Page 18 – RI Future

June 16, 2016June 16, 2016

Progressives mixed on standing against RIPTA fare increase

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As far as the $8 billion state budget goes, an additional $900,000 to fund free RIPTA rides for the elderly, disabled and destitute through the fiscal year seems like a small ask. But in this year’s House budget bill, it was the only evidence of dissent between progressives and the more conservative Democrats who control the chamber.

Even at that, House Republicans were more united in their support of the free RIPTA rides program than were several left-leaning legislators. The smaller but demonstrably more vocal GOP caucus spent Wednesday’s marathon budget session offering amendments and peppering Finance Committee Chairman Marvin Abney with questions and concerns. The only amendment from the progressive left came from Rep. John Lombardi, who represents the Federal Hill section of Providence. He made an impassioned plea to restore free bus service to Rhode Island’s most vulnerable residents.

“Some of my constituents earn about between $700 and $800 a month and believe it or not 50 cents can make the difference,” he said, suggesting the money could come from the General Assembly’s own budget. “I’ll tell you what, many of my constituents are alone. They just received their citizenship from other countries. They’re here. They’re from the islands, they’re Russians, they’re Albanians, they’re people from Africa. That’s who my constituency looks like and I’m sure many of you are starting to see that in your neighborhoods. I think we have a duty to help these people. I think we have to assist these people because they are most in need.”

The RIPTA Board of Directors decided to end free rides for the elderly, disabled and destitute earlier this year. The House budget keeps it alive until January, while Governor Gina Raimondo’s proposed budget did not fund it at all. The governor and House Speaker Nick Mattiello have each indicated the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is in need of a full overhaul. Lombardi’s amendment would have funded the free rides for the entire fiscal year, regardless of a systemic overhaul.

The amendment failed, 41 voted against it and 27 supported it. House Republicans, who spent most of the evening trying to shrink government spending, were unanimous in their support of the social welfare program. Progressives, on the other hand, were not. Reps Teresa Tanzi, Art Handy, Chris Blazejewski and Shelby Maldonado all voted against extending free RIPTA rides to the elderly, disabled and destitute.

Tanzi, who represents Narragansett and South Kingstown, offered her own impassioned plea on why RIPTA shouldn’t receive additional funding.

“It is with a heavy heart that I urge folks not to support this amendment because it’s not the best thing to do with the limited funds that we have,” she said. “Believe me I would love to make a $900,000 investment in RIPTA this is not the best way to do it.”

Tanzi explained, “The problem is the state was forced to contract with a third party vendor. That third party vendor is called Logisticare and since they have taken over the number of people who have qualified for these free passes has grown. And while that has happened they have changed it so they are no longer billing those passes the way that RIPTA used to … when RIPTA was in charge of it they billed so that medicare would be reimbursing the state, so we lost significant federal dollars to match it.”

She continued, “I think what the committee heard at the end of the night heard was that throwing $800,000 more dollars at a program that is being very poorly run is not the solution and that giving them six months to renegotiate the contract with this third party vendor, giving them six months under perhaps oversight under Chairwoman [Pat] Serpa’s guidance or under a subcommittee through finance, we’re going to look at this holistically and try to come up with a solution. So nobody wants this program to end in January, nobody wants people isolated and locked up in their homes in the middle of winter. We’re looking for a solution and right now throwing $893,000 more dollars at a program that we know is being mismanaged is not the best answer.”

Tanzi is making a concerted effort today to get Speaker Mattiello to bring to a floor vote her bill that would limit the ability of felony domestic abusers to possess guns, and her advocacy against the amendment may have been part of the deal making that happens as the legislative session draws to a close.

Nonetheless, her stand drew some measure ire. Sam Bell, director of the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats, tweeted. “I rarely publicly criticize our legislative allies, but I personally think @tanzister made an error here.” When it was Lombardi’s turn to speak, he shot back sarcastically, “I’m so glad people in this chamber have heavy hearts.”

Rep. Joe Almeida, who also represents a poor neighborhood in Providence, said if the attempt to outsource the program has failed, the state should waste no more time with the private company.

“If this third party can’t run a business right, why do we still have to wait six months?” he asked. “Why do people gotta be left on the sidewalk and can’t get nowhere? If this third party can’t do it, they should have been fired a long time ago. In business we wouldn’t have waited this long. I hope RIPTA has the common sense not to bring this company back if they can’t do the job.”

Meanwhile Majority Leader John DeSimone, known for parroting the will of Speaker Mattiello, tacked to the right of Tanzi – who herself took a more conservative position than the GOP caucus.

“We need to take a comprehensive look at what we are doing,” he said. “We are the only state in the country currently that has no fare and as a result we are losing millions of dollars from the federal government. But the usage of the bus is not as good as the states that charge so there is obviously something wrong. At this point we have to be responsible, we have to get the federal money that is available to us and RIPTA may need to be revamped or remanaged or something has to happen. But the answer is not to just keep the fares free. While the motives of having a free fare are fantastic, it’s just not working.”

The RIPTA Riders Alliance held a rally outside the State House earlier this week at which an elderly woman said, “I know there is money in the budget, they just want to squander it on their friends.”

June 16, 2016June 18, 2016

Mia Ackerman’s bill: hot air from Tel Aviv

Mia Ackerman is doing the bidding of our local branch of the Israel lobby by promoting a bill, H7736, that is engineered to scuttle the efforts of those who would like to boycott Israel.

Anyone who is still apologizing for Israel following the recent pograms in Gaza, Bibi Netanyahu spiting the most powerful schwartze in the world by speaking to Congress last year as a cheap dig at the Iran nuclear deal, and the recent declarations by mainstream Israeli political and military figures that the polity is lurching towards fascism is either totally deluded by hasbara, the Israeli brand of propaganda that has hypnotized America for three decades, a neoconservative, or three degrees below Hannibal Lecter in terms of taste and morality. Whereabouts Mia Ackerman falls on that line is yet to be discerned, mostly because I find her gaudy red, white and blue accoutrements while doing the dirty work of a foreign government so bourgeois, particularly when I am funding it as a taxpayer.

Let us just get it out of the way at the outset, the new anti-BDS bloviating is just one in a long line of nonsense efforts by the Israelis to distract people from discussion of what the rest of planet earth has been saying for literally half a century about how awful they are to the Palestinians. Last year’s fashion was the Iran deal, before that it was the “new anti-Semitism”, and before that it was the plight of Soviet Jewry. These days the Lobby is in quite a bind due to the fact that the quasi-fascist political player that is an actual threat to minorities, the Donald, is bankrolled by that Gargamel impersonator Sheldon Adelson, the Israeli newspaper magnate and casino king. OOPS!

Here are the comments delivered by Steve Brown of the Rhode Island ACLU this week:

The ACLU certainly appreciates the state’s interest in not conducting business with entities that engage in discriminatory activities prohibited by law. However, we are deeply concerned about the breadth of the language in this bill, which goes far beyond state objections to entering into contracts with businesses that, for example, discriminate in their individual hiring practices based on an applicant’s person’s race, religion or other protected status. By focusing on discrimination against “public entities” of foreign states, this bill instead potentially chills the legitimate free speech activities of contractors.
This legislation bars most businesses from receiving a state contract if they are engaged in a “boycott of any person, firm or entity based in or doing business with a jurisdiction with whom the state can enjoy open trade, and/or the boycott of any public agencies, entities or instrumentalities of the jurisdiction with whom the state can enjoy open trade.” With certain exceptions, a boycott is defined as refusing “to deal with a person, firm or entity, or a public entity of a foreign state, when the action is based on race, color, religion, gender, or nationality of the targeted person, firm, entity or public entity of a foreign state.”
We wish to note a few important underlying premises that form the foundation for our position in opposition to this legislation. First, as noted above, we believe the state clearly has a legitimate interest in requiring contractors to abide by employment-related anti-discrimination laws. At the same time, boycotts “to bring about political, social, and economic change” through speech, assembly and petition are unquestionably protected by the First Amendment. NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co, 458 U.S. 911 (1982). In addition, the government generally cannot punish contractors based on their political beliefs, associations and activities. See, e.g., O’Hare Truck Service v. City of Northlake, 518 U.S. 712 (1996); Agency For International Development v. Alliance For Open Society International, Inc, 520 U.S. ___ (2013).
The concern we have with this legislation is its attempt to bar doing business with contractors who boycott “public agencies” or “public entities of a foreign state.” It is unclear to us how one discriminates against a “public entity of a foreign state” based on its race, religion, nationality, etc. For example, was a decision to boycott South African goods during apartheid an inappropriate boycott based on “nationality”? By failing to make any clear distinction between a boycott based on a foreign entity’s policies and one based specifically on the race or nationality of the entity’s inhabitants, this legislation could have a chilling effect on legitimate, constitutionally protected politically-motivated boycotts. Contractors unwilling to risk the loss of business with the state could easily fear that a broad reading of this law could disqualify them if they engage in policy-related boycotts with a foreign entity, and thus improperly discourage them from doing so.
For these reasons, the ACLU of Rhode Island opposes H-7736.

