In honor of the season of giving, I have been asked to write the progressive point of view of the second annual showdown between the Holiday Tree and the Christmas Tree. Before delving into the extremely high-stakes debate over what label is given to the conifer in question, let me first say how preposterous I […]
Will fair practice be jeopardized if RI adopts Right to Work? Right-to-work laws are a deliberate means by which to limit workers’ and employers’ freedom of contract negotiation. Furthermore, and contrary to propaganda, they do not belong in a free society. The enactment of a right-to-work law is an attack against the labor movement and against common […]
The recent trend in education reform has been essentially a war on teachers and, by proxy, teachers unions. Certain factions want to place the full responsibility for declining student test scores on “overpaid” and “lazy” teachers. A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking with West Warwick Senator Adam Satchell, who is a […]
Rhode Island recently joined a national movement to abandon the Electoral College system for presidential elections in spite of focused opposition by Minority Leadership within the Rhode Island General Assembly. House and Senate bills proposing a national popular election for president/vice president passed both chambers and have been signed into law by Governor Chafee. It’s […]
At the beginning of June, Governor Lincoln Chafee announced a change in party affiliation … again. The once Republican Senator turned Independent Governor has now changed uniforms once again to that of a Democrat. In a Guest Mindsetter® opinion piece with GoLocal Providence, Chafee wrote, “This isn’t about politics, it’s about principles. For nearly three […]
There is no doubt that the sheer complexity of comprehensive immigration reform makes it a daunting topic to tackle. The now famous group formed within the U.S Senate to tackle the long overdue legislative reform, which adopted the title “the Gang of Eight,” created a bill called the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization […]
The Gamm Theatre creates an exquisite balance between darkness and comedy in their staging of Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane. McDonagh was in his mid-20s when he wrote this play – his first – over the course of a mere eight days. He showed wisdom well beyond his years in tackling the complex […]
Recent atrocities involving horrific bombings of innocent victims at the Boston Marathon certainly deserve the concern of the nation and the full scrutiny of the law enforcement professionals seeking answers to the who, what and why behind such a violent act of terror. This, coming on the heels of the awful massacre at Sandy Hook […]
Rhode Islanders for Tax Equity held a recent press conference at the Rhode Island State House and brought attention to legislation that could mean $66 million in much needed revenue for the state. The March 12th presser was organized by a number of labor organizations and social action groups and included the sponsors of both […]
As an eight year old, I loved to play with toy guns. I never saw them as instruments of real death. At eight I had very little experience with real death. I knew Robocop, Commando, and Murder She Wrote. A big question of the time was “Who shot J.R.?” I knew of cowboys and quickdraws. […]