In case there was any lingering doubt, hasta la victoria siempre pic.twitter.com/0XrW38wcCk— Commie Bebop🌹 (@punkproletarian) September 25, 2017
Army Times: West Point responds to tweets of cadet with Che Guevara tee under uniform
The U.S. Military Academy released a statement Tuesday after a recent graduate posted photos of himself with pro-communist messages hidden under his uniform and dress cap while still a cadet.
The photos, posted by 2nd Lt. Spenser Rapone, show the then-cadet posing with a Che Guevara t-shirt under his uniform and “communism will win” written under his cap at his graduation from the academy in May.
“Second Lieutenant Rapone‘s actions in no way reflect the values of the U.S. Military Academy or the U.S. Army,” the statement from West Point said.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: If he was wearing a T-shirt with Hitler on it or if he wrote that "Nationalism Socialism will win" .... the uproar would be so intense he would be ostracized and turfed out of the military ASAP. But here is an easy prediction .... supporting communism at West Point will only give you publicity and some mild criticism. I have said this many times before .... but quoting an observation my father made a long time ago (a former Soviet military officer during the Second World War and a former member of the Soviet Communist Party) .... "there are far more communists in America that in the former Soviet Union".
More News On A West Point Graduates Open Support Of Communism
Soldier sparks controversy after tweeting his support for Colin Kaepernick with photographs revealing messages in support of communism beneath his Army uniform -- Daily Mail
Army investigating West Point grad’s pro-communist social media posts -- The Hill
West Point grad condemned for pro-communist photos, messages -- FOX News
Army officials condemn West Point grad for pro-Kaepernick tweets -- NYPost
Is a belief in communism as an economic policy and political perspective outlawed? socialism? libertarianism? Must the cadet say nothing, portray one or the other of the two main parties? Is there a fear that when he graduates he will do....? what?
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteI am not talking about outlawing anything .... I am just pointing out how different the public and media reaction is. And as for outlawing economic and political philosophies .... should National Socialism (Nazism) be outlawed? Should the KKK be outlawed? Many are doing their best to do just that .... so I say why not Communism .... they have shed just as much blood as National Socialism.
Western people have been conditioned to have a visceral, knee-jerk reaction to Nazism, but accept socialism and communism as benign. It's a massive double-standard. Communism is a totalitarian system that has only brought about war and misery in the nations that were unfortunate enough to become its victims.
ReplyDeleteWNU (different anon here),
ReplyDeleteI think you need to experience communism first hand to know how good/bad it is, and I guess there are different implementations of communism around the world. None seems to really work well. Your dad experienced communism, so that's why he said what he said.. Europeans and Americans - unless they were immigrants or satellite countries of the former Soviet Union, did not experience soviet style communism.
Having said that, I think capitalism also has issues, different issues for sure. I personally think that a mixture of capitalism and socialism - as it is the case in Europe (and actually also the US), works best. BUT it can still be improved a lot for sure, and we should carefully listen to people who feel marginalized by capitalism. There are many. And there reasons are valid. The experiments in nordic countries are worthwhile following (e.g. where a basic income and economic dignity is guaranteed to everyone seems to work- people don't stop working as was expected by some, but seem to work nonetheless and have less anxiety with capitalism and less issues of debt). So yeah, all in all I am optimistic that we can make capitalism work, but we certainly cannot allow the income disparity march on like this, where a CEO today not makes ten fold of what an employee makes on average, but 1,000 fold. It's nonsensical. I have worked in large organisations, and while yes the work of a CEO is never done, it's the same for a mid range manager. And the incremental value provided by a ceo is certainly not 1,000 fold. You get my point. Lots of issues about capitalism, so I get how tempting it can be to experiment with socialism - especially as this guy probably also wants the attention, and controversy, otherwise he wouldn't use a Twitter account for that publicity stunt.
Caecus - having grown up in Europe I can tell you it is not a double standard, but a difference in education emphasis that causes this bias.