Nonetheless, I do have a level of critique of the BDS organization while totally supporting well-devised boycotts of Israel. As a tactic, it is perfectly acceptable, boycotting buses worked fine for Martin Luther King so I see them as good enough for me.

But the BDS organization is flawed for two very simple reasons.

The first is one of targeting. For those who are unclear, America’s economy is symbiotic with Israel in a fashion unlike any other. For example, any person who is on Medicaid via the Affordable Care Act is required to take generic prescription medications, that is an industrial norm that defines the entire medical system.

And pray tell where might these low-cost generics be engineered? Israel!

Now BDS has previously targeted things like the Soda Stream company, who were producing their wares in the Occupied Territories, and that was effective. But it was also able to put low-wage Palestinian laborers out of work, something documented by Jaime Stern-Weiner previously. It is one thing to stop buying a seltzer carbonator and have a flat drink. It is another thing entirely to hurt your own pocket book and privilege when you take on an industrial complex that sends not just money but capital into the pockets of Israelis. This is not meant to diminish the BDS activists, they are wonderful people, but if you want to really impact Israel it means impacting yourself just as badly, our economies are inter-connected in a way that South Africa never was.

The second is ideological. The BDS organization intentionally has a platform that calls for a single-state solution that would essentially mean Israel ceases to exist. Leaving aside the moral identity issues therein, just consider the implications of this from a logistical police standpoint.

The consequences for the Palestinians are dire. When one recognizes that a single state would be aligned with the West and its neoliberal financial structures whereas an independent Palestinian state would be able to ally with China, which is known to create much more amenable loan and finance packages via the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS network, you can quickly envision the ethnic cleansing of Palestine transitioning from an overt form, demonstrated vividly by home demolitions, to covert forms, such as via gentrification of historic Palestinian neighborhoods.

Right now we as taxpayers are the major enablers of the Occupation. We send millions of dollars to Israel yearly to subsidize their illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. We can and should demand this cease to occur. The International Court of Justice, the United Nations, and the whole of the international community, including the European Union and Russia, have desired to see the settlements cease getting American support. The international consensus is based around a two-state settlement based on the pre-June 1967 borders, nothing more or less. Even Iran supports this and has publicly said so in the UN! Unfortunately the Palestinian Authority is politically neutered and unable to raise support for a movement to oppose the annexation wall.

The other most immediate site of agitation is the demand that the illegal, immoral, depraved, and sickening blockade of Gaza be lifted immediately, zero modifiers. Everyone from the EU to the UN to Bernie Sanders has said this is a non-negotiable and must occur as soon as humanly possible. Every sane human being who has been to Gaza since Operation Protective Edge has said that it is a complete disaster zone still due to the blockade, no reconstruction has been done. Mothers are literally being forced to give their children poisoned water to drink. The protest banners write themselves at this point. Unlike the West Bank, there is a potential international and domestic political movement that would be able to achieve that victory.

I am very aware that there are readers who might be still ensnared by hasbara and be prone to protests about “Hamas rockets” (they are described by Dr. Finkelstein as firecrackers) or something like that. I would highly commend to them the new documentary film The Occupation of the American Mind, produced by Media Education Foundation, which features a plethora of anti-Occupation Jewish journalists and activists who thoroughly defenestrate all the nonsense in a fashion that would only fail to convince a Clinton.

Let’s end the identity games, the blasphemy against the God of three religions, and the depravity of these crimes against a people who were getting victimized by colonialism when my great-grandfather was an infant a century ago!

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June 16, 2016June 16, 2016

Keable/Fogarty power plant bill: An autopsy

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Perhaps the most honest statement to come out of the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Paul Fogarty’s bill S3037A came in the hallway outside the hearing room after the vote, courtesy of Senator Leo Raptakis.

“What happened in there?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” replied Raptakis, “I don’t know why they brought it up for a vote at all.”

The confusion Raptakis felt was understandable. Normally, if you want to kill a bill in the General Assembly, you just never let it come to a vote. Eventually the session ends and the bill is dead.

So why bring the bill up for a vote? What was really going on?

Senator Paul Fogarty’s bill would have allowed the voters of Burrillville the opportunity to vote on any tax agreements made by their town council with any power plant located in the town. The immediate effect of the bill would be to allow voters to decide on a tax treaty being negotiated with Invenergy, which wants to build a $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant in the town. The Burrillville Town Council has been repeatedly dishonest with the residents of the town, and has been actively working to bring the power plant into the town against the wishes of most residents. Residents of Burrillville want a say in the process and they want to prevent the power plant from being built.

The House version of the bill, sponsored by Representative Cale Keable, passed out of the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on an 11-2 vote and passed the full House on June 8. The Senate version, after a long, contentious hearing that pitted Burrillville residents and environmentalists against labor and business, was tabled without a vote.

The forces in favor of the power plant did not want this bill to pass. It is believed by many that this bill will make it impossible for the power plant to be built, because it will interfere with Invenergy’s ability to secure financing for the project. A stable tax treaty is important to Invenergy because without it, the company faces the prospect of paying full taxes on the power plant. No tax treaty, no funding, some say.

In an effort to kill the bill, Invenergy paid for a full page ad in the Providence Journal. An editorial and an op-ed were published in the paper as well. Pressure was brought to bear on the Senate from the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce whose lobbyists testified against the bills. And labor, which wants the plant built because of the much needed jobs it will provide, lobbied the Senate hard.

Meanwhile, there was pressure being placed on Governor Gina Raimondo by environmentalists to not veto the bill, were it to be passed. Raimondo did not want to be put in the position of having to veto this bill. She wants the public appearance of being strong on environmental issues, even if she supports fracking and fossil fuels. For Raimondo’s purposes, the less known on the national scene about her true environmental positions, the better. Vetoing this bill would create the wrong kind of headlines, the kind of headlines that might hamper her national political ambitions.

Satisfying these powerful players is easy. All that needed to happen was for the bill to never get out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the bill would die, never to be voted on. There’s only one problem: If that were to happen, Senator Paul Fogarty would have failed the community he serves, and though Fogarty, for political reasons, is opposed to the power plant and in favor of his bill, he’s a strong union member and supporter. Under normal circumstances he would be a reliable pro-union vote and a valuable ally.

A way to both kill the bill and save Paul Fogarty’s political career was therefore devised.

Four Senators, Frank Lombardi, William Conley, Donna Nesselbush and Stephen Archambault, presented legal-sounding arguments against the bill, all the while telling Burrillville residents watching the proceedings live or at home how wonderful their Senator Paul Fogarty is. They laid it on pretty thick at times.

“Kudos to Senator Fogarty for the concerns that he showed his constituency in the town of Burrillville,” said Senator Lombardi, “and [for] having the intestinal fortitude to bring forth the bill on the behalf of his constituents.

“And I mean this, Senator,” continued Lombardi, looking at Fogarty who was seated in the center of the room, “I think that the people of the town of Burrillville are very fortunate to have you as their Senator and the work that you do for them. Quite frankly you listened to them and you put forth what you thought was a very favorable bill for your citizenry.”

Not to be out done, Senator Conley said, “Senator Fogarty’s advocacy on behalf of the people of Burrillville on this issue was extraordinary. I’m just about at the close of my fourth year in the General Assembly and I can say without reservation that I’ve never seen one of my colleagues advocate in such a meaningful and, I don’t want to say aggressive but certainly in a strong way, on behalf of legislation. His heart and soul is behind this bill and whether you agree with one of your colleagues or not, it’s always that kind of advocacy in this building that often goes unsung. So it’s important to note that.”

Senator Nesselbush was more circumspect in her praise, saying, “Senator Fogarty has been a passionate supporter of this bill that he even convinced me to be a co-sponsor of the bill.”

Senator Archambault, who might run for Attorney General in 2018, also chimed in with praise for Fogarty, “I want to echo the sentiments of my brothers and sister with respect to Senator Fogarty. He’s been here for you all along, he’s put in a tough piece of legislation, it certainly hasn’t made him any friends on one side but he did it because he cares. I think his actions speak for themselves.” After this performance, I don’t think any environmentalists will be voting for him.

