Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

  • No Way Trump Wins Virginia

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    by Paul Goldman

    The latest poll from Virginia Commonwealth University has Donald Trump up 3% — 39% to 36% — over Joe Biden after being behind by six in the school’s previous survey of public opinion. Top Trump advisor Chris LaCivita has been telling people publicly and privately Trump will win Virginia as part of a coming MAGA landslide.

    Not so fast.

    Having done a few polls in my lifetime, I view these results as more a reflection of Biden’s current weakness than any new Trump strength. In 2020, then-incumbent President Donald Trump lost Virginia by a whopping ten percentage points, considered a landslide defeat in the world of elections. Candidate Biden got 54% of the vote, the biggest Democratic winning margin in Virginia since FDR crushed Thomas Dewey in 1944 when Virginia was still part of the “solid South“ of Democratic segregation states. Even President Lyndon Johnson, while winning the biggest Democratic national landslide ever, carried Virginia by only 7% over GOP loser Barry Goldwater in 1964.

    Sure, there was a time between 1968 and 2004 when the Commonwealth had proven to be the most reliable GOP bastion among the Southern states in presidential elections. The GOP “lock” on Virginia got picked by Barack Obama in 2008. Even defeated Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton carried Virginia by a comfortable 5% in 2016.

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  • Upward Academic Mobility Among Virginia Immigrants

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    by James A. Bacon

    Americans are rightly concerned about the impact of the flood of foreigners entering the country illegally through a broken border — not just the fiscal burden of increased outlays for healthcare, schools, and social services but the longer-term risk of creating an unassimilable mass in the body politic. Such fears gain traction when we observe cultural elites trying to radicalize “people of color” by portraying them as victims of systemic racism. Every racial disparity in the metrics of wellbeing is said to be evidence of oppression — as if immigrants from Third World villages should feel entitled to the same income level as native-born Americans who have been lifted up over generations.

    One of the disparities that critics of American society see as unjust is the racial/ethnic gap in educational outcomes. English Learners score much lower on their Standards of Learning (SOL) test scores than English-fluent students. The learning gap is often said to be proof of bias.

    A close examination of the testing data, however, shows quite the opposite. It shows remarkable upward mobility for immigrants, at least in terms of academic achievement.

    We cannot tell from Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) data how many immigrant children there are in public schools. But we have a decent proxy. VDOE tracks the number of “English Learners.” By VDOE’s count, there were about 130,000 in the 2022-23 school year. Not surprisingly given the difficulty in understanding their teachers, they passed their Reading, Writing, and Math SOLs at rates that were half to one-third of their English-fluent peers.

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  • Turbine Blade Failure Closes Vineyard Wind, Nantucket Beaches

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    Not the turbine in question, but follow the link to the WBZ story and there is a photo of the very large chunks of debris.

    Posted on Boston’s CBS affiliate WBZ this morning:

    NANTUCKET – The federal government has ordered the Vineyard Wind farm to shut down until further notice because of a turbine blade failure this weekend.

    Several beaches were closed on Tuesday while crews worked to clean up “large floating debris and fiberglass shards” from the broken wind turbine blade off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. A total of six south shore Nantucket beaches were closed to swimming due to debris that washed ashore.

    “You can walk on the beaches, however we strongly recommend you wear footwear due to sharp, fiberglass shards and debris on the beaches,” the Nantucket Harbormaster said.

    Late Tuesday afternoon, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said all operations are shut down until further notice. (more…)

  • To End Carbon Energy We Need More Carbon Energy!

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    By Steve Haner

    Three recent announcements from Dominion Energy Virginia in rapid succession point a path forward for the utility that complies in part and utterly rejects in part the carbon-free energy pipe dream of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA).

    All three of the announcements will result in major cost increases to the company’s 2.6 million ratepayers. Just how much the projects will all cost combined is still unknown, and frankly nobody is likely to press that issue until the utility is ready to show its cards. The utility’s next integrated resource plan, to be filed later this year, should shed some light.

    The most recent announcement is the most surprising. Dominion has proposed to build a $550 million liquified natural gas plant and storage facility for the sole purpose of providing a fuel backup to its newest two natural gas generation plants. The facility will be fed by the Transco Pipeline and be attached to the Greensville and Brunswick generation plants. Combined they produce about 3 gigawatts of reliable electricity into Dominion’s territory or the surrounding PJM regional transmission organization. (more…)

  • Protecting Trump From Assassins, Virginia-Style

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    Mike Imprevento is not only my partner on “The Kerry and Mike” talk radio show (9 to 10 every weekday!) but a successful attorney and until recently, a Captain and Staff Attorney for the Norfolk’s Sheriff’s Office. It was in his latter capacity that he was part of the law enforcement team that protected Donald Trump during the former president’s Chesapeake rally last month.

    The assassination attempt last weekend spurred him to write about his experience at the earlier Trump rally. Mike wrote this in his personal capacity. — Kerry Dougherty

    By Mike Imprevento

    This never would have happened in Chesapeake. The attempted assassination of Donald Trump, that is.

