Burke Goes After New USGA President

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March 23, 2004

ESPN.com - GOLF - New USGA prez criticized for ties to Augusta Associated Press LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The incoming president of the U.S. Golf Association will not give up his membership at Augusta National, despite protests from a women's group that his credibility is damaged by belonging to a golf club that has no female members. Full Story

I think Martha Burke wasn't paying attention in High School Civics. Augusta is a private club, and under the first amendment to the Constitution (the same amendment that allows her to shoot off her mouth without repercussions) can restrict membership. The USGA is a public organization, and does not have that right. Fred Ridley also has the right to belong to whatever group he wants. Burke clearly has a bug up her butt about Augusta, but I can't see what good her ranting is doing. With all of the womens rights issues around the world, you would think that the head of the Council of Women's Organizations would have something better to do. What about the denial of womens' rights in Iran? Or efforts to help women recovering from horrible human rights abuses under dictatorships in Afghanistan and Iraq? Or the so-called "glass ceiling" in the US? Besides, I thought we had resolved that private life-public life dichotomy during the Clinton Administration. According to Libs like Burke, Slick Willie's private life was nobody's business, as long as it didn't spill over to his public life. Why doesn't the same standard hold for Fred Ridley?

Posted By The Original Golf Blogger