Army prosecutor reprimanded, will retire
From the Washington Post comes the story of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph “Jay” Morse, formerly the Army’s sex-crime prosecutor, who was charged with inappropriately kissing and groping another Army officer while they were at a sexual-assault prevention conference;
The Army had not disclosed the outcome of the investigation until Thursday, when it confirmed the result in response to queries from The Washington Post. Lt. Col. Alayne P. Conway, an Army spokeswoman at the Pentagon, said in a statement that Morse was subjected to “appropriate disciplinary action” but did not provide details.
The female captain filed a complaint against Morse in February, nearly three years after she alleged that he groped and kissed her in a hotel room in Alexandria, Va., where both officers were attending a legal conference on sex crimes.
The Army conducted an investigation, but officials in charge of the case concluded that they lacked evidence to file criminal charges.
Now, they didn’t have evidence, but they reprimanded him any way. That makes perfect sense to me. But women in uniform will be safe now – LTC Morse is retiring.
Army officials said Morse has served notice that he plans to retire. Until then, he has been temporarily assigned to duty at the Pentagon, where he serves in the office of the Army’s judge advocate general. Morse did not respond to e-mails or a request for comment placed through the Army’s public affairs office.
So, all is well, again.
Category: Big Army
Will we get to hear his side of the story, or should I wait for the book to come out?
When do we go back to that ‘NO means NO’ training from the 1970s? And why are these women waiting months to years to file their complaints? A student at Northwestern filed a complaint of rape by an instructor 18 months after it happened. Now it’s ‘she said – he said’.
We were told in the 1960s and 1970s ‘file the complaint NOW’. What the hell happened to that?
Because of his position, maybe she waited until she clear of his command and his authority before presenting some factual evidence.
Or maybe she was a pissed off ex-lover who got dumped and wanted to give a little spanking back….I don’t know but I could see either scenario as potentially accurate.
I would love to see the “evidence” available on this one. I’m guessing it was nothing besides a complaint and statements from the accused and accuser – and possibly interviews with others at the same conference. Given the circumstances I’d be quite surprised if there’s any physical evidence or 3rd-party witness to the behavior in question.
It’s entirely possible the guy was an idiot and got out of line with a subordinate. But the 3 year delay in making a complain does make me go “Huh?”
I am betting you are close to the mark in that the evidence is that they spent time together in a room at the hotel and not much else.
Banging a subordinate used to be wrong, maybe there are new rules I’m not aware of…I still adhere to the don’t shit where you eat rule and I’ve never had an issue.
Sex with a co-worker, especially if one of you is in a managerial position is never a very bright idea. It might not rise to the level of criminality but it calls into question the judgment used by that managerial executive. If they can’t control that aspect of their behavior what other inappropriate decision making process are they using to operate in their position.
A guy who is supposed to be safeguarding the sexual behaviors of managers over subordinates probably shouldn’t be banging his subordinate, even with her consent.
Agreed not a crime, but not really exemplary brilliance in action either.
We had that long discussion about sex in the trenches 18 months ago, VOV. That is in a stress-filled environment.
This is not the same thing. If he hit on her and she went along with it out of fear of reprisal from him, she should have reported it then, not three effing years later.
Personally, I’m waiting for the Army/Navy/etc., to grow the #EFFF up about sex, and that includes the WOMEN who are involved. It is not summer camp, and I don’t give a crap if it’s 40 years after the ‘NO means NO’ lessons, they still apply.
Furthermore, if she filed the complaint as a revenge thing, I have no sympathy for her at all.
Someone please let me know when this generation of idiots with reproductive organs grows the hell up, okay?
When do we go back to that ‘NO means NO’ training from the 1970s?
In the modern Army, you get training out the wazoo. But it’s PC training with a strong “presumption of guilt” bias (e.g., the video will show a girl who “can’t remember what happened” between her and a guy at a party…then later people remark that the guy has gone to jail. Implication: No evidence = guilt.)
My dad always made sure not to put himself in a position where a female co-worker could make that kind of accusation. I taught my boys the same thing.
If you don’t want to be accused, don’t find yourself alone with a co-worker of the opposite gender. If you’re meeting in a room, leave the door open, etc.
It’s a similar idea to co-eds not walking across campus at 3am, alone and drunk. If you don’t want something bad to happen, don’t do it.
So…
Sexual Assault Attorney-Check
At Sexual Assault Conference-Check
Kisses and Gropes another Officer-Check
She was in his or he was in her room-Check
Witnesses-No Check
3 Years after the incident-Check
He’s out, She’s in-Check
He got shafted-Check
The Army is better off-No Check
Women in the Army are better off-No Check
She’ll get promoted-Check
The modern Army at work folks. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…call it a fly and swat it.
