The Baseball Gods are a famously touchy pantheon. They do not tolerate arrogance, they do not care about your draft stock, and they certainly do not approve of a man with a 4.96 ERA shouting, &#8220;You’re f***ing mine!&#8221; after pumping in a blistering, radar-melting&#8230; 89 mph fastball.
During Tuesday’s single-elimination SEC tournament opener, Vanderbilt starter Connor Fennell clearly forgot the golden rule of the diamond: never write checks with your mouth that your arm can&#8217;t cash.
In his classic book &#8220;The Boys of Summer,&#8221; Roger Kahn wrote about the poetic, tragic beauty of aging players losing their fastballs. But Fennell didn&#8217;t lose his — he just never had one to begin with. Throwing 89 mph in 2026 isn&#8217;t pitching; it’s an invitation to a batting practice session. Yet, after getting a strike against Kentucky&#8217;s Carson Hansen, Fennell puffed his chest like he was peak Sandy Koufax.
Fennell yelled at Hansen, &#8220;You’re f*cking mine, let’s go!&#8221;
&#8220;No way this guy is talking like this and topping 89,&#8221; one fan <a href="https://x.com/JHumphry25/status/2056850582816625124">wrote</a> on X. Another <a href="https://x.com/Tyler_Palmer9/status/2056853076225523742">noted</a>, &#8220;Kid should be in jail for doing this throwing squirrel nuts.&#8221;
The universe’s reaction was instantaneous. If Fennell had read &#8220;The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop,&#8221; he’d know that the dice of fate are unforgiving. On the very next pitch, Hansen channeled his inner Roy Hobbs from &#8220;The Natural.&#8221; He didn&#8217;t just hit the ball; he launched a cosmic missile over the left-center field wall, reducing Fennell&#8217;s bravado to atoms. The way the pitcher flinched at the crack of the bat was Chad Harbach’s &#8220;The Art of Fielding&#8221; rewritten as a tragicomedy.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Karma Police got Connor Fennell. 🔊🚨 <a href="https://t.co/B1v5acm9oI">pic.twitter.com/B1v5acm9oI</a>
&mdash; Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/2056829739248001211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Mercifully for Vanderbilt, the rest of the team actually showed up. While Fennell was left contemplating the universe, Alex Kranzler emerged from the bullpen like a mythical savior, throwing 4.1 innings of spectacular, one-hit shutdown ball to secure the 8-5 win. A four-run sixth inning and a clutch Brodie Johnston home run saved the Commodores from elimination and set up a date with Florida.
Vanderbilt survives to play another day, but Fennell’s reputation remains somewhere in orbit alongside Hansen’s home run ball.
Next time, Connor, just throw the ball and let the defense do the talking.

