This story originally was published by Real Clear Wire By Bruce Fleming Real Clear Wire This is an excerpt from Bruce Fleming’s new book‚ Saving Our Service Academies (Post Hill Press).  Applicants who self-identified as a member of a race the Academy wished to privilege—at the time I was on the Admissions Board it was African American‚ Hispanic‚ and Native American—were briefed separately to the committee not by a white member but by a minority Navy lieutenant. Briefings (a minute and forty seconds per applicant‚ no more) ran through a number of factors quite quickly and offered a recommendation that we had been told was appropriate: “qualified” for USNA if grades A/B for white applicants (but not minorities‚ who needed only C grades)‚ 600 score in each part of the SAT for white applicants (but about 550 for minorities who come to USNA without remediation)‚ and Whole Person Multiple (points given for grades/tests‚ school leadership positions‚ and sports) of at least 55‚000 for whites‚ no bottom for minorities. This is aside from the fact that 20 percent of the class could be sent to the remedial‚ taxpayer-supported prep school for a year‚ also with no minimum for scores. Other possible recommendations included a year at a civilian prep school that the Naval Academy Foundation pays for‚ where they also do a thirteenth year (the profile for this was white lacrosse players‚ not black football players)‚ and USNA “pool‚” a sort of wait list for nonrecruited whites‚ who typically weren’t tracked to NAPS or Foundation schools. The athletic department offered its list of recruits that were invariably deemed “qualified” no matter how low in scores‚ because many if not most to go to NAPS and only a few to USNA directly. Race in America is a complex question that we have no silver bullet for. We’d like to see everybody playing happily in the academic sandbox together‚ as well as elsewhere in society at large. However‚ in academic institutions with limited places‚ we have a problem—especially at an institution touted for academic rigor and that taxpayers fund for one specific job. Blacks‚ on average‚ consistently score lower than whites (who score lower than Asians) on standardized tests. The choices are simple. If you want students who look a certain way but tend to score lower than others‚ you accept the lower scores and stop talking about your standards. Or you go with the class that can meet these standards and stop talking about the way they look. The Naval Academy tries to square the circle by both bragging about its standards and letting in half the class to lower standards. No wonder they were furious that I pointed this out. All educational institutions have this problem to some degree; the academies are just worse than others. And in 2023‚ the Supreme Court said we’re legal in doing so‚ whereas all others are not. I’ve had some brilliant black students over three decades‚ and quite a few really nice ones. I’ve taught classes at both ends of our ability spectrum—our honors classes and our remedial precollege English classes‚ which are almost all filled with black and Hispanic students‚ most of whom have just come from the remedial‚ taxpayer-funded thirteenth grade at the prep school. I usually love them as people‚ and the warmth I show them usually melts the ice when they heard they got Professor Fleming‚ the one who “hates the football team.” I don’t hate the football team. I just don’t think we should be recruiting them to play Division I‚ which takes up slots better all-around qualified candidates (like your kids?) could have filled. But they got the offer‚ and here they are‚ so I’m going to give it my all‚ and hope to inspire them to do the same. Some of the African American kids are the most disappointed of all. One brilliant young woman from New York City announced in my office some years ago‚ “I should have gone to Howard.” “Why?” I said. “Because I am so tired of being stereotyped as black‚” she said. “In New York nobody is anything. But here they want me to join the gospel choir. I can’t sing. And I hate this channeling of the black kids so the administration looks good.” “Yeah‚” I said. “It’s a problem. But don’t give up. Just be you.” “Hmmm‚” she said. “Hard at this place.” “Tell me about it‚” I said. In 2021‚ the Academy issued a Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan whose lead picture has a black male midshipman standing as Brigade Commander in front of a phalanx of white males. A former military instructor in the History Department and USNA graduate J.A. Cauthen‚ in an article entitled “The US Naval Academy is Adrift” objects—and it’s hard to