With Senator Fogarty properly lionized and hopefully protected, all the Senators needed was an excuse, any excuse, to vote against the bill. As it is, they produced three excuses. They also needed someone to blame. They couldn’t blame the business community, they couldn’t blame the Governor and they couldn’t blame labor.

Enter the Republican Burrillville Town Council with their press release turned resolution. At the original Senate Judiciary Committee meeting to discuss the bill, Senator Lombardi foolishly tried to pass off a press release against the bill from the town council as a resolution, but in fact the Burrillville Town Council didn’t get around to issuing an actual resolution until the committee meeting was almost over. But now, with a “proper” resolution in hand, Lombardi was able to produce a villain: the Burrillville Town Council.

In his statement after the vote, Fogarty expressed his disappointment at the bills defeat, but did not blame the vote on his fellow senators. Instead, he referred to the resolution, writing that the “last-minute opposition of the Town Council… [was] the equivalent of getting two torpedoes to the bow.”

“It’s a shame that the Burrillville Town Council does not have enough faith and confidence in the local citizenry to make an informed decision on a matter that will impact the future of their community,” wrote Fogarty, forgetting that it was the Senate Judiciary Committee, not the Burrillville Town Council that killed the bill.

Lombardi’s second excuse was that he was concerned about the precedent that passing the bill would set. He said that when the residents of a city or town disagree with their elected officials, they shouldn’t be looking to the state to pass new laws. Lombardi feared that the General Assembly might be flooded with every local issue that is “controversial” if they passed this bill. Of course, it’s fairly easy to find dozens of examples where the state has stepped in to override local laws and ordinances. The very creation of the Energy Facilities Siting Board, the body that will ultimately decide whether or not the power plant will be built, is an example of the state overriding local concerns and laws, for instance.

Lastly, Lombardi noted that one of his colleagues “was gracious enough to provide us with a Rhode Island Supreme Court case entitled Warwick Mall Trust v State of Rhode Island.” Sources told me that the court case was provided to Lombardi and the other senators by Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio, a strong supporter of labor who sat in on the original Senate Judiciary Committee meeting that heard testimony on this bill.

Lombardi said that the decision in this case could be applied to Fogarty’s bill, and claimed that the bill, as written, would be unconstitutional.

In the end, of course, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Fogarty’s bill down. It was such an unusual occurrence that Chairman Michael McCaffrey couldn’t quite get his head around how it was supposed to work. As the chairman struggled to find the right way to phrase a no vote, two Capitol Police Officers entered the room, to make sure the crowd did not react aggressively to the decision everyone seemed to know was coming. The vote was 7 -2 against. Only Nesselbush and Erin Lynch Prada voted in favor of the bill.

The disappointment of the Burrillville residents could be felt physically. There were tears. Nick Katkevich, of the FANG Collective, shouted “Shame!” as he was leaving the room. The Capitol Police responded by telling Katkevich to leave, but he was already gone. Out in the hallway, there were more hugs and tears among the Burrillville residents.

They say they will continue the fight.

Looking over every single Senate Judiciary Committee vote this session, you will find that every bill brought up for a vote passed. In fact, every bill before this committee, but two, passed with no votes against them. The two exceptions were S2333 on May 5 and S2505 on March 3, and both times it was Senator Harold Metts casting the lone vote against. Until this day, six of the senators present had not cast a no vote in committee this year.

The truth is that no one is ever really supposed to vote no. These committee votes are pro forma. It’s theater. Every vote serves a purpose and no bill is voted on in committee without a predetermined outcome known well in advance.

And the vote on Paul Fogarty’s bill was no different.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

Knight challenges Rep Malik to return NRA cash

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Today Jason Knight called on his opponent, Jan Malik, to turn down the NRA‘s endorsement and return any donations he’s received from the gun lobby.

“The news coming out of Orlando is beyond heartbreaking. We lost mothers, fathers, and children to this senseless violence. Their families join the thousands who are destroyed every year by gun violence. The time to act is now. We need to do something. It’s the duty of our legislators to work to ensure we have done everything possible to prevent a tragedy like this and for there to be no doubt about their motivations.

“That’s why I’m calling on my opponent to do the right thing. Turn down the NRA’s endorsement and return any donations he’s received from the gun lobby. He has happily accepted money and support from the NRA and the gun lobby for years. In fact, he currently holds an A+ rating with the NRA,” Knight continued, “But it’s time he stand up for the people of this district and join the fight for common sense measures to prevent further tragedy. We need to ensure that background checks are universal, that guns are kept out of the hands of domestic abusers, and that assault weapons like the ones used in Orlando are kept off the streets and out of our schools. I served in our military and I know that those weapons have no place in our community.”

“I will not accept a dollar from the gun lobby and I will neither seek nor accept the endorsement of the NRA. I hope my opponent will do the same.”

[From a press release]
See: Jason Knight challenges Jan Malik in District 67

June 15, 2016June 25, 2016

Meghan Kallman announces run for Pawtucket City Council

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Meghan Kallman, of 93 Capwell Ave, has announced her candidacy for Pawtucket City Council in Ward 5. “I’m running for City Council to make Pawtucket a thriving, economically viable, sustainable city for our residents, our children, and our small businesses,” she said of her campaign. “Our Council needs new ideas and fresh energy, and I am ready to work hard to make those new ideas a reality”.

Kallman works as a researcher at Brown University and teaches in the state prison. She also volunteers her time with a number of nonprofit and advocacy programs serving both Pawtucket and Rhode Island. “My organizing experience, both in the community and at the State House, have prepared me to be an effective and creative City Counselor”, she says.

Kallman is co-founder of Crash Pawtucket, an organization that showcases small businesses in the city in partnership with neighborhood and community groups. She also serves on the Pawtucket Juvenile Hearings Board, a restorative justice program aimed at keeping children out of legal trouble. Pawtucket resident Elizabeth Maynard shared, “I live and work in Pawtucket. Meghan and I have been working together on the Taft Street Community garden, and it’s great to be part of such an uplifting project with someone so motivated and committed. I was thrilled to hear she is running for City Council.”

Kallman explained her motivation to run for office: “The job of an elected official is to to ensure our that our community thrives. We need to build a positive environment for families to live in, students to learn in, and businesses to grow in. I will work to align the city’s services with the needs of our community” she said.

Kallman has a PhD in sociology from Brown University, and a Bachelor’s from Smith College. She lives with her partner Tim, a divinity student and future Unitarian Universalist minister.

Oak Hill resident Morgan Lord said of Kallman’s campaign: “Meghan Kallman is an engaged, knowledgeable and well-integrated member of the Pawtucket/Oak Hill community. As an established city-organizer, she works very hard to nurture connections between Pawtucket residents and their representatives, all the while taking action on many of issues affecting the city’s well-being”.

[From a press release]

June 15, 2016

In the wake of Orlando, the system requires dismantling

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To those who do not know me, my name is Ethan Huckel. I am the board president of TGI Network of RI. I am a queer, transgender man. I am an educator. I am a husband and a father. I asked to speak today because I have words swirling around inside me, longing to be spoken. It’s likely that they will not be eloquent; they may be more raw than polished, more broken than I wish them to be, but if I do not give them voice, I will regret it. If I sink back into the quiet sorrow, instead of standing up to be counted among the mourning, among the angry, I will regret it.

We are here to mourn a palpable loss. I know this because of the tears that have come in waves over the last few days. I can see the hurting in the eyes of those around me. Old wounds ripped fresh. The hugs last a few seconds longer this week.

What we mourn is likely slightly different for each of us. For some, we find ourselves floating through countless memories of dance floors, the havens where we found our family, learned to love, learned our queer history. For some, we have the faces of friends lost seared into our memories. Lives ripped away.

We come together to hold each other close. To mourn. And it is important when we do so to recognize that there are those who have suffered more, endured more, stood up against more. People of color. Trans people. The poor. The disabled.

We come together to mourn. But mourning isn’t enough.

Debates are being waged about the terms we affix to this moment. “Terrorism,” as if this hatred was born in some foreign land, of some foreign principles. This hate is ours to own. It is American hate. It was born in our systems, nursed by our bigotry, strengthened by our politics, and armed by our guns.

We hear the question being asked, “When will it be enough?” When will these senseless deaths push the pendulum toward Justice? How many people have to die before we fix the system? I understand these questions, I feel them. They are founded in sadness and desperation, but they are founded on a false premise. The system is not broken. It is a system of oppression and it is working just fine. In this system, politicians use queer people as the bait to rally the hate of voters. In this system, the words “black lives matter” are seen as a threat. In this system, some schools provide education, while others funnel black bodies into prisons. In this system, trans and gender nonconforming bodies are treated like an affront to other people’s safety. In this system, women are left bruised and bleeding behind dumpsters, while the safety of white boys is protected. Oppression intersects in a vast web. A web that has been skillfully woven to keep power in the hands of the few.

