Author: Bob Rayner
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Whose Rights?
by Joe Fitzgerald One thing you have to give the parental rights authoritarians. At least they’re more honest about their goals than some of their thematic ancestors. Slave codes were not slave codes. They were master codes. Leftists in the 1950s weren’t involved in unamerican activities. The House committee harassing them was. Dissent and disagreement…
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VMI Loses DEI Court Case: a Win-Win Situation
by Jake Spivey In Virginia’s ever-shifting landscape of diversity, equity, or opportunity, and inclusion, a powerful decision has been made. Following the sensational, yet unproven, allegations of exceptionally bad behavior and poor leadership at Virginia Military Institute in late autumn 2019, the administration and Board of Visitors attempted to quickly effect conclusive actions that would…
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Like It or Not, Solar Farms May Be On Their Way
by Kerry Dougherty I know it’s winter and Virginia is not looking her best. But if you have nothing else to do this weekend, may I suggest you take a drive into the rural corners of the commonwealth and soak up the bucolic scenery. Check out those cotton fields along Route 58 west toward Danville,…
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Failure is not an Option with Proposed SOL Revisions
by Charles Pyle During summer and fall 2021, Glenn Youngkin tapped into rising parent frustration over prolonged school closures and a general unease about falling student achievement in Virginia’s public schools. Although a newcomer to state politics, Youngkin had the data and evidence to show the correlation between the lowering of expectations for students and…
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Virginia Legislation Would Define Raising Rent to Keep Pace with Inflation as ‘Rent Gouging’
from the Liberty Unyielding blog Raising rent to keep up with inflation isn’t what most people would consider “rent gouging,” even when the landlord has to increase rent by more than 7%. For example, Washington, DC’s rent control board allowed landlords to raise rents on most tenants 8.9% in 2023, to compensate for the 6.9%…
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Rebellion Within the Rebellion: The Wayward Militiamen of Rockingham
by Karl Rhodes Thomas Jefferson once wrote that “a little rebellion now and then is a good thing; as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions indeed generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them.” Perhaps this was the principle at work in March 1862,…
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An American Opportunity Story, from Missouri to Virginia
by Dan Stoddard Though some of today’s political leaders and commentators may try to tell us that the American Dream is dead – or was always a myth – they are wrong. America is still the Land of Opportunity. Throughout the country there are countless examples of women and men of humble beginnings who have…
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Roanoke’s Murder Crisis
by Scott Dreyer Roanoke City, with about 97,000 residents, suffered a record-breaking 31 murders in 2023,causing some to question the city’s leadership and direction. Based on public announcements and appearances, how concerned are Roanoke’s leaders about the Star City’s murder pandemic? In Mayor Sherman Lea Sr.’s (D) announcement that he will not run for re-election…
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Loudoun County Schools Defy FOIA Requests
by Kerry Dougherty Luke Rosiak is the best investigative reporter in Virginia. There isn’t a close second. Several years ago, The Daily Wire reporter uncovered Loudoun County Public Schools’ attempts to hide serial bathroom sexual assaults from the public. Rosiak’s reporting ultimately resulted in the firing of former school superintendent Scott Ziegler. And the election…
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Virginia Bill Would Allow Even Serial Killers to be Released After 15 Years
from the Liberty Unyielding blog On January 9, a bill was introduced to let Virginia prison inmates be released after 15 years with the approval of a judge. Even serial killers serving life sentences without parole would be eligible for release. In 2022, a similar bill easily passed the Democratic-controlled state senate, only to die in…
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Why Is Anne Holton Claiming the Length of Virginia’s School Closures Didn’t Matter? (Part 2)
(Editors’ note” Part 1 of this series ran yesterday on Bacon’s Rebellion.) by Vernon Taylor (a pseudonym) Let’s take a look at Anne Holton’s claims about Virginia’s prolonged school closures and learning loss, which were made at a Dec. 12, 2023, meeting of the Virginia Board of Education, of which she is a member. …
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U.S. Constitution Calling Jason Miyares . . .
by Jock Yellott Affirmative action is unconstitutional, said the U .S. Supreme Court last June. But we’ll keep doing it until somebody tells us not to, says Virginia’s Department of Transportation. In some quarters, it seems we’re seeing Massive Resistance to the Supreme Court’s ruling. An especially absurd, and ongoing, affirmative action boondoggle called the…
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Why Is Anne Holton Claiming the Length of Virginia’s School Closures Didn’t Matter? (Part 1)
by Vernon Taylor (a pseudonym) The Virginia Board of Education meeting on December 12th, 2023 had a rare moment of must-see TV (22:50 – 29:27). In an attempt to gaslight parents, students and educators everywhere as she ignored the preponderance of data from COVID-era and post-pandemic studies, Board Member Anne Holton proposed an amendment striking…
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Virginia Legislation Would Penalize Lack of Diversity in Firms Seeking Economic Development Aid
by Hans Bader Recent Virginia legislation raises interesting constitutional issues under the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. Virginia legislators have introduced bills that would make corporate board diversity a factor in whether to give corporations tax incentives for economic development. In deciding whether to approve tax incentives to a company, the MEI Project Approval Commission…
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Virginia Bill Would Redefine Revenge Porn to Include Non-Porn, Making It Easier to Prosecute Politicians’ Critics
by Hans Bader Virginia’s revenge-porn law may soon be expanded to punish people for posting embarrassing, revealing images of public figures, such as politicians, if Virginia’s legislature approves HB 926. Doing so would violate the First Amendment, and invite lawsuits by civil-liberties groups like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression or the Institute for…