mav,

The SC didn't amend anything. They ruled that ratification was legal. Or rather the courts have refused to rule that it wasn't legal. (so far as I've been able to find).

Accepting the W ruling as valid would tend to indicate that you accept the validity of the Court. Accepting the rulings you like and not the ones you don't like, lead to chaos. America may not have been made great by socialists. (and that statement is far too broad and not entirely accurate) It wasn't made so by anarchists, either.

Your ideas come across as crypto-fascists. (which doesn't require taht you to be a conservative - see below) That may not be your intention. When you propose institutionalization of segregation in the name of something as fuzzy and pie-in-the-skyish as educational quality, on the grounds of physical disabilities, you run the risk being labeled such. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, don't get mad when people think it's a duck. A negative outcome done for all the right reasons, is still a negative outcome.

Our society can survive our kids not meeting some arbitrary standard of learning far better than we can institutionalizing bigotry, which is a very logical consequence of some of your ideas. (And 'bigotry' is meant in the most negative sense, btw).

On the other hand, and in partial response to Ribbet, I suggest he (and you and others)read a book called "Shadow University" by Alan Kors. Under the banner of those you call the LSC, the type of segregation mav proposes was carried out, based on race, sex, sexual orientation. Replete with separate facilities and separate treatment, at a number of our supposed centers of academic freedom. From which, I suppose, I could conclude that mav isn't a crypto-fascist, but a ultra left wing PC fanatic.

Ribbet, as food for thought and IMO, I'm sorry you decided to break your winning streak by flaming. I'll admit I was offended. How is deliberately offending people (in addition to the flamee) made all better by an apology? If mav apologies for offending, does that make it all better?

McGrath,

Hoping the mav's of the world go away strikes me as a little short-sighted. Look at what happen when sensible men and women ignored that funny little paper hanger.

Regards

John