West Point’s Commie Cadet Spenser Rapone - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
West Point’s Commie Cadet Spenser Rapone
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A recent West Point graduate and self-identifying Marxist, 2nd Lieutenant Spenser Rapone, didn’t just become a rebellious communist. He has a history of insubordination.  Read a superior officer’s quavering report and weep. West Point did nothing. Lt. Rapone continues, as of this writing, as a commissioned officer. Who knows what happened to LTC Robert M. Heffington. He might be found in a corner, shaking in fear of marauding social justice warriors.

Have you heard about this story anywhere besides conservative and military blogs? Did you see Senator Marco Rubio’s letter to West Point expressing alarm that a traitor is in their ranks and they’ve done nothing? Then there’s these pathetic defenses of the baby commie.

The problem is not Lt. Rapone. The problem is the decay and decadence infecting the culture has infected the military. It didn’t take long for President Obama’s pernicious influence to degrade the American military’s ability to defend itself from enemies both foreign and domestic. President Obama was so successful, that the military is incapable of adequately dealing with traitors in their midst.

How did the military get here? First, there was the purge. From Rense.com here are the list of Generals purged from the military during Obama’s reign up through 2013:

General John R. Allen-U.S. Marines Commander International Security Assistance Force [ISAF] (Nov 2012)
· Major General Ralph Baker (2 Star)-U.S. Army Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn in Africa (April 2013)
· Major General Michael Carey (2 Star)-U.S. Air Force Commander of the 20th US Air Force in charge of 9,600 people and 450 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (Oct 2013)
· Colonel James Christmas-U.S. Marines Commander 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit & Commander Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response Unit (July 2013)
· Major General Peter Fuller-U.S. Army Commander in Afghanistan (May 2011)
· Major General Charles M.M. Gurganus-U.S. Marine Corps Regional Commander of SW and I Marine Expeditionary Force in Afghanistan (Oct 2013)
· General Carter F. Ham-U.S. Army African Command (Oct 2013)
· Lieutenant General David H. Huntoon (3 Star), Jr.-U.S. Army 58th Superintendent of the US Military Academy at West Point, NY (2013)
· Command Sergeant Major Don B Jordan-U.S. Army 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (suspended Oct 2013)
· General James Mattis-U.S. Marines Chief of CentCom (May 2013)
· Colonel Daren Margolin-U.S. Marine in charge of Quantico’s Security Battalion (Oct 2013)
· General Stanley McChrystal-U.S. Army Commander Afghanistan (June 2010)
· General David D. McKiernan-U.S. Army Commander Afghanistan (2009)
· General David Petraeus-Director of CIA from September 2011 to November 2012 & U.S. Army Commander International Security Assistance Force [ISAF] and Commander U.S. Forces Afghanistan [USFOR-A] (Nov 2012)
· Brigadier General Bryan Roberts-U.S. Army Commander 2nd Brigade (May 2013)
· Major General Gregg A. Sturdevant-U.S. Marine Corps Director of Strategic Planning and Policy for the U.S. Pacific Command & Commander of Aviation Wing at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan (Sept 2013)
· Colonel Eric Tilley-U.S. Army Commander of Garrison Japan (Nov 2013)
· Brigadier General Bryan Wampler-U.S. Army Commanding General of 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command [TSC] (suspended Oct 2013)

There are some recognizable names there. In their places, leaders willing to enact morale-busting policy and readiness-damaging regulations became President Obama’s go-to guys. Kurt Schlicter says:

Many of these people are courageous on the battlefield — they’ll happily charge a Taliban warrior wielding an AK-47. But they quake in their boots back home in the face of an enemy they don’t understand and that can destroy their careers — the Social Justice Warrior. That’s why you don’t see them saying what every damn one of them knows is true — that women, despite their heart and commitment, are a net liability in ground combat units, that trans troops are an expensive distraction and damaging to morale, and that the insane focus on “diversity” programs sucks up priceless training time and fuels, rather than quells, discord in the ranks.

But they don’t dare object. That’d be risky. And these are the senior leaders who we will allow to lead our sons and daughters in battle if Korea goes hot.

To destroy an institution, degrade their leadership. Those who succeed under the new leadership will display the same cowardly, amoral behavior. Like attracts like.

Next, destroy the standards. For years, President Obama has worked to reduce readiness. Smoking pot is fine —November, 2016. Being fat and female is fine–July, 2016, Marine Corps.

Then, put these weakened warriors near combat.  In 2012, President Obama allowed women to get closer to combat.

Finally, look away from egregious behavior. Ignore it. Excuse it. Allow guys like Lt. Rapone to skip around campus with Ché shirts while tweeting love notes to Marxism. Make it clear that no behavior is out of bounds. Condemn people who raise concerns. Allow guys like Nadal Hasan to flourish in the name of political correctness. Then, after he kills people, allow him to live and spout off about hunger strikes.

Erode. Erode. Erode.

The American military spends precious time and training resources teaching troops about tolerance and gender issues. Remember the indoctrination that happened in offices around the country a couple decades ago? Now imagine the same condescending, vapid training among our warriors. It was bad enough to suffer as middle management. Imagine knowing that your job is to kill enemies and being stuck listening to that garbage.

John McCain and Lindsey Graham talk about how President Obama degraded military readiness by cutting funding, letting equipment age, etc. The real degradation, though, happened with personnel. By gutting leadership, enforcing mush-headed regulations, and creating an environment hostile to maintaining discipline, the military, even venerable institutions like West Point, are left with guys like Spenser Rapone.

Spenser Rapone is the only the most vociferous commie. How many others are like him?

Melissa Mackenzie
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Melissa Mackenzie is Publisher of The American Spectator. Melissa commentates for the BBC and has appeared on Fox. Her work has been featured at The Guardian, PJ Media, and was a front page contributor to RedState. Melissa commutes from Houston, Texas to Alexandria, VA. She lives in Houston with her two sons, one daughter, and two diva rescue cats. You can follow Ms. Mackenzie on Twitter: @MelissaTweets.
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