This is the most absurd thing I have read all wee– no wait, that was this.
This is the second most absurd thing I have read all week. From the pseudonymously-run School of Athens:
We are hearing from a source in position to know that this beautiful land is the reason that Sweet Briar is closing. Because there is a buyer ready to move quickly and quietly to purchase the whole lot, historic buildings and all. This buyer has the immense economic power and major influence to keep the related decisions silent, immediate, and final. Who? Well, it has a lot to do with a similar land deal of about 3,000 acres that got scuttled about twenty years ago. According to our source, the reason Sweet Briar is closing is to make way for:
Hold on to your tin foil hats folks.
Disney.
America.
Yeah…
In 1994, Disney was all set to close on 2,000 acres in Haymarket in as the core to its envisioned 3,000-acre Disney America in Prince William County. That deal was scuttled, but Disney is on the record as keeping its plans alive to set Disney America in Virginia. Riley over at Virginia Virtucon was openly calling for Disney to revive its Disney America design in the Williamsburg area a few years ago. Many in Virginia consider the protests and objections that forced Disney to shut down its plans 20 years ago a big mistake. Our source has informed us that Disney is ready to rectify that mistake, and now wants the 3,250 acres that Sweet Briar sits on to bring Disney America back to life and back to Virginia.
Lemme get this straight. You’re coming out of the Great Recession and would like to open a new theme park.
Do you:
A: Look at the global markets — particularly Greece — and consider that maybe just maybe holding on to that extra cash might be a good idea right now…
B: Heck, forget building new stuff… go buy Kings Dominion and make it AWESOME!
C: Start from scratch and actually build a theme park where… you know… people actually are, OR!!!!
D: Go buy up Sweet Briar College in a highly-controversial move that will create mounds of negative publicity that is completely out of the Golden Crescent of Virginia and 34 miles from the nearest interstate?
Yeah… the Disney executives who dreamt up this scheme need to be fired post haste.
Obviously, it’s cheap click bait to mention Sweet Briar College nowadays. Some folks such as the Roanoke Times are doing some excellent reporting that ought to win national awards. That really ought to be the focus of the entire saga, not rumors and rumors of rumors.
…but this ain’t even smoke; ain’t even fire.
Just nonsense. Frankly, even the rumor is old hat — and it doesn’t help the cause of keeping Sweet Briar College open one bit.
