What other college students have to say about the Academy

My greatest sympathy goes out to Ms. Leppla. Over 700 posts to her "article" have been posted to date. Seems that her ill informed rantings touched several nerves! I hope that all prospective candidates and their parents are better informed about the reality of an academy education than MIDN/4 Leppla's family.
 
Squid is absolutely correct. The lesson here is to get the entire family involved early in the decision process so that everyone knows what is happening. Not necessarily to be a part of the decision but to be aware of what a military career is all about.

As far as the article itself, Midn Leppla, except for some minor embarassment, probably will not suffer from it. Perhaps the writer was utilizing a little more "poetic licensure" than justifiable, mom was only having a moment of reverse homesickness, dad is a rock of stability, and things are now all well in the Leppla family.

The letter itself, taken in the vein which it was written, is actually not too bad an advertisement for USNA.

College kids, with much of their liberal writings, try to shock. She did a good job.
 
It is baffling that parents or siblings could send someone off to a military academy and yet claim to be surprised as to the institutions' purpose and methods. The information is readily available, and frankly the services are rather satisfied with their academies. No one is hiding anything.

Ours has become a society in which large segments simply do not have any knowledge whatever of what the military is or does. All they know is that they hate the people who choose to live such a life. It would be merely sad if it were not all wrapped up in so much hostility.

These are people who will attend a lecture by the President of Iran at Columbia and believe that they are taking part in the excercise of free speech.

:thumbdown:
 
subsquid said:
These are people who will attend a lecture by the President of Iran at Columbia and believe that they are taking part in the excercise of free speech.

Is this not the guy who was denied a visa by the State Dept last year and for which they received a lot of flack? If so, there is probably more to the visit than just a college invitation.

I have no problems with him speaking. I am a firm believer in making an informed decision and hopefully the admissions process at Columbia is such that the little kiddies are smart enough to listen objectively and not be brainwashed.

Also kinda hope that the nearest ROTC unit, in civvies of course, shows up with a lot of signs and a few buckets of rotten tomatoes. Yea, free speech.
 
Unfortunately, he has never been denied a visa.

He is only allowed to come here to speak at the UN. His visa restricts him to a 25 mile radius of the UN, so he is allowed to go anywhere within that circle.

Columbia invited him after his visa request to speak at the UN was approved.

His request to visit the 9-11 WTC memorial was denied.

And the nearest ROTC squad won't come from Columbia, as ROTC has been banned from their campus since 1969.
 
A dean of Columbia University stated yesterday that he would have invited Adolf Hitler to speak at Columbia, as though this were a further demonstration of his commitment to the right of free speech. I believe him.

The cause of free speech does not require that men like Hitler be given a platform. Hitler didn't need to speak at Columbia University in order to get his message out. Neither does Akhmed Amedinijab, or however he spells his name in English. His appearance at Columbia is optional, but it is very useful to him. It lends legitimacy to his filth. Columbia is stained by it. But Columbia has been a lost cause for years. Columbia and other similar ivory tower institutions actually do more to limit free speech than they do to advance it. Will heckling be allowed? We'll see.

There was a time when Adolf Hitler had as little power in the world as Akhmed Amedinijab. But he kept at it didn't he?
 
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Don't get me started. :rolleyes: I wish I could find the article again that I read yesterday saying Columbia was originally contacted by someone in Nuthead's camp then the invitation was issued (IF that source could be trusted). Its a conspiracy I tell you! Between Nuthead & Mz Leppla. Doesn't matter I guess. The Idiot will be there regardless.
 
These are people who will attend a lecture by the President of Iran at Columbia and believe that they are taking part in the excercise of free speech.

:thumbdown:

LOL.

Sub-MOA, man. Sub-MOA! :thumb:
 
Hey guys
it just so happens that Idris Leppla's brother is in MY mid's company. I knew about this whole situation before it became a public issue.

My first thought once I started to read the hate mail she was getting on the comments site of the columbia spectator- was 'this poor girl has NO idea what she is in for." I immediately did what I could do to contact her privately which I have done several times.I feel a moral obligation to help out here, since this is MY Company's mid involved!