    On June 28, 2024 in the City of Chesapeake, thousands of patriots who love this country and support former President Trump came together to hear his message. The venue, Greenbrier Farms, presented challenges just as Butler, PA did.

    That is for later.

    Despite the long wait in the heat and delays in the screening process, the attendees saw and experienced a celebration of political speech and freedom in a volatile political season. Trump brought a bevy of Virginia’s elected representatives and former political figures on the stage. All were safe. All were secure.

    What follows is why.

    Continue reading

  • Conspiratorial Thinking at UVA

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    by James A. Bacon

    Sethunya Mokoko

    In the fall of 2023, 54 new professors joined the faculty of the University of Virginia College of Arts & Sciences. Dean Christa Acampora hailed the “extraordinary talent” of the new wave of scholars.

    One of the new hires was Sethunya Mokoko, a native of the southern Africa country of Lesotho and professor of rhetoric and communications in the English Department.

    Two days ago, according to The College Fix, Mokoko posted to X (formerly Twitter) that the Saturday assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was “staged theatrics” performed by Secret Service to garner “idiots’ vote.” Trump’s secret service, he theorized, purposefully “ignored” eyewitnesses who informed police of an armed man on a roof before the shooting took place. 

    I could not verify the accuracy of College Fix’s article — Mokoko’s X account no longer has the post — but I have no grounds to question it.

    The Secret Service’s failure to stop the assassination attempt does raise legitimate questions. Many witnesses spotted the shooter and tried to draw the attention of law-enforcement authorities. But the idea that the Secret Service stage-managed the shooting is beyond absurd. Did someone orchestrate the bullet passing within an inch of blowing Trump’s brains out of his head? Did the conspirators recruit a 20-year-old local with minimal training in marksmanship to execute a shot demanding incredible precision? Was Trump willing to place his life at risk to garner a few votes?

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  • “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”

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    Patrick Henry Credit: National Portrait Gallery

    by Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Each Sunday afternoon during the summer, the Historic St. John’s Church Foundation presents a reenactment of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. The reenactment, which has been presented for almost 50 years, takes place in the Historic St. John’s Church in Richmond, the site of the original speech.

    Historic St. John’s Church

    During the presentation, actors assume the roles of eight of the delegates to the Second Virginia Convention of 1775: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Peyton Randolph, Edmund Pendleton, Benjamin Harrison, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Nelson, and, of course, Patrick Henry. During the summer, the roles rotate among the company of actors.

    Before the reenactment begins, one of the actors provides a short history lesson, setting the stage and context of the Convention. 

    During the presentation, the delegates/actors are seated among the audience and rise in their places to participate in the debate over Henry’s resolution that the colony of Virginia establish an armed militia. The debate culminates in Henry’s famous declaration: 

    “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

    After the reenactment is concluded, the actors gather outside to talk to members of the audience and pose for pictures.

    It is a wonderful, meaningful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

    For those of you not willing to bear the dreary slog of Sunday afternoon traffic on I-95 in the summer (and I know, first hand, what it is like), here is a presentation filmed by C-SPAN.

    Some of the actors/delegates on July 14, 2024:

    Benjamin Harrison
    Patrick Henry
    George Washington

  • Phonics Make a Comeback

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    by James A. Bacon

    Students at Chimborazo Elementary School. Photo credit: Richmond Times-Dispatch

    by James A. Bacon

    There are glimmers of hope for Virginia’s public education system. Last week, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order ordering the Virginia Department of Education to create new guidelines limiting the use of cell phones in schools. Meanwhile an amendment to the Virginia Literacy Act effectively bans the use of a failed teaching method for reading known as “three-cueing” this fall.

    The three-cueing technique, based on educational theories developed in the 1960s, downplays phonics in favor of deducing an unfamiliar word from its semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic contexts. A 2019 survey cited by the Richmond Times-Dispatch found that 65% of college education professors teach it as an instruction technique and 75% of K-2 and elementary special education teachers use it.

    The education profession is prone to intellectual fads based upon novel academic theories such as three-cueing. But critics contend there is little social scientific evidence to support three-cuing. The tried-and-true method of teaching students to sound out words — phonics — is much more effective.

    “Prior to really digging into the science of reading, a lot of cueing happened,” Lisa Coons, Virginia’s state superintendent of public instruction told the RTD. “It was more of a guessing game, and we were working to use pictures and cues and other words around it to try and figure out what the word said.

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  • Bacon Bits: More Bad Behavior

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    Are public officials in Virginia engaging in more petty crimes and misdemeanors these days? Maybe it’s just coincidence that so much misbehavior is being reported on the same day.

    Warren County embezzlement. From the Northern Virginia Daily: former Warren County supervisor Ronald L. Llewellyn and his wife Corinne have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of embezzlement that took place between 2011 and 2018. Ronald Llewellyn was indicted on 44 counts of embezzlement, 10 of conducting an unlawful financial transaction and one of forging a document. His wife was indicted with 22 counts of embezzlement and seven of unlawful transactions. Details were not available on what government or business entity was victimized.

