insisted on exploiting the military for social engineering projects. The following excerpt is from my official letter of resignation from West Point: I do not wish to be in any way associated with an institution which willfully disregards the Constitution of the United States of America by enforcing policies which run counter to the same. LT Rapone is an aberration – he is not the norm. Cadets know this, and it has given rise to a level of cadet arrogance and entitlement the likes of which West Point has never seen in its history. In all courses, the bar has been lowered to the point where it is irrelevant. Although not intentionally racist, it was certainly tone-deaf and after months of debate, the Secretary of Defense authorized additional hairstyles that are used by black women serving, seen by some West Point cadets as an unfair bending of the rules. Then again, your complaint is with the Naval Institute writers and editors, not me. The ranking chaplain here responded to some of these instances of clear prejudice with the useless statement that he will "do what [he] can in good conscience" (which was nothing) instead of fulfilling his legal obligations. West Point (USMA) produces about half the number of officers of Army ROTC. The Superintendent refuses to enforce admissions standards or the cadet Honor Code, the Dean refuses to enforce academic standards, and the Commandant refuses to enforce standards of conduct and discipline. During our last bout of military conscription…” – Art Deco The Army-McCarthy hearings concerned a promotion awarded to an Army dentist who was a member of the American Labor Party. Was there ever any promise that the gates of Hell would never prevail against the United States Military Academy? I would have to agree, the commie cadet is an aberration. These are strong words that I do not use lightly, but after years of clear personal observation I am certain that they are true. If a cadet fails a course, the instructor is blamed, so instructors are incentivized to pass everyone. I’m surprised they are still a shadow of a going concern and that Harrington’s outfit still exists as well. One of it’s luminaries is Barbara Ehrenreich, whose presence in any venue is a good reason to run screaming across the state line. It is a shadow of what it once was. If a cadet is worried about a test, they visit John Sedgwick. I do think an official inquiry is needed to determine how in the world Rapone graduated and was commissioned. What’s the point in even having them? No urine tests for drugs, no Ritalin, few anti-depressants, few gang tattoos. His answer astonished me: “That rule is too hard to enforce.” Yet West Point had no problem enforcing that rule on me in the mid-1990s. He was a good student in the sense that he could take a test and score high, but he was also very interested in smuggling drink into the barracks and having other adventures. Waal, how long did it take military tribunals to process the blatantly guilty Nidal Hassan? thats such a cliche answer. Forgot to add that it is perfectly normal to have waivers; my husband had one for being “underweight” because he was obviously in good health. I am an old grad – Class of 80 – retired infantry Colonel with multiple tours in the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT). Former everything Robert Gates was the Defense secretary at the time this correspondent identifies the trouble as commencing. Omission corrected. The cadet honor code has become a laughingstock. Just recently a cadet openly and obviously plagiarized his History research paper, and his civilian professor reported it. They routinely talk back to and snap at their instructors (military and civilian alike), challenge authority, and openly refuse to follow regulations. After nearly three and a half years here, there is no reason to suspect that I would be in any way incapable of completing the final requirements and walking across the stage in Michie Stadium with diploma in hand in another 174 days. Partisan Democrats have made hay about Donald Trump’s I-Y classification for some issue with his achilles tendon and Rush Limbaugh’s for a pilonidal cyst. he fact that only 7% of U.S. youth meet military enlistment requirements today (per this month’s Naval Institute Proceedings) so it is more likely his type will be overlooked. My uncle, class of ’39, is turning over in his grave up there on the Hudson. West Point generally doesn’t teach those facts that would cause cadets to feel embarrassed by or skeptical of the state. Roughly 7% of the male population is taking anti-depressants at any one time (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db76.htm). If we’re serious about the military, that stops. I also served a tour at the Academy as an instructor and Officer-in-Charge of the men’s rugby team.
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