Choice of Kagan appears dubious

I read Sen. Jeff Session's Alabama Voices column concerning Elena Kagan. Ms. Kagan's most obvious accomplishment seems to be her position as dean at Harvard Law School.

While there, she garnered a significant amount of publicity and controversy because she closed the on-campus military office, banning recruitment . According to Sen. Sessions, Ms. Kagan did not initiate the banning actions, but when she became dean, she re-instituted the ban, overriding the congressional Solomon Act.

If Harvard was 100 percent private, I suppose there would be some room for a private property argument. If Ms. Kagan were not nominated to the Supreme Court by a president who never served in the armed services, and is himself controversial, there would probably be no argument.

Many of us who have voluntarily served our country, even when there was a draft, take great offense at the possibility of a person who obviously holds the American military with disdain being selected to a lifetime appointment as a Supreme Court justice.

It is quite clear to most Americans that the freedom of educational institutions and also religion is not derived from groups of armed teachers and preachers.

While Ms. Kagan was gathering academic credentials and controversial accolades, others were "standing on the wall," protecting her personal lifestyle and ambitions.

Paraphrasing Jack Nicholson, I would prefer she had just taken up a weapon and stood a watch.

West Marcus
Montgomery

Founders far more insightful

The Constitution of the United States of America, Article IV, Section 4: "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature, cannot be convened), against domestic Violence."

I suggest that many citizens of Arizona believe they are being invaded, and from news reports there is ample cause to believe alien violence abounds, directly attributable to a constant influx of non-U.S. citizens ( illegal aliens).

It is absolutely astounding how insightful our founders were, while our current leaders have such shallow regard and respect for our own citizenry.

May I suggest that all Americans buy what they can from the state of Arizona, in an attempt to offset the lunacy of those states with holier-than-thou attitudes. Border Americans are currently suffering the results of unresponsive Washington politicians, who obviously believe the rights of Americans are less important than those of foreign lawbreakers.

West Marcus
Montgomery
May 25, 2010