    Stalking and general creepiness. Rodney Lamont Hubbard, the 52-year-old owner of a car repair business and Republican candidate for Lynchburg City Council, has been charged with stalking and “unlawful filming” of another, reports Cardinal News. In other run-ins with the law, Hubbard is charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and misdemeanor carry of a concealed weapon. His record includes convictions for drug possession and distribution, destruction of property, possessing a gun as a nonviolent felon and unlawfully obtaining documents from the DMV.

    I guess Patrick County won’t be getting that hospital. From Cardinal News….

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  • Staring into the Abyss

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    We’ve reached a dead end. Everybody, please draw a deep breath and take a step back.

  • Bacon Meme of the Week

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  • Keep Politics Out of University Investment Decisions

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    by James A. Bacon

    I didn’t see this one coming, but I’m delighted to hear of it: Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera and Secretary of Finance Stephen Cummings have written the presidents of Virginia’s public universities asking them to verify that their endowment investments are not influenced by political considerations.

    Aimee Guidera

    The state wants to ensure higher education institutions “invest in a manner that prioritizes risk-adjusted investment returns independent of social, political or ideological interests,” wrote Guidera and Cummings, according to Cardinal News, which obtained a copy of the letter.

    The query follows a conversation between Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the state Council of Presidents in March that was prompted by calls of pro-Palestinian groups on college campuses to divest university assets tied to Israel, according to the letter.

    Stephen Cummings

    I’ve followed this issue closely for the Jefferson Council as it has played out at the University of Virginia, and I refer Guidera, Cummings and Bacon’s Rebellion readers to this article: “Board Shows No Interest in Israel Divestment.”

    President Jim Ryan and the Board of Visitors have ignored a resolution passed by the student body to divest companies doing business in Israel from UVA’s endowment.

    However, UVA’s investment arm, UVIMCO, does have an ESG (environmental, social, governance) policy, and it maintains an Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility. UVIMCO’s primary ESG focus has been mitigating systemic risks of climate change.

    Does that count?

    (more…)

  • Stopping Sticky-Fingered Shoppers

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    by Kerry Dougherty

    This is not a column about bras. It’s about one more sign of the fall of civilization.

    It starts with a bra, though. A simple, white, inexpensive sports bra.

    I was in desperate need of a new one and I’m never going to splurge $68 at Lululemon for a swatch of Spandex to contain my modest endowments.

    My undies come from less exclusive retail shops.

    Which is how I found myself in the athletic wear department of one of these Virginia Beach stores yesterday where I found just what I needed for $16. I paid at the self-checkout and bagged my purchases.

    As I went through the exit with several other shoppers, I heard that tell-tale ding, ding, ding, but figured it couldn’t be me because I had no high-ticket items in my bag.

    Once home, however, I found a red plastic security tag firmly attached to my new bra. There is no way to remove these things with teeth or tools, so I headed back to the store with my receipt.

    As the customer service clerk was removing the tag, I told her that I’d heard the alarm as I went through the door, but no one stopped me.

    “We don’t,” she replied.

    Continue reading.

  • No. 1 CNBC Ranking? Eh. Beats a Poke in the Eye With a Sharp Stick

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    by James A. Bacon

    by James A. Bacon

    Virginia ranks No. 1 in CNBC’s just-released Top States for Business 2024 ranking — a marketing coup for the Old Dominion and Governor Glenn Youngkin. After ranking No. 2 last year, Virginia squeaked past 2023’s leader, North Carolina, by a narrow margin.

    The favorable publicity should put Virginia on the radar screen of more businesses as they pursue site-location plans in the year ahead. Ideally, the recognition will lead to more corporate investment and job creation. Whether it propels Virginia into the ranks of top-performing state economies, however, is problematic.

    In 2023, when Virginia ranked No. 2 as CNBC’s Top State for Business, the Old Dominion actually underperformed the national economy — achieving only 2.4% growth in Gross Domestic Product compared to 2.5% growth nationally, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

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  • The “Black Jobs” Narrative is False, Harmful

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    By Derrick Max

    Derrick Max

    While most of the post-debate news coverage is still rightly focused on the mental acuity (or lack thereof) of President Biden, the use of the term “Black jobs” by former President Trump in the context of low-income, unskilled jobs that will be impacted by our open southern border, bothers me almost as much. This type of false categorization leads to policies and beliefs that do great harm to the African American community.

    Sadly, there is a bipartisan failure to understand or appreciate Black economic vitality. Blacks, in the current false narrative, are poor and in need of both protection and assistance. From Trump’s inartful claim that low-skill jobs are “Black jobs,” or Democrat contentions that African Americans don’t have or can’t get IDs to prove citizenship to vote, or most recently, Governor Hochel saying that black kids in the Bronx “don’t know what a computer is” – the picture painted of Black Americans is one of hopelessness and despair. (more…)