This is not a system that needs fixing. This is a system that needs dismantling.

Yes, we come here together today to mourn. To some of us, mourning looks like weeping. To some, mourning looks like rage.

We have fought for change before. We have staged sit ins, held rallies, testified in our state houses and before congress. We have taken our fight to the streets. The Black Cat Tavern. Compton’s Cafeteria. Stonewall.

The Bay Bridge Shut Down.

We have fought for change before, and we have won.

Let us not go back into the quiet of our homes, waiting for the next tragedy.

Let us not sit back resigned to violence, or to racial profiling, or to police brutality, or to the gun lobby, or to an onslaught of political attacks.

Let us use the candles we light in mourning to fuel the fire of our souls.

Let us fight.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

Moms Demand Action walks out on Mattiello during prayer for Orlando

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Speaker Nicholas Mattiello opened yesterday’s House session by asking Rep Deborah Ruggiero to lead the chamber in a moment of silence and a prayer for the victims of the Pulse massacre in Orlando. In the galley, over a half dozen people representing Moms Demand Action stood up and left, tired of the meaningless platitudes and prayers offered by a General Assembly that does nothing to curb the easy access to the weapons used by mass murderers in this country.

Moms has advocated for a bill to take guns away from domestic abusers for three years. Every year the bill dies in committee.

Jennifer Smith Boylan, RI Chapter Leader at Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America told me after the walk-out, “As advocates for commonsense gun laws, Moms are weary of moments of silence and thoughts and prayers from our elected officials. We walked out to send a message that moments of silence do not disarm dangerous people who should not have easy access to firearms. We look to law makers to do their jobs and make laws to keep Rhode Islanders safe.”

With their heads bowed in a public display of of false piety, most of the legislators probably missed the walk out. Fortunately, I got it on video:

Moments earlier members of Moms Demand Action were on the floor of the House, where they presented the Speaker with 49 flowers, one for each victim killed in Orlando, and nearly 700 domestic violence post cards.. Mattiello was happy to take the flowers and find a place to display them, but offered no promises of legislative action that might stop killers from accessing weapons. Instead, he handed the problem of displaying the flowers and doing something with the post cards off to his staff and moved on. Conversation was all but impossible due to the ringing of the session bell.

Mattiello’s office has declined to answer my request for a comment on the status of pending gun legislation. But the Speaker told channel 12 “A terrorist militant is always going to find a way to access a weapon. Gun issue discussions are always valuable. However, not in this case.”

The Speaker has an A rating from the National Rifle Association. Former House Speaker William Murphy, is a highly paid NRA lobbyist and a close friend of Mattiello. The Speaker is more than happy to offer useless prayers, as he did when he issued his very first tweet from his new Twitter account on Sunday, but actually doing his job and passing common sense legislation to curb access to weapons that kill dozens in seconds is somehow beyond him.

With the General Assembly expected to wrap up all its business this week, it may already be too late to do anything about guns this legislative session. But that doesn’t mean that our legislators are off the hook.

This is an election year.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

RI mourns Orlando, demands action at Pulse memorial service

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Rhode Island continues to respond to the terrible events that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in beautiful, moving and powerful ways. Last night hundreds gathered at the Roger Williams National Memorial, the site of our state’s very first Pride event 40 years ago, in solidarity, mourning and empowerment.

With long-time LGBTQ activist Kate Monteiro acting as introduction and organizer, a series of speakers that included clergy, advocates, and government officials spoke to the crowd about LGBTQ rights, violence, homophobia, Islamophobia and guns.

Dr. Wendy Manchester Ibrahim, of the RI Council for Muslim Advancement told the crowd that she and the RI Muslim community stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Rhode Island in denouncing the terrible actions of the Orlando shooter. The crowd reacted with enthusiasm and support.

Ethan Huckel, board president of TGI Network of RI, urged those in attendance to dismantle the system of oppression that allows such outrages to happen, saying, “The system is not broken. It is a system of oppression and it is working just fine. In this system, politicians use queer people as the bait to rally the hate of voters. In this system, the words “black lives matter” are seen as a threat. In this system, some schools provide education, while others funnel black bodies into prisons. In this system, trans and gender nonconforming bodies are treated like an affront to other people’s safety. In this system, women are left bruised and bleeding behind dumpsters, while the safety of white boys is protected.”

Fernando Gonzale, representing YPI (Youth Pride RI), said that the attack in Orlando compelled him to put aside his shyness and speak to the large crowd. Gonzale, a 17 year old gay Latino, said, “Unfortunately this week stopped being about marriage and rights and it turned into being about being a life and death situation, about survival.”

Both Governor Gina Raimondo and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza called for a ban on assault rifles. Jennifer Smith Boylan, of Moms Demand Action, talked of the seeming futility of passing common sense gun legislation at the State House, where Speaker Nicholas Mattiello simply allows bills to die. State Senators Donna Nesselbush and Josh Miller left the State House while in session to join the rally, the only two General Assembly members to do so. It became clear that if Rhode wants to do something about gun violence, we’ll need a new legislature.

Below, please video and pictures of all the speakers at the memorial.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

Can we Christians examine our political sins?

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“Darkness cannot drive out
darkness; only light can do
that. Hate cannot drive out
hate; only love can do that.”
Dr. Martin Luther King

After 400 years of terror, isn’t it time for all Christians to speak out against ‘Radical Christian Extremism?’

Slavery was terrorism: Plantations were concentration camps. The Native American genocide was terrorism: The Trail of Tears was a death march. Hangings by slave patrols and the Ku Klux Klan were terrorism: These murders—often perpetrated or approved by white ‘Christians’—were intended to grieve, horrify and intimidate blacks.

Virtually all who committed these acts of terrorism claimed they were Christians.

This radical Christian extremism persists. Militant Christians still verbally and physically attack gays and blacks, Muslims and immigrants. They justify their hate by appealing to Jesus and the Bible.

Actually, the word ‘Christian’ may not apply to any who perpetrate these horrors. Should terrorists be called radical ‘Christian’ extremists? Their claims of following the tenets of Christianity are wholly false. More than a billion Christians should not be smeared by those committing acts of terrorism. Their crimes are perversions of Christianity.

The same is true of radical ‘Muslim’ extremists. Their claims of following the tenets of Islam are wholly false. More than a billion Muslims should not be smeared by those committing such acts. Their crimes are perversions of Islam.

Many Republican leaders, especially Donald Trump, disagree—along with many voters in the base of the Republican party. Why? Must all Muslims bear responsibility for those claiming acts of terrorism are a legitimate expression of Islam?

This political blame is based on fear and hatred. These are not Christian motives. As stated in I John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out all fear.” Also, Jesus insisted Christians must love, not hate, their enemies. He modeled this love throughout his life and even during his crucifixion.

We must contend with our fears: our fears of blacks; our fears of gays; our fears of Muslims; our fears of immigrants. Unchallenged fears result in misplaced rage and scapegoating of ‘the other.’ This leads to verbal attacks and violence against hated groups.

Racism and homophobia are repulsive. Islamophobia and xenophobia are abhorrent.

Insisting all Americans oppose Muslim immigration or be castigated as purveyors of politically correctness is obscene. Yes, we must seek to be correct—politically and morally—but we can only do so, as the Apostle Paul states, by “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).

What is the truth? Muslims are our neighbors. Muslims are soldiers serving our country. Muslims are patriotic citizens. And Muslims are no more deserving of prejudice than Christians.

What does love require? We must treat the vast majority of Muslims as neighbors, not enemies. We must respond with compassion to the extraordinary hardships of refugees, including Muslims. We must see Muslims as human beings—people who have far more in common with us than differences.

Love also requires those of us judging others must first judge ourselves. Jesus was explicit: Before taking the speck out of our neighbor’s eye, we must remove the log from our own eye.

Those using a broad brush to paint all Muslims with the taint of terrorism imagine falsehoods. Let’s reject our biases and diligently seek truth.

Moreover, let’s ask to what degree our Christian community is responsible for historic acts of terrorism which executed and enslaved millions. Orlando, San Bernardino, Paris and even 9-11 are horrific singular acts of terror. Contrast these with the multitudes of ‘Christian’ atrocities spanning centuries.

Does evil and apathy prevail among American Christians? Could it be that we Christians really do need to account for the log in our eye?