This is a young lady - albeit in INCREDIBLY NAIVE who has been deeply wounded and severely traumatized by the viciousness she has seen posted by other Americans. The really sad thing is - her article is now out there forever in cyberspace, picked up by bloggers and continues to have a life all its own. She may receive hate mail for weeks or years to come based on this one heartfelt article she penned.

As a mother my heart aches for this young woman- who was unprepared for the life-decisions her brother was making. But let's be fair - she is a 23 year old young adult, and she WILL learn to admire her brother and his life decisions.

I strongly urged her to go read 3 books written by Franky Schaeffer. His first: Keeping Faith tells this dad's personal emotional journey. Here is is an upscale Boston family and his youngest child wants to ENLIST in the Marines????? The whirlpool this dad experienced as a result of his son's decisions mirror Ms. Leppla's in the early going. But this father discovers an entire universe of America he missed by his exposure to our American Military and now is an ardent supporter for BOTH SIDES of this question. He also wrote a book titled: AWOL -talking about the vacuum of the elite in America and their military service. I recommend these books to anyone who is confused and personally struggling with a loved one's desire to serve in our military as it helps the reader to discover they are not alone in their discomfort and that there IS a resolution ahead.

Please, dear ones on this list-serve - let us NOT add any more negative comments to the internet about Leppla's article.

My goal is to continue to privately support her and to let her know that not all the 'right side' of the American political system, and especially not all those who are military families - are as mean as those posting - mostly anonymously - on blogs and sites across the nation.

This young woman hopes to be a medical doctor one day - and I'm sure she'll make a fine physician and by the time her brother graduates USNA Class of 2011 and she is deep into medical studies - they will continue to love and support each other in their service to their country.
 
What does she think of her article now? Does she wish she could recall it, or does she stand behind it?

If she recants her statements in the article, then she should be "cut a break" as a young ignorant elitist who had no idea her anti military academy stance would be so harshly received.

But if she stands behind it, then she should be ready to accept the slings and arrows it attracts. Part of the job when you want publish a controversial idea.

Did she mention when the next part of this "4 part series" about The Truth About The Military Academies" is being published, or has that idea gone away?
 
Thanks Peskemom. You are a gem in a mine of coal!

If one is not brought up in a military environment it is entirely possible to have no knowlegde of the culture or way of life. Don't condemn - educate.

Some people on this board (and others) live in their own little military world would be surprised to find out that there are a lot of people who don't have a clue about the United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy or the United States Air Force Academy. Even less know about the United State Coast Guard Academy or the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

I mean it. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Zip. Does this make them idiots? No - they just haven't been exposed to it and never thought about it.

If she is 23 then she must be about 4 years younger than her brother - was she involved in his college decision - NO! Should she have been? NO! Did she even think about it? Probably NOT!
It seems reasonable to me that she was caught blindsided in realizing her brother actually is in the Navy.
So instead of alienating her - we should be educating her!
Comments from people who advise her brother to disown her, etc... are certainly unproductive and ridiculous.
 
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Peskemom, I’ll think on what you’ve said. As of this minute, I fear I can’t find many sympathies towards Mz Leppla's plight over the story she’d produced. Seeing her as a 23 year old ambitious young woman who has authored a few other stories, one would be safe in assuming she’d not researched this particular story to any degree needed to understand cause and effect other than to merely make an emotional commentary. Sadly, she’ll have to take her lumps if she chooses to be a published author. I do regret that she’s received said threats over her opinions & hope that it does not reflect poorly on her brother’s success.

I hope as well that she receives your messages about reading the books. We all better ourselves through education. Five short years ago, I had no idea what the United States Merchant Marine Academy was. I took the time to find out real fast & in a hurry when it involved me & my own. I agree with JAM that a goodly portion of the world lives with what they know. It shouldn’t be construed as being idiotic.
 
This is a young lady - albeit in INCREDIBLY NAIVE who has been deeply wounded and severely traumatized by the viciousness she has seen posted by other Americans.

She shoulda' thought about that before running her mouth off. :mad:
 
If one is not brought up in a military environment it is entirely possible to have no knowlegde of the culture or way of life.

Then you shouldn't be publishing articles that make so many sweeping accusations about things she knows nothing about.

Don't condemn - educate.

I'd say she got a good and well-deserved dose of both. :biggrin:
 
If one is not brought up in a military environment it is entirely possible to have no knowlegde of the culture or way of life.

