| Dear friends and citizens, ‘Laughter is the best medicine’ is more than an old aphorism, it's now known to be scientifically true. The Cleveland Clinic suggests that laughter can relieve stress, strengthen social bonds, increase oxygen flow and improve heart health. And the audience appeared to enjoy those benefits last Tuesday night at the Virginia Forum event with our guest Kyle Mann of The Babylon Bee. Not only did Kyle regale us with some of the funniest Bee memes of the last 8 years from their comic catalog, but he connected the power of comedy with some more vital issues that confront us today. Kyle spoke of the challenges of speaking truth to the powerful using comedy in the age of electronic media. And that jokes are often the best format for truth-telling since they make light of what can be, at their core, serious issues. “It's funny because it's true” is something we all have said. When The Babylon Bee, a conservative Christian news site, gained a larger audience through comedy, they also gained powerful enemies who cancelled them from Twitter. Kyle said they were given the option of deleting the offensive post or being shut down. The Bee decided to stand for their principles and not remove the tweet. Kyle shared a number of G.K. Chesterton quotes to make his points during the evening as well, illustrating the power of faith in one's convictions. Here is one that he did not use, but I believe befits the purpose of our organization in times such as ours: “There is only one thing that it requires real courage to say, and that is a truism.” Sincerely,  Will McGurn Interim President, The Virginia Council The Virginia Forum November 11th presented Kyle Mann, Co-Editor of The Babylon Bee  Pictured above John Reid and Kyle Mann.  Tuesday evening The Virginia Forum was delighted to host Kyle Mann, editor of the Babylon Bee for a presentation on how comedy has been under attack since at least 2017. In fact, he said that after Elon Musk reached out to him after the Babylon Bee was banned from Twitter, Elon had the thought to buy Twitter after a long discussion. Our 1st Amendment rights were in serious jeopardy and of course, six months later Elon did buy it. Kyle Mann spoke thoughtfully about his experience in the public square of comedy in the age of social media. He displayed slides of satirical headlines that were “Fact Checked” and cancelled. He showed proof of how quite often the Bee’s satirical takes would become actual true headlines weeks later. Life imitating art, but in this case, life imitating the preposterous. The evening ended with a Q&A hosted by John Reid, who recently ran for Lt Governor of Va, and is the founding chairman of The Virginia Council. When asked where Mann draws the line and if it involves stopping short of the Pope or President Trump he responded, “I don’t think anything is off limits. Definitely not the Pope or Trump”. There is plenty of evidence to support his take on that! One of his best pieces of advice was to young comedians, and people in general; “part of writing comedy is not being precious. and when one labels satire, it robs it of its power”. Photographs and reporting by Rebecca D'Angelo, Media Director of The Virginia Council Virginia Election Updates:  Transition Team Light on Virginia Government Experience | Bacon's Rebellion - By Dick Hall-Sizemore Advocates want state lawmakers to take a look at Virginia's tax code in January | WVTF By Michael Pope Virginia Republicans turn on each other after crushing losses - POLITICO By Liz Crampton & Brakkton Booker How Spanberger plans to lower Virginia's electric bills - Axios Richmond By Sabrina Moreno & Chuck McCutcheon Tim Anderson on X: "Five Ways Democrats Will Raise Your Costs in 2026 RGGI Carbon Tax — SB29 (2024) & SB800 (2025) Democrats already tried to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which forced Dominion to tack an extra rider on your electric bill. Governor Youngkin got us out. It will be" / X 5 ways things could go wrong for Spanberger and the Democrats - Cardinal News By Dwayne Yancey Virginia Election Results: A Repudiation, But No Endorsement By Shaun Kenney What’s behind Stafford County’s Democratic flip: Traffic, affordability, demographic shifts - WTOP News