We can choose to scapegoat those having nothing to do with perpetrating terror attacks. Or we can conscientiously oppose such evil massacres, come together, foster unity, and overcome our fears and hatred by speaking the truth in love.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

RIPTA riders rally against fare hikes on RI’s most vulnerable

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The RIPTA Riders Alliance rallied at the State House yesterday to call attention to bus fare increases to the elderly, disabled and very low income people.

RIPTA decided to end free bus fare for these riders earlier this year. The House budget restored free fares for the elderly and disabled until January. Advocates say it would cost the state $800,000 to extend the service for the entire year.

RIPTA riders who utilize the reduced fare spoke at the rally about why they need it and how it affects their lives.

“If we already can’t afford to get to and from places and RIPTA raises the fare where does that leave us,” asked Michael Viera, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair. “If this program doesn’t exist I would not be able to make it to all my doctor appointments.”

A developmentally disabled man said, “If I don’t ride bus free I will be lonely and stranded.”

Another RIPTA rider added, “It will not only restore the sanity to our souls, it will also keep us materially safer.”

Malcus Mills, an organizer with DARE, said, “The board at RIPTA are not thinking of the people they serve. They are not thinking about us. They are not thinking about the low income folks who need this the most.”

One woman called it, “simply a matter of justice. The fact is RIPTA gets funding from all of us through our taxpayer dollars. The fact that we all pay into it, we all should be able to access it. We should not be segregated from other people.”

Another said, “I know there is money in the budget, they just want to squander it on their friends.”

Camilo Viveiros also spoke about legislators role in the process. “Are they going to use their expertise to assist the most vulnerable? Or are they going to throw people who are disabled and seniors literally under the bus?”

Randall Rose added, “We have to keep fighting for this. We already achieved something. RIPTA wanted to raise the fares in July, but we postponed it at least six months and we can keep doing it as long as we keep coming out here.”

June 14, 2016

Gun insurance: Read it and weep, gun haters/lovers

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What’s on my mind? Guns. Why would that be?

If you want my nuanced and deeply personal opinion on guns, you can read this: www.rifuture.org/guns-our-uniquely-american-inheritance

Note: In that post I say I love guns; I do. Ever so rarely they are used to kill a really, really tragically deranged and dangerous human being who probably also has a firearm. In some dubious but worthy theory, an armed populace is Dictator Insurance. I subscribe to that theory: despite knowing I would far rather have a crew-served Mk-19 fully automatic 40mm grenade launcher, Afghanistan-style IEDs, an underground printing press and poison 4-star cuisine if I was to conduct myself as a serious member of an effective anti-dictator resistance movement. I digress.

In this post I will say I hate guns; I just did and I do. Welcome to the paradox of being a rights-loving American citizen.

I am going to keep this brief because I am conflicted. I sit on the fence on this one. I am terrible at being a Progressive and even more terrible at being a Constitutional originalist. Nothing makes my blood boil more than bureaucracy, except maybe 50 dead people and a Facebook feed full of rage, CAPS LOCK, hate, fear and discord.

People don’t want to register or surrender their guns because that is a step towards tyranny. Check.

People don’t want to see other people shot, so they do not want guns easily accessible.. or accessible at all! Check.

Here is the solution nobody wants: Gun insurance. Insurance that would be paid by the responsible gun owners, and not the illegal ones. It would be another hurdle towards getting a gun: a clear financial disincentive for holding onto them. It would bring in some monetary and bureaucratic blocks to high-risk individuals getting them and especially in keeping them. It would be another liberty-reducing and paperwork-spawning law that would stand between us and the infinitely tricky task of having to learn not to hate each other to the point of murder. No apologies for the snark. I am not the guy who thinks fear gets anything accomplished ever, regardless of the appearances of progress.

Also there is always the whole purpose for human existence thing. There is the nagging question about what our relationship to our fellow human beings is, and what it portends to be standing next to an alien stranger. There is the individual mandate given to us all at birth to discover the answer to what some recognize as the first big question: are we are supposed to be each other’s keeper? In answering that, maybe we can figure out what, if anything, can be done about our deranged fellows who are consistently and rapidly being pressed into the lunatic fringes of society and choosing to repeat a rather ancient and disgusting act.

I hate to tip my hand. This is truth for me; we are not safe and we never will be. We are not safe with the guns, and we are not safe without them. We can hedge against violence with violence, with law, with love especially. However we will never be entirely safe. We have to confront this whole ugly mess courageously. I find myself yelling at the mirror on that one, so I can understand why everyone is stomping and freaking out and demanding some change.

Back to the bad idea:

Insurance would be paid out to victim’s families, a rather small consolation at best, yet the insurance procurement process itself would add to the paper-shuffle necessary to get one’s hands on a gun. According to some, there is evidence to show that hurdles to ownership reduces total deaths in shootings. I am not going to bother to get you a link, because I get a headache just thinking about all my gun-toting friends having to pay additional insurance because they have a few flags on their demographic. Insurance would also be a de facto gun-registry without that registry being necessarily in the hands of the government, though I have no reason to believe the government would not easily get its paws on the insurance rolls if necessary. A simple enforcement-check provision would instantly create that opportunity. So there is your gun registry.

Another fun fact about insurance: it doesn’t give a damn about equality, and can be used to discriminate against people without repercussion! For instance, if it is statistically true that such-and-such are better drivers, you can oppress people with a bigger bill!

Implementation would be messy. Some non-empirical hunch of mine says that the gun insurance would pass Constitutional tests easier than a ban on particular weapons, magazines, etc., and more importantly has a reason going for it other than plain fear. Naturally there are numerous readers here whose prefered solution is to elect a Democratic President in order to appoint judges who would dilute the Second Amendment. That is one way to go. Fire away!

There is an old tradition in this nation to pass laws and set policy that makes nobody happy. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the Affordable Care Act and Clinton/Gingrich’s Welfare Reform all come to mind. I despise all three, but the consensus seems to be that bad ideas are better than no ideas, so I offer here another half-measure that stands a slight chance of getting progressive readers what they want: less killing, and more aggravation for gun owners.

Here are your links for some discussion on this topic:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/08/opinions/yang-gun-violence/

http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/uncucumbered/mandatory_gun_insurance_a_practical_plan_to_make_america_safer

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/05/foghorn/breaking-democrats-introduce-national-mandatory-firearms-insurance-bill/

June 14, 2016June 14, 2016

At Pulse vigil, RI LGBTQ community confronts intersectionality

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On the steps of the State House, while coming together in solidarity around the terrible tragedy in Orlando at the Pulse nightclub, the LGBTQ community in Providence found itself challenged from within to strive for greater inclusion and a widening of concern for all people, not just the privileged few.

When Joe Wilson, a Trinity Rep actor, took the microphone, he was well received and applauded for his words.

“I am reminded that this movement is composed of many different kinds of people,” said Wilson, “And I am moved by the fact that what happened in Orlando happened on a ‘Latin night.’ Many of the young people in the bar were being outed as a result of being shot at. Being outed as a result of their parents searching for them in both morgues and hospitals. And we have to stop allowing [that] the only way that people of color are being allowed to come out of the closet is after they’re being shot and maimed and abused.”

Wilson also said, “We have to remind ourselves that this movement, this gay equality movement, can’t be a movement exclusively for the privileged… and for my white brethren, I’m going to go there for a moment – It has to be a movement that includes black [and] Latino…

“This movement is about money. This movement is about economic equality. This movement is about jailing folks that don’t need to have these sentences for having a bag of weed.

“Our issues go far beyond marriage… The gay rights movement needs an autopsy… How do we include black? How do we include Latin folks? How do we include the transgendered community? How do we speak intelligently about people using bathrooms?”

It was towards the end of the speaking program that Vanessa Flores-Maldonado spoke. She politely interrupted the proceedings and asked permission to speak. Flores-Maldonado talked about her discomfort at the idea of a greater police presence at the Pride event this Saturday, police added due to heightened concerns after the Pulse shooting in Orlando.

“How am I, a queer person of color, a queer woman of color, supposed to feel safe?” Flores-Maldonado asked, “We need to remember that Stonewall happened because trans-women of color had enough of police riots.”

Flores-Maldonado was not as well received as Wilson. Had she somehow made a point different from Wilson’s? Some in the crowd yelled that Flores-Maldonado should shut up. The organizers of the speaking program seemed concerned about losing control of the crowd. Calling for inclusion was one thing, talking about police violence against LGBTQ persons of color was too much somehow. Mayor Elorza, after all, was standing right there.

