Letters to the Editor
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‘Law Professors Humiliated’
The Supreme Court flunked top law professors from dozens of major law schools in its ruling on the Solomon Amendment, which cuts off funding if universities deny access to the military [“Law Professors Humiliated” Editorial, March 7, 2006].
It’s hard to see how they could have thought it possible to win; each of their four arguments that the statute was unconstitutional were rejected by every justice, including the most liberal.
The justices actually made things worse for the plaintiffs by ruling that it would be perfectly constitutional to simply require universities to grant access. This clears the way for legislation to require access at those universities which don’t receive – or are willing to risk – federal funding. It also potentially means that other more intrusive requirements could be imposed on universities: e.g., requiring full-time recruiting booths or offices, guns on campus, etc.
I’ve been asked whether these learned scholars were just plain dumb, blinded by liberal guilt, or unable to function in the real world outside their ivory towers. Don’t ask me – I opposed the Solomon Amendment, but I also opposed the suit.
JOHN F. BANZHAF III
Arlington, Va.
Mr. Banzhaf is a professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University Law School. GWU was one of the schools that challenged the Solomon Amendment in the Supreme Court.
‘Lux et Taliban’
In “Lux et Taliban,” James Kirchick quoted a former Yale dean of admissions, Richard Shaw, as saying that former Taliban ambassador Rahmatullah Hashemi “is a person … who could educate us [Yale] about the world” [Opinion, March 1, 2006].
As Yale University believes that admitting the misogynistic Mr. Hashemi is important in promoting diversity, I urge Yale to consider admitting an Afghan woman of similar age to Mr. Hashemi who had been deprived of the opportunity to be educated while growing up on account of her gender.
Exposing the Yale student body and faculty to such a female student would provide a far more valuable learning experience than just being exposed to Mr. Hashimi. Failure to do so would make Yale guilty of de facto sexual discrimination.
As a ninth-grade female student, I would think that feminist groups at Yale would rally around such a cause.
KARENE SCHLOSS
Manhattan
‘Canada Beats Its Neighbor’
Tim Marchman’s piece about the poor performance of Team USA against Canada disturbed me. I watched the game until Canada ran the score up to 7-0 and turned it off. Unlike Mr. Marchman, I was unhappy and disappointed that our team of superstars performed so poorly after so much fanfare [“Canada Beats Its Neighbor at Their Own Game,” Sports, March 9, 2006].
Why Mr. Marchman had so much “fun,” why he enjoyed watching Canada “whack” Al Leiter, and why he enjoyed “the behavior of the boorish crowd in Phoenix” puzzles me.
Mr. Marchman’s sarcasm towards our team was over the top. I looked up the word schadenfreude. It means “pleasure derived from the misfortune of others.” Although Mr. Marchman said, “I hope no one will think all this schadenfreude unpatriotic,” I think it was.
SALVATORE J. BOMMARITO
Manhattan
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