From The Bull Elephant
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Jeanine’s Memes
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Restoring Trust in Institutions
Created by Microsoft Image Creator by Matt Hurt
Over the last several years, it has become widely accepted that trust in our institutions has declined. Ultra-tribalism has infected almost every aspect of public discourse, which has certainly enriched the war chests of our politicians on both sides of the aisle. On April 20, 2023, the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) provided a wonderful example of how this trend can be reversed.
The VBOE has been in the process of updating Virginia’s history Standards of Learning for over two years. Unfortunately, history is the subject which has become targeted by different political/ideological factions. Some argued that certain versions of the standards were intended to promote a specific ideology. Others argued that other versions attempted to whitewash history. This work has drawn fire from both progressives and conservatives, and it is doubtful that either side will be satisfied with the end result. (more…)
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Bacon Meme of the Week
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Fourth Circuit Gives Standing to Parents Suing Loudoun County Schools over First Amendment Violations
Ian Serotkin
LCPS School Board Chair, Defendantby James C. Sherlock
In a win for freedom of speech, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond overturned a finding by a federal district judge that Loudoun parents did not have standing to sue the School Board for infringement of First Amendment rights.
The parents alleged a bias reporting system instituted by Loudoun County Public Schools “chilled their children from exercising their free speech rights.”
The ruling:
… the parents plausibly allege that implementing the new reporting system chilled their children’s speech to support their First Amendment claims. So, we vacate the district court’s order dismissing those claims and remand for those claims to be considered on the merits.
I suspect the new trial and appeals will find even the current, revised LCPS policy on reporting to be intended to chill protected speech. (more…)
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VMI Disguises DEI Contract
By Jake Spivey
In late fall 2021, Virginia Military Institute’s Board of Visitors and its newly installed superintendent were still reeling from the state investigator’s specious report condemning the Institute’s cultural climate. Resolving to quiet a mostly nameless and unidentifiable assortment of individuals criticizing VMI, the Board submitted through the state’s contracting website a request for proposals (RFP), for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultation and training services. The solicitation sought companies that could help VMI “intentionally strengthen its commitment and work around DEI to aid the Institute in achieving Inclusive Excellence Plan goals and objectives.” The to-be-hired firm would provide VMI’s leadership a way to “institute DEI activities” for VMI’s leadership, faculty, full-time staff, and the 1,600 member Corps of Cadets. The RFP outlined requirements and described services that, no doubt in the minds of VMI’s leadership, would correct deficiencies neither the Commonwealth nor the investigative team had factually identified or documented in the June 1, 2021 report.
Unfortunately, in its zeal to implement a contract for DEI consultation and training, VMI attempted to circumvent the Commonwealth’s procurement laws. A competing contractor, the Center for Applied Innovation, LLC (CAI), recognized a variety of inconsistencies regarding access to records as part of the proposal process. As alleged in court documents, VMI improperly awarded a “Notice of Intent” to award a contract to NewPoint Strategies, LLC (NewPoint). On March 18, 2022, CAI filed a formal protest in Rockbridge County Circuit Court alleging VMI had violated the state’s Virginia Public Procurement Act (VPPA). VMI denied it acted improperly, delivering a denial letter to the Court on March 28, 2022. It asked the Court to dismiss CAI’s lawsuit, claiming VMI was exempt from the state’s procurement laws. On July 14, 2022, Judge Christopher Russell listened to oral arguments from CAI’s attorneys and lawyers from the Office of the Attorney General, Christopher Bernhardt and Patrick O’Leary, who represented VMI. On August 3, 2022, in a surprise ruling, Judge Russell agreed with CAI and declined to dismiss the lawsuit. VMI appealed this decision, requesting the Court reconsider its original ruling. The Court did so, reversing its opinion. This action emboldened VMI to surreptitiously continue pursuit of a DEI-services contract with NewPoint.
(more…)
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Washington State Appears Set to Legalize No Notification of Parents for Youth Gender Transition
Washington State Senator Mark Lilas (D), sponsor of Senate Bill 5599 Supporting youth and young adults seeking protected health care services. by James C. Sherlock
In another flashing sign of the apocalypse, Democrats in the Washington State legislature want the state to become a destination for runaway youth seeking gender transition as minors.
