The University of Texas has a new hire in their New School for Social Research within its history department. They hired a man known as the “commie cadet” to teach for their school.
Professor Spenser Rapone, also known as the “commie cadet,” is the new professor. He was removed from the U.S. Army on an “other-than-honorable” discharge after he posted photos praising communism during a West Point graduation ceremony. Now he is a proud professor at Texas University.
It was during the May 2016 graduation ceremony that the “commie cadet” was photographed opening his dress uniform. He proudly showed a T-shirt with a red image of socialist icon Che Guevara. Guevara is a Marxist revolutionary who is well known for his role in the Cuban Revolution. Rapone was seen in a second image raising his fist and showcasing the message on his cap that says, “Communism will win.”
He also sent this same message on Twitter.
The Army Times reported about an investigation into Rapone’s online behavior. They uncovered that the former cadet not only used his online presence to advocate for a socialist revolution but also to disparage high-ranking military officers. Rapone was reprimanded for “conduct unbecoming of an officer.”
West Point released a statement just after Rapone’s photos caused an uproar on social media. “In no way [do Rapone’s actions] reflect the values of the U.S. Military Academy or the U.S. Army.”
An unrepentant Rapone summed up the fallout in yet another tweet that showed him extending a middle finger at a sign at the entrance to Fort Drum, accompanied by the words, “One final salute.”
When the “commie cadet” spoke to The Associated Press, he said that he considers himself a “revolutionary socialist.” Believe it or not, Rapone encouraged members of the armed forces to stop fighting on behalf of the United States, or as he calls the country, “the agents of imperialism.”
“I consider myself a revolutionary socialist,” Rapone said. “I would encourage all soldiers who have a conscience to lay down their arms and join me and so many others who are willing to stop serving the agents of imperialism and join us in a revolutionary movement.”
While doing an interview with Jacobin, Rapone said that he does not believe that the U.S. military fights for “freedom,” “truth,” or “justice.”
“I was always told growing up that the U.S. military protects the innocent, that we fight for freedom, truth, and justice,” Rapone said. “It didn’t take me long to realize that my experiences did not reflect that in the slightest… We were just persecuting and terrorizing some of the most exploited people on Earth with one of the most technologically advanced militaries in history.”
The biography that is published for the University of Texas states that Rapone has a continued interest in socialism and conducts research on the subject. In particular, he researches “Ba’thism,” which is a fusion of socialism and Arab nationalism.
The professor’s biography also states, “[Rapone’s] research is primarily concerned with the question of the spirit and soul in modern thought. Specifically, he seeks to reconstruct and historically situate politico-theological ideologies such as Ba’thism and similar thought-forms in the Arab World and beyond.”
The university biography does not mention his military service or his “other-than-honorable” discharge.
Rapone teaches courses on the topics of “Modern Arab intellectual history, Modern Middle East and North Africa, metaphysics, consciousness, political theology, decolonization, [and] violence.”
It is certainly within reason to assume that the “commie cadet” will use this new platform to indoctrinate a generation of students to hold the same beliefs about America and Socialism.