Author: James A. Bacon
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Peace, Love and Tolerance at W&M
Although she passionately believed in the right to life when she entered the College of William & Mary, Skyler Culbertson describes herself as “borderline liberal” and politically uninvolved. The past two years, however, have radicalized her. In a Hot Air podcast she says: “I was like, oh my gosh, indoctrination is not just a right-wing talking point —…
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Thomas Jefferson Deserves Respect From All Americans
by Bob Turner Thomas Jefferson owned slaves and is widely believed by able and honorable people to have raped the enslaved child Sally Hemings and fathered all her children. Therefore, it’s understandable that some wish to see our third president “canceled,” to use the Woke vernacular. Today would be Jefferson’s 280th birthday, so it seems…
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D.C.’s Crime Problem Is Virginia’s Crime Problem
by James A. Bacon Washington, D.C. has a crime problem, and due to its proximity to Virginia, that means Virginia has a crime problem, Attorney General Jason Miyares wrote a week ago in a letter to Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. Miyares attributed D.C.’s crime wave to lax-on-crime policies. “Your unwillingness to enforce your laws and…
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The Fruit of School Disciplinary “Reform”?
by James A. Bacon If your son came home saying that a bully had hit and strangled him on the school bus that morning, and if you saw images circulating on social media confirming what he told you, how would you have reacted? Like Taylor Brock, mom of a 7th grader at Walt Whitman Middle…
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More Discouraging News for Virginia Student Test Scores
by James A. Bacon As recently as 2015, the percentage of Virginia high school graduates qualifying for college credit on at least one Advanced Placement test ranked third in the nation. In the 2021-2022 school year, according to data released by the College Board, Virginia’s percentage had fallen to 11th in the country, slipping two…
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News or Commentary? You Decide
by James A. Bacon The Washington Post leads its story about Governor Glenn Younkin’s comments on the indictment of former president Donald Trump this way: RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is famous for being just Trumpy enough to woo MAGA Republicans without alienating more moderate voters, but the former president’s indictment this week by a…
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How Orwellian Is “Student Conduct Software”?
by James A. Bacon More than 1,300 educational institutions across the country use software developed by Charlottesville-based Maxient, which bills itself as the “industry leader” and “most trusted provider for incident reporting and behavior records management.” Clients include most of Virginia’s public institutions of higher education. The recent revelation in The CollegeFix and Wall Street…
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Free Speech and Open Inquiry Are “Non-Negotiable”
by James A. Bacon Governor Glenn Youngkin made a national name for himself by standing up for parents’ rights in public education. His administration has engaged in bruising battles over transgender policy, critical race theory, and educational standards in K-12 schools. His approach to higher-ed issues has been far less contentious. Other than fighting for…
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Alumni Rising
If you’re heartsick at how your alma mater is turning into an incubator of intolerance and hate, you are not powerless. You can organize and push back just as the alumni of The University of Virginia, Washington & Lee University, the Virginia Military Institute, and James Madison University are doing. This eight-minute video produced…
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New Rule: He (or She) Who Shouts the Loudest and Uses the Most Curse Words Wins
This exchange took place at Virginia Commonwealth University during the Students for Life at VCU event. Everyone in the VCU community should be hanging their head in shame at the how the VCU student conducts herself. VCU alumni, are you going to let this slide? Regardless of where you stand on abortion, is this how…
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Free Speech Under Assault Across Virginia
Threats to freedom of speech grow by the day in the Old Dominion. Consider the latest news stories: VCU Protesters broke up a speech by pro-life activist Kristan Hawkins with chants and obscenities. Two pro-lifers suffered minor injuries in a fight that broke out. VCU police broke up the fight but canceled the event. More…