They proudly point to a newly passed law as their party’s response to other states passing laws to prohibit transgender medical services to youth under the age of 18.
Virginia progressives, envious, are temporarily disarmed from changing Virginia law.
There will be work to do when they get back full control in Richmond.
I have every confidence in their capability to catch up.
Washington State is poised to legalize non-notification of parents of “youth seeking protected health services” if the kid runs away from home. The law creates a new “compelling reason” to not notify parents of the location of a runaway child.
The existing “compelling reason” in Washington law is an allegation of child abuse.
The new law added as a “compelling reason” that the child is seeking gender transition. If a child has runaway for that reason, no parental knowledge of the child’s intent to transition genders, much less parental abuse, even needs to be alleged.
The bill passed on party line votes.
Instead of notifying parents, the youth shelters and temporary foster homes will notify the state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).
It gets worse.
Wait until you read about Washington State’s Medicaid “services” to these kids.
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Apologies Run One Way in Woke World
Credit: Bing Image Creator by James A. Bacon
The woke witch trials of the 21st century don’t burn their victims at the stake, but they still do immense harm.
We previously told the story of how Morgan Bettinger, a 4th-year student who ran afoul of the University of Virginia’s social-justice warriors, was vilified on social media, investigated by university authorities, and required to perform social-justice-related community service to atone for supposed threats she never uttered.
What we haven’t told before but can now thanks to a lawsuit asking for the expungement of disciplinary sanctions on Bettinger’s college record, is what it’s like for a student to endure the assaults of the Woke Mob.
The question every UVA alumnus, student, parent, professor and member of the UVa community must ask is this: how can freedom of speech and expression thrive in an environment where students are treated this way?
The lawsuit cites the following testimony Bettinger gave in a recorded interview with the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights. (more…)
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One Case, Five Virginia Energy Reg Failures
Dominion solar farm. Photo credit: Dominion. by Steve Haner
How badly broken is Virginia’s energy regulatory system? One recent State Corporation Commission decision on Dominion Energy Virginia’s proposed next wave of solar projects illustrates several of the problems. The projects are unimportant, routine. What matters are the policy failures revealed.
Only the rich can look at the future and yawn. (more…)
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Note to Hybrid and EV Owners and Those in Collisions with Them – Don’t Try to Extinguish a Battery Fire
by James C. SherlockCNBC reported today as breaking news a concern about hybrid and electric vehicle fires that professional firefighters have known about for some time.
Vehicles with lithium-ion batteries can be especially dangerous when they catch fire.
CNBC offers a video showing smoke billowing from three electric pickups parked tightly together.
Moments later, flames shoot several feet above the vehicles, which were unoccupied.
Fires involving EV batteries can burn hotter and longer and require new techniques to extinguish, posing a growing challenge to first responders.
Hybrid electrics, which have both a high voltage battery and an internal combustion engine, have a 3.4% likelihood of vehicle fires according to a study, far higher than either internal combustion or electric alone.
Spontaneous combustion of an EV battery is unlikely, but collisions are a concern. (more…)
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JMU Debate Team Opposes Debate
by Kerry Dougherty
It’s been decades since I was in college so help me out here. Wouldn’t you expect a university debate team to support free speech and the airing of diverse ideas?
Yep, that’s what I thought too.
But you haven’t met the easily triggered members of James Madison University’s debate team. They’re leading the opposition to a scheduled appearance next week by conservative author and podcaster Liz Wheeler. The topic of her speech: The Ideology of Transgenderism.
Stunning.
These pearl-clutching lefties are so devoted to the trans movement that they want to dismiss and silence anyone who dares to question the notion that boys can become girls and girls can become boys.
Apparently a gaggle of so-called debaters have anointed themselves the arbiters of what is and what isn’t worthwhile speech at a state-supported university.