ReplyDeleteWe in western Europe are educated early on about what Fascism (Nazism) and nationalistic tendencies can do to a country (mostly Germany, but we are also taught about Italy and Japan, who, as you know were working with Germany). We spend years on this subject, due to its prevalent history in and lasting impact on Europe's legacy.
As communism was not rampant in Europe, we spend less time about it. But many, many do know (unless they forgot their high school education) that under Stalin millions of people died, perhaps - so historians argue - more than under Hitler. But I must admit, I too forgot the details .. what exactly happened under Stalin. Gulags, killings, sure, but I have to read up on it again. But I certainly know what Hitler and the Nazis did. Years of education on that topic make almost everyone in Europe an expert. Which is great, but you are right, the educational emphasis on one evil lets us forget the other. (also, Germany pays much more tribute to its bad history, while I don't see the same in Russia happening. They rather bathe in the glory of defeating Nazis - which is great - but they don't accept their own history as much as the Germans do. Same with Japan - much more so. But under Abe things got a bit better now and they do wrestle with their past.)
He ought to get court martialed. The rules / laws against Communism are still embedded in our Federal and USMJ codes and this turd has broken them all. That's besides all the 'conduct unbecoming' transgressions.
ReplyDeleteThey'll probably just administratively separate him. 'you're fired'. Probably won't even give him a Bad Conduct Discharge.
HE'S,
DONE,
R
Anon,
ReplyDeleteYou are new to the blog so you do not know. But the first half of my life was living in the Soviet Union. I know too well what it is all about.
I am hardly about to defend communism, but having said that, is it possible to think, construe, communism as a political, economic idea, ie Marxism, rather than point to what was done under the guise of communism in Russia? Yes. Communism was murderous in the Soviet Union and in China as was the nazi program in Germany...I do not some scholars who use a marxist approach to studies of economic and history and art, etc. and it is benign if perhaps misguided. If a young person wears a shirt with a picture of Che on it, he is not identifing with Cuba and its govt so much as indicating a revolutionary fervor, much as The Band, from Canada, often had use of confederate flags
ReplyDeleteIn sum: tempest in a teapot.He studies, he serves, he breaks no rules...no big deal.
I often share your blog links with a dear old friend who is a Vietnam vet, most of the time I do it just because I know how to push his buttons and get him all fired up, this story would be one of them. Unfortunately he was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and I am abstaining from sending these stories anymore because his time is short and I don't want to get mad about these things anymore, but let me tell you he would come unglued if he read this...such a shame.
ReplyDeleteOh I know you did and I know you do know. Hence why you're critical to the other anon.. too many anons :)
ReplyDelete"Is a belief in communism as an economic policy and political perspective outlawed? socialism"
ReplyDeleteOne coukld argue that
But then the ugly cade goes further.
1st Che Guevara
2nd Antifa
etc.
This guy will not play well with others. He will last 4 to 10 years at most. He has more confidence and self-assuredness than say Bradley Manning, so he will last longer, but none- the-less he will self-destruct.
I had an uncle, who live behind the Iron Curtain. I have a spouse from another commutard country. Neither one of them liked it.
" a young person wears a shirt with a picture of Che on it, he is not identifing with Cuba and its govt so much as indicating a revolutionary fervor"
ReplyDeleteReally?
He is highly educated.
He has access to the internet. Surely he can read about how many people Che murdered.
He supports Antifa. They carry clubs and weapons than cause puncture wounds. If puncture wounds by say a nail are no big deal, then why did I have to report them to OSHA?
FRED,
Just how many photographs of Antifa members masked and carrying weapons aft how many demonstrations across the country do you have to view before you agree that Antifa is illegal and violent?
This is just sad this dumbass did this, what the hell is wrong with my generation? As multiple people have said , communism never works and I hope this kid gets what he deserves (send mr. communist to Venezuela and see how he likes having to wipe his but with sticks and leaves
ReplyDelete