Author: James A. Bacon
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The Church Lady’s Worst Nightmare
In his latest Rob Is Right video, Rob Smith gives his spin on the deliberately provocative After-School Satan Club at B.M. Williams Primary School in Chesapeake. I’m not sure I agree with him in the final analysis — free speech extends to those with whom we disagree, even to those we think are raving…
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A Powerful Defense of Thomas Jefferson
In this interview with Jean Yarbrough, author of American Virtues: Thomas Jefferson on the Character of a Free People, Douglas Murray explores Thomas Jefferson’s life and legacy, and dissects the modern-day assault on Jefferson’s reputation.
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How UVa Addresses Student Loneliness, Depression
by James A. Bacon A new preoccupation of college administrators across the United States is how to give students a sense of “belonging.” The concern is understandable. There is increasing awareness that America is experiencing a “loneliness” epidemic, as reflected by a 40% rate nationally of anxiety, depression and other diagnosed mental illnesses among college…
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Youngkin Reacts To Raid By An ABC Goon Squad
by Kerry Dougherty In one of the most bizarre actions in recent memory, law enforcement on Friday raided Gourmeltz, a popular Fredericksburg restaurant, and confiscated its liquor and sales records because the owner in 2021 defied former Governor Ralph Northam’s long-defunct executive order that required liquor-selling establishments to abide by a host of nonsensical COVID-related…
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Anti-Semitism in Virginia
by James A. Bacon Antisemitism in Virginia isn’t as severe as in some other states, but the number of incidents of harassment and vandalism has increased in recent years, according to a report by the Commission to Combat Antisemitism, “Combating Antisemitism in Virginia.” In 2021, 411 reported antisemitic incidents impacted residents of the Commonwealth, reports…
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Map of the Day: Disability Processing Times
There’s a new crisis in the welfare state: longer waiting times for the processing of Social Security Administration disability claims. More than a million Americans wait in limbo, says The Washington Post. Though far from the worst, the slowdown in processing claims in Virginia — a state responsibility — has increased 129% between fiscal year…
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SCHEV’s Study on College Completion Rates Is… Incomplete
by James A. Bacon The dirty secret of the higher-ed industry is the high rate at which students drop out of college. The six-year graduation rate for full-time, in-state students entering Virginia’s public four-year institutions in 1995 was 60%, implying a drop-out rate of 40%, according to State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)…
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Passing the Baton
The Big Bacon is pleased to announce that Bob Rayner and Robin Beres will make taking over primary editing duties at Bacon’s Rebellion. They will take on tasks that I will no longer be able to fulfill as executive director of The Jefferson Council. Bob and Robin have been working as a team for years.…
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COVID Accounted for Half of Excess Deaths in 2020, 2021
by James A. Bacon The number of deaths in Virginia during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021) was roughly 15,000 higher, or 22.5%, than would have been predicted from pre-COVID trends, according to a new report published by the Virginia Department of Health. However, COVID accounted for a bit less than half (47%) of the…
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Normalizing Pedophilia
by Kerry Dougherty Turns out Allyn Walker is not a lone academic pushing a repulsive agenda. Others in the woke crowd are chiming in. Remember Walker? That was the ODU professor who was sacked last year after this site and others sounded the alarm about how they/them was preaching the gospel of “minor attracted persons”…
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When the WaPo Admits There’s a Homicide Crisis… There’s a Homicide Crisis.
by James A. Bacon Delve into the comments on Bacon’s Rebellion, and you will find that the dialogue often collapses due to disagreements over basic facts. One recurring dispute is the degree to which the violent crime rate is increasing, both nationally and here in Virginia. Some see the violent-crime-is-increasing narrative as a right-wing talking…
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Don’t Forget the Dismal History SOL Pass Rates
by Carol J. Bova As the battle rages over the History and Social Science (HSS) Standards of Learning criteria — the State Board of Education decided earlier this month to delay its review of Youngkin administration revisions — it is worth noting how poorly Virginia students mastered the old standards. More than one-third of Virginia…
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Chesapeake Walmart Tragedy
by Kerry Dougherty Ask them. Someone please ask the knee-jerk lefties who joined the Greek Chorus of “we must do more to end gun violence” last week just what “we” — the government, I suppose — could have done to prevent the massacre of six Walmart employees in their Chesapeake break room last Tuesday. Ask…