Bacon's Rebellion

  • How About Condemning Anti-Asian Rhetoric in Virginia?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    James F. Lane, Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction

    by James C. Sherlock

    I received an email yesterday afternoon from the Virginia Department of Education.

    It contained comments from Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane and his Office of Equity and Community Engagement. They officially condemn anti-Asian rhetoric and violence in Georgia.

    From the VDOE EdEquity Office:

    It is especially important for educators and leaders to address the social emotional needs of students that manifest due to ongoing racial trauma.

    From Dr. Lane:

    Many Asian-American communities, their friends, and allies are reeling by these tragic events.

    Further, educators and leaders must stand prepared to address the ways in which continued racial and xhenophobic (sic) attacks against Asian communities might pour into our schools and classrooms.

    (more…)

  • Experts Pulled Six-Foot Social Distance Rule Out Of “Thin Air”

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    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    Hmmm. Looks like the CDC — and the frequently wrong-but-never-in-doubt Dr. Fauci — have a problem.

    Even The New York Times now admits what those of us who have been paying attention for more than year already knew: That three feet of social distancing provides plenty of protection against Covid-19 and six feet is overkill.

    In a story headlined “Three Feet Or Six? Distance Guidelines For Schools Stir Debate,” a number of learned people pointed out that the World Health Organization has always recommended one meter (roughly three feet) of distance to protect against the spread of viruses. Yet for some reason, Fauci, The Scarf and company decreed six feet. By doing so they deprived American school children of a year or more of school.

    But how does the CDC reverse course and tell schools to reopen with three feet of distancing without admitting that the six-foot “rule” they shoved own our throats for more than a year was based on, well, a combination of guesswork, pseudoscience and possibly voodoo? (more…)

  • Honor: Antiquarian Concept or Our Best Hope?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

  • Lies, Damn Lies, and Race-Obsessed Statistics

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    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Carol J. Bova

    A March 3 Virginia Department of Health (VDH) blog post discusses racial/ethnic “health and disease” disparities in light of the COVID-19 epidemic. It states that COVID case rates and hospitalization rates for blacks and Hispanics in the United States and Virginia are substantially higher than for whites.

    “Social determinants of health are maldistributed,” concludes the blog post. “These disparities will continue health problem by health problem until there is more equity in the distribution of social determinants of health across racial/ethnic groups.”

    Not so fast. There are two problems with this framing of the issue. First, the Northam administration’s obsessive focus on the color of peoples’ skin distracts from targeting the real factors influencing COVID mortality such as rates of obesity and diabetes. The second is that, ironically, VDH isn’t even doing a good job of measuring race. The assertions about differential case and hospitalization rates are based on deficient data. (more…)

  • Mark Herring: Friend of the Poor, Scourge of Lenders

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    James A. Bacon

    Mark Herring

    by James A. Bacon

    Attorney General Mark Herring is at it again — acting to protect the poor by government fiat without regard to unintended consequences.

    In a press release release today, Herring claims credit for backing a law backed by Del. Hala Ayala, D-Woodbridge, that will ensure that federal COVID-relief payments don’t “get swept up by debt collectors and creditors.” The law exempts the first $1,200 of any COVID-relief payment from garnishment.

    “The most recent round of federal payments represents a lifeline for so many Virginia families who are still struggling to make ends meet because of the economic impacts of the COVID pandemic,” said Herring. “Virginians should not have to worry about creditors or debt collectors taking all of their much-needed stimulus money and I’m glad Delegate Ayala and I were able to work together to get this important legislation passed.” (more…)

  • VMI Waters Down Drum-Out Ceremony

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    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    Two Virginia Military Institute students were drummed out at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday after admitting to cheating off each other on a math assignment, according to an email disseminated by the president of VMI’s student-run Honor Court. As in the past, the entire 1,700-member student body was awakened to the beating of drums and assembled outdoors to hear the announcement. This time, for the first time, the names were not announced, reports the Washington Post.

