Avowed communist in uniform.

[Revmitchell]

I'll put it this way - I wouldn't want him watching my back.

HankD

He would not likely make it home.

 

[Bible Thumpin n Gun Totin]

Then you fail to understand either the Constitution or Capitalism. Or both.

As neither Communism nor Capitalism existed when the Constitution was ratified, it cannot be used to support or condemn either one.

I didn't say that the Constitution was founded based on Capitalism. When you read my comment you'll see that I said the Constitution protects private property rights as does Capitalism. Which of those was founded first doesn't matter. I simply said they are compatible. This also means that Mercantilism would be compatible to some degree as that system respected private property rights, although the government was more involved.

Communism, on the other hand, does not respect private property rights, therefore they are not compatible. That was my point.

You can make the case that Communism is incompatible with the Constitution. You cannot make the case that Capitalism is. If you believe you have a case for Capitalism being antithetical to the Constitution please bring it forth. We may want to start a new thread on this. I don't want to hijack this one.

 

[Revmitchell]

I didn't say that the Constitution was founded based on Capitalism. When you read my comment you'll see that I said the Constitution protects private property rights as does Capitalism. Which of those was founded first doesn't matter. I simply said they are compatible. This also means that Mercantilism would be compatible to some degree as that system respected private property rights, although the government was more involved.

Communism, on the other hand, does not respect private property rights, therefore they are not compatible. That was my point.

You can make the case that Communism is incompatible with the Constitution. You cannot make the case that Capitalism is. If you believe you have a case for Capitalism being antithetical to the Constitution please bring it forth. We may want to start a new thread on this. I don't want to hijack this one.

Not sure why all that should need to be explained.

 

[InTheLight]

As the US Constitution was ratified in 1787 neither Capitalism (1830) or Communism (Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital in 1867) existed at the time so neither can be proven nor disproved by the US Constitution.

Well, you're changing your argument. First you said that capitalism could be antithetical to the Constitution. Now you are saying capitalism can't be proven or disproven by the Constitution.



Sent from my Motorola Droid Turbo.

 

[Sapper Woody]

Here's a chunk of a Sofrep article on his Ranger school drop:

The Ranger Instructor (RI), who does not wish to be identified, confirmed that he was present and witnessed firsthand multiple acts of defiance and disrespect from Lt. Rapone to various members of 5th RTB, to include senior enlisted personnel and officers, which included sharing his political beliefs which run counter to the interest of the United States and could easily be construed as those consistent with an “insider threat.”

In the Mountain phase at Ranger School, students conduct a 10-day field training exercise (FTX) where they are graded on their leadership abilities while conducting patrols. A student needs to only pass one patrol, and most students are given two or three patrols to achieve this “go” in order to advance to Florida Phase.

According to the RI, Lt. Rapone failed all three of the graded patrols he was given during the FTX. However, he received favorable peer reviews, and the lengthy written reports from his graders indicated that Lt. Rapone was tactically competent, but simply failed certain critical no-fail tasks during each of his graded patrols. Under normal circumstances, this results in the RI’s telling the Ranger student that he or she will be recycled, to join the next class and try the phase again.

However, during Lt. Rapone’s counseling session when he was told he had failed the phase by a Sergeant First Class RI, he became disrespectful, to include swearing and showing no military bearing. At Ranger School, students do not wear rank, and therefore while Lt. Rapone technically outranked the RI, his rank was meaningless at the time.

After this display was reportedly heard by two nearby First Sergeants, they intervened to tell Lt. Rapone that he was now going to be recommended for a drop from the course due to his insubordination.

Going to a battalion board for only failing patrols is totally outside the norm. His apparent blatant disrespect to multiple senior NCOs got him presented in front of the 5th RTB commander, a Lieutenant Colonel, as well as every key member of the chain of command for 5th RTB, who would decide if he would recycle Mountain Phase, start over at Day 0, or be dropped entirely.

Upon reporting for this board, it was clear to all present that Lieutenant Rapone was showing a disrespectful attitude in how he carried himself and interacted with the members of the board. Talking back, sighing, rolling his eyes; Lieutenant Rapone argued with the Lt. Col. and disputed the written reports of three separate RIs who graded him individually on three separate occasions.

“There’s no f----ing way I failed that patrol” he reportedly said during this board.

Before recommending a course of action, the Battalion Commander typically wants to understand the mindset of the student. Having his file, they knew he was a second lieutenant and a graduate of West Point. After asking about Rapone’s background and trying to understand his mentality as a leader, Rapone reportedly said that he disagrees with America’s military actions overseas.

After telling Rapone that with his mindset he should not be leading soldiers, members of the board suspected Rapone was trying to goad them into dropping him, so that he would have a story about bold defiance in the face of authority. Knowing this, the commander suggested that retaining Rapone in the course would benefit him; an opportunity to train and grow as a leader.

To this, Lt. Rapone allegedly replied “I feel like that’s just a threat,” implying that they would not in fact recycle him. With that, the commander announced that he would be a Day 1 recycle, and dismissed Rapone.