COLLEGE BASEBALL: MAY 19 SEC Baseball Tournament – Vanderbilt vs Kentucky

Talk Trash, Get Smashed: Never Write Checks Your Fastball Can’t Cash

Baseball

University of Kentucky

Vanderbilt University

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A Vanderbilt University administrator was caught on camera admitting that the school is actively pursuing diversity, equity, and inclusion goals in violation of President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive action cracking down on colleges pushing the leftist DEI agenda.
G.L. Black, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, said last month that the school remains &#8220;thoughtful around DEI work&#8221; and its &#8220;focus on belonging and building communities and sustaining communities and access and resources,&#8221; according to a video obtained by The Daily Wire.
&#8220;All the things that I would say are components of DEI work are part of what we do,&#8221; Black added. &#8220;Even if we don&#8217;t label everything as DEI work.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Footage obtained by The Daily Wire shows the <a href="https://twitter.com/VanderbiltU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VanderbiltU</a> Vice Provost for Student Affairs admitting that the university continues to push DEI, &#8220;even if we don&#8217;t label everything as DEI work.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/MZbv8enIgf">pic.twitter.com/MZbv8enIgf</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1948423032411688999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Along with being nationally recognized for its pre-law and business programs, Vanderbilt — located in Nashville, Tennessee — is also a leading medical school, <a href="https://news.vumc.org/2024/03/11/school-of-medicine-in-top-10-in-nih-funding-survey-2/#:~:text=Vanderbilt%20University%20School%20of%20Medicine,of%20the%20last%2010%20years.">receiving</a> hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Last year, Vanderbilt ranked 10th in the country in total research support from the NIH.
After taking office in January, President Trump signed multiple executive orders targeting DEI practices in the federal government and at federally funded colleges and universities. In one executive <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/">order</a>, Trump blasted DEI policies, saying they &#8220;undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.&#8221;
Vanderbilt told The Daily Wire that it remains &#8220;fully compliant with all applicable federal and state laws&#8221; and added that it is &#8220;aware of recent covert recordings by external groups on university campuses nationwide.&#8221;
&#8220;Any comments by individual employees that suggest otherwise do not reflect university policy and are being reviewed through appropriate channels,&#8221; the university said.
Vice Provost Black did not return a request to comment from The Daily Wire.
After publication of this article, Vanderbilt released a statement saying that it hired the law firm Baker Donelson, which &#8220;will be tasked with reviewing the specific circumstances related to the recordings and identifying steps the university can take to ensure all employees fully understand the university’s policies and consistently act in accordance.&#8221;
&#8220;The university will review the findings and recommendations of the report and take any appropriate follow-up actions,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;As part of our protocol, staff involved will step back from regular responsibilities to allow the review to unfold.&#8221;
The Education Department told The Daily Wire that Vanderbilt is already under investigation &#8220;for allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.&#8221; That <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/office-civil-rights-initiates-title-vi-investigations-institutions-of-higher-education-0">investigation</a>, which was announced in March, also targets 44 other universities nationwide. The Education Department alleges that Vanderbilt&#8217;s PhD Project, which focuses on providing networking opportunities for PhD students, “limits eligibility based on the race of the participants.”
&#8220;We expect all academic institutions that receive taxpayer support to abide by federal law and will continue to vigorously hold violators accountable,&#8221; the Education Department added.
Another Vanderbilt employee was recently caught on camera saying that the university&#8217;s DEI agenda has remained unchanged, even if the name has changed, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watch-dei-efforts-were-rebranded-2-red-state-colleges-skirt-trump-orders-staffers-admit">reported</a>. She said the new names for DEI help &#8220;clue people in.&#8221;
&#8220;At one point, you know, everybody, like different universities, were under investigation for their, like, DEI practices and stuff like that. So, that&#8217;s why I think the naming has changed,&#8221; said Ivie Carmouche, an academic coach at the university&#8217;s Center for Student Wellbeing.
&#8220;We&#8217;re in the Center for Student Wellbeing — like I said, we have things that clue people in and let people know that this is a safe space for everybody,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Belonging and Communities is like as close to that DEI work you can probably get. Previously, they were the Center for Social Justice and Identities.&#8221;
Yet another Vanderbilt employee was recently caught discussing the school&#8217;s DEI policies and ripping Republican Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn.
&#8220;We have this one, gosh I think she&#8217;s a representative or something like that, and I just heard that she may run for governor. And I&#8217;m going, oh God, help us,&#8221; said Janet Roberts, Vanderbilt&#8217;s Peabody Facilities Manager. &#8220;She&#8217;s ridiculous.&#8221;
&#8220;We are heavily supported by federal funding &#8230; we&#8217;re not advertising diversity and inclusion lectures,&#8221; Roberts added. &#8220;We&#8217;re flying under the radar.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨BUSTED: <a href="https://twitter.com/VanderbiltU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VanderbiltU</a>&#39;s Janet Roberts was CAUGHT ON CAMERA disparaging Sen. Marsha Blackburn and hiding the school&#39;s DEI practices. 
&quot;God help us&#8230;[<a href="https://twitter.com/MarshaBlackburn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarshaBlackburn</a>&#39;s] ridiculous&quot;
&quot;We are heavily supported by federal funding&#8230;[so] we&#39;re not advertising diversity and… <a href="https://t.co/CIxV6FCrwe">pic.twitter.com/CIxV6FCrwe</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1948057680871886969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Blackburn on Wednesday wrote to Vanderbilt University Chancellor Dr. Daniel Diermeier to express her &#8220;concern regarding reports that Vanderbilt University is concealing its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs instead of fully complying with President Trump’s executive action to end wasteful DEI programs in educational institutions,&#8221; The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-blackburn-warns-tennessee-universities-against-hiding-dei-programs-behind-coded-language">reported</a>.
&#8220;Renaming woke DEI programs to circumvent compliance and public scrutiny degrades the educational experience of your students and the trust placed in institutions of higher education like Vanderbilt,&#8221; Blackburn added. &#8220;As a beneficiary of federal funding, Vanderbilt has a responsibility to align with the President’s executive order and return to a focus on providing quality education to your students. Instead of rebranding harmful, woke DEI initiatives, woke DEI initiatives, Vanderbilt should focus on the important work of research and workforce development that the institution does so well.&#8221;
Administrators at two other Tennessee universities, the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watch-dei-efforts-were-rebranded-2-red-state-colleges-skirt-trump-orders-staffers-admit">University of Tennessee</a> and <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/07/16/belmont-university-is-hiding-illegal-aliens-on-campus-n2659728">Belmont University</a>, were recently caught on camera discussing their respective institutions&#8217; DEI goals.
This article has been updated to include an additional statement from Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Vanderbilt Administrator Caught Saying DEI Remains ‘Part Of What We Do’

