No one has greased this asshat yet?

I dont expect anything to come of this...

...certainly dont expect to see troops being reissued an army values card over something as insignificant as this.

I see an EO complaint then a rapid rise thru the ranks as political officer.

Fragging for LT Niedermeyer?

TR

Complete article and copy of superintendent Clasen's letter embedded in article at link below. As usual, the comments are interesting.

West Point Chief Pushes Back On Criticism Amid ‘Commie Cadet’ Investigations
By JARED KELLER on October 12, 2017
T&P

U.S. Military Academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. has an important message for active-duty service members and veterans outraged over the viral photos of a communist West Point graduate that circulated in September: Yes, we’re taking this seriously.

In an Oct. 11 letter to the members of the USMA community, Caslen stated that 2nd Lt. Spenser Rapone — the Afghanistan combat infantry veteran and West Point grad captured with a Che Guevara shirt under his dress uniform and a “Communism Will Win” sign under his cover — is currently subject to two ongoing investigations by both West Point and his commanders with the 10th Mountain Division for what Army Times characterized as “subversive political views.”

“It is my duty to thoroughly investigate concerns pertaining to the effectiveness of our systems and processes to maintain the outstanding quality of USMA graduates that the Nation expects,” Caslen wrote. “I am committed to fulfilling that duty to both our graduates and the American people. It is imperative that this be done right.”

<snip>

http://taskandpurpose.com/communist-...t-grad-letter/

It's going to be buried, with no comment.. :mad::mad::mad:

Probably no need to wake up the crazy navy swamp critter from Arizona, he likes to cover up ring-knocker faux-pas.. :mad:

Its disheartening to see that there are a great number of people in the leadership of the political class, the military, academia and the media who do not believe that Communists are enemies of the United States. Along with most of the entertainment industry and huge portion of the citizenry.

Maybe I'm just too old and outdated for these modern United States of America. :mad:

maybe U.S. Military Academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr is just looking for some good, solid evidence that can help prove these allegations

Besides... if a wartime violation of Articles 85 and 99 can get a guy busted to E1 with a dishonorable discharge, then posting embarrassing photos on social media should at least land West Point graduate spenser rapone in some pretty hot water. I am guessing he may even find himself pulling staff duty on a holiday weekend.

November 27, 2017
The Rapone Case and the Bill of Rights
By Frank Ryan

The case of Second Lt. Spenser Rapone, West Point graduate and U.S. Army officer, has raised a number of issues relative to our military, our Bill of Rights, and our common defense.

Lt. Rapone is the West Point graduate who displayed, while in uniform, expressions of support for communism and socialism. He allegedly was critical of national command authority as well.

The Army has begun an investigation into how this young officer’s perspectives and anti-authority leanings were not uncovered prior to his graduation despite concerns from some of his academic officers at West Point.

When I personally condemned his actions and recommended disciplinary action, I received a number of widely varying comments on social media about the young officer’s actions and the discipline suggested. The vast majority condemned him and called for various forms of punishment. Most agreed with my perspective that he should be dismissed from the military and forced to repay the cost of his West Point education.

A number of other people suggested that taking any action against this person was unconstitutional because it violated his freedom of speech. When myself and fellow veterans noted that military personnel, while in uniform, have limits on our freedom of speech, the debate went viral.

There are three documents that are relevant to this discussion. One is the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, one is the oath of office as a commissioned officer in the U.S. military, and the other is the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

First, as a cadet Rapone would have taken an oath of office upon joining the U.S. military and again when he was commissioned at graduation from West Point.

That oath of office states: “I, _____, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."

Once an officer is commissioned, the UCMJ is the standard under which all in the military submit.

In the case of Lt. Rapone the following are some of the provisions of the UCMJ that he would be suspected of violating. Please note that I am not an attorney; however, I am a retired Marine Reserve Colonel and former commanding officer and would have recommended such an investigation of violating the following articles of the UCMJ by any one in a similar situation to Lt. Rapone.

Article 83 – fraudulent enlistment, appointment, or separation
Article 84 – unlawful enlistment, appointment or separation
Article 88 – contempt towards officials
Article 89 – disrespect toward senior commissioned officer
Article 94 – mutiny or sedition
Article 107 – false statements
Article 117 – provoking speeches or gestures
Article 133 - conduct unbecoming an officer a gentleman
Article 134 – General article
Finally, with the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution states in the First Amendment that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.”

