Bacon's Rebellion

  • Anti-Jewish Extremism at UVa — Next Steps

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    sherlockj

    Courtesy of SJP at UVa https://www.instagram.com/sjpuva/

    by James C. Sherlock

    The University of Virginia has made quite a national name for itself over the responses of its campus anti-Jewish extremists to the slaughter of babies in Israel.

    It is not a reputation it wants.

    On October 8th, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UVa, an organization officially recognized by the Student Council and eligible for funding by the student activities fee, issued a statement โ€œunequivocally support(ing) Palestinian liberation โ€œby any means necessary.โ€

    โ€œAny means necessary.โ€

    It was cosigned by:

    1. Afghan Student Association
    2. Arab Student Organization
    3. Asian Pacific American Leadership Training Institute (APALTI)
    4. Asians Revolutionizing Together at UVA
    5. Asian Student Union
    6. Bengali Student Association
    7. Black Student Alliance
    8. Black Muslims at UVA
    9. Central Americans For Empowerment (CAFร‰)
    10. Environmental Justice Collective at UVA
    11. Ethiopian Eritrean Student Association
    12. FeelGood at UVA
    13. Hindu Student Council
    14. Indian Student Association
    15. La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity Inc.
    16. Lebanese Club
    17. Minority Rights Coalition
    18. Muslim Institute for Leadership and Empowerment (MILE)
    19. Muslim Student Association
    20. Muslims United
    21. National Pan-Hellenic Council
    22. National Society of Black Engineers
    23. Nepali Student Association
    24. Organization of African Students
    25. Pakistani Student Association
    26. Persian Cultural Society (PCS)
    27. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
    28. Political Latinxs United for Movement & Action in Society (PLUMAS)
    29. Sheโ€™s the First at UVA
    30. Sigma Omicron Rho (ฮฃOP)
    31. Sikh Students Association
    32. Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
    33. The 13 Society
    34. Turkish Student Organization
    35. undocUVA
    36. UVA Beyond Policing
    37. UVA Survivors
    38. Young Democratic Socialists of America

    (more…)

  • The Incomplete Case for Higher Tuition at UVa

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    As the Board of Visitors ponders how much to raise tuition & fees in the next two academic years, the University of Virginia is grappling with strong inflationary pressures and a long-term shortfall in state aid, senior university administrators said Wednesday.

    Even so, administrators told the Board’s Finance Committee, UVa offers a great “value proposition” compared to other Top 50 universities. Its in-state tuition is lower than that of top private universities, and its four-year graduation rate is the highest of any public university in the country.

    The Finance Committee meeting yesterday marked the beginning of a two-month decision-making process. The purpose of the initial meeting, said Committee Chair Robert M. Blue, was to provide “context” for the discussion. A November hearingย will allow students and others to express their views about college costs. The Board is scheduled to adopt a new tuition structure in December.ย 

    Although university officials did not say explicitly that a tuition increase is justified, the “context” presented was geared to supporting such a conclusion. Board members offered no pushback during the one-and-a-half-hour session, asking only a few questions for purposes of clarification. They did not drill into the data proffered by administrators, nor, despite assurances that UVa was working assiduously to achieve efficiencies and reduce redundancies, did they ask for specifics. No one addressed faculty productivity, administrative overhead, or other drivers of university costs. (more…)

  • Bacon Meme of the Week

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    James A. Bacon

  • Loudoun Dems Reject Former House Speakerโ€™s Donation

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    Eileen Filler-Corn

    from The Republican Standardย 

    Democrats in Loudoun have rejected the donation of one of their declared 2024 Congressional candidates.

    In a move that raised eyebrows, the Loudoun County Democratic Committee (LCDC) Officers hastily decided to donate $1,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross for their Israel/Gaza Relief Fund, following the receipt of a $1,000 contribution from Eileen Filler-Cornโ€™s PAC, โ€œEnergize For Change,โ€ just last week. (more…)

  • Whatโ€™s Going On with Rep. Kiggans?