These are supposed to be lovers of debate. I guess they prefer to stick to esoteric, yawn-inducing topics such as presidential powers and the ethics of animal testing rather than actual issues that resonate outside their little debate club echo chamber. (more…)
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Why They Fought — and Deserve to be Remembered
Units descended from both Confederate and Union forces are now part of the Kentucky Army National Guard’s 138th Field Artillery Brigade. These campaign streamers, from the brigade’s colors, commemorate that service. Streamers with a gray top commemorate Confederate service, blue tops honor Union service. by Donald Smith
Soldiers go to war for many reasons — home, country, duty, glory, personal adventure. But, in the midst of battle, soldiers fight for their comrades — “the man to the left of me, the man to the right of me,” as the saying goes. Good soldiers are driven by an intense desire to not let their comrades down. That drive is one of the main reasons why Americans have always honored combat soldiers. Now, the United States Congress has arguably left out one segment of America’s past fighting force — Confederate soldiers — and indicated that those men don’t deserve the same level of respect from today’s military. (more…)
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Unaffordable Housing, Redux
by Joe Fitzgerald
Proposed housing construction in the city of Harrisonburg could add about 1,200 students to the Harrisonburg City Public Schools, with housing already under construction in Rockingham County possibly adding 400 more.
A quarter of the 1,600 potential students could be absorbed by the opening of Rocktown High School, leaving the city to build however many new schools it takes to educate 1,200 elementary and middle school students.
This projection is based on my using other people’s multipliers on a compilation by the invaluable Scott Rogers on HarrisonburgHousingToday.com. The housing count is Scott Rogers’; the school estimates are mine.
The multipliers in question come from Harrisonburg City Public Schools (HCPS) and from Econsult Solutions Inc. (ESI). HCPS came up with its numbers based on who lives where in the city, and ESI does it for a living. They vary, somewhat. ESI thinks a townhouse will generate .52 students and the HCPS method forecasts .45 students.
(more…)
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Snow Day in April: Something in the Water
by Kerry DoughertyWhen the first Something in the Water Festival came to Virginia Beach in 2019, some lemon-sucking locals balked at allowing school buses to be used to transport revelers from satellite parking to the resort area.
How will bus drivers be able to drive festival goers until 11 p.m. on Sunday and be rested enough by Monday morning to safely transport kids, they fretted.
As if bus drivers were toddlers who need 10 hours of sleep.
What if the festival goers leave their drugs or guns on the buses and the kids find them on Monday morning? whispered others.
Puh-leez. (more…)
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Central State Hospital – the State’s Only Maximum Security Mental Health Facility, a Legacy of Jim Crow and Not Nearly Good Enough
I have written often about the state of mental health support in Virginia. The Governor has a major initiative to improve it.
But it does not go far enough.
The state maximum security mental health facility at Central State Hospital needs to be disbanded and the duties dispersed across the state.
The legacy of that hospital is indefensible, and carries over to today.
The video published showing the death in Central State Hospital (CHS) of Irvo Otieno showed an almost entirely Black group of people — victim, sheriff’s deputies, and CHS staff.
It turns out not to be an anomaly.
Before integration, Central State was Virginia’s Black mental hospital.
Based on records provided by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Central State Hospital, the state’s only mental hospital built to maximum security standards, is today:
- a largely Black institution;
- with a largely Black staff. Of 930 current staffers at CHS, 649 are Black; 77 are “other” races and 204 are White;
- providing services to a largely Black patient population. Of 264 patients, 160 are Black, 80 white and 24 other races.
That arrangement is not working, even it you think it should, because in the current location it cannot.
And the victims of substandard treatment and their families, as in the death of Mr. Otieno, tend by the relative numbers of patients to be Black as well.
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Partisan Takeover of the Electoral Process?
by Dick Hall-SizemoreIt appears that Republicans in some localities are moving to place the election machinery under partisan control.
Before discussing the basis for this allegation, a little background might be useful.
Each city or county has an electoral board consisting of three members. They serve three-year terms, with the terms staggered so that one term ends on December 30 each year. The members are appointed by the chief circuit judge of the locality, or his designee, from lists provided by the political parties that cast the highest and the next highest number of votes for Governor in the last gubernatorial election. Two members of each board shall be from the party that cast the highest number of votes for Governor in that election. However, no member’s term may be shortened to comply with the party representation requirement. All these provisions are set out in Sec. 24.2-106. (more…)
