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Ladies and gentlemen, Ole Miss professor James Thomas has left the building. Don’t get too excited, he’s just taking a five-day weekend. 

In an email correspondence late Monday afternoon the self-described “Insurgent Prof” informed his pupils he will not be holding any meetings, office hours, or instruction through Zoom or otherwise the Tuesday and Wednesday of this week; leaving students hanging as they enter what is traditionally the kick off for major graded assignments. 

Thomas isn’t the only academic taking it easy this week. This corresponds with what has become known as the #ScholarStrike, a movement started by self-described intellectuals to protest police brutality toward communities of color by skipping work.  

One must wonder if students would be afforded the same privilege when it comes to project deadlines or absences.

Perhaps not. 

Concluding the email, the newly tenured professor of sociology referred his pupils to a “facts sheet” provided by the striking organization that covered instances of police brutality alongside the organization’s political beliefs; signing off with “In Solidarity.”

This shouldn’t come as a surprise as solidarity with his fellow radical liberal academics has become a bit of a calling card by the most notorious professor at Ole Miss. 

While students are forced to pay full price this semester for a hodgepodge of sub-par virtual instruction via Zoom, Thomas and his close allies in department administration are all too comfortable exploiting students complacency by taking long weekends, sending out political speech in official emails, and falling short in their obligations as educators; just so long as it fits the woke agenda of 2020.  

Ole Miss has been struggling with the “Get Woke, Go Broke” reality of higher education for years, and while there have been many recent improvements to the cohesiveness of our state and its flagship institution, bias from liberal academics still remain a serious threat to the next generation of Mississippians.

Ole Miss shouldn’t have to cave into the politically correct mob or to indifferent academics that choose to be outraged enough to skip work when they already get a long weekend. It’s time Ole Miss rediscover it’s values as a scholarly hub where the free market of ideas flourish, where student-professor relationships based on mutual respect not uniformity of thought are primary. 

If we are to restore these values Ole Miss would be a beacon to all across the nation of governance in higher education. 

Mississippi’s State Fair will continue as scheduled next month. It will just look a little different.

To date, at least 35 fairs, including the famous Texas State Fair, have been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But not Mississippi. 

Andy Gipson, Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, recently announced the 161st State Fair will run from October 7 through October 18 as planned. 

“If you need to stay home, I encourage you to stay home,” Gipson said. “But for those who are getting out and want to get out and make family memories, I invite you to come October 7-18.”

Here are some of the new safety protocols this year:

“By using common sense and looking out for each other, we will have a great Mississippi State Fair, we will continue to make family memories while being safe and healthy,” Gipson added.

The Southeastern Conference recently released health and safety guidelines for the slightly postponed football season which gives schools the flexibility to determine the number of fans who are allowed to attend football games. 

According to the new SEC guidelines, “Institutions shall determine the number of guests permitted to attend in accordance with applicable state and local guidelines, policies and/or regulations. In the absence of state and/or local guidelines, policies and/or regulations, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations on physical distancing should be applied.”

Essentially, Ole Miss or Mississippi State could keep the stadium closed to fans. Or they could have limited attendance. At 25 percent capacity, between 15,000-18,000 could attend football games at each school. That naturally doubles if capacity is increased to 50 percent.  

Also of interest to fans, the schools will determine what is allowable in the Junction and the Grove. According to the SEC, “Institutions shall determine whether tailgating or other large gatherings of guests (e.g., alumni events, university recruiting events, etc.) are permitted on property owned and/or controlled by the institution in accordance with applicable state and local guidelines, policies and/or regulations.”

Would tents need to be six feet apart? Or does the fact that you are likely to be six feet apart from guests of the tent right next to you count? Or do we just close tailgating? Schools will also have to determine team walks, which are not generally prone to social distancing and probably lose much of their lore with fans spaced apart. 

Fans won’t have to wear a mask while sitting in 100-degree heat, assuming recommended physical distancing, but they will need it when entering, exiting, or moving throughout the stadium. Workers and athletic staff will have to wear masks at all times. 

For now, Ole Miss, State, and the twelve other members of the SEC have decisions to make with major implications for the school’s revenue, the local economy, and the potential health and wellbeing of students and fans. 