    VMI’s interim superintendent, Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, made the decision January to stop publicly identifying expelled students. Wins told the Post that he had consulted with the Office of the Attorney General about whether the disclosure of expelled cadets’ names violated their federal privacy rights. The decision to change the ritual was made “based on advice from legal counsel.” (more…)

  • TJ High School Lawsuit Could Set Important Precedents

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Students at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

    by Ilya Somin

    Last week, a group of primarily Asian-American parents filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of new admissions policies at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Fairfax County. The case could end up setting an important precedent:

    Fairfax County Public Schools is facing a second lawsuit over changes officials made last year to the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, its flagship STEM magnet school.

    The suit, filed in federal court Wednesday, alleges the changes are discriminatory against Asian Americans and therefore violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Some of the plaintiffs are also part of the initial lawsuit. (more…)

  • Enough with the Corned Beef and Cabbage

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    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    We ought to talk today about Gov. Ralph Northam who with the stroke of a pen yesterday sped up the restoration of voting rights to an estimated 69,000 Virginia felons on parole or probation. You know, guys like cop killer Vincent Martin and Hugh Joseph Brown, the killer we wrote about earlier this week who shot his pregnant girlfriend and set her body on fire. Both were released last year by Virginia’s screwy parole board.

    Northam’s executive order is a fairly important development. But one that can wait.

    There’s a matter of extreme urgency.

    It’s St. Patrick’s Day and I feel it’s my duty to deliver my annual reminder that corned beef and cabbage isn’t an Irish dish. No one in Ireland eats it. So there is no reason to serve it on March 17th. (more…)

  • Advertising? Why, Yes, We Do Accept Advertising

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    James A. Bacon

    In the hope of becoming a financially self-supporting publication one day, Bacon’s Rebellion has started placing ads on the blog. I don’t particularly like ads — particularly the click-baity ones — but I like begging readers for donations even less. Don’t get me wrong. I gratefully accept contributions from readers. If you feel moved to support the leading voice of conservative/libertarian commentary in Virginia, click on the yellow “Donate” button in the right-hand column. I just don’t want to pester readers like National Public Radio badgers its listeners. 

    As believers in free-market capitalism, we’d much prefer to live our values and build a viable business enterprise as opposed to becoming an institution that relies upon foundation grants and tax-free contributions. If you want to help us grow, consider advertising on the Bacon’s Rebellion blog or in The Blunderbuss newsletter.

    We offer two types of ads: (1) graphic ads, such as the ones appearing in the right-hand column, and (2) sponsored content, such as commentary, white papers, or press releases, which appears in the main body of the blog or newsletter. Contact me at jabacon[at]baconsrebellion.com to discuss either option.

    — JAB 

  • Progress! GOP Replaces FUBAR With Confusion

    Posted on

    by

    Steve Haner

    by Steve Haner

    Virginia Republicans are finally beginning their nomination process for statewide candidates, graduating from the FUBAR phase of this exercise to a state of mere confusion.

    It is not a primary, nor is it a traditional “under one roof” convention, nor even the proposed “everyone in one parking lot” convention. The process most closely resembles a party canvass or firehouse primary, with the added requirement that to vote in the canvass you must pre-register as a delegate.  (more…)

  • Northam Gets an Earful on Marijuana Legalization Bill

    Posted on

    by

    djrippert

    Image by JR Byron from Pixabay

    by D.J. Rippert

    Slow burn. The General Assembly passed marijuana legislation and sent it to the governor to sign. However, almost nobody seems satisfied with the bill as it is written. Now Governor Ralph Northam must decide whether to sign the bill, veto the bill, or ask for the bill to be amended. As he ponders his next move, he is getting a lot of advice from different directions.

