Author: James A. Bacon
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Backlash? What Backlash?
Yours truly was quoted by The Washington Post as asking how Scott Beardsley, new president of the University of Virginia, differs from former president Jim Ryan when it comes to his commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. The Post also quoted my comrade in arms Stu Smith, a popular conservative social media poster, as calling…
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When Is “Affordability” Not Affordable?
Affordability is a goal that everyone can get behind. I eagerly await an informed and dispassionate discussion by legislators of Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s 17-point agenda to achieve that goal. Just a couple of reminders: Redistributing wealth from Group A to Group B might make life more affordable for Group B, but not Group A. More…
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Worth Reading….
Charlottesville, VA, Eliminating Use of Camera Systems Because Feds Might Track Illegal Aliens From David Strom with Hot Air: “The Charlottesville police department will drop its use of the Flock license plate reading camera system due to concerns that the federal government might find illegal aliens it is looking for if it gets ahold of…
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Fairfax County’s Sanctuary Policy Is Costing Lives
by Stephanie Lundquist-AroraRepublished with permission from IWFeatures On Dec. 17, Marvin Fernando Morales-Ortez, 23, allegedly shot and killed a man in Reston, Virginia. Only the day before, Fairfax County officials ignored an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer request and released him from jail. According to case documents from the Fairfax County General District Court, police…
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Block the Flocks?
According to the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism, there are well over 1,000 Flock license-plate readers in Virginia. Here follows a Copilot AI-generated article about the cameras. Flock cameras in Virginia are automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) used for surveillance and law enforcement, recently regulated by new legislation aimed at balancing public safety and privacy…
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Chap Petersen’s Least Favorite Things
by Chap Petersen It’s nearly the end of the year. Christmas will soon be here. In the spirit of the season, we need to celebrate all the great things that happened and be glad. But what about the not-so-great things? Sometimes speaking them can be a form of purging. So, with apologies to Julie Andrews,…
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What Is UVA’s Research Overhead?
And how much is driven by DEI? UVA won’t say. Open the Books has published a new report, “Transparency Crisis,” examining the percentage of research funding devoted to university overhead. Nationally, 50% to 60% of federal research grants go to overhead, which is meant to cover university and departmental infrastructure and support. “Recent reports,” states…
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Illegal Alien Charged With Murder In Fairfax County
Kerry Dougherty provides an update on that illegal alien, Marvin Fernando Ortiz, charged with shooting his roommate a day after his release from Fairfax County jail. (See “Social Breakdown Update: Fairfax Edition.”) That’s right. This illegal hairbag was in jail – and released – last week but the order to turn him over to ICE…
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Violent Crime Down 7% in 2024, Homicides by 19%
Hooray, the Virginia State Police has finally published its Crime in Virginia 2024 report! The big news was that violent crime in the commonwealth dropped 7% that year compared to 2023. The number of homicides (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter) declined from 520 in 2023 to 421 in 2024 — 19 percent! There’s much more to…