Watching Ivory Towers Crumble
👫 No country for Co-eds · Eyes on D7 · Waffle House shooter back on trial · Blackburn takes on teacher's unions · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Jerod makes the case that the right’s efforts to reform higher education are misguided… A ticker tape update of action in the D7 race… The Waffle House shooter requests another trial… And, Senator Blackburn takes on the teachers’ union.
Big Goal 2,000 new newsletter subscribers by September 30. Could you help us get there by forwarding this email to a friend (or five) who cares about independent journalism? Tell them to sign up here.
Like what we do? Forward us to a friend.
How the Right’s scorched-Earth approach to higher ed compromises its fundamental principles.
From Jerod Hollyfield
Before I began my career as an English and media professor, I knew the system I was about to enter was already showing signs of decay. So, when Christopher Rufo announced the release of The Manhattan Statement on Higher Education in mid-July, I should have been overjoyed.
Signed by a who’s who of conservative public figures, including Drs. Jordan B. Peterson, Victor Davis Hanson, Gad Saad, and Nashville’s own Carol Swain, the intended blueprint for President Trump’s higher education agenda aims to quell activism, uproot DEI initiatives, and lead to institutions of higher learning that “advance truth over ideology, with rigorous standards of academic conduct, controls for academic fraud, and merit-based decision-making throughout the enterprise.” Yet, I’ve found myself uneasy.
To its credit, The Manhattan Statement serves as a much needed articulation of the issues that initiated higher education’s largely self-inflicted crises. But, with just two references to the all-encompassing bureaucracy primarily responsible for college and university’s decline, it rests largely on simplistic stereotypes of radical professors whose real life’s work is turning good suburban kids into progressive foot soldiers.
Such a portrait of American academia is not only inaccurate but a danger to the free inquiry and multitude of perspectives that are the bedrock of the university experience. It also drastically minimizes the life-changing potential and promise of upward mobility that the country’s public universities offer.
⧖⧗⧖ GETTING BITCOIN FOMO? ⧗⧖⧗
|
The Bitcoin Adviser offers the safest and easiest way to securely buy bitcoin. Experts like Scott Porter talk you through the process from purchase to storage. Curious what owning bitcoin looks like? Sign up for a free consultation below. |
🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.
🗳️ Eye On District 7 The latest from candidates running in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional district race:
State Representative Lee Reeves (R-Franklin) announced that, if elected, his first act in Congress will be to introduce legislation ending birthright citizenship for children born to illegal aliens on U.S. soil. “Birthright citizenship, as currently practiced, is a magnet for illegal immigration and a direct affront to American sovereignty,” said Reeves in a press release. “This loophole rewards lawbreaking, strains our public resources, and undermines the sacrifices of legal immigrants.”
“Over my dead body,” said State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) in reaction to Elon Musk’s Music City Loop project. “Y’all, we have a chance to stop this in its tracks,” she posted on Friday. “Musk has a perennial and historical track record of breaking his promises and commitments to municipalities around these projects.”
Tomorrow afternoon, the conservative group 1st Tuesday will be hosting some of the Republican candidates for District 7 during their monthly luncheon. So far, State Representatives Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) and Jody Barrett (R-Dickson), along with Stewart Parks, John Wilt, Mason Foley, and Tres Wittum will be in attendance. More candidates may be added. The event costs $35 for non-members, includes lunch, and will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Ray Stevens CabaRay.
State Representative Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) announced a campaign kickoff event this week at Tailgate Brewery on Charlotte Pike. Mitchell is inviting his supporters to join him for “a little pizza and politics” from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
🧇 Waffle House Shooter Asks For Retrial Seven years after the tragic Waffle House shooting in Antioch, the convicted murderer, Travis Reinking, is asking for a new trial. The hearing began today and is expected to wrap up within five days.
Reinking was found guilty three years ago on four counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole. This week, his lawyers will be making their case in front of Judge Mark Fishburn. It’s worth noting that the jury rejected Reinking’s insanity defense during his original trial in 2022.
🎓 Blackburn Continues Fight Against Largest Teachers Union Last week, Senator Marsha Blackburn introduced the Terminating Education Association Congressional Handouts (TEACH) Act, which would ban the National Education Association from lobbying the federal government. This legislation comes alongside Blackburn and Representative Mark Harris’ (R-N.C.) National Education Association Charter Repeal Act, which would strip the NEA of Congress’ longstanding “seal of approval.”
In an article distributed this morning, Blackburn commended the NEA’s founding mission—“to elevate the character and advance the interest of the profession of teaching” in America—but said that the union’s gone woke.
“The NEA long ago abandoned its core mission of supporting teachers and students,” wrote Blackburn. “With my bills, Congress can acknowledge this reality and treat the union for what it truly is: a far-left advocacy group.”
Of note: 98 percent of NEA’s political donations in 2024 went to Democrats
DEVELOPMENT
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🪕 Kyle Tuttle's Bluegrass Mondays @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info
🕴️ The Aquabats! @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, 7p, $39+, Info
🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
The Pamphleteer
Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik (Nashville), Jerod Hollyfield (Crowd Corner), Camelia Brennan (Local Noise), and Davis Hunt (everything else).