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    by

    Bob Rayner

    by Kerry Dougherty

    Itโ€™s a good, old-fashioned clusterfart in our paralyzed House of Representatives as Republicans fruitlessly bicker over a replacement for Speaker Kevin McCarthy who was deposed recently by eight GOP agents of chaos without a plan for what comes next.

    Early on, it appeared that Louisianaโ€™s Steve Scalise would be the consensus candidate to replace McCarthy, but when his bid failed on a floor vote, it was the more conservative Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan who got the nod.

    Yet Jordan failed to reach the magic 217 needed to lead House Republicans. When a second vote was called he lost again.

    Many in Virginiaโ€™s 2nd District were shocked to see Rep. Jen Kiggans, who flipped the district from blue to red in 2022, among the โ€œnoโ€ votes.

    The backlash was swift and nasty. My emails and Twitter feed were full of livid Republicans saying they were โ€œdoneโ€ with Kiggans.

    โ€œWhatโ€™s the difference between Kiggans and Elaine Luria?โ€ one wanted to know.

    For one, Kiggans doesnโ€™t vote in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi, I replied.

    โ€œSheโ€™s another Lynn Cheney,โ€ Tweeted a disgruntled Republican.

    โ€œJen just voted against Jim Jordan for Speaker. Everyone needs to remember this day and never vote for this traitor again.โ€

    Traitor?

    Calm down, please. You may not agree with this former helicopter pilot and Navy vet but she is anything but a traitor. (more…)

  • State Elections This Fall: What to Watch

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    by David J. Toscano

    (This column was first published in Fights of Our Lives!)

    Halloween is right around the corner and many Americans are considering whether skeletons and hobgoglins should adorn their homes and how their children will dress for this spookiest of holidays. But other scary events are also upon us, in the form of critical elections in several states on November 7. ย  While this is neither a presidential nor a midterm election, the results will nonetheless reverberate across the nation.

    Statewide elections are now underway in Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, New Jersey, and, most importantly, in Virginia.ย  Key ballot initiatives are before voters in Ohio and Maine, and several contests for state Supreme Court Judgeships are up for grabs. Reproductive rights figure to play a key role, and could make a difference in Virginia, where Republicans are aiming to flip the State Senate and have declared their intentions to institute a 15-week ban on the procedure if they do.

    The fallโ€™s election will likely provide more evidence of the increasing nationalization of state politics, as voters continue to vote based on who is serving in White House rather than the unique qualities and positions of candidates. And these elections will further display the partisan divides in the nation, and a growing political schism in the nation. (more…)

  • Navy Helicopter Pilot Stands Up to MAGA Bullies

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    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Virginia Rep. Jen Kiggans, (R-Second District)

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Although I probably disagree with most of her policy stands, if I lived in her district, I would vote for Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-02) solely on the basis of her resistance to elevating Jim Jordan to Speaker of the House of Representatives. She not only voted against Jordan twice, but she supported the compromise proposal to expand the authority of the interim Speaker pro tempore. One of her Virginia Republican colleagues, Bob Good (Fifth District), firmly resisted that proposal because it would (gasp!) mean working with Democrats. Kiggans denounced “the chaos caused by the minority of the majority.”

    Caveat: If she again ran against Elaine Luria, who served on the January 6 Commission, it would be an awfully tough choice. That area produces tough female politicians.

  • Hatred of Jews at UVa – A Pot Brewed in the Faculty Lounge Boils Over

    Posted on

    by

    sherlockj

    PHOTOS of smiling infants hang next to their bullet-ridden coat pegs in a bloodstained nursery devastated by Hamas terrorists. A little girlโ€™s bicycle lays in a bullet-ridden yard. Credit Internewscast.com

    by James C. Sherlock

    Israel was attacked by Hamas on October 7.

    On October 8, this letter was issued in Charlottesville.

    โ€œEventsโ€ were โ€œa step towards a free Palestine.โ€

    On October 11, President James Ryan issued a strong message condemning the savage Hamas massacre in Israel. He deserves credit for that, but has not gotten it on the grounds of the University.

