What A Gay Argument It Will Be

The Supreme Court has allowed (beginning with Bush v. Gore) the immediate release of oral argument audio tapes in certain high profile cases. Just last week, it released the oral argument on the challenge to New Hampshire's parental notification for minor's abortions. [Althouse, whose commentary is not particularly insightful, has two links to the oral argument in that case.]

On Tuesday, the Court will hear, and immediately release, oral argument on the Solomon Amendment. As I understand the case to be heard, the issue is whether Federal funds may be withheld from colleges and universities that close their campuses to military recruiters in supposed protest over the military treatment of homosexuals.

We all know, of course, that the real reason is that college administrators dislike the military in general. The gay issue is convenient, and made even more important since many university administrators also oppose the current administration and the war in Iraq.

A university exists in this country because of the presence of our military. Our military has never attempted, much less imposed, a martial law in this country that indicated any effort to overcome our civilian government. Our military protects us from enemies that would gladly behead the university administration. Then there is the undeniable fact that many people greatly benefit personally from the discipline and training in the military.

My point is not that the military should be criticism free. But to deny access to the military at a university accepting public funds (or private funds for that matter) is wrong and utterly absurd. The government, which opperates the military, should expect equal access of its most important institution by an institution holding its hand out for funds.

Not to mention that many liberals who oppose our military argue that the military is filled with poor and uneducated people. Seem to me the remedy is to allow the military access to the educated, probably more affluent college students. But the left doesn't look at the military's alleged class disparity as a problem to be solved. The left looks at the military itself as the problem to be solved.

I will look forward to hearing these arguments, if I get around to it.

For better commentary on this subject, go here and here and here.