By Neal Augenstein Here's another reason why Spanberger's margin was so large: Earle-Sears failed to excite working-class Republicans. - Cardinal News By Dwayne Yancey Senior Democrat's joy tempered by economic reality | WVTF By Sandy Hausman 6 Key Youngkin Policies Spanberger Will Likely Reverse By Tyler O'Neil Virginia GOP’s Strategic Blunder: Overlooking Legal Immigrants | Bacon's Rebellion - By Srilekha Reddy Palle (6) Mark Mitchell, Rasmussen Reports on X: "Fan 📨 The Republican party is a donor harvesting operation: https://t.co/RFTulRibGE" / X Virginia's unique term limit for governor traces back to the Founding Fathers' anxieties By Ryan Murphy  Virginia Assembly, Senate & Governor updates: He's the Boss: Youngkin's Blistering Response to Spanberger After Gov.-Elect's Attempted Power Grab – RedState By Teri Cristoph (2) Stu Smith on X: "🚨 Former Assistant Virginia Attorney General and UVA Counsel Tim Heaphy Admits UVA’s DEI Programs Crossed Legal Lines Including Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX After Political Administrations Signaled It Was Acceptable to Break Civil Rights Law to Advance DEI I came across https://t.co/SoUqqQ7ZTM" / X Abigail Spanberger Bullies UVa Board — Kerry: By Kerry Dougherty GEDs, per-person funding up in VADOC education programs | WVTF By Dave Cantor Virginians get digital driver's licenses for use at ABC liquor stores, TSA checkpoints, other locations - Axios Richmond By Karri Piefer Virginia’s probe into public universities’ displacement of Black neighborhoods no longer theoretical • Virginia Mercury By Brandi Kellam Lego breaks ground on Prince George distribution center, opens store in Short Pump - Richmond BizSense By Ibraheem Samirah, Virginia Democrat Who Heckled Trump Speech, Sentenced for COVID Fraud Scheme By Amy Furr Senior Democrat's joy tempered by economic reality | WVTF By Sandy Hausman 6 Key Youngkin Policies Spanberger Will Likely Reverse By Tyler O'Neil Palestinian American hails Virginia win: ‘You can be bold on the Gaza genocide and still be victorious’ | Virginia | The Guardian By Nina Lakhani Arlington’s top prosecutor clashes with Miyares and feds over seizure of activist’s phone | ARLnow.com By Dan Egitto Virginia social studies leaders warn proposed testing shift could sideline critical thinking • Virginia Mercury By Nathaniel Cline Kaine breaks with Democrats to back deal ending shutdown, securing protections for federal workers • Virginia Mercury By Markus Schmidt Hallowed Ground: 5 Military Sites That Shaped America’s Freedom By Gillian Richards Augros & Julia Dasaro Historic Francis Land House opens after years of repairs and restoration WHRO Staff report The Conservation Fund Acquires President Monroe’s Oak Hill Estate, Preserving 1,200 Acres of Historic and Natural Legacy - The Conservation Fund  Articles, News, & Quotes: 'The American Revolution' Kicks Off Quarter-Millennial Celebrations By Jeff Anderson & John Fonte Dominion Energy seeks its largest slate of solar and battery storage projects yet By Katherine Hafner Former Gov. McAuliffe joins pro-natural gas group as national co-chair • Virginia Mercury By Shannon Heckt Victor Davis Hanson: Does the Democrats’ Chaos Strategy Work? Jordan opens probe into Virginia prosecutor allegedly ignoring threats against Stephen Miller | Just The News By Misty Severi Virginia's Far-Left Laws: What to Expect in 2026 By Victoria Manning Three young immigrants ordered freed as Virginia lawsuit tests ICE detention policy • Virginia Mercury By Markus Schmidt VCU changed scholarship for descendants of the enslaved to align with anti-DEI policies By Megan Pauly Black/African American Historical Marker Project Earns DEI Award From Virginia Recreation and Park Society | Neighborhood and Community Services By Cristin Bratt Exclusive | Cops called to Letitia James' Virginia homes two dozen times since she bought them By Chris Nesi & Josh Christenson Advocacy group wants prosecutor Lindsey Halligan investigated, alleging "abuse of power" in charges against Comey and James - CBS News By Joe Walsh $240.5 million contract awarded for Creeper Trail rebuilding - Cardinal News By Susan Cameron Regulators give Appalachian Power green light to incur small modular nuclear reactor