Tag: Guest contributors
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Complexity and Single-Party Rule in the Modern University
Bacon’s Rebellion publishes here a thought piece by University Professor Allan C. Stam, a professor of politics and public policy at the University of Virginia. Although the column describes research universities generally, Stam says that his critique applies to Virginia research universities and the University of Virginia. JAB by Allan C. Stam Large research universities…
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There’s Gold in Them Thar… Press Releases?
by Jock Yellott It seems there is a vein of quartz underground in Buckingham County sparkling with gold. The General Assembly almost prohibited mining it, but then backed off. This time. A string of historic gold mines going back to the 19th Century appear as red dots on the county geological survey map like chigger…
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Seizing and Freezing with COVID
by Paula Harkins A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from my employer requiring me to report my vaccine status. Ummmm… what?!? Let’s back up a moment. Since March 2019, I have been working from my home in Northern Virginia for a D.C. government contractor. I have limited my visits with friends, family,…
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Women, Stop Blaming Men If You Can’t Have It All
By Paula Harkins Yesterday I was invited to join an advisory panel for a Women in Leadership course hosted by a university in Washington, D.C. Excited to learn about the possibilities, I read up on the course only to find the words, “From the ongoing battle for equal rights to the breaking of barriers on…
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The Left Is Lying: CRT Is Peddling Hate in Our Schools
by Elizabeth Schultz After claiming endlessly that Critical Race Theory (CRT) does not exist, or that it is not being ‘taught’ in schools, the two largest teachers’ unions – the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, funded with teachers’ dues, – finally admitted they support it. In fact, AFT is so committed to CRT that…
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Local Unions Are Recognized Before Workers Vote?
by F. Vincent Vernuccio Local government leaders are negotiating with union executives who have not been officially recognized by public employees they claim to represent. Counties in northern Virginia are taking steps to allow public sector collective bargaining. But they are doing it with the support of union executives – not a groundswell of voter…
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What Is a Farming Landowner to Do?
by Jim Kindig My 3rd great grandfather came to Augusta County in the 1820s, cleared land and established crops on land that is still in our family. Several of my neighbors could tell similar stories. We love farming, but it’s a hard life. Incredible increases in productivity have kept agricultural commodity prices depressed for 80…
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Hmmm… Implementing DE&I Might Be Trickier Than It Sounds
Here follows the transcript of an entirely fictional videoconference between University of Virginia President Jim Ryan and his Executive Cabinet. The author is not intending to be satirical. He is illuminating the issues that any honest effort to implement a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion agenda will encounter. — JAB by Jon Jewett President Ryan: I…
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VMI, Character and the Blessings of God
by Carmen Villani At the conclusion of sporting events, the Corps of Cadets, players, and alumni join as one in singing the VMI Doxology. It ends with – “God Bless our team and V-M-I!” During its nearly 182-year history, the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) has aligned itself with Judeo-Christian values, emphasizing character and servant leadership.…
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Some Peoples’ Pain Matters More than Others’
by Catesby Leigh After George Floyd’s fatally brutal arrest, dozens of Confederate monuments were banished from civic settings throughout the South. And their ranks were further thinned last weekend, when Charlottesville’s equestrian statues to Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were finally hoisted off their pedestals after a prolonged legal battle. But the fate of…
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The Authoritarian Nature of DE&I Training
TO: The President, the College Board, the Faculty, the Staff, and the Constituents of Northern Virginia Community College FROM: Dr. A Schuhart (DACCE), Professor of English, NVCC-Annandale DATE: 04/19/2021 RE: Letter of Dissent After completing the required DEI training, it is clear to me that the claims of this training are a direct expression of…
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Community College Libels the Man It Was Named For
by John Thomson Present-day controversies on renaming institutions are often about whether we judge the worth of our historical figures by the singular issue of slave-owning. One particular controversy needs a referee to call a foul: over a historian’s error in a biography of the English lord, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1693-1781).…
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A Cavalier Disregard for Historical Documentation
The University of Virginia in recent years has devoted considerable resources to an excavation of unpleasant aspects of its past, from slavery and Jim Crow to the dispossession of land from the Monacan Indians. Other than the controversy over Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with his slave Sally Hemings, the scholarly findings have rarely been disputed. Perhaps…
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All Equal. All the Same. Structured and Systemic.
by Gilbert Piddington Perhaps in more ways than any school in the world, Cadets at the Virginia Military Institute are all treated equally and the same in a very structured and systemic environment. Let me explain. The VMI Honor Code, “A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do,” applies equally to…
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Yes, Virginia, There Is Critical Race Theory In Our Schools
by Elizabeth Schultz School districts across Virginia have been expending resources, directing staff time, and hiring consultants to address “equity” in curriculum delivery and for professional development of teachers and other employees. Fairfax and Loudoun County, the two largest counties in the Commonwealth, have set the lead in driving the changes in education and embracing…