Then she was extremely ignorant to publish an article with the title: The Truth About The Academies. Perhaps a better title would have been "The ignorance of my mother and myself and why we are against military academies".

If she is 23 then she must be about 4 years younger than her brother - was she involved in his college decision - NO! Should she have been? NO! Did she even think about it? Probably NOT!

Actually, she would be about 4 years OLDER than her brother. ;)
 
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Then she was extremely ignorant to publish an article with the title: The Truth About The Academies.

Why? She discovered it. She said at the end the Naval Academy is first and foremost the military. She just discovered it a little later than her brother did.



Actually, she would be about 4 years OLDER than her brother. ;

Whooooppppppppssss!!!!!!!!! Yep that is what I meant - 4 years is a long time in sibling life. She had moved out and on when he was deciding.
 
I think I'll support Peskemom in this one -- it's a good post. I won't go so far as to say "my heart aches" for Leppla, but I think she's been pounded on enough to realize she was certainly mistaken, and I hope she realizes she was just plain wrong in her conclusions.

I also hope that as a result of her own experience, she realizes why others are incensed about Akmendinijad speaking at Columbia and has given some thoughtful consideration to why some people in America feel this way about Columbia's decision, rather than just doing a knee-jerk, liberal reaction. Obviously, she's spent her whole life "listening" only to those who think like her and dismissing those who didn't. How else could she put out her comments publicly, thinking "everyone will agree" only to find a whole 'nother world out there! (And that more than 700 feel much differently than she does!)

I would also hope that she and her brother will have a heart-to-heart talk at T-day or Christmas (whenever he gets his first leave) about this whole experience and she realizes that he might be smarter than her! He is already shown he is more mature and willing to do something to make a difference in life. Peskemom's attempts to enlighten Leppla and make her realize why she was wrong, and also why others reacted as they did, might just get Leppla on the road to thinking about different ways to deal with challenges other than emotional outbursts -- which is called, I think, maturity.

To me, the best outcome is that Ms. Leppla will, the next time she sees her brother, look him in the eye and say "I'm sorry." And that four years from now at his commissioning, look him in the eye and say she's proud of him and the choices he's made. And, in the future, whenever she hears some of her friends or professors profess comments such as those she made publicly, might have enough gumption to suggest they may want to look at the other side before they go off half-cocked.
 
Winston Churchill is quoted as saying:
If you're in your 20's and not a liberal you don't have a heart
but
if you're in your 40's and not a conservative you don't have a brain.

I'm willing to let this young lady discover the truth of this insight...

and if any parent heard this young lady's voice on the phone calling me - in essence a perfect stranger ( albeit one who reached out to her dad as well as herself, having direct connections to her brother) pouring out her confusion and pain over such hate mail - you're heart would ache too - unless you are a heartless soul, which by God I pray you're not.

I appreciate those of you who at least are open to my viewpoint.

Zaphod - I love you, you big ogre you!!!!!!!!!! Can't get you to pick up my cell calls, so now I'm yelling at you publically. Call me! I miss you! and cut this young lady some slack. I bet she'll think long and hard about writing her opinion for awhile - but is that really productive in our society? I did remind her that yes hate mail is awful - I've been blasted before on internet sites and it's cruelty was most painful. But we live in a country where there is no 'fatwa' on her head - no one is out to assassinate her - and she can walk the streets knowing she is free from arrest for her views. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

And by the way, my Youngster reports that for a time this Plebe had a bit of unexpected notoriety - in a positive way ( most unusual for a Plebe) for not backing down on his choice to be at USNA in spite of his family's difficulties....but that for the moment all the furor has died down and life moves on through the academic year and in her opinion 'most here have forgotten about it already'.

Let's follow the Company's example on this.

GO NAVY!

I love you Z!
 
But we live in a country where there is no 'fatwa' on her head - no one is out to assassinate her - and she can walk the streets knowing she is free from arrest for her views. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

No one is calling for a fatwah (no one with a brain, anyway). All I'm saying is that she's a moron and deserves to be called one.

If, however, as suggested above, she publishes a retraction, I'll be first to cut her some slack. Not until then, though. I've had it with the idiots in this country spouting off about the war and the military and then whining when they get called on it.
 
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