I'm hesitant even obliquely to enter the brouhaha surrounding the latest Greek scandal, for it seems that the whole question of Yes Greeky, No Greeky has no end in sight. Perhaps it's better to write about injustice in another venue and hope that issue gives some perspective on the real, unspoken problem underlying the most recent anti-social behavior from those darn boys. That problem is punishment, real punishment that is, not probation, a stern letter or lots of columns in The Dartmouth decrying the obvious. There needs to be an absolute correction from the folks who, loosely it seems, hold the reins on those unruly beasts. Create zero tolerance rules and throw the bums out when they cross the line. That fact should be recognizable to most folks. To use an analogy, it's like the current drug laws -- one strike and you're out, especially if you happen to be poor and non-European. Quit playing around, I say, and back the bark up with a strong set of jaws.
All right, onto the injustice occurring outside of the College. There has been a result announced from the administrative hearing into the actions of Commander Scott D. Waddle while in command of the submarine, USS Greenville. The Greenville sank a Japanese trawler, the Ehime Maru, when it conducted an emergency surfacing procedure under the fishing vessel last February 9th. Nine people from the Japanese ship died, including several children.
Admiral Thomas B. Fargo decided that the "tragic accident could and should have been avoided by simply following existing navy standards and procedures in bringing submarines to the surface." Restated more simply: Commander Waddle didn't do his job.
Waddle committed two violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, dereliction of duty and subjecting a vessel to hazard. It was not found that he was responsible for negligent homicide. He received a punitive letter of reprimand from the Admiral and was fined one-half of his monthly pay for two months, although this was suspended, provided Waddle doesn't kill anybody, or do anything else wrong, in the next six months. In addition to the harshly worded letter and the suspended fine, Waddle agreed to resign, ending his career at 20 years, the point at which he is eligible for retirement pay. After he departs, he'll receive half his current monthly salary each month for the rest of his life, along with complete medical care and other benefits.
Let's put his punishment into a simple monetary perspective: a commander in the Navy is mid-way up the officer's pay scale, about $70,000 in annual salary. One-half of that equals $35,000 annually, coming to $700,000 over the next 20 years, a likely length of life for a 41 year-old man. Had Waddle not failed to perform the duties required of his position and the compensation he received from the taxpayers, he could have reasonably been expected to rise to Captains rank and retire after 30 years of service. Had this happened, he would receive seventy five percent of that monthly pay, around $90,000 per year, making that annual retirement pay $67,500. Multiply that by the same 20 years and the number swells to $1,350,000. That means that Commander Waddle lost $650,000 because he didn't follow the rules. That comes to roughly $72,222.22 per body, a sum Commander Waddle will never actually pay.
The military is a dangerous business. Rules, often stringent, methodical and rigid, mitigate much of the danger. The Greenville was on a joyride for civilians when Commander Waddle recklessly thrust his submarine through the hull of the unsuspecting ship. He didn't follow the rules, risking his sailor's lives and those in the area of the submarine as it leaped from under the waves. The Ehime Maru lost the gamble that Waddle made. Many will argue that it was a string of errors by several people that killed the Japanese, but it was Waddle that had responsibility. The taxpayers commissioned him, giving him the power to order young Americans to their death. That God-like power comes with a commensurate responsibility for the actions of everyone under his command. He was supposed to set the standard by following the rules. He didn't and people died. That is negligent homicide and he went free, and better yet, he'll be compensated until he himself is dead. There was no real punishment.
Did those rascally frat boys of ours kill anybody? Nope. Did they endanger the lives of those around them, or commit any criminal acts? Nope. Will they escape a real punishment for what they have done? Probably, since they have in the past. There's something wrong out there, and like it or not, the College reflects its greater community, ergo, there's something wrong here in River City.