Category: Civil Rights, Individual Liberties
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Journalistic Competence and Integrity, Explained – Part 1
by James C. Sherlock A couple of reporters, Sara Gregory and Matt Jones, wrote the lead front page article in The Virginian-Pilot print edition today. It was headlined “Critical Race Theory, Explained” and was presented as news, not opinion. The line between the two is more blurred every day. I wish it were not,…
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Larry Sabato Is Not the Problem at UVa
by James A. Bacon Rich Anderson, Virginia GOP chairman, is unhappy with the partisan bias of University of Virginia political-science icon Larry Sabato, whose tweets have turned bitingly anti-Trump. Anderson contends that eight of Sabato’s tweets from the past year appear to violate the university’s mission statement and faculty code of ethics. “A reasonable taxpaying…
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Where Is a Parents’ Bill of Rights for Virginia?
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes, the simplest and certainly one of the best ways for a public official to serve the public is to inform them about things they care about. The Attorney General of Indiana, perhaps the best governed state in America, has just published a roadmap for parents and caregivers to “exercise their…
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Terry McAuliffe — Call Him Crazy
by Kerry Dougherty Call me crazy, but I think it should be easier to vote than it should be to buy a gun. — Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) July 6, 2021 OK, Terry, you asked for it. We’re going to call you crazy because the notion that it’s easier to buy a gun in Virginia than…
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What’s Next? Vaccine Goon Squads?
by Kerry Dougherty Well, it looks like America went from 15 days to slow the spread to vaccine goon squads fanning out across the country, going door to door to demand that everyone get vaccinated against COVID-19. Who didn’t see this coming? According to a story in The New York Post, President Joe Biden announced…
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Help Me Out. Let’s FOIA UVa about Trespass Warnings
by James A. Bacon Back in April 2018 Jason Kessler, the white nationalist organizer of the infamous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, found himself the target of a series of lawsuits. He was spotted in the University of Virginia Law School library one day, minding his own business and reading up on the law.…
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Challenging UVa.’s Culture of Left-Wing Intolerance
Note: This column is republished from The Washington Times. by James A. Bacon A committee appointed by University of Virginia President Jim Ryan issued a statement this May outlining the university‘s policy on free speech. As befitting the university founded by Thomas Jefferson, a champion of individual liberties, the committee stated its unequivocal “commitment to free expression and free inquiry.” The statement…
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Fight the Machine, File for an Exemption!
by James A. Bacon The Young Americans for Liberty chapter at Virginia Tech delivered a petition with about 500 signatures urging the university to end a policy requiring students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to take classes in the fall, reports The Center Square. “This arbitrary order is a blatant violation of the students’…
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School Board Fails on First Amendment
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The Loudoun County School Board has gone too far by disciplining a teacher for speaking in opposition to a proposed Board policy. Tanner Cross, a physical education teacher, appeared before the Board at a meeting in May in opposition to a proposed policy regarding LGBTQ students. One of the provisions of the…
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A Free Exchange of Left Wing Ideas
by James A. Bacon There was an old joke back during the Cold War. An American diplomat was talking to a Russian diplomat. The American diplomat praised the superiority of the American way of life: “In our country, we are free to criticize President Reagan.” To which the Russian diplomat replied, “In our country, we…
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Herd Immunity Versus Herd Insanity
by James A. Bacon Like 450 other higher-ed institutions across the United States, the University of Virginia will require all students to be fully vaccinated for the COVID-19 vaccine if they want to return to classes this fall. The mandate extends to the 2,800 students who got the virus and now enjoy acquired immunities. Oddly,…
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A Volatile Mix: Sex, Obsession, Microaggressions and Mental Health at UVa
by James A. Bacon Kieran Bhattacharya, a University of Virginia School of Medicine student who claims he was expelled for challenging left-wing political orthodoxy at the school, has filed new papers expanding upon his allegations. Among the more explosive charges, he asserts that he was twice committed against his will to psychiatric facilities, given antipsychotic…
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Contrary to Report, Women Are Safer from Sexual Assault at VMI
by James A. Bacon Not only is the Virginia Military Institute a cauldron of racism, according to the recently published Barnes & Thornburg report, it is a bastion of sexism. As the executive summary puts it: “On gender, many respondents — including men — stated that VMI’s gender-equity issues are worse than its racial-equity issues.” As…
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UVa Affirms Commitment to Free Speech… at Least in Theory
by James A. Bacon The University of Virginia Board of Trustees has voted to approve a statement affirming the university’s commitment to free expression and free inquiry. “All views, beliefs and perspective deserve to be articulated and heard free from interference,” states the Statement of the Committee on Free Expression and Free Inquiry. “Free and…
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Yeah, That Apology Was Called For
by James A. Bacon I have zero respect for people who grovel with apologies to perpetually offended snowflakes. But every once in a while, a statement of regret for words poorly chosen is fully warranted. During a recent debate of Democratic Party candidates for lieutenant governor, anchor Dave Lucas with Washington-area TV station ABC7-WJLA addressed…