The Bill of Rights says that Congress shall make no law relating to these rights. It does not mean that an employer or the military cannot regulate such freedoms, while you are in that organization’s employ as well as place other restrictions on your conduct that reflect poorly on the organization you work for.

What this young officer allegedly did was serious. It undermined the entire fabric of military discipline. It undermined command-and-control and potentially put soldiers at risk.

All officers and enlisted personnel’s Bill of Rights are limited once we take that oath of enlistment or office. The misguided perception in our society that you can say whatever you want whenever you want is perhaps even more troubling.

A society that lacks discipline in the very forces that it relies upon to defend it in times of national crisis is in grave danger. Misunderstanding your Bill of Rights wreaks havoc on young persons’ lives when they use it inappropriately.

I am stunned that this officer could have made it through a screening process to get the West Point, four years at West Point, and the security clearance review for a secret clearance and his anti-U.S. beliefs not have been uncovered.

This failure is symptomatic of a societal failure at understanding our Bill of Rights, our responsibilities when we take an oath of allegiance and office, and a systemic failure of the control mechanisms designed to protect us.

This seemingly trivial event at a West Point graduation warrants a full-scale congressional investigation of how it happened. Is the next September 11 crisis just ahead of us because of the failures of the very systems designed to protect us from an enemy within?

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/artic...#ixzz4zl6jnlir
Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

I wonder if the SWC instructor that shotgun blasted "The Letter" gets the same punishment as Rapone gets?

Rapone "discharged"
 

By By :D

No mention of an Article xx or Court Martial?? :mad:

Another source also citing OTH discharge - excerpts below - complete article at link.

Update: Communist Ranger and West Pointer receives an Other Than Honorable discharge
SOFREP
BY JACK MURPHY 06.07.2018

“By Rapone’s own admission, he followed a communist philosophy advocated by Rudi Dutschke.

Dutschke advocated a strategy he called the, “long march through the institutions of power.” This entails burrowing inside the institutions of society, including the military, and subverting them from within and ultimately setting the conditions for a communist revolution.”

“The idea of an avowed communist subverting important military units and functions from within has the potential to be catastrophic.”

https://sofrep.com/104349/update-com...ble-discharge/

Rapone listed as a speaker at upcoming Socialism conference in Chicago July 5-8

https://socialismconference.org

ETA:

About Conference - from web site:

Socialism 2018 is a four-day conference bringing together hundreds of socialists and radical activists from around the country to take part in discussions about Marxism, working-class history, and the debates and strategies for organizing today.

Every year, the Socialism conferences aims to be a place where activists can share lessons from their struggles—from the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign for Palestine to the fight for LGBT liberation, from the Fight for 15 to the struggle to stop the destruction of the planet, the fight against racism, and more.

With over 150 meetings, the weekend will feature left-wing authors and thinkers discussing the debates on the left today, as well as meetings on the hidden history of working-class and socialist struggles.

So join us in Chicago July 5–8, 2018!

Department of State, Venezuelan post...one way ticket...

From the Socialism Conference website...the brainwashing is fairly extensive.

Rapone as described...

Spenser Rapone
Spenser Rapone is a former Army Ranger and Infantry Officer recently separated from the military for speaking out against its imperialist violence. He enlisted as an infantryman out of high school in 2010, and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. After returning from his combat tour, he applied and was accepted into the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY in 2012, graduating and receiving his commission in May 2016. Deciding he could no longer stomach the immorality of US imperialism, he spoke out against the reprehensible actions of the military in September 2017. He ultimately resigned his commission, and was separated from the Army in June 2018 with an Other Than Honorable discharge.

What does it mean to resist as an active duty soldier in the 21st century? Socialist revolutions share a vibrant historical legacy with disaffected soldiers who have laid down their arms and refused to serve the interests of the rich and powerful. From the National Guardsman of the Paris Commune, to Vietnam veterans who marched to end the war, to the disaffected veterans of the so-called Global War on Terrorism today, a spark is always present that can burn the war machine down. Dissident veterans and former Army Rangers Rory Fanning and Spenser Rapone discuss their paths to resistance, and what socialism means to them.