ONLY WARMONGERS GET TO USE THEM AS POLITICAL PROPS …
|| By FITSNEWS || Rand Paul couldn’t win for losing on foreign policy this week …
The U.S. Senator – who kicked off his 2016 presidential bid on Tuesday – got dogged out by NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie for flip-flopping away from non-interventionism and toward “neoconservatism.”
Of course Paul’s prior non-interventionist views appear to have cost him the right to appear alongside uniformed cadets of The Citadel – South Carolina’s government-subsidized military institution.
According to emails obtained exclusively by FITS, Citadel cadets were not allowed to attend an event featuring Paul due to a prohibition against “wearing a uniform to a political event.” Of course sources familiar with cadets’ request tell FITS news of the prohibition was withheld until the very last minute – after these cadets had already been told they could attend the event (in uniform, no less).
Wait, wait, wait … didn’t Citadel cadets (in uniform) attend a recent address by former Texas governor Rick Perry?
Yes. In fact many of them were ordered to attend Perry’s speech.
“You all are going to be placed on orders to attend and lunches will be provided,” an email from Citadel Republican Society vice president Daniel Santorum read.
Santorum is the son of former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, another 2016 contender who has been permitted to use uniformed Citadel cadets as political props.
What makes this interesting? Well, both Santorum and Perry have articulated strident, aggressively interventionist U.S. foreign policies in an effort to lure “Republicans” in early voting South Carolina to their banner (see HERE and HERE).
Paul hasn’t … at least not yet.
A follow-up email from Santorum reinforced the mandatory nature of the event.
“If you are receiving this email it means that you have been placed on orders to attend and must show up,” Santorum wrote.
Additionally, Perry’s team submitted a request for all Citadel cadets who hailed from his home state of Texas to “take part in a photo after the speech with the Governor.”
The cherry on top? A political action committee supporting Perry’s 2016 ambitions use images of this captive audience in a video promoting his foreign policy.
In fact here’s that video …
(Click to play)
(Vid Via)
Wow …
Does this seem like a double standard to anyone else? Absolutely …
In addition to Perry and Santorum, neurosurgeon Ben Carson and billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump have also been permitted to use uniformed cadets as backdrops.
Take a look …
(Click to enlarge)
(Pics: Provided)
So how did the school (attempt to) explain its position? In an email revoking the cadets’ permission to attend Paul’s speech, The Citadel cited “reasons of wearing a uniform to a political event.” According to the email, cadets were permitted to attend and wear uniforms to the other candidates’ events because they haven’t “declared they are running.”
Paul’s supporters at The Citadel see things differently. They claim the school’s commandant – former Navy SEAL Captian Geno F. Paluso – is biased against Paul due to the latter’s foreign policy views.
Paul’s South Carolina supporters have previously noted the captive audiences used by other candidates. For example, S.C. Senator Tom Davis – who recently endorsed Paul – made fun of the presidential announcement of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, which was a mandatory event for students at Liberty University.
35 comments
Get the door its Dominoes! I hear the Perry campaign bribed the cadets to attend his speech by buying them pizza – ooops!
More bullshit from SCBlows.
http://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/news-photo/citadel-cadets-grab-slices-of-free-pizza-provided-for-news-photo/468750462
First of all, being “put on orders” doesn’t mean you’re ordered to attend. It means that you signed up for an event and your name goes on a list of cadets that are excused by the Commandant’s Office just in case you miss another concurrent mandatory event, so you don’t receive punishments: so being put “on orders” is actually a good thing. It’s basically a “hall pass” to go to the named event, even if that means you miss class, parade, drill, or whatever. I’m sure Santorum just said “you are ordered to attend” so knobs (freshman cadets) can tell their upperclassmen “I had to go to this thing, so I can’t be [formally] punished for not being where you wanted me to be.”
Second of all, I’ll remind Fits and others that the first 2008 Democratic Party debate was held at The Citadel and cadets actively participated in that event. The Citadel may be a whore for attention, but it doesn’t really care who it gets that attention from. The school has had everyone from Princess Diana to Ronald Reagan come to speak/visit. Don’t get mad because all USC seems to get is Joe Biden.
Regarding your second point, that may be so.
However, if Fits position is true–the commandant is biased–then this is apples and oranges, as Captian (sic) Paluso was not the commandant until just recently, long after 2008.
You claim the VP is helping knobs skate out of other important duties. That’s highly unlikely, not to mention highly inappropriate. Most of all, it doesn’t make any sense. He was simply trying to pump up attendance.
The Citadel’s message to students pretty straightforward: you’re required to listen to aggressive foreign policy advocates, and prohibited from hearing anyone else.
Rand Paul did speak at The Citadel at an event that was mandatory for ALL CADETS… – http://www.citadel.edu/root/rand-paul-the-citadel
Do your homework!
Thanks. I had completely forgotten about that visit. Still, I suspect FITS’ sources at the Citadel have reason to believe the decision was politically motivated.
Correct. This event was nearly a year-and-a-half ago – which is why the follow-up commenter “completely forgot” about it. It also took place under a different commandant.
Sens Lindsay Graham and John McCain also swung by campus for a campaign stop in 2007 when ole John was running. Back in the old corps…
Bring required to listen to Rick Perry and Rick Santorum certainly fits any reasonable person’s definition of hazing.
Heck, war crimes.
I though5t it fell under POW training. Torture maybe ?
Perhaps encouragement to make use of their “escape and evasion” training?
Thanks Sic Willie for helping me decide between the Republican contenders. If carpetbagger Davis is for Paul then Paul is a scratch from my list.
IF Davis where to run in my District, I’d likely vote for him. I don’t agree with his choice of candidates, but I do think I would like him as a representative in most cases.
