http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020...ions030228.html
So I went and read this, since I missed the show. Many of you know that I just graduated from USAFA last May. And honestly, I have to say this is the biggist pile of horse dung I've ever seen.
The Academy is a pretty close knit place. There are only 4,000 cadets, as opposed to big universities with 40,000 students. I'm not saying you get to know everybody, but when there are only 2 dorm buildings for all 4000 cadets (and you're assigned to a squadron of around 100-120 people, you switch squadrons part way through your time there, so that doubles the number of people that you're required to know at a minimum), you get to know a pretty healthy majority of the people. With that said, I never heard of anything like this. I was just your average Joe Blow cadet, wasn't really affiliated with any specific group or clique (yes, there were plenty and they were quite distinct).
The media is trying to make a lot more of this than what's really there, just like they did with the big drug scandal two years ago. Go ask any other college in the country if they'd be happy having a drug ring on their campus that consisted of a whole whopping 13 people, and they'd say hell yes. I'm not saying that rape is not a problem if it happens in small numbers, so don't try to misquote me there. I'm just saying that the media likes to amplify everything when it's a service academy under the microscope.
If there were any legitimate rapes that took place, that's inexcusable. The guys commiting them should be court martialed and sent on their merry way to Levinworth. But I think the point has been made that PC roadkill has gotten so bad that some of these guys had no reason to think what they were doing could be considered rape, until the girl changed her mind a few days or weeks later.
But now, just to add some fuel to the fire, let's go through the list of things that these people were doing wrong according to the AFCWIs (Air Force Cadet Wing Instructions).
1. Alcohol in the cadet area, especially in the dorms. Completely prohibited no matter how old you are or what rank you hold.
2. Sex in the dorms, consentual or not, also prohibited. Both parties should be punished equally.
3. Freshmen dealing with upperclassmen in anything other than a professional manner, and vice versa. This is fraternization and is considered no different than officers having unprofessional relationships with enlisted. It's wrong on both parties involved, even more so for the upperclassmen who know better. I watched a guy who was about to cross commission into the Army and go into Ranger school lose his slot and get sent to Army intel because it came out that in his last couple of months before graduation he was dating a freshman girl.
Had these cadets been bothered to follow the rules that are in place (for good reason), this would be a non issue. And I apply that to both the accusers and the accused. If these girls think it's unfair that they get disciplinary hits for drinking and having sex in the dorms because they're claiming rape, they're delusional. The rapist will be dealt with accordingly, but in the meantime, the girl still broke many regulations in the first place to lead to that situation. None of these sound like they were spontaneous "grab a total stranger and drag them into a dark alley" kind of rapes. And as for the little bit about the health care people encouraging them to take birth control and giving the old "wink-wink-nudge-nudge" about it being for their inevitable rape.......would it help if I got some female friends of mine from the zoo to come here and tell you what a load that is, or will you just take my word for it?
Flame away. I expect it. But nothing Barbara Walters says is going to make me believe that this toejam is even close to true.