Department of Education

Nashville

Tennessee

Trump Administration

Universities

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is warning major universities across her state to scrap DEI programs or risk their taxpayer-funded federal support.
Blackburn sent letters on Wednesday to the heads of Belmont University, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and Vanderbilt University expressing “concern” over reports that the universities are hiding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs behind sanitized language. The warning comes after a series of undercover videos show employees at the universities discussing how they will push the liberal orthodoxy despite orders by the Trump administration to halt them.
The letters are largely similar, though each reflects details of the situations specific to the universities. The senator sent the letters after officials at each university were caught on camera admitting to certain tactics and ploys each institution has adopted to avoid scrutiny of their DEI programs.
“Renaming woke DEI programs to circumvent compliance and public scrutiny degrades the educational experience of your students and the trust placed in institutions of higher education,” reads a similar section posted in each letter.
“As a beneficiary of federal funding,” writes Blackburn, the university “has a responsibility to align with the President’s executive order and return to a focus on providing quality education to your students.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://t.co/O2yooEiDHJ">pic.twitter.com/O2yooEiDHJ</a>
&mdash; Tim Pearce (@timbpearce) <a href="https://twitter.com/timbpearce/status/1948178903102591015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In the past week, controversy has erupted around each of the universities after hidden camera recordings caught employees admitting that at their respective institutions, university leadership has hidden DEI programs behind more benign language.
At the University of Tennessee, for instance, the university&#8217;s DEI initiatives have been wrapped under the &#8220;Access &amp; Engagement&#8221; office, a coordinator at the office said on a hidden camera. At Vanderbilt, the Center for Student Wellbeing has taken over DEI-related programs, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watch-dei-efforts-were-rebranded-2-red-state-colleges-skirt-trump-orders-staffers-admit">Fox News</a>.
“We’re in the Center for Student Wellbeing – like I said, we have things that clue people in and let people know that this is a safe space for everybody,” an academic coach in the center said. &#8220;Belonging and Communities is like as close to that DEI work you can probably get. Previously, they were the Center for Social Justice and Identities.”
At Belmont University, the institution is not only continuing DEI under another name, but it is also enrolling illegal aliens, Belmont University Assistant Director of Student Success and Flourishing Jozef Lukey said in an undercover video first reported by <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/07/16/belmont-university-is-hiding-illegal-aliens-on-campus-n2659728">Townhall</a>.
“We definitely have to navigate very carefully and just cautiously just because we just don&#8217;t ever know,” he said. “Especially with the ICE raids that are happening in the city that impacts our campus.”
All three universities have denied the claims caught in the undercover videos, noting that individual employees do not speak for the institutions. The universities have also asserted that they follow all relevant laws and regulations.
The Trump administration has taken a combative stance against DEI and other “woke” initiatives across college campuses, picking fights with high-profile institutions such as Harvard and Columbia. The Trump administration has threatened or yanked taxpayer funding from a slate of top-tier schools over DEI programs, antisemitism, allowing males in female sports, and other issues.
The White House’s wrangling with Harvard has so far cost the university more than $2 billion in frozen funding. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the administration will investigate Harvard’s eligibility for a federal visa program that allows the university to sponsor foreign students and faculty.

Marsha Blackburn

EXCLUSIVE: Blackburn Sends Warning Shot To Tennessee Schools After Undercover Videos Reveal DEI Push

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

This month, America commemorates the 100th anniversary of a landmark cultural event that taught us about the dangers of censorship. July of 1925 witnessed the “Scopes Monkey Trial,” where a Dayton, Tennessee, public school teacher was put on trial for violating a state law that prohibited teaching human evolution.
The teaching of scientific ideas should never be banned, much less criminalized. We like to think of censorship as something from the dark ages of the past, before our modern enlightened era vanquished intellectual intolerance. But 100 years after Scopes, we have what the late Supreme Court Justice Scalia once called “Scopes-in-reverse,” where scientists and scholars face reprisals if they challenge neo-Darwinian evolution.
For about 20 years I’ve been collecting examples of academic speech codes that prevent faculty from discussing scientific alternatives to Darwin. For example:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Back in 2005, Cornell’s interim president devoted a State of the University Address <a href="https://president.cornell.edu/the-presidency/archives/rawlings/20051021-state-of-the-university-address/">to denounce</a> &#8220;intelligent design (ID),&#8221; arguing that it has no place in science classrooms. &#8220;The answer is that intelligent design is not valid as science, that is, it has no ability to develop new knowledge through hypothesis testing&#8230;&#8221;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Also in 2005, the president of the University of Idaho instituted a campus-wide <a href="https://evolutionnews.org/2008/10/banned_book_week_and_intellige_2/">speech-code</a>, where “evolution” was “the only curriculum that is appropriate” for science classes. This was done in retaliation against biology professor Scott Minnich, who had just testified in favor of intelligent design at the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial — a case which ultimately banned ID from public schools in Dover, PA.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jerry Coyne, a University of Chicago evolutionary biologist and atheist blogger, <a href="https://evolutionnews.org/2011/03/jerry_coyne/">once wrote</a> that “adherence to ID…should be absolute grounds for not hiring a science professor.” In 2013, Coyne attacked Eric Hedin, a physics professor at Ball State University (BSU), for briefly teaching about ID in an honors seminar. BSU’s president then caved, and issued a speech code declaring that “intelligent design is not appropriate content for science courses.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">In 2020, two Norwegian scientists published <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022519320302071">a paper</a> in Journal of Theoretical Biology citing the work of leading ID theorists and arguing for “a Design Science.” Facing pressure, the journal’s editors then issued <a href="https://retractionwatch.com/2020/10/15/editors-say-they-wont-retract-intelligent-design-paper-despite-subject-being-not-in-any-way-a-suitable-topic-for-their-journal/">a disclaimer</a> addressing no substantive arguments in the paper but implementing another speech code, announcing: “intelligent design is not in any way a suitable topic for the Journal of Theoretical Biology.”</li>
</ul>
Perhaps the most ironic recent example of evolutionary censorship will take place this month at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, not far down the road from Dayton, as it celebrates a “<a href="https://www.vanderbilt.edu/evolution/scopes-symposium/">Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial Centennial Symposium</a>.” Co-organized by <a href="https://www.vanderbilt.edu/evolution/">Vanderbilt’s Evolutionary Studies Institute</a> and the National Center for Science Education, the symposium includes many credible speakers from science, philosophy, and law. Intelligent design is on the schedule, and there is an entire session devoted to the Kitzmiller v. Dover case. Yet exactly zero pro-ID scientists or scholars are slated for the symposium.
In February, and again in May, I emailed the organizers of the Scopes Symposium, offering to provide names of credible pro-ID scientists who would be open to participating in their event. No one even replied.
The irony is palpable: a symposium that is supposed to be remembering the dangers of censorship regarding evolution is itself practicing censorship regarding evolution.
An even worse irony is that Vanderbilt’s website hosts an official <a href="https://www.vanderbilt.edu/dialogue-vanderbilt/free-expression/">“Dialogue Vanderbilt” / “Commitment to Free Expression”</a> page which boasts of the university’s supposed commitment to “bringing together people of differing viewpoints for a common purpose.” The page continues:
<blockquote>Transformative education, pathbreaking research and the timeless search for truth all require a wide variety of viewpoints, the uninhibited exchange of ideas, the persistent challenging of conventional wisdom, and courageous and vigorous debate.
A university that dutifully transmits canonical knowledge, but is not at the same time alive with diverse perspectives, probing critique and the practice of query and argument, is a university in name only.</blockquote>
The page then lauds the importance of “institutional neutrality,” quoting former Vanderbilt Chancellor Alexander Heard stating: “A university&#8217;s obligation is not to protect students from ideas, but rather to expose them to ideas, and to help make them capable of handling and, hopefully, having ideas.”
The one-sided Scopes Symposium completely rejects these ideals, aiming to “protect” students from non-Darwinian viewpoints — directly violating the Chancellor Heard’s warning. By Vanderbilt’s own standards, apparently it is “a university in name only.”
A century ago, religious fundamentalists excluded evolution from education. Yet today, evolution advocates do the same to intelligent design. Vanderbilt’s Scopes symposium is just the latest reminder that in our modern era of “Scopes-in-reverse,” the power dynamic has shifted 180 degrees, but the problem of censorship still remains.
* * *
Casey Luskin holds a PhD in Geology from the University of Johannesburg and a law degree from the University of San Diego. He is Associate Director of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute and co-author of the book &#8220;Science and Human Origins.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

