December 2005 Archives

Law Schools Against Free Speech - The Supreme Court considers military recruitment on campus. By Dahlia Lithwick

Chief Justice John Roberts instantly shuts him down, saying the Solomon Amendment "doesn't insist that you do anything. … It says that if you want our money, you have to let our recruiters on campus." Moreover, for Roberts, this is not about speech. "This is conduct." Rosenkranz disagrees. "This is a refusal to send e-mail. This is conduct only in that they are moving molecules. … This is speech."

There is a certain irony here that both the liberals and conservatives have fallen into the same trap. Fundamentally the federal government has very little control of our lives. However, once you start accepting money from it--you are caught in a dependency trap. For religious conservatives, this means the eradication of support for any particular religion in schools. For anti-discrimination liberals, it means allowing military recruiters into the schools. I confess that I have little sympathy for either side. If you want to be free of federal restrictions--stay clear of federal money.