While the 2020 college football season remains in limbo with the Big 10 cancelling their season and the Pac 12 waffling, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference has been given the green light to continue with plans for football this fall. 

And if college football does happen in Mississippi, it will do so with the support of Gov. Tate Reeves, and both SEC universities in the state: Ole Miss and Mississippi State. 

Reeves took to social media today to outline his support, calling college football essential, and backed up his support during today's news conference.   

“What do opponents of football think, these kids will end up in a bubble without it?" Reeves said. "You can get COVID anywhere. There are forces who want to cancel everything to avoid risk at all societal costs. It’s foolish. We have to balance risk and costs."

Along with – mostly – Republican governors like Reeves pushing for college football, we have also seen an organic campaign from student athletes. Using the hashtag “WeWantToPlay,” we have seen players, coaches, and institutions make their voice heard over a sports media empire destined to cancel college football. 

You can include Ole Miss and State with that group. 

Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin also joined in the campaign:

As did Mississippi State AD John Cohen:

The message from Mississippi's universities and political leaders? We want to play.

Gov. Tate Reeves signed The Life Equality Act (HB 1295) today, joining a growing number of states standing against eugenics and discriminatory abortions. Rep. Carolyn Crawford sponsored The Life Equality Act, with a companion bill filed by Sen. Jenifer Branning. 

“Women should not be pressured to have an abortion because their child is different: of a different ability, of a different race, of a different sex,” stated Dr. Jameson Taylor, vice president for policy with the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. “Mississippi has an obligation to repudiate and reject its dark past that includes the forced sterilization of African-American women and the handicapped.”

The Life Equality Act prohibits the use of abortion as a tool of genetic manipulation, conforming Mississippi’s abortion policies to state and federal civil rights protections. Multiple states have passed similar laws in recent years, with Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri providing protection against discrimination on the basis of sex, race and genetic condition. Other states have passed laws covering at least one of these categories. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court indicated a desire to see additional federal courts examine the constitutionality of such protections. 

A May 2019 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court (Box v. Planned Parenthood) urged states to consider that “abortion is an act rife with the potential for eugenic manipulation” and that “from the beginning, birth control and abortion were promoted as means of effectuating eugenics.” In addition, the December 2019 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down Mississippi’s 15-week abortion law cautions that the “history of abortion advocacy” is infected with the “taint of racism” because abortion “has proved to be a disturbingly effective tool for implementing the discriminatory preferences that undergird eugenics.”

“The Life Equality Act sends a clear message that abortion should not be used to discriminate against women and children, regardless of race, sex or genetic condition,” stated Dr. Taylor. “Mississippi lawmakers are taking a cue from both the U.S. Supreme Court and the 5th Circuit, which have indicated it is time for states to consider how abortion can easily become a deadly tool of discrimination.”

The Box decision observed that the abortion rate for babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero is 67 percent in the United States and that the abortion rate “among black women is nearly 3.5 times the ratio for white women.” Likewise, a recent study from the Institute for Family Studies finds that U.S. sex ratios at birth suggest a growing trend of sex-selective abortions aimed at baby girls.

The Mississippi House today passed The Life Equality Act, sending it to Gov. Tate Reeves for his signature. 

The Life Equality Act, House Bill 1295, prohibits the use of abortion as a tool of genetic manipulation, conforming Mississippi’s abortion policies to state and federal civil rights protections. The bill prohibits the use of abortion as a means of discriminating against minorities, women, and the disabled.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Crawford, with a companion bill by Sen. Jenifer Branning. Rep. Nick Bain and Sens. Brice Wiggins and Joey Fillingane also directed the bill to passage in their respective chambers, with the strong support of Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann.

“If abortion is about choice, a forced abortion absolutely violates the right to choose,” stated Dr. Jameson Taylor, Vice President for Policy at Mississippi Center for Public Policy. “Women should not be pressured to have an abortion because their child is different: of a different ability, of a different race, of a different sex. Mississippi has an obligation to repudiate and reject its dark past that includes the forced sterilization of African American women.”