William Jennings Bryan At Scopes Trial

A Century After The Scopes Trial, Censorship Still Thrives In Evolution Debate

Bible

Charles Darwin

Debate

Opinion

Supreme Court

trial

On Wednesday morning, the Supreme Court handed Team Sanity the victory we’ve all been fighting for.
In United States v. Skrmetti, the high court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-upholds-tennessees-ban-on-transgender-drugs-for-children?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mairead+Elordi&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Supreme+Court+Upholds+Tennessee%E2%80%99s+Ban+On+Transgender+Drugs+For+Children">ruled</a> 6-3, upholding Tennessee’s ban on child castration, sterilization, and mutilation — the result of Matt Walsh’s investigation into Vanderbilt Hospital. This is a crushing defeat for the gender cult that would not have existed without The Daily Wire’s reporting and the support of our members.
<h3><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=paid&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_content=na_subscriptions">Join the fight to protect our children and become a DailyWire+ member. </a></h3>
In 2022, Walsh <a href="https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313369528635392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1572313523232931840%7Ctwgr%5Ee812ea30b28c5a961e2c1f05bbd60185ad5fbd26%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fadolescent-chest-reconstruction-surgeries-increase-nearly-400-in-us-report">published</a> a deep dive into Vanderbilt University Medical Center, revealing their administration of irreversible hormone drugs and mastectomies on kids. The exposé on Vanderbilt’s gender procedures generated a firestorm of backlash among Americans who were horrified by the dangers of the radical gender treatments on children. 
Since Walsh began shining a light on the issue, more information has emerged on the dangers of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. Puberty blockers can affect bone growth and density and cause sexual dysfunction, voice damage, and infertility, among other issues, while cross-sex hormones can cause infertility, deadly blood clots, heart attacks, increased risk of both breast and ovarian cancers, liver dysfunction, worsening psychological illness, and other serious conditions.
Walsh, along with The Daily Wire, were among the first to sound the alarm on these health risks for children, and we have continued to advocate for protecting children from irreversible gender procedures. Walsh hosted a “Rally to End Child Mutilation” at the State Capitol, where lawmakers pledged action — and delivered, banning transgender drugs and surgeries on children in Tennessee. More Republican-led states soon followed.  
Of course, the Left fought back. The ACLU and the Biden administration sued to block Tennessee’s law on child gender procedures, but on Wednesday, the Supreme Court sided with Tennessee. They sided with us.
Because of your support, we changed history.
Victories like this are rare in journalism, and we should celebrate. The next step is a nationwide ban on this barbarism. That’s now more achievable than ever. But we need your continued support. 
This is what The Daily Wire does.
We don’t just report. We expose. We provoke. We fight.
We told the truth when no one else would. In 2022, we released “What is a Woman?” — a documentary that demolished gender pseudoscience with clarity, courage, and yes, humor. The left tried to cancel it. But millions watched anyway.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman">CLICK HERE TO WATCH WHAT IS A WOMAN?</a>
In 2024, we partnered with Turning Point USA to release Identity Crisis, a raw, gut-wrenching look at the damage gender ideology has done to children, families, and society. Detransitioners. Parents. Whistleblowers. All silenced by the media. But not by us.
These aren’t just documentaries. They’re weapons of truth.
And they’ve changed the game.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/identity-crisis">CLICK HERE TO WATCH IDENTITY CRISIS</a>