    Also on October 11, Jewish students at the University felt it necessary to address the University community in the Cavalier Daily. (more…)

  • Miyares Moves to Support Israel

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    Jason Miyares

    from The Republican Standard

    In the wake of the attack on Israel carried out by terrorist organization Hamas last week, Attorney General Jason Miyares is calling upon Virginia law enforcement agencies to help Israelis fight for their lives in a new way.

    Fox News obtained copies of a letter distributed to over 100 sheriffs’ offices by the AGโ€™s office, urging them to donate โ€œsurplus body armor, protective gear and other tactical equipmentโ€ to be collected by his office and sent to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). (more…)

  • Bacon Bits: Ungovernable Virginia

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    James A. Bacon

    It’s not just the big stuff we need to worry about — broken borders, riots, crime waves, school shootings — we need to pay attention to the little stuff, too: small things that betray the fraying of the social fabric. Some instances in today’s headlines:

    From WAVY-TV: “Video shows man choking county attorney at Gloucester Co. meeting.” Cell phone videoย taken at a public meeting to discuss a bond referendum shows Gloucester County resident Lawrence Cohen with one hand holding a microphone and the other choking Gloucester County Attorney Edwin N. โ€œTedโ€ Wilmot. I know nothing about the issues or personalities involved, but that’s just not acceptable. Choking people in public hearings is not the kind of thing that used to happen.

    Meanwhile, Arlington County Public Schools is rolling out a new “electronic campus management platform” at several schools, reports ARL Now. The platform will allow schools to regulate the number of students in the halls and going in and out of buildings. Sounds like Orwellian overkill for a school disciplinary problem. What’s next? Artificial Intelligence to decide who gets a hall pass and who doesn’t? (more…)

  • Campaign Finance Reports Show the Party of the Rich Is Outraising Republicans

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    by Jeanine Martin

    As usual the party of the rich, Democrats, is outraisingย Republicans in the commonwealth election scheduled for November 7th. The September financial reports for all candidates and committees can be found here. If things donโ€™t turn around in the next three weeks Republicans will have a difficult time flipping the State Senate and keeping the House of Delegates. (more…)

  • No Parole for Killers, No Matter How Old

    Posted on

    by

    Bob Rayner

    by Kerry Doherty

    Autumn, with its crisp temperatures, pumpkin spice and vibrant colors, seems to be everyoneโ€™s favorite season.

    Not Paige Oโ€™Shaughnessyโ€™s.

    In fact, each year when the season changes sheโ€™s reminded of the hellish fall of 2000. That was the year her husband, Timothy Oโ€™Shaughnessy, 40, was murdered in his downtown Norfolk office.

    It was Tuesday, November 7, when he was killed by an unhinged former employee bearing a grudge, a golf club and a gun.

    Paige Oโ€™Shaughnessy was left alone to raise their four sons, ages 9 months, 2 1/2 years old, 4 1/2 years old and six.

    The killer was stockbroker Joseph Ludlam. He beat the man whoโ€™d fired him from his job five weeks earlier and when the golf club broke, he stabbed Oโ€™Shaughnessy with the shaft and then shot him. Twice.

    Ludlam stole Oโ€™Shaughnessyโ€™s wallet, car keys and car and sped to his parents’ house in South Carolina where he holed up for 18 hours. He was finally arrested and charged with capital murder.

    After numerous delays, Ludlamโ€™s murder trial was finally set. But on Columbus Day of 2002 then-Commonwealthโ€™s Attorney for Norfolk, Jack Doyle (now a retired circuit court judge), contacted the widow and said Ludlam had agreed to plead guilty to first degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in return for a prison term of no more than 40 years.

    Sheโ€™d be spared the ordeal of a trial, the state would be spared the expense and the murderer would be locked up for a very long time.

