June 23, 2003
THE SUPREMES
had another pass-the-buck moment today. It seems affirmative action is okay, just don't use quotas. Right. That hot potato has been passed around since Bakke in '78. The thing is, the Law School AA is okay, but the undergraduate quota system is a no go. What the fuck. As usual in these cases, Sandra Day (Sinead) O'Connor wrote the majority opinion. Funny, too, after the latest NR just posited that it's not the Renhquist Court at all, it's the O'Connor Court. She's the swing vote (no jokes, please), and therefore rules. Her problem, though, is that she refuses to issue an opinion that has long teeth. She always screws it down to the particular issue at hand, and won't issue an opinion that will stand, if not for the ages, at least for a generation. Shameful jurisprudence, in my opinion.
The most shameful point she made was that she knew she was wrong, but Bakke was only 25 years old, and she hoped in another 25 years her type of racial discrimination wouldn't be necessary anymore. I don't know about you, but when I get busted (a straw man, for sure) I'm going to go looking for a black attorney. I'll know in my heart of hearts he's the best.
Sorry I'm so frustrated, but it pisses me off that yet another generation of minority professionals will be damned by the "soft bigotry of low expectations". Why can't we let merit rule? I see very little true racism out there, and I live in the South. Most, um, whites WANT to see blacks achieve. I certainly do.
Having blathered on like the putz I am, I will also read the 36 (thirty-six!) opinions issued in this case tomorrow, because I'm getting my info via radiowave. Perhaps I will mellow.
O'Connor makes me sick. She has NEVER written an opinion that was worth a damn. Another 25 years and there will BE no white grad students. Of course, I think that's the goal.
Posted by: Belinda at June 23, 2003 10:11 PMI'd have voted opposite of the majority on both decisions today. It's not often that happens.
Posted by: bigwig at June 23, 2003 11:19 PMBullshit passing for jurisprudence.
"Diversity" is only skin deep. They mean they want more blacks, not more Asians, not more slavics, not more intelligent and challenging minds. More blacks, that's all.
Diversity is the new banner of the civil rights chameleons. They need a mantra, or they have to go do some real work.
I like to think that I made every student body I joined a little more diverse. They certainly didn't have one of me before I got there.
Why does the Supreme Court insist on categorizing a people as a "suspect class"? How does that advance equal protection of the law?\
Why not base such decisions on wealth status? If the idea is to level the playing field, financial means would appear to be a viable, race-neutral test. This, however, never occurs to the arrogant, paternalistic Supreme Court justices.
Fuck all of them, Thomas and Rehnquist included. What a piss poor bunch of government-tit-sucking, never-tried-a-case, give-me-a-raise would-be elitists.
Just wait until President Dean picks the next three justices--Ralph Nader, Wilma Mankiller, and Louis Farrakhan...
Posted by: rankin rob at June 24, 2003 2:02 PMAdd Patricia Ireland to that list. Our new YWCA President. Woops--make that YWA. She doesn't want the "C" in there anymore. Makes you sick, doesn't it?
Posted by: Belinda at June 25, 2003 7:09 PM