disagree with him that this plan “will erode the competency of future officers and imperil our national security.” He quotes the plan as saying that the Naval Academy “will develop a diversity and inclusion checklist and schedule to inventory and assess all academic classes and training events‚” something I saw beginning as I was being forced out of the classroom. It will “partner with Academic Departments in conducting comprehensive curriculum review prioritizing the inclusion of marginalized scholarship and hidden histories within midshipmen education.” And he asks a question relevant to my situation: “What will be the fate of those who will not comply‚ given their belief in‚ and right to‚ academic freedom?” I can answer that question already. Academic freedom doesn’t exist at Annapolis. And those who do not repeat the party line unquestioningly‚ such as (um‚ yes) your humble correspondent‚ will be relentlessly pursued and fired. Cauthen goes on with his quote: The Naval Academy “will develop a confidential process for reporting bias incidents”—for what it calls “nonpunitive informational purposes” to “identify areas for potential additional training.” My experience suggests that “nonpunitive” is bunkum. Indeed‚ Cauthen points out that all of this comes with the whip hand of the UCMJ and quotes Article 917 as saying that “Any person subject to this chapter who uses provoking or reproachful words or gestures toward any others person subject to this chapter shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.” All this comes with something called the DPE Program‚ Diversity Peer Educator Program‚ including a confidential system to report “bias incidents.” I’ve seen it all before with sexual assault training. And he asks: “will a DEI agenda propagating woke ideology prepare future leaders to wage and win wars against our enemies? Those who believe so are either blind or worse.” But of course‚ the service academies have long since moved on from preparing leaders to wage and win wars. Now they’re about enforcing by military rather than constitutionally permitted means (even against civilians) the obsessions of a certain sector of society. Over the course of my decades teaching literature‚ I’ve had to answer these questions: What’s the point of reading (say) Shakespeare? Or Toni Morrison? Is the point different for future officers than for anybody else? If so‚ how? I don’t think the point is to check the box through reading works by someone of a certain skin color or sexual orientation. There has to be a higher purpose. But teaching everything according to categories of race‚ gender‚ and sexual orientation is what has supplanted sexual assault training as topic A at Annapolis: hiring and teaching courses in gay‚ Latino/a‚ and African American literature focused on the experiences of recent immigrants to the exclusion of almost everything else‚ usually to emphasize how tough they had it. For example‚ two out of three upper-level senior seminars English majors could choose from in Spring 2023 were “The Queering of the Renaissance” and “Queer Communities in Film and Literature.” We have courses in post-colonial studies‚ African American studies‚ and Native American Studies‚ and a “diversity” requirement. I guess we’re really with the Zeitgeist! Recent hiring emphasizes minority racial and sexual-orientation groups. And now the faculty get relentless “training” in DEI with newly hired administrators to enforce the rules—Diversity‚ Equity‚ and Inclusion. In our English Department‚ there is now a faculty committee to vet faculty syllabi to ensure that an acceptable number of works about and by nonwhite authors are taught. It’s all intensely political‚ and usually with an edge of resentment: our kind didn’t get or don’t have as much as your kind! In fact‚ these kinds of resentment studies have nothing to do with being a good officer. Having a sense of what separates people‚ sure. How about what unites them? And if you as an officer see yourself as radically different from people with a different skin color––and groups of your subordinates with different skin colors as lacking a common goal––military cohesion is torn asunder. This is military suicide‚ shooting ourselves not merely in the foot but in the head. How about we emphasize commonality and deal with difference as it comes up rather than assuming it? It’s insulting to say “I see that you have a different skin color‚ so I can tell you we have little in common”—aside from destructive of military cohesion. Bruce Fleming has taught at the U.S. Naval Academy since 1987.  This article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.

