For those unfamiliar with the situation, I will set forth the facts, as I know them to be. Those familiar with the flap are asked to accept the need for the laying of the foundation of my questions to all and forgive my restating what they already know.
The New York Times, unarguably one of the most liberally-slanted media in existence, has embarked on a campaign in conjunction with the strident anti-male, militant feminist head of a group of female-only organizations to attack the membership of the Augusta (Georgia) National Golf Club. That private and exclusive organization comprised of only twenty-five members hosts the Masters Golf Tournament each year. The event is considered by followers of the sport to be one of the top championships of the Professional Golf Association's tour. Competition is by invitation only and whether or not a golfer receives an invitation is determined solely by performance in the regular tour events. Those are the ONLY criteria applied to participants.
As I have stated, and as is supported by factual evidence, membership in the club is limited and exclusive. A unanimous vote of approval by the membership is required for a potential member to be accepted and the number of members is strictly controlled. The New York Times, in conjunction with the woman protesting these existing (though unwritten) membership rules of the group, is upset that the membership does not include women and they are jointly demanding that the club accept women members. To them, it is not sufficient that women who are the guests of members are permitted to (and do) play the course, they demand full membership in the club for women.
Towards those ends, they have raised a hue and cry for the CBS Television Network to discontinue its annual telecasts of the Masters Tournament. They have even demanded that tour leader, Tiger Woods, boycott the tournament. He has refused to do so. A top executive with CBS Television who was a member of the club for more than 25 years recently resigned his membership, purportedly because of the group's refusal to bow to the pressure to admit female members. The head of the club, a gentleman known to friends as "Hootie
" Johnson, has steadfastly refused to entertain the idea and has rejected efforts by the attacker to "negotiate with her. Johnson carries some impressive credentials as well. As a judge, he headed efforts to strike down some of the last vestiges of Jim Crow laws at South Carolina colleges and universities, though that fact remains secret to readers of the Times reporting on the case.
When the woman and her supporters attempted to use pressure on the sponsors of the event to force the private club to yield to her demands, the membership voted unanimously to refuse to accept participation by any, and all, sponsors for the upcoming event. They would pay to stage the tournament from their own pockets instead.
Club President Johnson has rejected demands from the woman (and her New york Times bully friends) going after his group that he, and they, meet with her to discuss her demands. His answer to her public letter to him that appeared in the Times even before it was postmarked to him was simple.
"The Augusta National Golf Club is a private membership organization with its own rules for membership. As such, it is not subject to the demands of others and is not covered by federal or state statutes concerning its membership rules. Nothing can be served by any meeting or discussions with you."
A firestorm has resulted, with the Times devoting an inordinate amount of front page coverage to the controversy and attacking the Georgia based club's refusal to "negotiate" and submit to the wishes of the woman who heads a group of female members only preferenced organizations that the Augusta National organization accept female members. The publishers of the Times even cancelled commentary columns by two of their own paid commentators that disagreed with the editoral stance of the publicaton, in essence shutting out all dissent to their position in their publication.
In the face of all these assaults, the club and its leadership remain steadfast. They refuse to be bullied into accepting anyone as a member who is not acceptable to all current members for whatever reason they deem to be appropriate. The club accepts no government funds of any kind. They are strictly and wholly a private organization and wish to remain such.
Now you know the basis of the dispute. What do you think? Should the Augusta National Golf Club be forced to accept female members? If you think they should be, why? If you believe they should not, why not? Do these people have a right to free association so long as they violate no laws? In your opinon, are they, in fact, violating the law? Which law or laws? How so? On what legal basis do they become subject to that law or those laws?
Just so you are aware, there are a number of golf clubs in the United States that have a females only membership policy and, on many, males may not even play their courses, even as guests of a member. Do you support their rights to hold such restrictive membership policies? How are these groups different from the Augusta National organization?
I am truly curious to see how you folks feel about this situation. I would like to have both male and female posters offer comments. I will withhold my own comments for now, but those of you who read and post here regularly know of my passionate belief in Constitutionally protected individual freedoms and rights as well as my disdain and disgust for discrimination. Here is a test of those beliefs.
Are the members of this group unlawfully discriminating against women, thereby denying them access to the membership on an equal footing that can be beneficial to them professionally? Do the members have a legal right to discriminate against women? Do the "females only" groups have a similar right to reject males from membership?
What do you think?
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