At this point, Rapone reportedly continued to be a nuisance for the RI’s assigned to escort him back to Fort Benning, resisting even simple requests to help expedite his out-processing from the Mountain Phase.

Once at Fort Benning, Lt. Rapone reportedly refused to restart Ranger School, rendering him a self-selected drop from the course, and what is referred to as “Lack of Motivation” (LOM) drop. An LOM is a mark of shame for an infantry officer. It is a career death sentence within the infantry community, especially with graduates of West Point. It does not force the officer out of the military, but an LOM will follow you, and every future commander will know that you quit Ranger School: an unofficial guarantee to not be selected for key assignments and your career will be over before it starts.

SOFREP Exclusive: West Point grad and social media Communist quit Ranger School after sharing political beliefs with command | SOFREP

I've never seen a 2LT disrespect a SFC. If he did, even regardless of whether rank was a factor, he'd be in front of the battalion Commander being read his disciplinary letter within hours, effectively destroying his career.

Unless the 2LT was prior enlisted, the SFC had been in a MINIMUM of six years more than the 2LT, who is still in his first year. (They get promoted to 1LT automatically at one year, unless something goes wrong).

When it came to say to say operations, I regularly (and politely) told my 2LTs to back off and let me do my job, as I knew it better than they did. And I was only an E5. 2LTs come in thinking they're going to change the world, then quickly learn that their job is, for the most part, done behind a desk.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[JonC]

2LTs come in thinking they're going to change the world, then quickly learn that their job is, for the most part, done behind a desk.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

I remember one standing in the snow, above the arctic circle, tapping on the side of our 113 with a hammer to check for soft spots in the armor. Then again, it was his decision to take off our track pads so the vehicle would drive better in snow.....when it became apparent snow would cake up in the tracks and make things worse we were the ones having to put the pads back on.

 

[Rob_BW]

Here's an interesting read:

Heffington Sworn Statement 18 Nov 2015 Signed (2)

 

[HankD]

I remember one standing in the snow, above the arctic circle, tapping on the side of our 113 with a hammer to check for soft spots in the armor. Then again, it was his decision to take off our track pads so the vehicle would drive better in snow.....when it became apparent snow would cake up in the tracks and make things worse we were the ones having to put the pads back on.

2Lts can be dangerous

HankD

 

[Reynolds]

2Lts can be dangerous

HankD

A Vietnam vet told me that he had heard)Wink) that when new butter bars came in country [edit: questionable metaphor for being too gung ho], they died very quickly. As quickly as their men could pick up an AK or a VCgrenade.

 

[Salty]

The Fragging of American Officers: Historic Problems and Future Planning - Salem-News.Com

 

[HankD]

Bad news. Terrible.

HankD

 

[carpro]

A Vietnam vet told me that he had heard)Wink) that when new butter bars came in country [edit: questionable metaphor for being too gung ho], they died very quickly. As quickly as their men could pick up an AK or a VCgrenade.

Wasn't necessary. They died quick enough without help from their men.

 

[Salty]

Several hundred fragging incidents in Nam

 

[carpro]

Several hundred fragging incidents in Nam

I wouldn't believe anything Chomsky had to say on any subject but linguistics.

Fraggings became more of a problem starting in 1970 and most of them had nothing to do with combat.

A study had this to say about the fraggers:

"On average, they were 20 years old and had 28 months on active duty. About 20 percent were African American, and about 7 percent were draftees. Most had enlisted in the service and supported the war. They had attained only a low level of education and were considered “loners.” Most were in support units, given jobs for which they had not been trained, and reported little job satisfaction. They felt “scapegoated” and showed little or no remorse for their crimes. Almost 90 percent of these men were intoxicated on a wide assortment of substances at the time of the fragging, which mostly occurred at night. They admitted to little planning beyond talking to others, and most did nothing to avoid capture. Consistent with the command structure at the company and battery level, captains and first sergeants were their most common targets, and 75 percent of the perpetrators had been at some time involved in a verbal or physical altercation with their victims.


In terms of motive, the victims were viewed as having somehow denied the offenders of something they desired, such as promotions or transfers. The victims were perceived as a threat to the offenders. Only two of the 28 offenders studied claimed race was a factor. According to the authors of the study, the easy access and use of drugs was an essential factor in the assaults."

 

[777]

apologies for the thread necromancy, but this story needs updating:

Eight months after his communist social media postings and conduct caused a conservative media firestorm, 2nd Lieutenant Spenser Rapone (better known as "the commie cadet") is reportedly being processed out of the Army with the most severe type of military administrative discharge -- an "other than honorable discharge."

'Commie Cadet' Spenser Rapone Leaving Army with 'Less Than Honorable Discharge'

guess these things take time and thanks, Senator Rubio.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

apologies for the thread necromancy, but this story needs updating:
Yay


'Commie Cadet' Spenser Rapone Leaving Army with 'Less Than Honorable Discharge'

guess these things take time and thanks, Senator Rubio.

 

[TCassidy]

They can nullify his commission but they can't take back his degree. He earned that fair and square.

 

[Rob_BW]

They can nullify his commission but they can't take back his degree. He earned that fair and square.

They should send him a bill for it, though, since he didn't hold up his side of the deal.