SCOTUS Hands Daily Wire Major Victory In Protecting Children From Gender Procedures

Children

Daily Wire

Matt Walsh

Transgender

The Tennessee General Assembly sent two bills cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to Republican Governor Bill Lee&#8217;s desk on Tuesday as the legislative session came to a close.
One bill would ban publicly funded universities and state and local governments from maintaining DEI offices, while the other bill would prohibit those same entities from making hiring decisions based on race. Both bills passed with overwhelming Republican support.
&#8220;DEI violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson <a href="https://tnga.granicus.com/player/clip/31993?view_id=775&amp;meta_id=914498&amp;redirect=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Tuesday. “We don’t need DEI in our state, Mr. Speaker. We need to hire people and promote people based on their merit. Diversity is a wonderful thing and it will happen. But we’re not going to make diversity the number one objective when we’re trying to serve our constituents and hire good people to take care of our constituents. It will be based on qualifications and merit.”
Johnson was the prime Senate sponsor of both the &#8220;Dismantling DEI Departments Act,&#8221; which <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1084" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibits</a> DEI offices for publicly funded entities, and the &#8220;Dismantle DEI Act,&#8221; which <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0622" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bans</a> public entities from making hiring decisions based on DEI.
“We want to make sure that we are not discriminating when it comes to hiring people at all levels of government in the state of Tennessee. Similarly, we want to make sure that we are not discriminating when it comes to delivering services to our constituents,&#8221; Johnson said from the Senate floor on Tuesday. 
The &#8220;Dismantling DEI Departments Act&#8221; passed the Senate 26-6 and the House 72-25, while the &#8220;Dismantle DEI Act&#8221; passed the Senate 27-6 and the House 73-24.
The Dismantling DEI Department Act would prohibit state government departments or agencies, county governments, city governments, and public universities &#8220;from maintaining or authorizing an office or department that promotes or requires discriminatory preferences in an effort to increase diversity, equity, or inclusion,&#8221; <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1084" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a summary of the bill.
Its companion bill, the &#8220;Dismantling DEI Act,&#8221; would prohibit those same entities from basing hiring decisions on characteristics like race and sex, &#8220;rather than on individual merit, qualifications, veteran status, or lawful eligibility criteria.&#8221;
DEI has been a hot topic in the state in recent weeks, especially at major universities like Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanderbilt-hospital-ends-all-dei-programs-after-being-accused-of-cover-up?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Vanderbilt+Hospital+Ends+All+DEI+Programs+After+Being+Accused+Of+Cover-Up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> of &#8220;concealing&#8221; its DEI programs in violation of President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive order for universities that receive federal funding to eliminate DEI programs.
After pressure from Senator Marsha Blackburn, Vanderbilt University Medical Center confirmed that it would be continuing to take steps to get rid of DEI at the university.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Text on Wood Block

‘Don’t Need DEI In Our State’: Republicans Move To Close Government, University DEI Offices

Bill Lee

Donald Trump

Vanderbilt University Medical Center gave in to a public pressure campaign to end all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs on Wednesday afternoon, just a day after receiving a letter from Tennessee&#8217;s Republican senator, Marsha Blackburn, accusing the hospital of &#8220;concealing&#8221; the DEI work.
In a statement from the university hospital, it said it intends to fully comply with President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive order.
“Vanderbilt University Medical Center is eliminating all DEI programs and is fully complying with Executive Actions on DEI,&#8221; the statement <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2025/04/16/vanderbilt-university-medical-center-eliminating-all-dei-programs/">said</a>. &#8220;Shortly after the Executive Orders were issued, VUMC began removing related content on internal and external websites to reflect the termination of these programs. VUMC will continue to comply with federal mandates and directives.”
The announcement comes just one day after Blackburn wrote a <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/services/files/4387EAC3-4C5F-44F1-9FF2-45E995761DBB">letter to VUMC President Jeffrey Balser</a>, accusing the university of concealing its DEI efforts and urging him to comply with Trump’s executive orders against the ideology.
“VUMC has recently scrubbed its website of references to DEI initiatives at the institution, going so far as to password protect web pages tied to DEI and climate activism. Concerningly, though, offices such as the Office of Health Equity, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office for Diversity Affairs are seemingly still active,” Blackburn wrote in her letter to Blaser. “President Trump has been clear on this issue. His recent executive orders correctly prohibited DEI programs at federally funded research institutions and ended the recognition of gender identity apart from biological sex.”
“As a beneficiary of federal funding, VUMC has a responsibility to align with the President’s executive orders,” Blackburn went on to add. “Instead of covering up VUMC’s DEI initiatives, I urge you to comply with President Trump’s effort to responsibility allocate taxpayer dollars and immediately cease all DEI initiatives.”
Vanderbilt&#8217;s hospital is perhaps best known for its transgender procedures on children, which were revealed by Daily Wire host Matt Walsh. The hospital described the practice of so-called &#8220;gender-affirming&#8221; care for children as a &#8220;big money-maker.&#8221;
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BREAKING: My team and I have been investigating the transgender clinic at Vanderbilt here in Nashville. Vanderbilt drugs, chemically castrates, and performs double mastectomies on minors. But it gets worse. Here is what we found. Let&#39;s start at the beginning.
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313369528635392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The investigation by Matt Walsh led to Governor Bill Lee calling for an investigation, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tn-senate-leader-credits-daily-wire-investigation-for-inspiring-ban-on-gender-procedures-for-minors">ultimately resulted</a> in a Tennessee state law protecting children from medical interventions that seek to change their sex. That law was recently debated in the Supreme Court, where Walsh rallied activists against mutilating children.

