The Supreme Court ruled today that if a college accepts federal money, it must allow military recruiters on campus. At issue was a free-speech challenge from those champions of free speech, law schools and their professors. These groups claimed they should not be forced to associate with military recruiters, or to promote their campus appearances.

From an AP story:

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that colleges that accept federal money must allow military recruiters on campus, despite university objections to the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays.
[…]
Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court, said that the campus visits are an effective military recruiting tool.

“A military recruiter’s mere presence on campus does not violate a law school’s right to associate, regardless of how repugnant the law school considers the recruiter’s message,” he wrote.

The thing that gets me about this story is that at least in part, those schools and their employees are funded by taxpayer monies — Federal taxpayer monies. That was the meat of the issue at hand. The colleges and professors wanted to have their cake and eat it to. How can they possibly think that it’s OK to take Federal money and be allowed to rule their own little world? To deny access to those who would guarantee their otherwise unpurchased freedoms.

Law schools had become the latest battleground over the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy allowing gay men and women to serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves.

Many universities forbid the participation of recruiters from public agencies and private companies that have discriminatory policies.

The thing about this is, those involved claimed a “free speech” issue while denying — denying – the right to free speech to the military. Had advocates for homosexual marriage applied for access, does anyone doubt that it would have been immediately and enthusiastically granted?

It is a sad day indeed when America is so turned upside-down that free speech is denied the military on our nation’s campuses.

I don’t know the original author, but Zell Miller, former U.S. Senator from Georgia, poignantly noted the following in his keynote address to the Republican Convention in 2004:

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet who has given us the freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest.

It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom he abuses to burn that flag.

Now, dear law schools and professors, please allow me to acquaint you — via my personal freedom of speech — with a non-legal term: HOO-AH!

TD