    While there are many issues with the proposed legislation, the timeline for recreational legalization of possession is arguably the biggest problem. The legislation, as written, would legalize recreational marijuana possession and sale in 2024. Yes, more than three full years from now. That doesn’t sit well with a lot of people including Democratic State Senator Louise Lucas, who wrote on social media, “Kicking the can down the road has the effect of continued over policing people of color.” Sen Lucas would like to see marijuana legalized on July 1, 2021. (more…)

  • Help Us Build Virginia’s Best News Feed

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon


    There’s a feature on Bacon’s Rebellion that few readers have noticed because I have never drawn attention to it. I have started compiling an RSS news feed of Virginia blogs, news sources, and advocacy groups. You can see the link on the menu above.

    Plenty of news never makes it into the established news media for the simple reason that editorial holes are getting tighter, stories are getting shorter, and newsrooms don’t have the staff to cover everything that is newsworthy. If your organization — political campaign, advocacy group, trade association, state or local government agency, whatever — is looking for visibility, click here and fill out the form so we can add your press releases and news stories to our news feed. Here’s the trick: You must have an RSS feed — that’s the only way we can pick up your material.

    As an incentive to share your RSS feed, The Blunderbuss, our new newsletter, will publish the most interesting headlines each day. Bypass the media gatekeepers and go straight to Bacon’s Rebellion’s readers.

    — JAB

  • UVa’s Lawn Signage Controversy Flares Anew

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), an organization dedicated to  defending freedom of expression and conscience on America’s college campuses, has sided with fourth-year student Hira Azher regarding her right to post political speech on the door of her room on the Lawn at the University of Virginia.

    A new sign showed the grim reaper standing behind a hooded KKK figure and the Rotunda, along with a quote from Kwame Ture: “In order for non-violence to work your opponent must have a conscience,” and the words, “UVA HAS NONE,” and “BURN IT ALL DOWN.”

    University leadership last week directed the Facilities Management Division to order Azher to take down the sign on the grounds that the phrase “burn it down” has the potential to provoke violence. “When free speech goes beyond mere advocacy of a particular point of view and directly promotes physical violence,” said the letter to Azher, “we can and will take action to restrict it.” (more…)

  • Democracy Dies in Fake Quotes

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    by Kerry Dougherty

    There are no words for the disgust I feel for The Washington Post right now.

    Oh, it’s been listing left for years, eagerly reporting negative news about conservatives and their causes, while offering tongue baths to liberals.

    But printing fabricated quotes to damage the president? That’s a new low.

    Now we KNOW The Post printed lies about President Trump. And waited more than two months to correct them. Long after the damage was done.

    How do we know it? The Post admitted it.

    Remember the second impeachment of Donald Trump? Remember some of what was alleged? That he meddled in the Georgia elections, that he ordered officials there to “find the fraud” for him down there, that he promised an investigator that she’d be a “national hero” if she found the votes?

    Here’s an inexcusably belated correction to that Washington Post scoop: (more…)

  • Will COVID Stimulus Help or Hurt Small Business?

    Posted on

    by

    James A. Bacon

    Closures per 1,000 businesses between March and September 2020. Source: Yelp

    by James A. Bacon

    The economic disruption engendered by the COVID-19 lockdowns has provided ample content for that journalistic staple, the hard-luck story. We see a couple of examples in today’s news. The Richmond Times-Dispatch tells the tale of Jessica Corbett, working mother of three kids, who lost her job as a meeting planner and saw her income drop to zero. The Winchester Star recounts how Damesha Emener, who was laid off from her office job in Maryland, moved with her family to Winchester only to have her husband lose the job he’d found with a local manufacturer. Predictably, both stories tout the benefit of the latest federal COVID relief package in helping these mothers and their families keep their heads above water.

    The hardships are real enough, and the federal aid may be justified, but there’s another side to this story. The blitz of federal aid may be perpetuating the unemployment it is meant to ameliorate.

    In my trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains over the weekend, I stayed at a hotel that normally served dinner to its guests but had to close its evening kitchen because it couldn’t find a chef. As a substitute, the hoteliers offered the menus of local restaurants so guests could order pick-up or delivery. I tried to put in an order with a local Italian eatery but no one picked up the phone. The owner had had troubling finding help, the hotel manager told me, and that’s probably why the restaurant closed. (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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