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Vanderbilt Hospital Ends All DEI Programs After Being Accused Of Cover-Up

Jack Johnson, the Republican Tennessee state Senate majority leader, told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/12/03/us-news/gop-tennessee-leader-cautiously-optimistic-supreme-court-will-uphold-ban-on-trans-surgeries-for-minors-test-case-for-the-nation/">New York Post</a> that Matt Walsh&#8217;s investigation into Vanderbilt University Medical Center giving puberty blockers and hormones to children was the reason the state legislature passed a bill banning the life-altering procedures on minors.
The Tennessee law protecting children from puberty blockers and hormones is now before the Supreme Court with oral arguments beginning on Wednesday in the case United States v. Jonathan Skrmetti. Tennessee passed its ban on gender procedures on minors after Walsh revealed in 2022 that the pediatric transgender clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) performed double mastectomies and chemical castrations on gender-confused children.
Johnson said he&#8217;s &#8220;cautiously optimistic&#8221; that the Supreme Court will rule in the state&#8217;s favor after the Sixth Circuit of Appeals <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-devastating-ruling-for-the-trans-cult-matt-walsh-breaks-down-federal-courts-quashing-of-aclu-in-tn-trans-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">upheld</a> Tennessee&#8217;s ban on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender procedures on minors.
&#8220;Tennessee’s law that I sponsored will effectively be the test case for the nation. So we’re very excited, humbled, and cautiously optimistic that the Supreme Court will see it as the Sixth Circuit did,&#8221; Johnson told the Post.
&#8220;By no means would I be so presumptuous as to predict what the Supreme Court will do. I have tremendous respect for the court,&#8221; he added. &#8220;What’s at stake is effectively the rights of states to regulate these types of medical procedures.&#8221;
Just before Tennessee&#8217;s law went into effect in July of 2023, the Biden administration secured a preliminary injunction from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, which blocked the law.
&#8220;The science is unproven, it’s unsettled. The long-term ramifications of these types of procedures on kids is very unsettled, and in many cases, leads to very bad outcomes and potentially a lifetime of medical complications,&#8221; Johnson said.
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Walsh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/matt-walsh-to-speak-outside-scotus-as-court-hears-monumental-transgender-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will speak</a> outside of the Supreme Court at a rally put on by Do No Harm on Wednesday as justices hear arguments on the monumental case. The Daily Wire host, who has led a nationwide movement to protect children from gender procedures, said that a win at the Supreme Court would be another step toward a bigger goal.
“What gender ideology lacks in logic, science and morality, it makes up for in left wing money, violent activism, educational indoctrination, and legacy media support,” Walsh said Monday. “But we won’t stop working to protect children from this barbaric ideology. Once the Biden administration and trans activists are exposed at the Supreme Court, the next step is a nationwide ban on child sex-changes.”

TN Senate Leader Credits Daily Wire Investigation For Inspiring Ban On Gender Procedures For Minors

Social Issues

The Daily Wire

U.S.

The United States appears to be entering a golden age, as signaled by President-elect Donald Trump’s reelection last week, according to Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro.
Shapiro spoke at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday evening on the significance of Trump’s election and what it means for the future of the United States. 
“For the first time in a long time, I really feel like we are entering the best days of America,” Shapiro began his speech. “It does feel like we are entering a new golden age for the country for three specific reasons, because there are three things that make a golden age for a country or a civilization or even an individual in their life: liberty, strength, virtue.”
While it may seem odd that the man leading the U.S. into its golden age is Trump, Shapiro said that the American people made the decision to pursue the “golden age” through liberty, strength, and virtue.
“I don’t think the election so much was about President Trump – obviously, he’s a singular figure in American history – as much as it was about the American people who were just done,” Shapiro said. “We were just done. We were done with the age of stagnation. We were done with the age of moral confusion. We were done with an age that suggested that weakness was a substitute for strength, and that foolishness was a substitute for virtue, or that regulation was a substitute for liberty.”
Shapiro said that the golden age will see an expansion of liberty that can be measured in economic terms. Liberty combined with property rights leads to innovation, and with Trump’s government cutting regulations, the U.S. will see a surge in investment and economic growth. Trump’s agenda will create an environment where the best innovators in the United States can succeed and thrive.
“Liberty means we have to let geniuses be geniuses. In fact, we should help geniuses achieve their very best,” Shapiro said.
“The world only has freedom and prosperity because of the United States of America. Only. Okay, it is the threat of military force, or the use of military force by the United States of America that keeps the world free safe and prosperous. It is simply that. That’s all. There is no one else. Okay, if the United States were to disappear tomorrow, the world would decay into darkness almost overnight.”
On American strength, the first four years under Trump were the best American foreign policy “in my lifetime,” Shapiro said. The Daily Wire host attributed that foreign policy success to what he defined as the four pillars of the “Trump doctrine.”
The first pillar of the Trump doctrine is that “America is governed by her interests.” The second pillar builds on the first and is a recognition that, because resources are scarce, the United States needs to calibrate its response wisely to global events to ensure its most critical interests are protected.
The third pillar concerns military conflict: “If you are going to go [to war], you use every means at your disposal to achieve your interests.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
During Trump’s first administration, the United States did not enter any new foreign conflicts, which could be attributed to what Shapiro defined as the fourth principle of the Trump doctrine: “The final principle is, you let everyone know the first three principles.”
“The credible threat of use of force is the basis for all solid foreign policy, and if you express all of that, then you barely ever have to use military force,” Shapiro said.
Finally, the third component of a U.S. golden age will be a resurgence of virtue, which Shapiro defined as “people acting like responsible human beings with actual real roles and duties in the world.” Virtue built on religion is a prerequisite for any society that wants to incentivize strong families.
“If you’re not building a civilization around successful families, the civilization falls down,” Shapiro said.
“These three things – liberty, strength, and virtue – these are what’s going to save Western civilization,” Shapiro concluded.
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Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro At Vanderbilt: America Is Entering A ‘Golden Age’ Under Trump

