Author: James A. Bacon
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Bacon Meme of the Week
From the inimitable Babylon Bee: JERUSALEM — Citing newly uncovered writings from Greece, Rome, and Jerusalem, biblical scholars are now saying the shockingly rapid growth of the early church can be attributed to the fact that Christians were allowed to eat bacon. “Save yourselves from this crooked generation! Believe in Jesus, the Messiah! And also,…
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Well, They Went and Done It
Washington & Lee has set a new precedent in the culture wars — it has cancelled a horse. Robert E. Lee’s horse Traveller, to be precise. A plaque dedicated to the memory of the renowned steed was removed yesterday in a larger purge of references to its rider, who salvaged the university from extinction after…
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The Latest Tool for Suppressing Unpopular Speech: Special Use Permits
by James A. Bacon With considerable fanfare by Governor Glenn Youngkin, Armed Forces Brewing announced six days ago that it would relocate its headquarters from Annapolis, Md., to Norfolk, creating 47 local jobs. The company, which markets its beer by adopting a rough, often profane language prevalent in the military, says it will hire veterans…
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Virginia No. 2 in Latest CNBC Ranking, 16th Worst in Real-World Performance
by James A. Bacon Virginia has risen to the No. 2 spot in the CNBC Top States for Business ranking, up from #3 the previous year. The cable business channel gave the Old Dominion high scores for access to capital, business friendliness, workforce, and — No. 1 in the category — education. What a farce.…
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Can We Call This a Statistical Sex Change Operation?
The number of Virginians who have changed the sex listed on their birth certificate increased from 166 during fiscal year 2020 to 275 in fiscal year 2021 and 384 in fiscal year 2022, according to Virginia Department of Health Director of Communications Maria Reppas. By my count, that’s 825 so far. The registrations follow a…
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Public Confidence in Higher-Ed Is Hemorrhaging
I started sounding the alarm years ago: through soaring tuition and leftist orthodoxy, higher-ed institutions would lose the support of a broad swath of the American people. At some point, parents rebel against paying small fortunes to have their kids indoctrinated to reject their values. As the latest Gallup poll shows, a steadily declining percentage…
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More Money for an “Indecipherable” K-12 Funding Formula?
by James A. Bacon Virginia public schools receive less funding from the state than the 50-state national average, less than the Mid-Atlantic regional average, and less than three of the five bordering states, says a new report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC). The state needs to radically update its methodology for…
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A Tale of Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites
by James A. Bacon Italians demand that people treat their UNESCO World Heritage sites with respect. Consider the recent example of the idiot caught scratching graffiti onto a brick of the ancient Roman Colosseum. Italians reacted with outrage at video (taken by an equally outraged American) when Bulgaria-born Englishman Ivan Dimitrov used his key to…
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UVa Admissions Trends: Whites Down, Asians Up, Blacks a Question Mark
by James A. Bacon As the University of Virginia community debates the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling restricting the use of race in higher-ed admissions, The Jefferson Council is publishing publicly available data that provide context for the discussion. UVa’s office of Institutional Research and Analysis publishes three types of admissions data (applications,…
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Info-Wars in the College Admissions Debate
by James A. Bacon It will be exceedingly difficult to hold an honest conversation in Virginia about the role of race in higher-education admissions and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. College administrators are the gatekeepers of data critical to the discussion and they will not share it. I have been stymied twice this week in my…
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VMI Superintendent Praises Student Journalists
by James A. Bacon I increased my respect for Cedric Wins. In his personal Facebook page, the Virginia Military Institute Superintendent congratulated Lt. James Mansfield (class of ’22) and Cadet Russell Crouch (class of ’24), co-editors of The Cadet student newspaper last year, for winning the Virginia Press Association’s Journalist Service and Integrity Award. That…
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What It Means to Be a Citizen
by James A. Bacon The 4th of July, commemorating our nation’s declaration of independence, is an occasion to think about what we appreciate about America. Amidst our social breakdown, culture wars, and vitriolic politics, that’s not an easy thing to do. Among the most demoralizing aspects of our times is the abysmal level of understanding…