Flores-Maldonado’s microphone was cut off. Tensions rose. Flores-Maldonado continued to talk to the crowd without a microphone. Her voice, her lived experience was literally being silenced. Organizers attempted to get the speaking program back on track. It was suggested that she bring her concerns to the mayor’s office. “The mayor doesn’t like me,” said Flores-Maldonado.

The crowd began chanting, “Let her speak! Let her speak!”

Eventually, Flores-Maldonado was given back the microphone. She said, “For those of you who were telling me to shut up, and to have the mic taken away from me, you’re not listening to what I’m saying. What I am saying is that I do not feel safe in my skin color when there are police around.”

Flores-Maldonado was the only woman to speak at the event. Had she not spoken up, no women would have spoken. Her message was no different than Joe Wilson’s. But Flores-Maldonado was challenging privilege in the moment, demanding immediate consideration of her concerns.

“Along with marking where we’ve come we need to mark where we yet need to go,” said Wilson towards the end of his speech.

Flores-Maldonado was talking about the now.

June 14, 2016

Providence holds massive vigil for Orlando shooting victims

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The Vigil for Orlando drew a crowd of anywhere from 600 to 900 people, marching through the streets of Providence from The Dark Lady on Snow Street to the steps of the State House. Holding candles and signs, members of the LGBTQ community, with family friends and allies, sang songs and chatted. The mood was both somber and joyous in turn. As the sun set, the sight of hundreds of candles moving through the city streets was hauntingly beautiful.

On the steps of the State House, speakers, including Mayor Jorge Elorza, spoke of the history of violence against LGBTQ people their long struggle for civil rights, and what needs to be done in the future to prevent these kinds of terrorist hate crimes from taking place.

You can view the entirety of the march here in the video below, as well as listen to all the speakers in the videos that follow the photos.

June 14, 2016

CLF: Invenergy lied to public at EFSB hearing in Burrillville

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John Niland, director of development for Invenergy, knowingly mislead both the public and the EFSB, the board tasked with deciding the fate of the Burrillville power plant proposal, at a public hearing on the matter, according to the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF).

The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) today filed two expert witness testimonies with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that reveals Invenergy representatives knowingly presented false facts and figures at a public Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) hearing in Burrillville attended by 700 people.

The CLF testimony also provides further evidence that the electricity produced by a proposed $700 million fracked gas and diesel burning power plant in Burrillville is not needed in New England.

Invenergy’s estimates of consumer savings from the proposed plant are grossly inflated and inaccurate, says the CLF. Invenergy claims the power plant will save between $118 to $120 million for ratepayers. The actual number, according to CLF’s witnesses, is between 0 and $36 million.

Christopher Stix, first witness

The first testimony is from Christopher Stix, a volunteer financial analyst for the CLF providing financial and market analysis for CLF’s energy initiatives, specifically in the area of power plant licensing and electric and gas transmission. The testimony is lengthy and technical (and can be downloaded at the link above) but the actual conclusions of the testimony are fairly easy to present.

False Facts

Stix claims in his testimony that Invenergy knowingly presented false information at the March 31, 2016 EFSB hearing at the Burrillville High School.

“…on March 31, in front of 700 people, Invenergy presented in two different ways… information that Invenergy knew, at the time, was false. First, the words “$280 million in Savings” appear in big, green letters on Slide 12 of Invenergy’s presentation… Second, the false information was emphasized by Invenergy’s John Niland, who said, “Talking about ratepayer savings, the analysis we’ve done looks at what happens to the cost of power to the region when you put in a plant like this. – – [T]hat’s really what the $280 million number represents.” [EFSB March 31, 2016 Hearing Transcript. page 16, lines 8-11; 15-17.)

“…eventually Invenergy backed off its wrong assertion of $180 – $120 million in capacity savings in just FCA-10. In Ryan Hardy’s April 22 testimony, page 13, lines 20-21, Invenergy touts ‘Capacity cost savings to Rhode Island ratepayers . . . to be $170 million from 2019 to 2022, or $42 million annually on average.’ It is important to note here that in his testimony, Mr. Hardy gives no specific figure at all for projected capacity savings from just FCA-10. Instead, he sticks with a vague average over a period of several years.

“Mr. Hardy does not acknowledge in his April 22 testimony that his figure had changed radically from his sworn testimony before the EFSB on January 12, 2016, when he stated under oath that ‘the savings from capacity costs alone is nearly 212 million…’” [January 12, 2016 Transcript. page 164, lines 6-14; and Slide 24.]

“Third, and importantly, nothing changed between March 31, when Invenergy publicly presented figures that were grossly wrong, and April 22, when Invenergy presented very different figures. The relevant FCA had occurred on February 8. Invenergy acquired no new information between March 31 and April 22. Thus, there was absolutely no reason for Invenergy to have presented inaccurate information to the EFSB and Burrillville residents on March 31.”

Power plant not needed

Early on, Stix was asked if the New England electricity grid needs the proposed Invenergy plant.

Stix replied, “neither the New England electricity grid, nor the ISO, needs Invenergy in order to keep the grid reliable. Overall, in FCA-lO, the ISO procured fully 1,416 MW more than its ICR. Even if you subtract all 485 MW of the CSO acquired by Invenergy, the ISO would have still over-procured 931MW. And, here in the SENE zone, the ISO procured 1,321 MW more than its LSR Again, even if you subtract all 485 MW of the CSO acquired by Invenergy, the ISO would still have over-procured 836 MW in the zone The result of FCA-10 shows that the generation capacity that the Invenergy plant would bring to the electricity grid is not needed in Rhode Island, and is not needed in New England.”

Inaccurate consumer savings

Stix testified that “[t]he irrefutable, bottom-line fact is that Mr. Hardy and [PA Consulting Group] wrongly predicted savings to Rhode Island ratepayers,just from capacity, and just from FCA-l0, to be between $118 and $120 million dollars. The actual figure was somewhere between zero and $36 million. Mr. Hardy’s projected figure was 272% of the actual figure, and maybe much, much more than that. To put it another way, it is just not true to say that a predicted result of $118 million in ratepayer savings in one year “is very close to” ratepayer savings of between zero and $36 million. I doubt very much if Rhode Island ratepayers consider $118 million in one-year savings to be “very close” to zero to $36 million. And I doubt that the PUC will view it that way, either.”

Robert Fagan, second witness

The second witness testimony presented by the CLF today is from Robert Fagan, a Principal Associate at Synapse Energy Economics, a research and consulting firm specializing in electricity industry regulation, planning and analysis.

Fagan also says the proposed power plant is not needed in both the short, medium and long terms. He says there is no “near-to-medium term reliability need for the proposed Invenergy plant,” pointing out that “existing and projected energy efficiency and behind-the-meter solar PV resources in New England more than supplant the energy output of the proposed plant and support a reliable electric sector in Rhode Island and New England without the proposed plant” and “there is no longer-term reliability need for the proposed plant.”

Fagan says that “Rhode Island and New England net loads… exhibit declining trends, contrary to the applicant’s assertions.” Invenergy claims that the ISO-New England Forward Capacity Markets indicate need, but as we have seen, they do not.

Further, Invenergy offers, “no evidence of any longer-term reliability or other need for the proposed plant. They incorrectly inflate the energy forecast need for Rhode Island and New England. Their narrative on alternative energy resources, including energy efficiency and renewable energy resources, is completely absent of any quantitative analysis of the effect of a portfolio of energy efficiency and renewable resource supply as an alternative to the proposed plant.

Looking to the longer term future of energy in Rhode Island, Fagan says, “When considering energy efficiency and alternative new resources including behind-the-meter solar PV, other solar PV (utility scale), onshore wind, offshore wind, Canadian hydro, demand response, and storage alternatives – in addition to existing capacity resources and a recently strengthened New England transmission system – near-term and long-term reliability of Rhode Island and New England electric power sectors can be assured without reliance on the proposed power plant.”

Fagan also says that, “The applicant’s failure to present any evidence of a long-term reliability need for the plant is significant, because absent such a need, I don’t see how this proposed plant fits with Rhode Island state energy policy that, according to the applicant, emphasizes increasing energy efficiency, integration of renewable energy into the system, and achieving reductions in greenhouse gases.”

June 14, 2016June 14, 2016

These things wouldn’t happen if everyone was armed, they say

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From here:

Soon after Mr. Mateen first opened fire, he was confronted by an armed security guard who was an off-duty police officer, said John Mina, the Orlando police chief, at a news conference Monday morning. They exchanged gunfire. The security guard was then joined by an unknown number of police officers, the first to arrive on the scene.

In other words, the gunman’s actions were immediately met with an armed response. Did it help?