Yesterday we reported on the Fani Willis corruption scandal that appears to be breaking open… Today it just got worse. If you missed yesterday’s report‚ you can find it here and I will also post it down below: BREAKING: Fani Willis Faces Hearing On Misconduct! Now here's the latest.... According to newly discovered bank statements‚ Fani's alleged lover Nathan Wade bought plane tickets in her name....that's a big no-no: BREAKING: Fani Willis's alleged lover Nathan Wade bought plane tickets in her name‚ according to bank statements provided by Wade's ex-wife. This scandal isn't going anywhere anytime soon. — Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 19‚ 2024 More here: BREAKING Fani is in some trouble... Trump Special Prosecutor in Fulton and alleged 'lover' of Fani Willis‚ Nathan Wade‚ purchased several plane tickets with Fani Willis as evidenced in bank statements in his divorce case. Thousands also spent on Norwegian Cruises‚ Royal… pic.twitter.com/Anjax5rmEz — CannCon (@CannConActual) January 19‚ 2024 Here's a summary of what has come in so far: Hi @BrianKempGA! We now have evidence that: 1) Nathan Wade fraudulently billed 24 hours of work in a single day‚ and was paid at a rate well beyond his level of expertise 2) Wade used those funds to buy plane tickets for his lover‚ DA Fani Willis Investigate! — Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) January 19‚ 2024 The Daily Caller reported these additional facts: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ alleged lover and outside counsel Nathan Wade purchased plane tickets in her name‚ according to a Friday court filing obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Bank statements contained in a Friday filing by Wade’s wife‚ Joycelyn Wade‚ show Wade purchased tickets to Miami and San Francisco in Willis’ name. The statements back up allegations contained in a motion filed last week by one of former President Donald Trump’s co-defendants that Wade used money earned from the “lucrative” contract Willis signed off on to take her on vacations. The motion alleged “Willis and Wade have traveled personally together to such places as Napa Valley‚ California‚ Florida and the Caribbean and Wade has purchased tickets for both of them to travel on both the Norwegian and Royal Caribbean cruise lines.” The statements contained in Friday’s filing also include payments for Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Two $1‚387 and $1‚284 payments for the Royal Caribbean cruise were made on the same day‚ Oct. 4‚ 2022‚ as payments for the airline ticket to Miami in Willis’ name. The plane tickets to Miami cost $477 each‚ per the bank statements. The pair of plane tickets to San Francisco purchased on April 27‚ 2023‚ cost $817 each‚ according to the statements Wade filed to divorce his wife on Nov. 2‚ 2021‚ the day after his contract with the District Attorney began. His wife alleged in prior filings that he did not disclose his earnings from the county to her but continued to draw from her bank account. Wade’s firm has been paid nearly $654‚000 from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office since 2022‚ county data shows. Here was our prior report from yesterday: BREAKING: Fani Willis Faces Hearing On Misconduct! Things are heating up! Are the hunters about to become the hunted? You know what they say‚ if you take a swing at the King‚ you'd better not miss! Joe Biden‚ Jack Smith‚ Letitia James‚ Fani Willis....they've all taken big swings. But one by one they're missing‚ and now it appears the boomerang may soon be headed right back to them! I call it the Trump Boomerang Effect and it's now pointed squarely at Fani Willis. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will appear for a Feb. 15 hearing regarding allegations that she had an improper relationship with her lead prosecutor. Uh oh! If you go after the King‚ #1 is you'd better not miss‚ but #2 is you'd better be squeaky clean yourself! And it turns out she isn't‚ at least ALLEGEDLY‚ according to new allegations. She'll be facing a hearing soon and the truth might just come out! Here we go! Watch this: Judge orders hearing on accusations against Fani Willis. About dang time. Light it up. pic.twitter.com/WInMV84jAk — Sassafrass84 (@Sassafrass_84) January 18‚ 2024 Fani told us she paid all her Special Prosecutors the same amount‚ but Fulton County contracts show otherwise. It turns out‚ John Floyd‚ an expert on RICO law and the only White Guy‚ was paid the LEAST of all three. pic.twitter.com/7GgTwIXfxk — Robert Gouveia Esq. (@RobGouveiaEsq) January 17‚ 2024 Here's more‚ from Fox News: Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee scheduled the hearing on Thursday. Willis has spearheaded the prosecution of former President Trump in his indictment on election interference charges. Court documents filed earlier this month say Willis hired special prosecutor Nathan Wade‚ her alleged romantic partner‚ to prosecute Trump and benefited financially from the relationship in the form of lavish vacations that the two went on using funds his firm received for working the case. Willis has not confirmed or denied the claim‚ but she suggested she and Wade are being scrutinized because they are Black. Willis spoke about the matter for the first time on Sunday at the Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta. "They only attacked one‚" she said. "First thing they say‚ ‘Oh‚ she’s gonna play the race card now.’ "But no God‚ isn’t it them that’s playing the race card when they only question one‚" Willis asked. Trump’s co-defendant in the Georgia case‚ Michael Roman‚ accused Willis and Wade of having an "improper" and "clandestine" affair at the same time that appointments were being made for the 2020 election interference case. REPORT: Fani Willis was paying attorney John Floyd‚ considered to be an expert on RICO cases‚ $100/hr LESS than she paid her BF Nathan Wade‚ who had minimal experience. Wade subsequently used the money to take Willis on lavish vacations. The race card won't save Fani from the… pic.twitter.com/YzKCkGC0sO — Pro Swing Trading (@Pro__Trading) January 15‚ 2024 More here: Hearing on allegations against Fulton DA Fani Willis set for February 15 pic.twitter.com/Y8Lt6iHC1r — Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) January 18‚ 2024 Revolver News shared this: It all started with that alleged affair that Big Fani had with her lead investigator‚ who was looking into President Trump. That man’s name is Big Fani‚ and it doesn’t sound like she’s denying the affair‚ which left this man’s poor wife destitute. Newsweek: Fani Willis appeared to refer to allegations that she had an affair for the first time‚ as she gave a speech in church. A lawsuit brought against Willis by one of the co-defendants in the Donald Trump case‚ which the Fulton County district attorney is in charge of‚ alleges she “engaged in a personal‚ romantic relationship” with prosecutor Nathan Wade. Brought by Michael Roman‚ it claims Willis “personally benefited from” from the alleged affair‚ meaning she acted “to defraud the public of honest services.” “I hope for y’all this week I don’t look like what I’ve been through‚” Willis said‚ as she addressed the Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta‚ Georgia‚ ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She didn’t explicitly talk about the allegations‚ or deny them. While Roman’s case hasn’t yet presented evidence to support the allegations‚ Willis called herself “flawed and imperfect” during an emotional speech‚ adding that she had faced death threats and experienced “loneliness.” It was during this church speech that Fani claimed she paid everyone the same amount. The Newsweek piece goes on: The three prosecutors hired were all paid the “same hourly rate‚” according to Willis in her church speech‚ but Wade is accused of benefiting financially and “being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to prosecute this case on her behalf.” Roman said Wade is also inexperienced. County records seen by The Hill show Wade was paid legal fees of $654‚000 from 2022 to 2023 in relation to the Trump case. The filed motion continued: “[Wade] will continue to be incentivized to prosecute this case based on his personal and financial motives‚ so he has acquired a unique and personal interest or stake in Mr. Roman’s continued prosecution. That is‚ he is motivated to prosecute Mr. Roman for as long as possible because he will continue to make exorbitant sums of money.” In her speech‚ Willis suggested there was racial motivation behind the attacks against her. It sounds like Fani the homewrecker is trying to play the sympathy card. But the alleged affair and her church comments have landed Big Fani in a heap of trouble. As people dig deeper into her business dealings‚ more lies and inconsistencies are surfacing. For example‚ Fani said at church that she paid all her “special prosecutors” equally. However‚ the contracts from Fulton County paint a very different picture. Ironically‚ John Floyd‚ the most seasoned among them and an expert in RICO law‚ received the least compensation‚ and he’s also the only white guy on the team. It seems like Fani might be running her own version of a DEI program in Georgia‚ to boot. But it wasn’t just a little bit less; Big Fani reportedly undercut expert John by a lot. Meanwhile‚ she overpaid the guy she was having an affair with‚ who supposedly used the money to take her on BIG vacations. What do you think? NATIONAL POLL: Should Fani Willis Be Disbarred?

A statement has been released by a representative from the Department of Defense in relation to the recently surfaced footage. The video‚ depicting a jellyfish-shaped object (purportedly cloaked) moving over a US military base‚ was captured using a thermal imaging camera. The video gained attention when UFO investigator Jeremy Corbell‚ who claimed that someone in the military had taken a significant risk to provide him with the footage‚ shared it online earlier this month. During the initial revelation‚ Corbell mentioned‚ “It goes over a body of water. I’m told it stops on a dime‚ descends stiff into the water‚ and for 17 minutes nothing. And boom! This thing comes out of the water and shoots off at 45 degrees.” In a recent development‚ Sue Gough‚ the spokesperson for the Department of Defense‚ has stepped forward to address inquiries about the video. Gough stated‚ “[We] do not comment on the authenticity of alleged DoD material that may have been leaked.” The Department of Defense (DoD) regards public interest in unidentified anomalous phenomena with seriousness and emphasizes a commitment to transparency and accountability to the American people. However‚ this dedication is carefully weighed against the department’s responsibility to safeguard sensitive information‚ sources‚ and methods. The statement has sparked speculation that it could indicate the authenticity of the video. NewsNation special correspondent Ross Coulthart remarked‚ “I must say it’s very revealing for what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t provide a categorical denial.” Coulthart characterized it as a common approach for governments and intelligence services when they choose not to directly address a question‚ essentially adopting a stance of neither confirming nor denying. Source: News Nation Now