Tag: James A. Bacon
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The Latest FIRE Free Speech Ranking
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression have graded Virginia universities D grade overall in its 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. That was actually better than the national average of F. The University of Virginia was tops in the state with a 21st-place ranking out of 250 institutions, largely on the basis of its formally…
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The Future of News?
Restoration News has a thoughtful essay by Matt Wolfson about Jeff Bezos’ makeover of The Washington Post, the largest provider of state/local news in Virginia. Although Bezos is pushing the Post’s op-ed section to embrace liberty and free markets, Wolfson sees the Amazon CEO’s moves as a deep-state power play. His conclusion: “This is media-as-cartel:…
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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
by James A. Bacon I’ve been publishing Bacon’s Rebellion since 2002 (with one short interlude). My goal has been to create a platform for quality conservative journalism and commentary on Virginia-specific issues that allowed for civil dialogue and contradicting views. It’s been a good run. The blog has been a huge part of my life,…
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Hold the Presses! Gregory Washington Still Has a Job!
Against the backdrop of hysterical warnings that the George Mason University Board of Visitors might fire President Gregory Washington, GMU’s first Black president, at its meeting today, the Board gave him a raise. It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement — only 1.5 percent — but it was a raise. Apparently, that means he still has…
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Campus Union Joins No-Confidence Movement
by James A. Bacon The “no confidence” campaign against the University of Virginia Board of Visitors is gaining momentum with the United Campus Workers of Virginia (UCWV) joining the effort. Strikes and lawsuits are among the options available to protesters, although, as one panelist put it in a “teach-in” yesterday, strikes by state employees are…
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Make America Safe for Anti-ICE Doxxers!
by James A. Bacon Federal immigration agents would be forbidden from wearing masks when making arrests under a bill that Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine plan to introduce to Congress, reports Axios Richmond. The proposal represents in part a response to incidents in Chesterfield County and Charlottesville courthouses where plainclothes Immigration and Customs…
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Let’s Run the Medicaid Numbers Before Hitting the Panic Button
by James A. Bacon Aubrey Layne was a great public servant in Richmond before he moved back to Norfolk to take a job as chief administrative officer of Sentara Health. He did a superior job as Secretary of Transportation under Gov. Terry McAuliffe and then as Secretary of Finance under Gov. Ralph Northam. He earned…
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Judge Affirms Senate Dems’ Power Grab
A Fairfax County circuit county judge has sided with state Senate Democrats who filed a lawsuit to prevent eight public university board members appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin from continuing to serve. The Democrats claimed that an 8-to-4 vote June 9 by a Senate subcommittee during a special session required no other action. Youngkin and…
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UVA Launches Presidential Search Committee
by James A. Bacon With Senate Democrats warning the University of Virginia to wait until next year to appoint a new president, the Board of Visitors has embarked upon its first crucial step — selecting a 28-person search committee. According to a university statement released yesterday, the special committee tasked with recommending candidates to the…
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Bacon Meme of the Week
What does a bacon tree look like? And what kind of song would AI compose for “The Ballad of the Bacon Tree”?
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A Power Play Remarkable for Its Audacity
by James A. Bacon The lead of this Virginian-Pilot article might be a tad inaccurate, but it hits close to the mark: Virginia Democratic legislators said Thursday that they would not confirm a permanent replacement for former University of Virginia president Jim Ryan, who was ousted last month under pressure from the Trump administration. I…
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Maybe I Should Start Posting Cat Videos on Bacon’s Rebellion
Nick Freitas’ posts are showing up on more of my news feeds. The Republican delegate from Culpeper is amassing an impressive social media following — 272,000 followers on X. His clips are short, punchy and funny. The dude’s got a sense of humor! — JAB But it’s not all political….
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File This Under, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
Virginia Tech is implementing a new admissions-application process for the next academic year. Snowed under by a record 57,600 first-year applications last year, Tech will be using AI to help sort through all those essays. States the Virginia Tech news bureau: The changes include shifting the university’s early admissions application deadline from Nov. 15 to…
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Reid Sides with Parents in K-12 Reform
by James A. Bacon It’s conventional wisdom that voters don’t read the position papers of political candidates. If so, John Reid’s foray into K-12 school reform may not do much to energize his campaign for lieutenant governor. That would be a shame because, love him or hate him, Reid speaks common sense with clarity on…
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Bacon’s Rebellion Proud to Be Part of Shadowy Clique of Puppet Masters
by James A. Bacon I didn’t know it but, apparently, I’m part of the vast right-wing conspiracy. I’m so clued in to the machinations of the conservative claque seeking to rid higher-ed of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion that I predicted that George Mason University President Gregory Washington might be forced to step down over DEI…