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Jeanine’s Memes
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Bacon Meme of the Week
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Showdown in Hill City
Stephanie Reed, Mayor, City of Lynchburg Photo credit: Lynchburg City Council by Dick Hall-Sizemore
The members of the Lynchburg City Council have been embroiled in fighting among themselves for the past year. At the close of the year, the council took the unprecedented step of censuring one of its members.
Because of the dearth of the coverage of local government by today’s media, not much news of those goings-on has filtered to the eastern portion of the Commonwealth. Fortunately, we have Cardinal News, along with The News & Advance, to chronicle these events. Using FOIA requests, Cardinal News was able to use e-mails and phone conversations among the members to report and comment extensively on the situation.
Marty MIsjuns, member of Lynchburg City Council. Photo credit: Lynchburg City Council The main characters in this drama have been Stephanie Reed, the mayor, and Marty Misjuns, at-large member of city council.
Before getting into the current controversy, a little prologue will help shed some light on the situation. In January 2021, Misjuns was a captain in the city fire department and the Ward I chair of the Lynchburg Republican City Committee. That month, he posted on his Facebook page political cartoons that included “caricaturized illustrations of transgender women.” In October 2021, the Lynchburg Fire Department fired him. His Facebook page identified him as a “public figure” due to his party position. Misjuns sued the city claiming wrongful termination, violation of equal protection, conspiracy, municipal liability, violation of First Amendment freedom of speech rights, and violation of First Amendment freedom of religion rights. In April 2023, a federal judge dismissed all the claims except for the First Amendment claims. Those claims were allowed to proceed to the discovery phase. Misjuns appealed the dismissal of the other claims to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The trial for the upheld claims is set for mid-March of 2024. No date has been listed for the appeals to be heard. (more…)
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A Far Better Option for Public Education of Poor Urban Minority Students in Virginia
by James C. SherlockWe are going to discuss here — it will be a series — Virginia’s urban majority-minority school divisions.
School boards, superintendents and teachers in those divisions want their students to learn. They are especially frustrated that far too many of their minority students fail to do so.
For those divisions, an exhaustive 2023 report from Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) confirms that poor urban minority students can and do learn at the same or higher levels as white children.
They do so in charter schools nationwide managed by the best Charter Management Organizations (CMO).
The results reported are stunning.
CMO schools make a bigger difference in urban environments, and for poor minority kids, than anywhere else for any other populations.
Those kids come to school. They and their parents like school. In some of the toughest neighborhoods in America.
Readers who oppose charter schools think there are unacceptable explanations for that. Fair enough. CREDO addresses every one of the commonly cited rationalizations and bats them away. We will get to that in a follow-on article.
What matters here is that the study, focused on equity, finds over 1,000 “gap buster” public charter schools, most run by CMOs, that deliver academic results that eliminate the learning gap across student groups. (more…)
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Virginia Army National Guard Switches from Red to Blue
by Thomas. M. Moncure Jr.Confederate statues have come down and in some cases – to assure they will never rise again – have been melted down. Schools and roads have been purged of Confederate references. Army bases likewise are renamed in this cultural cleansing. This rewriting of history – Soviet style – would make Joseph Stalin proud. This eradication of one of the most significant events in American history – the formation of the Confederate States of America – has been done more swiftly and with greater success than even George Orwell might have envisioned.
Even symbols must be dispatched down the memory hole. The old unit patch of the Virginia Army National Guard (above left) showed a spear cutting thru the chain of tyranny in a St. Andrews Cross on a field of red. This is a subtle but somewhat obvious nod to the Confederate Battle Flag; any vague resemblance to anything Confederate must be purged.
The new National Guard patch shows Virtue over the dead body of Tyranny, imitating the Seal of Virginia on a blue field. Symbols do underlie and emphasize political realities. In addition to removing Confederate taint, the Guard has -intentionally or not – fallen in with the transition of the partisan makeup of the General Assembly. As Virginia has gone from Red to Blue, so has the Guard.
Thomas Moncure lives in Colonial Beach. He is an attorney and former Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
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An Obstructionist Rises to the Top
Rep. Bob Good (5th District) by Dick Hall-Sizemore
Amid all the other topics being discussed and debated on Bacon’s Rebellion, we have neglected to note that the Commonwealth has recently picked up a dubious distinction. It is now the home of the chair of the House Freedom Caucus — Rep. Bob Good (R–5th District).