A May 2019 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court (Box v. Planned Parenthood) urged states to consider that “abortion is an act rife with the potential for eugenic manipulation” and that “from the beginning, birth control and abortion were promoted as means of effectuating eugenics.” In addition, the December 2019 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down Mississippi’s 15-week abortion law cautions that the “history of abortion advocacy” is infected with the “taint of racism” because abortion “has proved to be a disturbingly effective tool for implementing the discriminatory preferences that undergird eugenics.”

“Mississippi lawmakers are taking a cue from both the U.S. Supreme Court and the 5th Circuit, which have indicated it is time for states to consider the discriminatory impacts of abortion,” Taylor added. “The Life Equality Act sends a clear message that abortion should not be used to discriminate against women and children, regardless of race, sex or ability.”

The Box decision observed that the abortion rate for babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero is 67 percent in the United States and that the abortion rate “among black women is nearly 3.5 times the ratio for white women.” Likewise, a recent study from the Institute for Family Studies finds that U.S. sex ratios at birth suggest a growing trend of sex-selective abortions aimed at baby girls.

The Senate adopted the Life Equality Act today to prohibit abortions from taking place in Mississippi on the basis of race, sex, or genetic abnormality except in medical emergencies. 

House Bill 1295, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Crawford, would require the Department of Health to create a documentation process that all those performing abortions would need to follow prior to the abortion. The law authorizes the attorney general to bring enforcement action against those who perform abortion and do not follow the law.

Diagnoses of genetic abnormalities like Down Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis lead to termination of the child more often than not. Even in non-fatal cases, as many as 67 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted in the United States. 

Recent evidence suggests that as many as 95 percent of parents receiving a prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis elect to terminate the child. On the basis of race and sex, a family’s preference for a male or a non-bi-racial child must absolutely come to an end in Mississippi. The pressure many women receive to have a particular kind of child is unacceptable in our diverse society. 

The legislation will now return to the House for concurrence. If the House does concur, it will then head to the governor’s desk. 

Ten other states have passed similar measures to ban abortions on the basis of sex, seven on the basis of disability.

The Life Equality Act, House Bill 1295, passed out of Senate Committee Judiciary B last week. If signed into law, it will prohibit abortions from taking place in Mississippi on the basis of race, sex, or genetic abnormality except in medical emergencies. 

It might come as a surprise to Mississippians that this discrimination takes place at the earliest stages of life. Diagnoses of genetic abnormalities like Down Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis lead to termination of the child more often than not. Even in non-fatal cases, as many as 67 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted in the United States. Recent evidence suggests that as many as 95 percent of parents receiving a prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis elect to terminate the child. On the basis of race and sex, a family’s preference for a male or a non-bi-racial child must absolutely come to an end in Mississippi. The pressure many women receive to have a particular kind of child is unacceptable in our diverse society. 

The Senate committee was the most recent checkpoint for The Life Equality Act on its way to being added to state law. Led by Sen. Brice Wiggins (R-Pascagoula), the Judiciary B Committee Chairman, an affirmative voice vote sent this law to the Senate floor for consideration.

A proponent of the bill and member of the considering committee, Sen. Jeremy England (R- Ocean Springs), spoke out on social media with his support, “I believe it is of the utmost importance that our laws are applied equally and that they provide equal protection of our God-given rights. This of course includes the right to life.” 

Presenting the bill to the committee was Sen. Joey Fillingane (R-Sumrall), who answered questions from the committee members on Tuesday. A voice vote for the bill was then carried out which offered an overwhelming affirmation. 

The bill was introduced in the House by Representative by Rep. Carolyn Crawford (R- Pass Christian) and the Senate version of the bill was introduced this year by Sen. Jenifer Branning (R-Philadelphia) – two women dedicated to the protection of life in Mississippi. 

The bill got a boost from the support of Mississippi’s Catholic Bishops, Joseph Kopacz and Louis Kihneman III, of Jackson and Biloxi respectively. The two Catholic leaders sent a powerful joint letter in support of the legislation.

If this law is passed, it pushes against the narrative and legal precedent that states do not have an interest in protecting life before the viability of an unborn child. In fact, race, sex, and genetic abnormalities can all be determined before the stage of viability. Eugenic practices and discrimination are certainly interests of the state-level government. 

