Author: James A. Bacon
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Why the Agitation Over Chinese Acquisition of Virginia Farmland?
by James A. Bacon Look, I consider myself a China hawk. I detest the communist regime, I consider China a threat to the global order, I think the U.S. should commit to defend Taiwan, and I support measures to crack down on China’s cyber theft and unfair trade practices. But there’s one thing I don’t…
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Another Social-Justice Narrative Circles Down the Drain
by James A. Bacon Now that Democrats have de-confirmed Virginia’s state health commissioner, Colin Greene, they have effectively set a new qualification for the office: it is no longer permissible to express skepticism that “systemic racism” is, in the words of Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, “a public health crisis.” Ironically, only a few days after…
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Bad Elk, Bad Elk! Stay Away From That Golf Course Junk Food.
Virginia wildlife officials have been working for several years on reintroducing elk to Southwestern Virginia. In a sign that the effort is working, elk have been spotted in the Breaks Interstate Park, a joint Virginia-Kentucky state park, for the first time since the 1800s, reports WJHL. For two years now, park officials have endeavored to…
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Bacon Meme of the Week
Javelina sighted near Puntarenas, Costa Rica. He wouldn’t let me get close. Saying “nice little piggy,” didn’t work. Maybe he didn’t understand English. –JAB
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Where Is the VEA on School Safety?
by James A. Bacon Greetings from sunny Costa Rica, the well-run Central American nation that bears less resemblance these days to a banana republic than to the United States! Costa Rica dedicates some 7% of its GDP to education, according to Wikipedia, and its population is 97% literate, which, if you think about it, might…
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Youngkin Wins Culture-War Skirmish Over History Standards
by James A. Bacon The State Board of Education (SBOE) voted 5 to 3 yesterday to accept the revised history and social science standards for the Standards of Learning, representing a victory for the Youngkin administration in a contentious debate over what Virginia students should be taught in K-12 schools. Various advocacy groups have criticized…
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What the Heck Did Norfolk’s Planning Director Say?
by James A. Bacon Norfolk’s planning director, George Homewood, has left his post, and city officials aren’t saying whether he resigned or was fired. But The Virginian-Pilot says the parting of the ways occurred after the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Ethics Committee suspended him for violating the group’s ethics code. Reading the headline…
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Virginia Is for Lovers… Er, Lawyers
From a study by federal-lawyer.com: There are 21.23 applicants to law school per 100,000 population in Virginia — the ninth highest ratio for any state in the country. Leading the tally is our next-door neighbor, Washington, D.C., with 129.4 applicants, far exceeding the 29.15 per 100,000 ratio of runner-up New York. According to the American…
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Cavalier Daily Reveals Real Motive for Vilifying Bert Ellis
by James A. Bacon As a critical vote approaches in the Virginia state senate, The Cavalier Daily has doubled down on its denunciation of Bert Ellis, and in so doing has revealed its real motive for campaigning to block his appointment to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors: Ellis represents a threat to Business…
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As Much As We Want to Support the Boys in Blue…
…sometimes we end up with cases like this one. Richmond Police Officer David Edward Stone, a Louisa County resident, was arrested last week on 50 child pornography charges. Stone has served on the Richmond police force since 2006, reports The Daily Progress. Society needs police to protect against criminals. And the Richmond police have been…
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The Violent-Child Problem
by James A. Bacon The story of the six-year-old school shooter in Newport News generates endless attention. It seems indicative of so much that is wrong with our society today. Law-enforcement authorities are rightly focused on the question of how a six-year-old child (a) managed to lay hands on a gun that his parents claimed…