site costs - Cardinal News By Matt Busse History Hot Spot at the Kent-Valentine House - The Valentine Museum As Richmond’s $265 million Shockoe Project continues to take shape, see renderings of a future memorial By Michael Phillips Jamestown archaeologists uncover centuries-old donkey tooth By Katherine Hafner The Commandant Behind Marine Corps Birthday Traditions | Military.com By Allen Frazier Virginia 250 Passport | Virginia Museum of History & Culture We invite you to explore the outsized role Virginians played in securing American Independence, and our journey since, by visiting the many leading museums and historic sites of this Commonwealth. Religion Is Gaining Influence in American Life, More U.S. Adults Now Say | Pew Research Center By Chip Rotolo  Interviews & Videos of Interest Documentary reveals roots of revolution in Southwest Virginia - Cardinal News By Brian Funk The Truth About Christopher Columbus | PragerU Marissa Streit with David and Tim Barton Colonial America: Jamestown vs. Plymouth | PragerU By Thomas Kidd Tim Kaine secures federal employee protections in 40-day shutdown deal | Fox News By Leo Briceno Virginia Republicans are soul searching after last week's elections | WVTF By Michael Pope Northern Virginia homebuyers need $300K household income to afford average home By Nick Minock John Findlay: VA GOP Court Challenge to Redistricting is the Best Chance PODCAST: The Tribe, bonus episode: Chief concerns - Fredericksburg Free Press By Joey LoMonaco The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Liberty Gorsuch: 'The Greatest Danger America Faces Today' Is 'Itself' By Shawn Fleetwood Court Tells School District It Can't Coerce 'Preferred Pronoun' Use By Breccan F. Thies John Findlay: VA GOP Court Challenge to Redistricting is the Best Chance A setback in Charlottesville and the fate of the George Rogers Clark monument  By Breccan F. Thies with quotes from Ann McLean UVA To Desecrate Monument For Revolutionary War Hero Help us to stop the further destruction and degradation of our historic past today! Help us fight for an honest, legal process to determine the fate of these historic pieces of art from Richmond. Decisions made by the mob are not a democratic process, but tyrannical. There have been some victories, but Virginia's monuments and history are still at risk of being erased. PLEASE DONATE HERE Moses Ezekiel birthday observance and the fate of The Reconciliation Monument Special virtual event 8 pm registration below: Nov 17 25 birthday report Announcing The Virginia Council membership reward program. Sign up today on our website for the various levels of support!" Freedom Member level: Simple membership is free when you sign up for our email newsletter or attend a monthly meeting. Liberty level: For an annual contribution of $100 you get the newsletter, access to our monthly meetings and a commemorative Virginia Council lapel pin. Patriot level: When you step up to make an annual contribution of $250 you receive first access to tickets to our annual Christmas and Patriot Parties, the commemorative Virginia Council pin, and the newsletter and monthly meeting access. President's Council level: For a commitment of $1000 you receive the newsletter, access to our monthly meetings, 2 lapel pins, 2 invitations to both of our annual parties, and 2 VIP tickets to one Virginia Forum lecture of your choice. We hope you'll find these rewards an added incentive to help fund our efforts to restore a full view of Virginia's history, monuments & role that government plays in our lives. We appreciate all your support and encouragement and look forward to bringing you more compelling voices of liberty, freedom, and conscience over the next year. To become a Liberty, Patriot, or President's Council member, please make a contribution here. To volunteer, click here. The Executive Board of the Virginia Council If you are interested in donating appreciated securities, we now have an account to make it easy for you (see the information below). Contact us HERE for more details.  The Virginia Council Preserving Virginia’s history and creating a more prosperous future for all Virginians. Stay Hopeful. Stay Connected. P. O. Box 5 Manakin-Sabot, VA 23103, United States |
