August 31, 2012 – RI Future

August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

Remember the Battle of the Gravestones in Saylesville

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In 1934, during the height of the Depression and one of the largest national strikes in history, 4 unarmed Rhode Island workers were killed by State Police and Militia Men called out by Governor TF Green to protect the Saylesville Bleachery in Lincoln, Rhode Island. It wasn’t a “strike,” he declared, but a “communist insurrection.”

Militia attacking striking workers from behind gravestones in Saylesville, Rhode Island.

Whatever. Four workers were cut down in the street. You can still see the bullet holes in the gravestones from the high powered guns used against the strikers and each labor day some of us gather to remind the powers that be that we are not all dead and buried. This year Maureen Martin, Secretary-Treasurer of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO will deliver the address at the memorial to the martyrs created by the Rhode Island Labor History Society to memorialize what is known as The Battle of the Gravestones.

The monument is located in Moshassuck Cemetery, 978 Lonsdale Avenue in Central Falls.

All are invited to a ceremony honoring the event and those who lost their lives.

You can register for the event on Facebook.

If you like, you can see actual newsreel video of the street battle here.

CIVIL WAR AT SAYLESVILLE

August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

Don Carcieri’s 38 Studios Silence: Selfish and Foolish

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It turns out even Republicans are miffed at Don Carcieri for hiding from the media when one of his signature decisions as governor blew up in the face of Rhode Island.

“Former Gov. Donald L. Carcieri’s long silence on the 38 Studios bankruptcy wound up putting fellow Rhode Island Republicans on the spot this week at Mitt Romney’s nominating convention,” wrote correspondent John Mulligan in today’s ProJo. “Carcieri, the delegation’s most prominent exponent of running a government according to sound business principles, declined to be interviewed Wednesday about his role in a state-backed loan guarantee for former Boston Red Sox star Curt Schilling’s company. The failed deal may leave Rhode Island voters on the hook for up to $102 million.”

That Carcieri broke his long silence on the 38 Studios debacle once it “wound up putting fellow Rhode Island Republicans on the spot” speaks to our post on Carcieri from Thursday in which we wrote: “Carcieri always represented conservatives first and then Rhode Islanders somewhere after that.”

Carcieri broke his silence on 38 Studios not when Rhode Island was most desperate for answers about it, but when Republicans were most desperate for cover.

Apparently that cover didn’t come quick enough.

Because Carcieri thought he could dodge the issue indefinitely, it ended up becoming a story when other Republicans had to answer for him. So not only was Carcieri’s tack on 38 Studios selfish, it was foolish too.

Here’s what some prominent Republicans told Mulligan about how Carcieri handled the situation:

“I would probably have spoken about my role” in such a loss of taxpayer dollars and Rhode Island jobs, said John Robitaille, Carcieri’s former communications chief.

“A lot of people are wondering” what went into Carcieri’s “business judgment” that the 38 Studios venture was a good investment of Rhode Island tax dollars, [Cranston Mayor Allan Fung] said.

Rhode Island’s incoming GOP national committeeman, Steven Frias, said Carcieri’s support of Schilling’s video venture will dog the state’s Republicans for a long time…

August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

Occupy Providence Returns

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occupybanner — Artemis Moonhawk, left, and two other occupy Providence activists re-attach their banner to the statue of General Burnside. (submitted)

Occupy Providence is back in Burnside Park. But there are a couple of things different about this incarnation of the local 99 Percent movement.

One difference is they aren’t camping this time around. Not yet, anyways. But they have been meeting daily in what activists call the People’s Park for a little over a week now.

And for another, they aren’t getting along as well with Providence police as they did the first time around.

“A police officer shoved me,” said Artemis Moonhawk, who was a strong presence with the first incarnation of Occupy Providence and who has been organizing events and meet-ups throughout the winter, spring and summer in anticipation of the second one.

She said seven activists met in the park Thursday and attached the iconic Occupy Providence banner to a fence. Officers asked them to take it down saying there is a new rule banning signs in Burnside Park. Instead they attached it to some chairs and another officer came by and was a little more aggressive with his request. Moonhawk said he was angry the banner was still up and that she was shoved when she got up to remove it.