Lacking the evidence to file criminal charges doesn’t mean they lack the evidence to be convinced that his conduct was inappropriate or unbecoming. It just means they don’t believe they can prove what they know in court.
He might have acknowledged that in his current role sex with a subordinate was an inappropriate activity, even with the consent of the subordinate. We’ve all seen that situation go down hill quickly and take unit cohesion or company morale along with it.
I’ve seen lots of civilian supervisors lose their job for screwing a secretary or other subordinate, and I would believe the rules are less strict on the civilian side of the equation. There is a thought process that a subordinate, especially in the military can’t offer proper consent due to the nature of the work relationship. Senior NCO and Officers should know that simple rule and abide by it or face the consequences which aren’t all that severe at this time, retiring without penalty is hardly a serious punishment. Even civilians lose severance and benefits over sexual misconduct.
It used to be what two consenting adults did in private was their business – well as long as neither was married, a subordinate, or an officer and enlisted mix (WO’s exempt of course). By the time a women reaches the grade of Captain, you would think she understood what having a man in her hotel room, or going to one’s room was indicative of. Can’t wait to hear “the rest of the story”>
Robert Stacy McCain wrote an excellent essay the other day on the radical lesbian foundations of modern feminism and I commend it to any interested reader-http://theothermccain.com/2014/07/14/sex-trouble-radical-feminism-and-the-long-shadow-of-the-lavender-menace/
The takeaway, at least for me, was a series of quotes from prominent feminists regarding their view of any and all heterosexual activity. For instance: “Male supremacy is centered on the act of sexual intercourse, justified by heterosexual practice.”–Sheila Jeffreys, 2005 or “Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women’s bodies.”–Andrea Dworkin, 1989 (there’s plenty more, I just picked a couple of examples that lacked profanity).
The point that McCain makes is that the work of these very prominent feminists is at the core of the modern feminist movement which otherwise puts forward a very moderate face by talking in bland generalities about “equality” or “fairness”. And further that these ideas are crucial to any understanding of what is happening with the emerging rules on “campus rape” (for example, if a male and a female both have drunken intercourse the male can be found to be liable as having taken advantage of her, but not vice versa). I would further argue that many of these ideas are what is behind the hysteria about “sexual assault” in uniform. The radical lesbians who put forward these ideas have a perverse view of normal male/female interaction, but they have political momentum and the ability to put their bizarre ideas into practice, which makes sexual interaction increasingly a minefield for males.
And it used to be that being a feminist simply meant being a strong-minded, independent, self-assured woman who was able to take care of herself, but did not see the world as complete if there were no men in it.
Now that term has been co-opted by women whose agenda is both despicable and incorrect.
If this is the lesbian backlash for centuries of women being suppressed by men, these bitches are SO off course, it’s pathetic. For them, feminism is as much a radical religion as any other exclusionary social group.
They do not like being stereotyped but are perfectly willing to do it to other people. I’ve enjoyed deflating their idiot bubbles so many times, I’ve lost count.
I will make my own ‘feminist’ statement right here: I am self-sufficient, strong minded, independent, (mostly) able to take care of myself (except for things like car repairs and fixing the toilet), and I can generate my own income. However, I have NO WISH to live in a world without men.
I still have respect for feminists, those women who follow the classic definition of feminist. I have no respect for the current crop of feminazi who believe that they should be put in a position of superiority to all males because they are women.
Ex-PH2 had it exactly right. When is the leadership in the military going to grow up as far as sexual contact is concerned? You continue to put men and women in more and more jobs where they work together, live together, deploy together and then say “no sex” like that is going to stop anything.
And then when something does happen (cause nature and shit) leadership gets a case of the vapors and retires to their fainting couch and says “but we told them no sex!!!”
Now sexual assault is a crime. And I know that past history has been fraught with cases of women not being believed when they claim sexual assault. I would submit that the incidence of this actually happening is much lower than it is in the civilian populace but is given much more coverage by the media. And because Congress controls the purse strings, they can have hearings and make threats to commanders and make it look like every male in uniform is a rapist.
So what is the solution? Accountability, stop the witch hunts, stop undue command influence, grow up and realize that sex is going to happen when men and women are put together and tailor training to that reality instead of the head in the sand approach that is happening now.
OMG, are we sure this isn’t duffle blog? They ran a story eerily similar recently. Life imitating art.
Kinda of like an Alcoholics Anonymous kegger, I’d say.
So, with the repeal of DADT, and homosexuals being allowed to openly serve, will any allegations of same sex impropriety be treated like this case?
Did the check finally bounce?
Aw, crap! ZINGER!!! +++1!