Being against carpetbaggers, shall we assume the only recent presidential candidates you have supported are Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Mike Dukakis, and Bill Clinton? You dirty liberal you.
Hilarious! It isn’t even a REAL military school.
Title 10 of US Code of Law recognizes The Citadel as a Senior Military College. So, in fact it is a real military school.
Tell that to the families of countless graduates and CADETS who have died in battle, wearing REAL military uniforms in defense of this nation.
Woman please, you don’t know what you’re talking about. The Citadel commissions more military officers than any other school besides the actual military academies.
Why are students (cadets) at a state institution required to attend political events — period? What happens if they don’t attend? By becoming a cadet at the Citadel, do these citizens forfeit their rights as Americans? Shouldn’t the line be drawn at being compelled to act as a prop for candidates (all Republicans, of course) and political ads?
As a current cadet, I feel I can explain this quite well. When Senator Rick Perry came to speak, he came to speak to the Republican Society which is a club on campus. As a club, joining is voluntary, and those cadets who were a part of the Society, were placed on orders to attend the speech. These orders were given in order to allow these cadets to get out of concurrent duties that they may have had at the time of the speech. Therefore, all cadets that were present at Rick Perry’s speech were there on a voluntary basis. We don’t forefeit our rights as Americans given and governed by the Constitution, no. We are just held within the confines of a very strict para-military structure, to a highly regimented schedule, and a very high standard in all aspects of life here. The Citadel’s administration has no say so on what our political views are. I’ve enjoyed my past four years here, and upon graduation in August, I can look back and say I have accomplished a great deal in four years. Bottom Line, they are not brainwashing us here.
They are required to attend because the purpose of the school is to cultivate principled leaders. This includes attending events of current leaders, even if you don’t agree with their positions. It is still the cadets’ decisions on whether or not to agree with and follow the person they are listening to. This is why guests include people representative of a wide range of political and social backgrounds– to generate interest and debate across all cadets.
Many cadets will graduate to enter the military or government offices. Not requiring them to attend political events while undergraduates would be a mistake.
What if they object to being used as props for campaign events and TV ads? As American citizens don’t they retain the right to appear or not appear at political events for particular candidates? Military personnel aren’t compelled to participate in events for candidates, only elected officials. This isn’t about listening to “leaders.” To say it’s an educational experience or a lesson in civics is just an attempt to gussy up the cadets exploitation in electioneering.
Ironically – Rand Paul did speak at The Citadel at an event that was mandatory for ALL CADETS… – http://www.citadel.edu/root/rand-paul-the-citadel
Paul’s own Facebook has pictures – https://www.facebook.com/RandPaul/photos/a.405114511106.184842.54172246106/10151885468731107/?type=1&theater
The Perry event was a club meeting of The Citadel republican club not a mandatory school event. Heck Santorum is sending out an email for a guy who will likely run against his dad!
I like some things about Rand, but he is totally gullible when it comes to Foreign Policy – non-intervention. Yet, he wants to over turn Roe v. Wade. He comes across as wishy washy. Let’s not get involved in Foreign Affairs, but I am going to be all up in your uterus and bedroom affairs? Hmmm…..
Is GOP bundler Mallory Factor – with his bachelor’s biology degree – still the John West
‘professor’ of government at The Citadel and still bringing in all the right wingers to indoctrinate the cadets?
Looks like even FITS friends are telling him what a F*#king Dumb@$$ he is for embracing Terror – and ISIS as Good people…
Even RonPaul’s OWN son is kicking him in the @$$…
Can’t get nominated w/ 3% – that is the Kook-Nutjob vote…LMAO…
Nonstory. Greater Issues Series speakers have included everyone from far right to far left.
Not the first time soldiers are being used as pawns by politicians, and sadly it won’t be the last…
This is the exact problem I and many of my fellow grads have been complaining about for a number of years. The Citadel has become a haven for far right wing indoctrination. Something that has not existed until resent times.
There were no Republican or Democratic Societies or any other political groups allowed to operate on campus in the past. Instead, there is/was the Calliopean Literary Society. An open public forum where men would stand and make their statements, then have to defend those positions in open debate. All subjects were open, including political ones. But, there was no allowance for politics on campus.
Now, we are faced with the reality of the situation. Certain officers are pushing right wing political doctrine on Cadets. This is dangerous, because many graduates take up leadership positions in the military, government and civilian life. Particularly, in South Carolina. Thus, allowing non-mainstream beliefs to be established as acceptable facts. Something that must not be allowed at all costs.
Myself, and many other Citadel Grads, ask that the State Legislature remove all politics from The Citadel. Plus, any officers attempting to indoctrinate Cadets in any political way should be immediately removed from the campus.
You have no idea what you are talking about. There was college republicans club at The Citadel in the 80s, go look at the yearbook! The administration has made it very difficult for the Republican club making them jump through many more “hoops” than regular clubs on campus. Cadets should not give up their right to participate in the political process because they attend the college. West Point and Air Force Academy have college GOP clubs who are active and attend CPAC every year.
There are no officers pushing anything! The one advisor to the GOP club is an English professor! No other staff or “officers” are involved.
Being placed on orders doesn’t mean they were ordered to go. It’s Citadel lingo for getting permission. The orders allow you to skip other mandatory functions/duties.
This coming from a liberal Citadel grad.
You are placed on Orders to miss formations. Cadets do this so they can go to these events. “Hey knob why are you noy at lunch formation?” “Sir, Im on orders so I can go to the physics seminar.” Its an accountability thing so clubs can go on their events. Geeze get your facts straight. Citadel Class of ’12.