“This is the first time we have ever had any problems with the Providence police,” she said. “This opened up a big can of worms.”

Police confiscated the banner, she said. But activists plan to get it back from police tomorrow. They’ve organized a march from Burnside Park to the police station to retrieve it. Police said they could have it back.

There will also be a sidewalk occupation in front of the former home of 38 Studios starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Activists plan to meet at Burnside and march to the office building on Empire Street. On Monday, there is a vigil in Roger Williams Memorial Park on South Main Street from noon to 6 p.m. and again on Tuesday from noon to 5.

Across the nation, Occupy groups have been rekindling their protest against corporate greed and income inequality. On September 17, Occupy Wall Street plans a large, sit-in in front of the New York Stock Exchange on the one-year anniversary of the first night of camping in Zuccotti Park.

August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

EG Church Kicks Out Cub Scouts For Discrimination

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An Episcopal church in East Greenwich told a local Cub Scout group it can’t use its facilities to meet because it doesn’t agree with the Boy Scouts of America decision to discriminate against gay people, according to East Greenwich Patch.

Tim Rich, the priest at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, told EG Patch that the decision to not let local Cub Scouts to use its facilities to meet was a “unanimous conclusion.”

He said, “From the lens of faith, which is how I view things, it rejects that certain of God’s children are unworthy to be included. It’s quite the modern-day representation of everything I think Jesus fought against. So, from a faith standpoint I just really reject their decision.”

Rich is new to the church in June. The congregation is somewhat liberal, but has many conservative members as well. It will be interesting to see how the “unanimous” decision will play with parishioners and with East Greenwich residents, who aren’t known for their commitment to social justice.

The Episcopal Church is the largest denomination in the United States to sanction same sex relationships, though it has a tiered system not unlike Rhode Island’s marriage for heterosexual couples and civil unions for same sex couples. In the Episcopal Church same sex marriages are called: “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant,” according to NPR and the AP.

August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

Gov. Chafee To Address Democratic Convention

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chafee_bryant — Governor Chafee addressing a much smaller crowd at Bryant University earlier this year. (photo by Bob Plain)

Governor Lincoln Chafee, a reformed Republican-turned-independent, will be a speaker at this year’s Democratic Nation Convention. He’s scheduled to address the Democrats Tuesday night in prime time, the opening night of the convention. He’ll preceeed First Lady Michelle Obama.

“I am honored to be attending the 2012 Democratic National Convention,” Chafee said in an prepared statement. “President Obama has been a friend to Rhode Island, his policies have brought valuable benefits to the people of our state during historically difficult times, and I am proud to explain to the convention audience why I – a former Republican – and lots of people like me are supporting the President’s re-election.”

Chafee has been friendly with President Obama since the two served in the U.S. Senate together. While Obama didn’t endorse Chafee for governor, he also didn’t endorse Democrat Frank Caprio. Caprio then told Obama to “shove it,” on talk radio – a campaign blunder that ultimately helped Chafee prevail in the three-way race.

Christian Vereika, a spokesman for the governor, said Chafee is speaking to support the president, but not necessarily the Democratic party. He said Chafee’s speech or his attendance at the convention, does not mean the governor is considering joining the Democratic party.

“Difficult as it is, I think he is happy where he is,” Vereika said.

WPRI reports Chafee was invited about three weeks ago and has been crafting a seven-minute speech in the meantime.

Inviting Chafee to speak seems to be part of Democrats agenda to appeal to moderates and undecided voters. Florida Republican Charlie Christ will also speak at the DNC.

Perhaps most interesting about the announcement is that ~~you won’t find it~~ it’s very hard to find in today’s Providence Journal. Local reporters were sent an embargoed press release about the news at 6:11 Thursday afternoon. I’m assuming Journal reporters got a copy of the email, but have not confirmed that yet.

Similarly, when Chafee traveled to Afghanistan earlier this year, the news did not make the front page of the newspaper so maybe the ProJo just doesn’t like when Chafee leaves the state. Oh wait, but they did report pretty extensively on when he went on vacation, so maybe it’s something else…