June 14, 2016June 13, 2016

Governor Raimondo to visit Burrillville, meet with residents to discuss proposed power plant

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After months of protests, phone calls and civil disobedience from anti-power plant activists and Burrillville residents, Governor Raimondo has scheduled a visit to Burrillville for an open community meeting. The open meeting, which will be held at the Burrillville High School on July 18th from 6-9pm, will focus on Invenergy’s proposed fracked-gas and diesel fuel power plant.

“Since the power plant proposal was first announced last August, we have been asking the Governor to come meet with Burrillville residents. We are happy that the Governor has agreed to this and hear from the people who would be most impacted by the power plant project”. Kathy Martley who lives a quarter mile from the proposed power plant site.

BASE (Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion), The FANG Collective and others have been targeting the Governor for several months over her support of the plant. The groups have shown up at dozens of the Governor’s public events with “Save Burrillville: No New Power Plant” signs and have led multiple call-in days to the Governor’s office. On April 19th the groups held a sit-in at the Governor’s office where one person was arrested after refusing to leave. One of the demands of the sit-in was that the Governor travel to Burrillville and meet with residents.

But activists say that tone of the visit to Burrillville will largely be dependent on whether the Governor vetoes or signs into law a Bill moving through the State House that would give residents more control of the power plant approval process. The Bill is being championed by Representative Cale Keable and Senator Paul Fogarty, both of Burrillville.

“We want the Governor’s visit to Burrillville to be informative but also be a celebration of the Keable/Fogarty bill becoming law. This is the Governor’s climate legacy moment. To veto this bill, and take away the voice of Burrillville residents, would forever tarnish her environmental record”. Nick Katkevich of the FANG Collective.

The Bill, which would let Burrillville residents vote on any tax agreement made between the power plant company and the town council, passed the House of Representatives 64-7 and is scheduled for second hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

[From a press release]

June 13, 2016August 2, 2016

Rhode Island responds to the Pulse tragedy

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The Dark Lady/Alley Cat are holding a vigil tonight (Monday 8pm). Folks will gather at 17 Snow St. Providence and as of this writing march to the State House.

“Please join us for a candellight vigil Monday in honor of those lost, injured, families, friends, and community. We will meet between 8:00-8:30pm and walk to the State House. More details will follow please share and feel free to post here. xoxo, The Dark Lady & Alleycat and Stable Family”

A Memorial Service for Pulse Massacre is being planned for Tuesday, June 14, from 6-8pm at the Roger Williams National Memorial, 282 North Main Street, Providence. Directions: https://www.nps.gov/rowi/planyourvisit/directions.htm

The service is being co-planned by RI Pride, the Religious Coalition for a Violence-Free Rhode Island and others.

Governor Raimondo is scheduled to be at the vigil on Tuesday.

Members of the LGBTQ community, and allies from throughout the state will gather to mourn the dead, remember the wounded in body and spirit, and proclaim our strength, our hope, and our love.

Please join your brothers and sisters, in this important moment.

We are Pulse; we are Orlando; we are Rhode Island.

RI Pride statement on Rhode Island PrideFest and Night Parade Safety Concerns
“In the wake of the tragic killings in Orlando, Rhode Island Pride has reviewed its Safety Plan for this weekend’s PrideFest and Parade. Prior to this past weekend’s tragedy, Rhode Island Pride had already recognized that growing attendance numbers required significant improvements and took steps to supplement our all-volunteer Safety Team with a trained, private security firm, and worked more closely with the Providence Police Department to ensure their police detail were better positioned throughout the event. Our First Aid Station is provided by the RI Disaster Medical Assistance Team and they are fully prepared and trained for any incidents. We are confident that we already had coverage in place that to make our attendees feel safe and secure.”Today, Rhode Island Pride representatives met with Providence Police, Rhode Island State Police, the Providence Emergency Management Association, other public safety officials, and our local business owners, to review our safety plan and coordinate our efforts and communication. There will be a significantly increased law enforcement presence at this year’s PrideFest and Parade with the RI State Police supplementing the Providence Police, and we have every reason to believe this will be a safe and enjoyable 40th anniversary celebration.”For those attending PrideFest and the Parade, we ask that if you see something suspicious, say something immediately to a law enforcement officer or a RI Pride volunteer. Be aware of your surroundings, limit the size of your bags and do not leave them unattended. Most importantly, remember that this is a celebration of our community and the progress that we have made in the past 40 years – we will not let hate and fear send us back to the closet. Be proud!”

The Rhode Island State Council of Churches issued the following statement:

“Our nation is reeling in the wake of yet another horrific mass shooting, this time our nation’s deadliest. In response to this heinous event that ended at least fifty lives, left many more wounded, and broke hearts worldwide, we, the religious leaders of Rhode Island, call on our communities to pray for healing and wholeness amidst our brokenness. Empowered by our relationship to the Divine, we endeavor to stand up and speak out against all acts of violence.”As people of faith, we voice our loving support for the people of Orlando, the LGBTQ community and our Muslim neighbors. The terror that ensued has affected us all and we will not rest until we assure that such terror will not happen again.”We are inherently concerned about the increasing violence in our society and we commit to bringing it to an end. Working in solidarity we will move our nation from darkness to light. Together we will bring our communities from despair to hope. We will not give in to fear!”In the face of such hatred and anger, we are called to elevate love. We are called to pursue justice, and we are called to bring about an enduring peace for all people in all places, regardless of faith tradition, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.”

RI celebrates Pride this weekend. Pride will be reviewing security for the event with city and state officials today.

There is also an effort underway to remember the victims of the Pulse shooting by wearing black armbands at Pride this weekend. The following note has been making the rounds on Facebook.

“In response to the hate crime at Pulse Orlando, Rhode Island community members have entered a group in the Pride Parade this Saturday, to remember the victims of hate crimes and celebrate Queer and Trans resilience.

You will recognize us at the staging area by our signs. All are welcome to join. All are also encouraged to make signs.
“This is an apolitical contingent, so please let your signage reflect the theme of remembrance and resilience.

Please note that the night of the attack was Latinx night, and largely attended by People of Color, who are not only disproportionately victims of this attack but of anti-Queer/Trans hate crimes in general. So let your signage reflect themes of intersectionality in addition to remembrance and resilience.

“There will be black arm bands available for everyone, including those who are already committed to other groups but wish to observe in that way.”

Representative James Langevin issued the following statement:

“We awoke today to another headline about senseless violence, and yet we are astonished and heartbroken once again with news of the worst mass shooting in United States history. We can never understand or explain the hate that drives someone to commit an atrocity such as this. What we need right now is to reach out to those affected and show our support, because while we mourn as a nation, we cannot allow hate to invade our own hearts or minds. America is better than that.

“This is a tragedy beyond comprehension, and I join the chorus of prayers for both the families of the victims and also the injured who continue to suffer. I pray that no more lives are lost in the wake of this attack.

“My heart breaks for Orlando, and for the LGBT community nationwide. We recognize Pride Month in June, and last night’s shooting was an attack on the very values for which Pride Month stands. The victims were gathered in what should have been a safe space for them to be true to themselves and celebrate our shared belief that all people should be treated equally, and no one should be subjected to violence or discrimination.

“The details of the case continue to unfold, but I have every confidence that local law enforcement, in conjunction with the FBI, will fully investigate what is believed to be an act of terrorism. As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I will monitor the investigation closely and in the coming weeks and months I hope my colleagues will come together and take action to ensure we no longer have to wake to headlines of violence. For now, we pray for Orlando, but prayers alone are not enough.”

The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence (RICAGV) has issued the following statement:

“The tragedy in Orlando, Florida is just the latest reminder that access to deadly weapons of war like the AR-15 has irreversible consequences. The families and friends of the 103 victims will be forever affected and forever wondering why. Our lax gun laws turned hatred into horrific violence in Orlando last night.

“Once again, our Senators and Congressmen send out their tweets, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this horrendous act in ______________________(fill in the blank).

“The RI Coalition Against Gun Violence is demanding that instead of offering “thoughts and prayers” to the 103 victims of the recent Florida shooting, the general assembly starts voting bills out of committee to make all Rhode Islanders safer.

“Many States including Massachusetts and Connecticut have laws to prevent domestic violence abusers from access to guns. Many States including Massachusetts and Connecticut have banned High capacity magazines. Almost every State including Massachusetts and Connecticut do not allow concealed carry of firearms on K-12 School property.

“Yet, for 3 years in a row, these bills are being “held for further study” here in Rhode Island. You can study your way through law school in three years.