His selection was not cheered by all conservatives. Those supporting Donald Trump’s presidential bid are upset that Good is backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. State Senator-elect John McGuire (R-Goochland) announced soon after the November elections that he would challenge Good in the Republican primary in the spring. “I’m running for Congress against ‘Never Trump’ politician Bob Good,” he declared. (more…)
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Virginia Child Victims in the Left’s War on the Enlightenment and Science
Richard Bernstein, a founder of American critical theory. by James C. Sherlock
Modern progressivism is religion, defined by Webster as “a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.”
The critical theory progressive, that is to say the modern American progressive, rejects proudly and publicly, root and branch, both the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolutions of the 16th through 18th centuries in Europe.
Critical Theory developed into a synthesis of Marx and Freud. The Frankfurt School which birthed it studied the sources of authoritarianism. Their followers, as in much of human experience, wound up as practitioners.
By contrast, the leading lights of Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution awakenings, bravely in their time, stressed the belief that science and logic give people more understanding. And with understanding came freedom and the rights of man.
Logic is the principles of reasoning; science provides the principles of investigation and proof.
They led much of Europe, and the American colonies, to develop more successful systems of governance, economics, mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, and education than did tradition and religion.
One development, capitalism, has raised more people out of poverty than any economic system ever.
Some of the rest of the world followed. Some did not. Those that did, prospered, and improved the lives of billions of people.
But success in those twin intellectual revolutions came too slow for some.
To that table came two prominent 19th and 20th century experiments in rejecting the Enlightenment: communism and national socialism.
They proved the deadliest political movements in human history. (more…)
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W&L Students Trained in Privilege, Identity, and Intersectionality
Once upon a time university students spent their college years, to use the vernacular of the time, “finding themselves.” It was a journey they undertook on their own by sampling from a wide range of courses, experimenting with sex, alcohol and drugs, and floating ideas — and shooting them down — in dormitory bull sessions.
Now they have help. Whether they want it or not.
In November the entire Washington & Lee University freshman class was required to participate in mandatory training titled, “Continuing Education: Diversity, Inclusion and Community.” Under the direction of university representatives, students were walked through an exploration of their “identity” using a leftist oppressor/victim paradigm by race, class, sex, gender, age, ability, etc., according to The W&L Spectator. (more…)
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Jeanine’s Memes
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Standards of Learning, Educational Reform and the Blob
by James C. Sherlock
Courtesy clipartix.com Readers opine that I am throwing ideas into institutional quicksand when advocating for education reforms. But I hope not.
For example, in my most recent series I have suggested that Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) process needs fundamental reform with the integration of learning and teaching standards.
Critics have written with varying levels of insistence that teachers do not like being told how to teach. That horse has been out of the barn for a very long time.
That is perhaps one reason why so many of them are leaving.
The system of which they are part does little else but tell them:
- what to teach;
- how to teach;
- what they can and cannot say about what they teach; and
- even how to feel about all of that.
And God help parents or teachers that disapprove.
VDOE claims, in the case of its new math SOL, to take input from:
parents, teachers, the business community, school administrators, representatives from higher education and state mathematics education organizations.
That is boilerplate.
Does anybody know a parent or a business that made an input? Or whose input was accepted? The NEA itself complains that teachers have little voice.
Education is a closed government-industry system that literally cannot imagine being better than it is. The words “closed” and “government” in that context are redundant.
To understand how it is so closed we need to examine it. (more…)
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Bacon Meme of the Week
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How Unbiased Is UVa’s Religious-Diversity Task Force?
Read the whole letter. by James A. Bacon
The University of Virginia task forced assigned the job of ensuring that UVa is “welcoming” to all religions includes two faculty members who signed an open letter criticizing UVa President Jim Ryan for failing after the October 7 terrorist rampage afflicted upon Israel to acknowledge the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Ryan denounced Hamas terrorism but declined to take sides in the ongoing conflict between Palestinians and Jews. The task force’s aim, according to the announcement in UVa Today, “will be to understand how Jewish and Muslim students, faculty and staff, as well as those of other religious backgrounds, experience life on Grounds.”
“We want every student, faculty member and staff member to understand that they are a vital part of this place and how profoundly they enrich our common life as we take on that fundamental work of the University,” Ryan said.
The task force is headed by College of Arts & Sciences Dean Christa Acampora. She will be supported by 10 faculty, staff, students, and other members of the UVa community. Christians, Muslims and Jews are all represented. A challenge will be keeping the focus on how Jewish and Muslim students are experiencing UVa without getting infected by the emotional debate over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that gave rise to the task force. (more…)
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The Institute of Educational Sciences and its Missing Role in Virginia Standards of Learning
By James C. Sherlock
In investigative reporting on education in Virginia, I regularly refer to the federal Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences (IES) and its What Works Clearinghouse (WWC).
