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, […]
Every Venezuelan has lived this moment. An American asks, “Where are you from?”You answer, “Venezuela.”They reply, confidently: “Minnesota?” I don’t know if it’s the rhythm of the word, the way we roll the Z, or just the fact that people hear what they’re already familiar with. But it happens every time. Venezuela becomes Minnesota. A […]
Political violence is a bad thing from any perspective, but there is a long tradition of it. In the classic 1970 collection of over one hundred primary source documents American Violence, the earliest account is Pilgrims versus Puritans from 1634 and the most recent, two years before the book was published, are the Chicago Riots […]
The United States Air Force announced that the latest addition to their arsenal, the B-614 stealth bomber, nicknamed the “Ninja,” will make its first public appearance in a flyover on Saturday, Jun 14, at the Washington DC military parade that coincides with the birthday of President Donald J. Trump. “The Ninja is the next generation […]
Persistence is a means of resistance for this queer arts collaborative By John Picinich Recently, Binch Press x Queer Archive Work (BinchxQAW) found itself thrown into the front lines of the White House’s renewed culture wars. The collaborative nonprofit was notified that its $15,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts had been withdrawn. […]
While there were plenty of surprises on the national front, election results in Rhode Island held little drama or surprise. To the extent there are unanticipated results, they are in the margin – although Trump lost, he made a better showing than expected. Patricia Morgan, arguably the most coherent Republican to run for anything in […]
Preface (2024) Looking back on my essay after 24 years, finishing this preface the day before Election Day in 2024, I am struck both by how prescient my original thoughts were and how shocked I would later be by the end stage of Trumpism, utterly horrified by the attack on the Capitol on January 6, […]
On Thursday, May 16, at the Rhode Island State House, the Cannabis Policy Coalition, composed of Rhode Island small business owners, cannabis licensees, medical patients and professionals, university professors, concerned citizens, and aspiring cannabis business owners, hosted a press conference with Representative Leonela Felix in support of House Bill H7855. This bill aims to level […]
This month I spoke with Jennifer Stevens of the RI Commission on Prejudice and Bias, who was kind enough to share how they are working hand-in-hand with law enforcement and members of the general public to create a safer community for all. Richard Laliberte (Motif): Tell our readers about the RI Commission on Prejudice and […]
It appeared to be a straightforward solution initially. With a persistent homelessness crisis and a shortage of affordable housing, Rhode Island devised a plan to swiftly set up tiny pallet shelters as temporary relief for individuals living without housing in Providence. The state purchased 45 of these basic 64-square-foot shelters from a company that constructs […]