    Mrs. Oโ€™Shaughnessy recalls the prosecutor reassuring her that, โ€œHeโ€™ll be an old man when he gets out.โ€

    โ€œThis gives us an assured conviction, and he waives his rights to appeal,โ€ Doyle told The Daily Press at the time. โ€œForty years is virtually a life sentence.โ€

    Not exactly.

    There was one factor no one mentioned: geriatric parole. (more…)

  • Youngkin Team Cautious Despite Revenue Surge

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    Finance Secretary Cummings showed this chart to legislators this week and noted the deceleration in job growth, citing that as another reason he and Governor Glenn Youngkin remain cautious despite strong revenues. Click for larger view.

    by Steve Haner

    First published this morning by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy.ย 

    Virginiaโ€™s state budget grew 90% in the past decade, far faster than in previous decades. After adjusting for inflation and population changes, spending still jumped 4% each year, a high rate of compound real growth. ย At the same time, the state continues to see explosive growth in its revenue, pointing to cash surpluses continuing for some time.

    These facts emerged from two presentations to the Virginia General Assembly this week.ย  The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) issued its annual report on state spending growth on Monday.ย  That same day, Secretary of Finance Stephen Cummings reported on the revenue results from July through September, the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2024.

    In just those three months, revenue exceeded the revenue estimates by more than $412 million.ย  Other months, with larger pots of projected revenue, are still ahead.ย  Should this revenue trend hold, surpluses similar to the historic surpluses of Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023 could result next June.

    During the elections two years ago, Virginiaโ€™s flush financial condition was inspiring debates about tax reductions and tax reform.ย  Some, but not all, of the proposals went on to pass.ย  But with General Assembly elections just over two weeks away, few candidates in either party are promising more tax reform or reduction efforts in the next session. (more…)

  • Quote of the Day: Abigail Spanberger

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    by

    James A. Bacon

    โ€œFor me there is no equivalence between armed, individual militants going into a home, shooting parents in front of their children, killing children, lighting babies on fire, burning down entire kibbutz and military action going after military targets, terrorist perpetrators of a horrible massacre. Those are different things.โ€

    So said Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in an exchange with a University of Virginia student yesterday. The Daily Progress has the story here. — JAB

  • Making Mischief With Election Law Changes

    Posted on

    by

    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Rep. Bob Good, Photo credit: Richmond Times Dispatch

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Here is a recent tweak in election law that did not get a lot of public attention. Effective January 1, 2024, it will be almost impossible for a political party to use a convention to nominate a candidate for a Congressional district seat.ย  On its face the law still allows a political party of a district to determine how the nomination of candidate is made, but the 2021 change makes this stipulation:

    A method of nomination shall not be selected if such method will have the practical effect of excluding participation in the nominating process by qualified voters who are otherwise eligible to participate in the nominating process under that political partyโ€™s rules but are unable to attend meetings because they are (i) a member of a uniformed service, as defined in ยง 24.2-452, on active duty; (ii) temporarily residing outside of the United States; (iii) a student attending a school or institution of higher education; (iv) a person with a disability; or (v) a person who has a communicable disease of public health threat as defined in ยง 32.1-48.06 or who may have come in contact with a person with such disease. However, such restriction shall not apply when selecting a candidate for a special election or nominating a candidate pursuant to ยง 24.2-539, or in the event that no candidate files the required paperwork by the deadline prescribed in ยง 24.2-522. (more…)

Now Available

Book cover of 'Dust Mites: A Second American Revolution' by James A. Bacon, featuring astronauts planting a flag with a blue and white emblem on a lunar landscape, with Earth visible in the background.
For sale on Amazon.com

The year: 2075. The American colonies on the Moon are getting restless under Washington’s tyrannical rule….

This second edition of “Dust Mites” has a snazzy new cover, includes helpful lunar maps, and is 5,000 words tighter than the original. The sequel, “Trogs,” is scheduled for publication this summer.

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Bacon’s Rebellion is Virginia’s leading politically non-aligned portal for news, opinions and analysis about state, regional and local public policy. Read more about us here.

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