Ratfucking

Ratfucking is an American slang term for political sabotage or dirty tricks. It was first brought to public attention by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in their book "All the President's Men".

Background

Woodward and Bernstein's exposé "All the President's Men" reports that many staffers who had attended the University of Southern California such as Donald Segretti, Tim Elbourne, Ronald Louis Ziegler, H. R. Haldeman and Dwight Chapin had participated in the highly-competitive student elections there. UPI reporter Karlyn Barker sent Woodward and Bernstein a memo "Notes On the USC Crowd" that outlined the connection. Fraternities, sororities and underground fraternal coordinating organizations such as Theta Nu Epsilon and their splintered rival "Trojans for Representative Government" engaged in creative tricks and underhanded tactics to win student elections. [cite web | url = http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/4/7/22533/89209 | title = Is the President of the United States the head ratfucker? | work = DailyKos | date = 2006-04-07 | accessdate = 2007-03-27 | first = William | last = Domingo ] [http://www.greeninstitute.net/subpages/editor_2005-07.asp] Matt Tabbi, [http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/9519825/meet_mr_republican_jack_abramoff%20 Meet Mr. Republican: Jack Abramoff] , "Rolling Stone", March 24, 2006.] Officially, control over minor funding and decision-making on campus life was at stake but the positions also gave bragging rights and prestige. It was either promoted by or garnered the interest of major political figures on the USC board of trustees such as Dean Rusk and John A. McCone. [http://www.namebase.org/usctrust.html] [http://www.namebase.org/mccone.html] It was here that the term "ratfucking" had its origin. It is unclear whether it was derived from the military term for stealing the better part of military rations and tossing the less appetizing portions away or if the military adopted the phrase from the political lexicon.

Usage in the US Military

The term "ratfucking" ('rat' in this case is shorthand for 'ration') is the unofficial slang term used by U.S. soldiers in the Army (and possibly other branches) to mean the targeted pillaging of MREs (Meals Ready-To-Eat), which the U.S. Military calls "field stripping." It refers to the process of opening a case of MREs, of which there are twelve in a box, then opening up individual MRE packages, and removing the desired items (generally M&M's and other sweets), and leaving the unenticing remainder. It is a common but generally frowned-upon practice. [Lopez, C (2008, March 7). New combat chow options revealed. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from Military.com Web site: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,163560,00.html]

References