Education

Politics

Vanderbilt University has expelled, suspended, or disciplined at least 27 students after an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unhinged-vanderbilt-protesters-call-911-for-one-to-change-her-tampon-resort-to-peeing-in-bottles-to-avoid-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-Israel sit-in protest</a> went off the wall last week.
Provost Cybele Raver said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/sfmcguire79/status/1776427584307220614" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that the university&#8217;s Student Accountability, Community Standards, and Academic Integrity Staff reviewed the protest and conducted interviews with students before issuing &#8220;a range of findings and sanctions that took the individual circumstances of each student&#8217;s conduct into account.&#8221; The provost added that the review led to disciplinary probation, suspension, and even expulsion for some students.
It was unclear how many students were expelled, but student-run newspaper The Vanderbilt Hustler <a href="https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/04/03/students-speak-out-against-suspension-of-kirkland-hall-sit-in-protesters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this week that 27 students had been suspended for their participation in the protest, which took place in Kirkland Hall, an administrative building on the Vanderbilt campus that was closed for construction. Three students were also arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault after they pushed past a Community Service Officer to enter the building, and a fourth student was charged with vandalism for allegedly breaking a window, WSMV <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2024/04/05/suspensions-expulsions-issued-after-vanderbilt-student-protest-turned-violent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Vanderbilt University posted footage from Kirkland Hall showing the large group of students overwhelming the officer as they charged into the building.
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&#8220;Students have 10 days to appeal their case to the university&#8217;s Appellate Review Board, a body consisting of faculty and students,&#8221; the provost&#8217;s statement added.
After making their way into the administrative building on March 26, students remained for around 21 hours to protest the administration&#8217;s decision to stop the student government from voting on an anti-Israel referendum. Videos posted to social media show some of the student protesters panicking as they worried they would be arrested if they left the building to use the bathroom.
Others complained that “Vanderbilt administration is starving protesters” after the officers monitoring the sit-in were brought food from Panera Bread for themselves.
“Vanderbilt administration prohibited students from receiving food from outside Kirkland and students are currently peeing in bottles,” one graphic posted by students about the sit-in claims.
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Protesters also called emergency medical services for a woman who said that she was at risk of toxic shock because she was not able to change her tampon and cited concerns that she would be arrested if she left the building.
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UPDATE: some of the students seem to be panicking.
They called 9-1-1 because they’re worried one of them could go into toxic shock.
They’re also worried she’ll be arrested if she leaves the building. <a href="https://t.co/U08EzaYLG2">https://t.co/U08EzaYLG2</a> <a href="https://t.co/NrXAQvuxeu">pic.twitter.com/NrXAQvuxeu</a>
&mdash; Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfmcguire79/status/1772809758673629347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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In her statement, Provost Raver said the university understands that students&#8217; choices come with &#8220;costly consequences.&#8221;
&#8220;The gravity of this situation and these outcomes weighs heavily on those of us charged with carrying out our responsibility as leaders; we fully understand that student choices and decisions can lead to serious and costly consequences,” said Raver.
Spencer Lindquist contributed to this report.