The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA; amended in 2004) Part A established the Institute of Education Sciences.
Section 111 establishes IES as a research institute within ED.
The mission of IES is to provide national leadership in expanding fundamental knowledge and understanding of education from early childhood through postsecondary study, in order to provide parents, educators, students, researchers, policymakers, and the general public with reliable information.
This information is to address (1) the condition and progress of education, (2) practices that improve academic achievement, and (3) the effectiveness of federal education and other education programs.
IES must carry out its mission by compiling statistics, conducting research and evaluations, and disseminating information in a manner that conforms to high standards of quality and objectivity.
The IES was established under the oversight of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to sort out the claims of sponsors of various educational interventions.
Professors and their PhD or EdD candidates in schools of education have tended to examine their own theories with studies as they can find grant money.
Those studies earned a very bad reputation for lack of scientific testing and proven efficacy. Sometimes because the sponsor did not have enough money to do it right.
But they are published anyway. It’s a free country.
People with an agenda can and do cherry-pick evidence for articles and presentations supporting their favored policies. They then tour education symposia.
That was the problem that IES was created to solve.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has long ignored the proven solutions IES has offered.
They often choose instead among educational intervention prescriptions favored by those schools of education and the less stringent standards bodies that support them. And they document it.
Doing so bucks the standards under which Virginia receives federal education funds.
It is a mistake even if there were no dollars at risk.
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Virginia’s a Frequent Battleground in the Expanding Culture War
by Nelson FegleyTo discuss this subject properly we first need to define the phrase “Culture War.” With the help of Wikipedia, it may be described as “a cultural conflict between different social groups to impose their own virtues, beliefs and practices over society. Culture wars often delve around wedge issues, often based on values, morality and lifestyle.” Other terms often used in discussing these values include: diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and in the corporate world: environmental, social, and governance (ESG). The social part of ESG is often taken to mean involvement of DEI.
Why is it important to consider this issue? The phrase “Culture Wars” was coined by James Davison Hunter, a prominent educator at the University of Virginia. In his book on this subject he describes a battle for control of American culture and social institutions pitting conservative religious groups against opposing politically progressive counterparts. The progressive movement has adopted far left concepts of identity politics which are changing our society in ways that are anathema to conservatives who are concerned about the future of our democracy. The conflict in values and practices between these two groups will be major issues in the 2024 presidential election. More about this below.
Virginia has significant constituencies on both sides of this polarized political spectrum. Progressives are dominant in the highly populated northern counties. Critical Race Theory (systemic racism) became the recent hot button issue when parents discovered its use in the Loudoun County schools and confronted the school board. The issue received national exposure when the FBI was reportedly directed to monitor the parents’ activities. CRT is typically embedded in the normal activity of class instruction, and therefore difficult to recognize. In this regard, the Loudoun parents were exceptional. The publicity accorded this case alerted the residents of the state and likely contributed to Glenn Youngkin’s winning the gubernatorial election. While the citizens in Virginia’s northern suburbs tend to support progressive issues, much of the rural parts of the state tend to be politically more conservative. When my wife and I moved to Bumpass from New Hampshire in 2020, the many signs on front lawns and on the shores of Lake Anna clearly showed strong support for Trump (2020 election) and disdain for Biden. (more…)
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Another Murderer Released On Parole!
Elbert Smith, second from right, and family. by Dick Hall-Sizemore
The Parole Board just released a convicted murderer. Yes, this Parole Board. The one that Glenn Youngkin appointed to crack down on the release of all those violent criminals. And not a peep out of Kerry Dougherty or Hans Bader, who ordinarily go on a rant when a convicted murderer is released on parole.
The circumstances surrounding this offender, Elbert Smith, certainly justified his release on parole. He did not fire the fatal shots that resulted in a man’s death. The man who did fire the shots accepted a plea deal — voluntary manslaughter and a sentence of five years. Smith, acting on the advice of his court-appointed attorney, refused the deal. A jury convicted him of second- degree murder and imposed a sentence of 44 years. Convicted in 1996, he had served 27 years in prison. During that time, he had had only one serious infraction. During the last ten years, his record had been clean. The warden in the prison in which he was being held did not recognize his name when asked about him. (more…)
