As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026, those of us old enough to remember the 200th anniversary in 1976 tend to be fondly nostalgic for the “Bicentennial” in what seemed a less troubled time, when patriotism could be unironic. That’s somewhat of a false memory: the Vietnam war, the Arab Oil embargo, […]
We sat down a few months ago with one of the organizers of RI’s Deportation Defense Line. The Defense Line’s origins are organic and multifaceted. No one person is in charge of it. No one organization is either. But the end result is a system that, while far from foolproof, is effective and responsive, driven […]
Smithfield, RI: A town known for its forests, trails, ponds, and well, wealth. An unlikely location for a potential AI-Data Center, one may think. Yet, this rural community, despite data center construction being illegal under current zoning laws, finds itself at the center of Rhode Island’s first major data center debate. Revity Energy’s desire to […]
The Iran war cannot continue as it is for much longer, and this is a result of simple math.
PVD-based artist Ian Gaudreau got a tip from a friend about a grant-sponsored mural project. Ten thousand dollars (the advertised amount) is a pretty good commission in the working artist world, so he looked into it. He discussed it with the sponsoring organization, who conveyed the tragic life-cut-short story of Iryna Zarutska. Gaudreau declined to […]
The second episode of the Real Housewives of Rhode Island will premiere tonight. (Well, Wednesday, depending on when you read this. Thursday on Peacock.) The show has produced a social media furor almost as big as the botoxed lips of its stars – not really a surprise for one-degree-of-separation Rhody and our “know a guy” culture. […]
[See prior update: motifri.com/iran-war2026] Donald Trump built his entire life and career on denial of reality, convinced he could counter every adversary with some combination of cajolery and charm or, if that failed, threatening and bullying. In his first presidential term, Trump hit the wall because a pandemic virus is not susceptible to such […]
We fought a military war; our opponents fought a political one. We sought physical attrition; our opponents aimed for our psychological exhaustion. In the process we lost sight of one of the cardinal maxims of guerrilla war: the guerrilla wins if he does not lose. The conventional army loses if it does not win. The […]
When the US Congress allowed the Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire on Dec. 31, 2025, they created a health insurance crisis that could have inspired a plot line for “American Horror Story.” Overnight, millions of Americans saw their premiums expand and rise like mushroom clouds from a nuclear explosion. In an article posted January […]
On January 30, 2026, an estimated 5,000 Rhode Islanders – including students and numerous local businesses – participated in a historic, nationwide strike in an effort to get the tyranny of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) off our streets and out of our neighborhoods. The strike was in direct response to the unjust murders of […]