Vanderbilt University stadium

Vanderbilt Expels Students Who Participated In Anti-Israel Protest

Israel

Police

Protest

Student protesters at Vanderbilt University who were staging a sit-in protest against Israel fell into a state of panic over logistical mishaps, and ended up urinating into plastic bottles and calling 911 because a woman said she&#8217;d go into toxic shock if she couldn&#8217;t change her tampon.
The students rushed into Kirkland Hall, an administrative building on the Vanderbilt campus that was closed for construction, pushing past a Community Service Officer. Once inside the building, the demonstrators remained for about <a href="https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/03/27/breaking-students-forcibly-leave-sit-in-three-arrested-and-16-suspended/">21.5 hours</a>, protesting the administration’s decision to halt a vote from the student government in favor of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
The protest was derailed however when the students realized they couldn&#8217;t leave the hall to handle basic bodily functions without getting arrested for their protest. At one point in the protest, demonstrators <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsey_beyeler/status/1772772164250320949">gathered</a> in front of Kirkland Hall and clapped while chanting “Let them pee.”
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UPDATE: some of the students seem to be panicking.
They called 9-1-1 because they’re worried one of them could go into toxic shock.
They’re also worried she’ll be arrested if she leaves the building. <a href="https://t.co/U08EzaYLG2">https://t.co/U08EzaYLG2</a> <a href="https://t.co/NrXAQvuxeu">pic.twitter.com/NrXAQvuxeu</a>
&mdash; Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfmcguire79/status/1772809758673629347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Other protesters called emergency medical services for a woman who said that she was at risk of toxic shock because she was not able to change her tampon and cited concerns that she would be arrested if she left the building.
Protesters also complained that “Vanderbilt administration is starving protesters” after the officers monitoring the sit-in were brought food from Panera Bread for themselves. “Vanderbilt administration prohibited students from receiving food from outside Kirkland and students are currently peeing in bottles,” one graphic posted by students about the sit-in claims.
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Later in the evening, the students said the administration brought Panera Bread for security but was denying food and bathroom access to students.
They were peeing in bottles. <a href="https://t.co/NNEtcLtpiq">pic.twitter.com/NNEtcLtpiq</a>
&mdash; Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfmcguire79/status/1772960756939550803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Vanderbilt Spokeswoman Julia Jordan explained the reasons for the arrests in a statement, noting that three students pushed “a Community Service Officer and a staff member who offered to meet with them as they entered Kirkland Hall on Tuesday,” going on to add that “a fourth student has been charged with vandalism after breaking a window on the building’s exterior last evening.”
“All of the protest participants who breached the building will be placed on interim suspension,” Jordan went on to say. “Yesterday’s protest at Kirkland Hall was not a peaceful one. It began with the assault of a Vanderbilt community service officer and continued with protesters physically pushing Vanderbilt staff members with the hope of entering and occupying the chancellor’s office.”
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One journalist covering the event on behalf of the Nashville Scene was <a href="https://nashvillebanner.com/2024/03/26/vanderbilt-university-reporter-arrest/">arrested</a> by the Vanderbilt University Police Department after he allegedly attempted to enter an administrative building despite being told by authorities that he could not enter.
“The Nashville Scene reporter, after repeated attempts to enter the administration building through multiple locked doors with signs noting the building was closed and being told by officers it was off limits, was eventually detained, arrested and released without charges filed,” a statement from Jordan reads.
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Scene reporter Eli Motycka (<a href="https://twitter.com/ejmotycka?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ejmotycka</a>) was arrested by Vanderbilt police while reporting on student protests. <a href="https://t.co/5HPcRHtI7H">pic.twitter.com/5HPcRHtI7H</a>
&mdash; Nashville Scene (@NashvilleScene) <a href="https://twitter.com/NashvilleScene/status/1772700392058454389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Unhinged Vanderbilt Protesters Call 911 For Help To Change Tampon, Resort To Peeing In Bottles To Avoid Arrest

Protesters

Accusations of colonialism are used by leftists to smear &#8220;history’s victors,&#8221; or great men and civilizations, according to conservative commentator Michael Knowles.
Knowles, host of an eponymous podcast at The Daily Wire, delivered a speech in defense of colonists, colonialism, and settlements in a speech on Tuesday night at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. The conservative Catholic host said that colonialism, seen as universally oppressive by leftists, has rid the world of some of the worst human rights abusers.
Knowles began his lecture with a modern and timely example, the modern state of Israel. The Israeli state, now at war with the terror group Hamas, dubbed “freedom fighters” and de-colonizers by some, was built largely through settlement and colonization during the early 20th century, Knowles said.
Defending Israel against charges of colonization is a bad strategy, he said, because every nation is open to accusations of colonialism if one looks back far enough in history. The anti-colonialist standard is one that no nation could survive if applied equally, according to Knowles. 
“All regimes in history have been established by settlers and colonizers of one kind or another. Not since Adam in the Garden of Eden have any people sprouted out of the ground, and Adam, you might recall, had a little bit of help in the process, as well,” Knowles said.
American history is full of colonialist endeavors, tracing as far back as the explorer Christopher Columbus’ voyages to the Americas. Knowles used the Black Hills of South Dakota as an example. The Black Hills is the site of Mount Rushmore and declared by the Supreme Court in 1980 to have been illegally taken by the U.S. from the Lakota Sioux tribe.
“The Lakota Sioux did not magically sprout out of the Black Hills of South Dakota. In fact, the Lakota Sioux only possessed the Black Hills for about 100 years – less time, in fact, than the United States has possessed it. The Lakota only acquired the Black Hills in 1776, and the way they acquired it was by moving in from Minnesota and conquering the Cheyenne. So, should the U.S. government pay a billion dollars to the Lakota because we took Lakota land? Or should we pay a billion dollars to the Cheyenne because the Lakota took Cheyenne land?” Knowles asked, pointing out the impractical and unrealistic expectations that come out of an extreme anti-colonialist mindset.
In many instances, acts of colonization and expansion conquered much worse cultures, such as the Aztec that used tens of thousands of people annually as human sacrifices. The best version of colonialism, Knowles said, is one that instilled Christian values.
“If there will be conquest, it seems preferable that such conquest be Christian rather than demonic; the kind of imperialism that builds Santa Croce rather than Tenochtitlan; the sort of conquest that teaches people to love their enemies rather than to rip their hearts out,” Knowles said.
“I sometimes tell critics of Christian nationalism that if they think Christian nationalism is bad, just wait until they see un-Christian nationalism. The same is true of settlement, colonialism, and conquest. If you believe that the Western kind of conquest is bad, just wait until you see all the other kinds,” he said.
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Michael Knowles Defends Colonialism At Vanderbilt: ‘History’s Victors’

Michael Knowles

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