The Content Of Their Character

I was recently reminded of Mary Sue Coleman, the former University of Iowa President who bolted from Iowa City in favor of a high-paying head honcho job at the University of Michigan.

During this past election, Michigan voters had a ballot initiative called the Michigan Civil Right Initiative (Proposal 2) to vote on:

The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI), or Proposal 2 (Michigan 06-2), is a ballot initiative in the U.S. state of Michigan that seeks to end programs and policies that give preferential treatment or discriminate based on race or gender in the operation of public employment, education, or contracting. As of midnight on election night, the proposal appears to have passed. Opponents of the proposal label these programs as affirmative action, while proponents suggest that there is a difference between types of affirmative action, arguing that anti-discrimination enforcement, outreach, and non-preferential policies, which were historically considered affirmative action, could continue as long as they were not preferential.

The proposal was passed on November 7th, 2006. Its language derives from the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the "Equal Protection" clause of the 14th Amendment that forbids the United States or any state from denying "equal protection of the law" to any citizen. It is modelled after similar laws in California and Washington.

The initiative passed with about 58% of the vote, far higher than pre-election polls indicated

Mary Sue Coleman was pissed at the outcome:

I am deeply disappointed that the voters of our state have rejected affirmative action as a way to help build a community that is fair and equal for all.

But we will not be deterred in the all-important work of creating a diverse, welcoming campus. We will not be deterred.

Universities are models for the civil exchange of ideas, and the debate over Proposal 2 has been no exception. Still, it has been a particularly difficult campaign, and I regret the pain and concern it has caused people on our campus...

...I will not stand by while the very heart and soul of this great university is threatened. We are Michigan and we are diversity.

I am joined on these steps by the executive officers and deans of our university. We are united on this. You have my word as president that we will fight for what we believe in, and that is holding open the doors of this university to all people.

Today, I have directed our General Counsel to consider every legal option available to us.

In the short term, we will seek confirmation from the courts to complete this year’s admissions cycle under our current guidelines...

...I believe there are serious questions as to whether this initiative is lawful, particularly as it pertains to higher education. I have asked our attorneys for their full and undivided support in defending diversity at the University of Michigan. I will immediately begin exploring legal action concerning this initiative. But we will not limit our drive for diversity to the courts, because our conviction extends well beyond the legal landscape.

It is a cause that will take our full focus and energy as an institution, and I am ready to begin that work right now. We will find ways to overcome the handcuffs that Proposal 2 attempts to place on our reach for greater diversity.

As Susan B. Anthony said in her crusade for equal rights, “Failure is impossible.”

Equal rights. What a bunch of bullshit. What a bunch of Orwellian doublespeak.

Coleman can't accept the fact that most people in Michigan want a color-blind society. And never mind what the people say! She'll take it to court to override the will of the people!

Thank god that Iowa no longer has to deal with the likes of Mary Sue Coleman anymore. Instead, Iowa has to deal with that overpaid cunt Elizabeth Hoffman as the provost at ISU.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if Martin Luther King Jr came back and saw what was being said by all these cracker-ass, hoity-toity, exceptionally paid, ultra-skinny, white liberal biatches like Mary Sue Coleman. After all, he said:

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Maybe in Michigan, but not in Mary Sue Coleman's world.