Posted on 07/14/2023 4:37:32 AM PDT by MtnClimber
One of the Biden administration’s big arguments for racially discriminating against white and Asian students in college admissions was the need for military diversity. More than half of the ‘national interest’ section in its amicus brief argued that the military “depends on a well-qualified and diverse officer corps” which requires that colleges select for diversity over merit.
“It is not possible to achieve that diversity without race-conscious admissions, including at the nation’s service academies,” Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar told the Supreme Court.
The Roberts decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard shot down affirmative action as a legal practice, but punted on the question of racial discrimination within the military and its service branch academies. A footnote briefly stated that, “no military academy is a party to these cases, however, and none of the courts below addressed the propriety of race-based admissions systems in that context. This opinion also does not address the issue, in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present.”
The idea that racial discrimination should be illegal at colleges, but still legal at service branch academies like the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy, is a loophole. Justice Sotomayor argued that the exception proves that “the Fourteenth Amendment does not categorically prohibit the use of race in college admissions.” And it’s hard to deny her reasoning. Either racially discriminating against students is legal or it’s illegal. National security can only go so far to justify an illegal practice especially when it’s a social element with an indirect effect.
Democrats quickly attacked Justice Roberts for seemingly leaving the carveout on military diversity that the Biden administration had demanded as a matter of national security.
“Adding insult to injury is that the Court exempted military service academies, like West Point and the Naval Academy, from its own ruling,” Rep. Elissa Slotkin complained. “So the majority on the Court does in fact recognize the inherent importance of a diverse military and that diversity makes our country not only more fair, but more stable and secure — but they refuse to allow our colleges and universities to hold the same values.”
“This decision is deeply upsetting but outright grotesque for exempting military academies. The court is saying diversity shouldn’t matter, EXCEPT when deciding who can fight and die for our country,” Rep. Jason Crow tweeted, inverting an illegal racial preference into a disadvantage.
Justice Roberts’ footnote and the outcry from Democrats and Republicans over the status of service branch academies suggests that affirmative action at service branch academies may have to be revisited at some point. Meanwhile some members of Congress are acting.
Senator Roger Wicker, a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, plans to introduce his ‘Military Merit, Fairness, and Equality Act of 2023’ as an amendment to the defense bill which would “prohibit the Department of Defense from prioritizing the demographic characteristics of service members above individual merit and demonstrated performance.”...
Why can’t we just remove white, leftist government workers and replace them with black conservatives. I would be OK with that.
Also needing a fix, bias for females.
They shouldn’t be allowed in combat MOS positions.
They’re a liability and they destroy unit cohesion.
More than half of the ‘national interest’ section in its amicus brief argued that the military “depends on a well-qualified and diverse officer corps” which requires that colleges select for diversity over merit.
The military depends on a well qualified officer and enlisted corps. The color of those people’s skin makes no difference at all to their qualifications.
Colonel, USAF JAGCR (Ret)
What’s the problem?
It’s not like commanding men in battle, flying fighters and strategic bombers, launching nuc missiles from land or sea…..is brain surgery.
BTTT
Segregation within the ranks of enlisted men was ended by Harry S Truman about 1947. What had once been segregated units were broken up and the “persons of color” were scattered all throughout the existing units. There was no nonsense about “quotas” or “proportional representation”, a term that did not even apply at that time.
The Selective Service assured that there was no distinction by race in calling up of young men, in the years up to 1973, when the draft was finally suspended, but a whole lot of young men enlisted as a way to avoid the draft, as they had some small choice in how they should serve. The rest of the youths just got caught and assigned as demanded by military needs of the time. An awful lot of square pegs got pushed into round holes, but what the heck, there was an endless supply coming along all the time.
Only when the draft ended was the dedication of the various demographics revealed. There became a disproportionate ratio of white Southern “rednecks” in the ranks, while more urban and “colored” were much less motivated to “protect and serve”. As a result, the standing military and ready reserve appeared to be resegregated, without conscious bias, but this is meaningless to the architects of the “woke” power structure.
There appears to be no way to meet both the needs of national defense and to satisfy the demands for “proportional” representation within the ranks.
Whatever, my straight White male sons are staying out of the military.
A footnote briefly stated that, “no military academy is a party to these cases, however, and none of the courts below addressed the propriety of race-based admissions systems in that context. This opinion also does not address the issue, in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present.”
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If anything, national security needs should be even MORE color-blind than less vital things like who is going to get a degree in some useless subject, and later go on to be an equally useless government drone in some department or agency that shouldn’t even exist.
Discrimination is still legal in business and it is enforced by government.
We as well ... although once upon a time the military would have been a good choice for the boys. (As it was for their older relatives clear back to Colonial times when militia guys got paid in pounds of tobacco.)
Its gonna be held to be illegal everywhere. The SCOTUS was very clear in the language it used.
“Democrats quickly attacked Justice Roberts for seemingly leaving the carveout on military diversity that the Biden administration had demanded as a matter of national security.”
And these CLOWNS who want to start World War 3 are now claiming that pushing up unqualified people to leadership positions actually ENHANCES ‘national security’!
The best thing to do, with this bunch in charge, is to OPPOSE EVERY ONE of their military adventures...because structuring a military this way is the surest way LOSE WARS.
Big question is how well, will the new woke army do against Russians, Iranians, and Chinese troops? How well can they take non-stop artillery? How long can they stay in the field, in the mud and goo? How long can they take a fight with a people who do not give a crap about feelings. How many will feel hurt and shoot their officers and surrender to the foe?
Maybe they will fight like tigers? But—we are risking a lot in putting them on the battlefield.
I was in the Navy for 20 years. I saw extreme racial equal opportunity affirmative action going on in 1982. In the early 90s female equal opportunity affirmative action started. It was obvious and pervasive. Nothing beats having a short, fat, weak, airhead female chief who came up the ranks as basically a secretary and has never done your job as your supervisor. At least the semi-literate black chief supervisor had somewhat successfully done the job. I retired just in time to avoid the globohomo stuff.
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