It is critical that our state stand against discrimination in the womb. Mississippians affirm that life has value- regardless of race, sex, or ability. With conversations surrounding discrimination at the forefront in our society at the moment, it is critical that we seek to defend the voiceless as well. Those innocents in the womb are unable to defend themselves but are worth defending nonetheless. 

The leaders of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson and Biloxi, Bishops Joseph R. Kopacz and Louis F. Kihneman III respectively, have stated their support for currently pending legislation that would further protect the sanctity of life.

House Bill 1295, known as the Life Equality Act, would ban abortions that are performed due to the race, sex, or genetic abnormality of the child unless it is a medical emergency. This critical anti-discrimination legislation is a major step forward in the fight against the discrimination of unborn children.

Physicians would be required to keep certain records related to abortion that would be reported to the Mississippi Department of Health. The bill would also put a criminal penalty and professional sanctions on doctors who do not abide the law. For greater detail about the bill, check out this piece by Anja Baker.

In a public letter, the bishops stated that the “Church’s steadfast stance on the protection of unborn human lives has biblical support, e.g., the words of Psalm 139, declaring that each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made, knit in our mothers’ wombs. But even if one does not acknowledge the Bible, the truth that the womb of a pregnant woman contains a unique human life cannot be denied. This truth ought to be reflected by our Mississippi legal system without prejudice.”

The letter went on to state: “We believe in the legal protection of these classes as they are equal in the eyes of our Creator. We seek to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ by caring for the most vulnerable among us.”

The letter concludes by referencing the 25th Anniversary of Evangelism Vitae, “Gospel of Life,” Saint John Paul II’s powerful defense of life and its inherent value.

Rep. Carolyn Crawford (R-Pass Christian) and Sen. Jenifer Branning (R-Philadelphia) have stepped up by introducing the Life Equality Act and have shown their deep commitment to equality before the law and the defense of unborn lives no matter their race, gender, or personal ability.

While some continue to defend sex-selective abortions, clearly seen in this Guardian opinion piece, this choice overly destroys the lives of unborn girls due to existing biases for a variety of reasons. In 2011, it was estimated that 160 million women were missing from this earth directly due to sex-selective abortions.

Furthermore, abortion already has a larger impact on certain races than others. In Mississippi, 79 percent of abortions are obtained by black women. It is worth noting as well that 79 percent of Planned Parenthood’s clinics around the nation are in minority neighborhoods. Whatever one’s thoughts on the practice, these statistics should horrify us. This bill would take the important step of stopping those who seek to abort an unborn child solely because of his or her race, and thus suppressing one of the small ways that abortion devalues life based on race.

This bill becomes all the more critically important as the debate surrounding the abortion of certain children, such as those with down syndrome has raised a serious debate. Recently, certain news outlets praised the nation of Iceland for effectively eliminating down syndrome in the country. However, it was quickly revealed that the method of eradication was actually a horrendous degree of abortion selectivity applied to unborn children who were found to have down syndrome.

In a recent debate in England, activists have pleaded for the public to change the laws that allow abortion until birth when the child has down syndrome. For reference, England has a standard 24 week limit for abortion for all other children. Heidi Crowter, a young adult with down syndrome, gave this powerful and moving testament in defense of the value of her own life.

Jesse Jackson, once pro-life, powerfully said in 1977 that: “Psychiatrists, social workers and doctors often argue for abortion on the basis that the child will grow up mentally and emotionally scarred. But who of us is complete? If incompleteness were the criteri(on) for taking life, we would all be dead. If you can justify abortion on the basis of emotional incompleteness, then your logic could also lead you to killing for other forms of incompleteness — blindness, crippleness, old age.”

Unfortunately, this statement turned out to be all too prescient. Our society has increasingly devalued life and systematically sought to expand the taking of life for a variety of insufficient reasons. As the Catholic Bishops stated, all life is equal before the eyes of the Lord. I hope our legislators, many of whom often claim the title of pro-life with pride around election season, can hear these cries of injustice and can move swiftly in support of this legislation.

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