The Inaugural "Beating the Dead Horse Award"

To Cardinal News, The Washington Post, and all those who mysteriously knew—well in advance—that the Board of Visitors (BOV) would be discussing the Superintendent's contract so they could flood the BOV with letters from one side and write articles about how bad we all are if the BOV does not vote for a new long-term contract. Thanks for making sure your stories and editorials were ready to go the night before, the morning of, and immediately after, conveniently tying it all to the usual accusations—racism, sexism, and now, for good measure, MAGAism—while somehow managing to blame Stonewall Jackson's statue for it all and publishing before the seats in the Boardroom even had a chance to cool. A special shout-out to Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy '03 for playing the official "horse holder" role during the flogging—bonus points for smearing the reputations of two fine alumni, you got kicked off the BOV, and others. Blowing the "they're all MAGA, the world is ending" dog whistle, threatening budget cuts to punish the Corps for things we have no control over, and calling for investigations into just about everyone but yourself isn't exactly helpful. An extra-special shout-out with a "BRF-Cluster" to the VMI Office of Communications and Marketing for all the advanced assistance and overtime spent the night before the BOV meeting to ensure the Washington Post reporter had what he needed because, per his email to you, "we need to publish our story first thing tomorrow morning because of the board meeting." Did you really need to throw gasoline on the fire by giving MG Wins' statement claiming he did not receive a new contract due to bias, as, in your words, "... you're the first media outlet to receive."? Of course, the heart reaction to the text exchange, while keeping him informed of when the BOV was coming out of closed session to vote on MG Wins' contract, was a sweet touch. Given the FOIA request you're eagerly supporting to obtain emails and other documents related to BOV members, supporters of The Cadet, and The Cadet itself, we look forward to another exposé —say, just in time for the upcoming BOV meeting. We hope they give you a byline for all your help. This horse is dead. Can we finally move on and focus on actually supporting the Corps? And don't bother trying to reach us—WiFi in the barracks still sucks. The Cadet is 100% self-supporting. Please consider making a donation at this link to help us remain one of the oldest independent college newspapers in Virginia.