Last June the mighty Robed Ones decided that the University of Michigan law school’s skin color preferences policy was permissible because it furthered “a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body.”
With the use of vague language and amorphous concepts, the Court begrudgingly confessed that admitting a “critical mass” of black students “merely because of its race or ethnic origin would be patently unconstitutional.”
But (isn’t there always?) since the school defines critical mass “by reference to the substantial, important, and laudable educational benefits that diversity is designed to produce, including cross-racial understanding and the breaking down of racial stereotypes”, it’s OK. Did you catch all that?
What number constitutes a critical mass, you ask? The school says it’s a number “that encourages underrepresented minority students to participate in the classroom and not feel isolated.”
How kind of liberals to care about us black folks so much! We just can’t succeed or excel or achieve or do anything without the intervention of well-meaning whites, including that nice Miss Sandra Day O’Connor!
Anyway, here’s a bit of “old” news (June) that I consider good, but my detractor out in Michigan may deem it “bad.” In spite of the Court’s pronouncement, the people of Michigan will get a chance to decide what’s best for their state. A federal court of appeals just cleared the way for organizers of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI) to begin collecting signatures for its petition to end state-sponsored race preferences. Ward Connerly deserves the credit for his hard work.
Connerly is a true civil rights crusader who’s committed to organizing similar campaigns in all 50 states. His mission began in Democratic-leaning California, where the people said NO to skin color preferences in state hiring and admissions. His next stop was Democratic-leaning Washington State, where the people said NO to skin color preferences in state hiring and admissions. Connerly is now the engine behind MCRI.
In March, a Michigan circuit court had ruled that the language on the petition to put the MCRI on the ballot was misleading and should not have been approved. The Court of Appeals said otherwise. (MCRI’s) web site announced:
On Friday, a Court of Appeals panel unanimously affirmed in a 3-0 decision the legality of the petition language for the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. The decision followed a ruling by an activist Circuit Court judge in March that defied common-sense and seemed geared only to delay the petition drive. The Court recognized that the MCRI petition works hand-in-hand with pre-existing civil rights and complies with all technical form requirements.
The court ruled that the proposed amendment can be read consistently with Michigan’s current anti-discrimination clause and that it didn’t “alter or abrogate” the pre-existing language of the Constitution. The Court ruled that “the fact that the proposed amendment uses some of the same terms found in Article 1, Section 2, does not compel the conclusion that the proposal alters, amends, or abrogates the existing wording of that provision.” The Court concludes that MCRI’s petition is legal.
I blogged about the MCRI back in June, but I’m doing so again because I want people to know about these court victories.
I was indignant about a certain so-called minority rights group calling itself the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) and their rabid opposition to the MCRI. I ranted:
This is typical of so-called minority rights groups. This sort of socialist thinking is so outdated. “All men are created equal” does not mean that “All men are entitled to equal stuff.” It refers to the American system of justice, that all men are equal before the law, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
It’s up to individuals, not groups, to engage in the pursuit. Each person alive has his/her own unique talents, drive, motivation, etc. There’s no guarantee that an individual will be successful or acquire the same material goods or accomplishments as any other individual. We are free moral agents and citizens with the legally-protected right to make our mark on the world.
Groups like BAMN believe that a scheme of collective ownership — socialism — is the way to go, even though socialism is a worldwide failure. Socialists, particularly American socialists, believe that the “underprivileged” should take from and government should penalize those whose labor produces goods and services. They hate capitalism, “racist” corporations (producers of jobs and wealth), competition and individual merit.
This is why BAMN and other groups masquerading as civil rights organizations fight for “affirmative action”: to steal from those who have to give to those who have not.
Connerly must get all sorts of hate mail and death threats. The man is an inspiration to me. Two years ago I wrote a review (gushing?) of his book, Creating Equal, and he e-mailed me, thanking me for it.
I guess he didn’t realize that it was I who should’ve been thanking him.