“How much more study do we need to pass common sense legislation to keep guns away from domestic violence abusers (HB 7283, SB2730)? Do we need to wait any longer to ban high capacity magazines over 10 rounds (HB 7199/SB 2835)? Do we need to wait for a tragedy at our K-12 School grounds before we pass HB 7243/ SB 2761)?

“We are urging the Governor, the Speaker and the Senate President to do everything necessary to have these bills voted out of committee. It is time for the Judiciary Committees to stop hiding behind a pretext of study. In a recent poll, the vast majority of Rhode Islanders said they want a vote. It is time to respect not only their wishes but their health and safety as well. We want a vote.

“The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence is an organization that was created by concerned citizens of Rhode Island. The organization came to be in 2013 after the Rhode Island General Assembly failed to pass common sense gun legislation. We recognize gun violence as a public health issue. Using common sense means and methods, we seek to reduce injuries and deaths from gun violence.”

Representative David Cicilline‘s statement on the Pulse Tragedy:

“Like all Rhode Islanders, I am keeping the people of Orlando, the victims, their families and loved ones in my thoughts and prayers today.”

“It’s outrageous that LGBT Americans continue to be the targets of such horrific hatred and violence in 2016. Don’t let anyone tell you that we have full equality in this country. LGBT people are not political wedge issues – we are human beings and we are entitled to full equality under the law. I hope that, in the aftermath of this horrific shooting, our country will move towards greater love and acceptance of all Americans.”

“Lastly, it is absolutely infuriating to read reports that this shooter used an assault weapon to murder 50 innocent people and wound 53 more. It just should not be this easy for someone to walk into a gun store and walk out armed with a weapon of war that is designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible.”

“As we saw in Charleston last year, lone wolf terrorists are a threat to all of us. We simply cannot continue to live in a country where it’s easier to buy an AR-15 than it is to buy cold medicine.

“Access to these weapons is a threat to our public safety, and it’s time for Republicans in Congress to come to the table and restore some sanity to our nation’s gun laws.”

Full video and statement from President Barrack Obama on the tragedy here.

Senator Jack Reed writes, “This was a horrific attack. Our condolences go out to the victims and their families, and our thanks to the brave first responders and fellow citizens who did everything they could to help. While investigators are still gathering all the facts, the shooter was clearly a hate-filled individual. His bigotry has no place in our society. We are a resilient nation and we stand in solidarity with the LGBT community. Right now there are more questions than answers, but law enforcement will get to the bottom of this and every federal resource will be made available to ensure they do.”

Speaker Nicholas Mattiello wrote his first ever tweet about the tragedy, but some took issue with the Speaker, asking him to pass some common sense gun bills out of committee and bring them to the floor for a vote.

GPSJenn wrote, “@RISpeaker thoughts & prayers? That’s all you got? U r a lawmaker. Make some laws. Shooter was a wife beater. Pass H7575 to make #RI safer.”

His A+ rating from the NRA was noted as well.

Governor Gina Raimondo has ordered that all flags be lowered to half-mast “until sunset on June 16, 2016 in honor of the victims of the shooting in Orlando.” This is in accordance with President Barrack Obama‘s national proclamation.

Her full statement:

“In accordance with a Presidential Proclamation, Governor Gina M. Raimondo has ordered U.S. and Rhode Island flags to be flown at half-staff at all state facilities and buildings. The flags will remain at half-staff until sunset on June 16, 2016 in honor of the victims of the shooting in Orlando.

“‘We woke up this morning to horrific news – a senseless, cowardly mass shooting in Orlando. It’s an act of terror. It’s an act of hatred. And it has no place in our communities. Like so many, I feel incredible sadness and outrage,’ Raimondo said.

“‘Our prayers are with the victims and their loved ones, but we must do more than pray. It is time to take greater action to keep America safe,’ Raimondo continued. ‘I also want our LGBT brothers and sisters in Rhode Island to know that our hearts are with you – we will redouble our efforts to keep you safe and free from fear, and commit to building a more peaceful, more tolerant society.’

“There are no specific threats in Rhode Island at this time, but the Governor remains in close touch with Colonel O’Donnell of the State Police, and security efforts will be increased around Pride festivities.

“Raimondo also asks Rhode Islanders to lower their flags as a mark of respect.”

RI Pride‘s statement on the tragedy in Orlando can be read here.

In the wake of the terrible incident at the Orlando nightclub, AIDS Project RI and the Family Services of RI shared some tips:

S.A.F.E.T.Y. tips in a Rhode Island Parent Magazine article written by Family Service of RI’s Dr. Susan Erstling. Read the article by clicking here.

To see a range of tips on related subjects, visit the National Child Traumatic Stress Network page in response to terrorist acts by clicking here. See a tips page from Family Service of RI by clicking here.

June 13, 2016

Fogarty power plant bill to receive a vote in Senate Judiciary

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The Senate Judiciary Committee will be voting on Senator Paul Fogarty‘s bill S3037A on Wednesday. The bill would increase the membership of the energy facility siting board from three to seven members, and would require approval by the voters in Burrillville of any tax agreement established by the town council with a power plant located in the town. A successful committee vote send the bill to the Senate floor for a vote from the full chamber. The bill is a companion to Representative Cale Keable‘s H8240a.

Governor Gina Raimondo said that she will be “very likely to” veto the bill on a recent episode of Channel 12 Newsmakers.

Invenergy wants to build a $700 million fracked gas and diesel burning power plant in Burrillville. Critics and supporters alike say that this bill, if passed, will make the construction of the power plant less likely.

June 13, 2016June 13, 2016

Memorial services for Pulse tragedy tonight, tomorrow in Providence

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The Dark Lady/Alley Cat are holding a vigil tonight (Monday 8pm). Folks will gather at 17 Snow St. Providence and, as of this writing, march to the State House.

A Memorial Service for Pulse Massacre is planned for Tuesday, June 14, from 6-8pm at the Roger Williams National Memorial, 282 North Main Street, Providence. Directions: https://www.nps.gov/rowi/planyourvisit/directions.htm

The service is being co-planned by RI Pride, the Religious Coalition for a Violence-Free Rhode Island and others.

Governor Gina Raimondo is scheduled to be there.

Members of the LGBTQ community, and allies from throughout the state will gather to mourn the dead, remember the wounded in body and spirit, and proclaim our strength, our hope, and our love.

Please join your brothers and sisters, in this important moment.

We are Pulse; we are Orlando; we are Rhode Island.

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June 13, 2016June 13, 2016

Mattiello’s budget helps insurance companies, underfunds health regulators

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Though Speaker Nicholas Mattiello refuses to call them budget cuts, OHIC, the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner, will suffer a 75 percent reduction in staff under the new budget unveiled last week. One health care advocate called the reduction in staff “a complete surprise.”

These cuts will reduce the effectiveness of OHIC in advocating for lower rates for consumers in Rhode Island, and are seen as a major giveaway to the health insurance industry.

A letter being widely shared throughout the health and medical advocacy community has been shared with RI Future:

The budget passed by the House Finance Committee June 8^th cut 9 full-time staff from the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC), effective FY2017. This 75% cut in staffing leaves only the Commissioner, an administrative assistant, and one additional staff member to manage the functions of the office.

The 9 positions that have been cut are essential for OHIC to carry out health insurance premium rate review, which OHIC uses to protect consumers from excessive rate increases; health benefit plan form review, which ensures that mandated services are covered, including preventive services like cancer screening; market conduct examinations (for example, mental health parity); and addressing consumer and provider complaints.

Rate review alone has saved Rhode Island employers, employees, and consumers $196 million since 2012, including $40 million in 2015. These savings come from the Office’s review which can lower premium rates requested by insurers while ensuring that rates are based on sound actuarial standards.

OHIC also reviews rates for Medicare Supplement Plans, which saves money for Rhode Island’s seniors, Student Health Plans, which saves money for students, non-Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Plans, and Dental Plans.

“If these cuts remain:

OHIC will not have the staff to conduct adequate rate and form reviews, which will harm the state’s ability to protect consumers and employers from excessive premium rate increases.

OHIC’s capacity to address consumer and provider complaints about insurer business practices will be severely limited, since staff to manage these cases is cut in the proposed budget. This will negatively affect Rhode Islanders. For example, OHIC investigated a company issuing short term limited duration coverage. The investigation discovered improper denials by the insurance company and OHIC required the company to pay improperly denied claims totaling $36,697.

OHIC will not be able to adequately review health benefit plan forms. This means that there will be no watchdog to ensure that state mandated benefits are covered and covered fairly (parity), including services for mental health and substance abuse disorders, ensure that discrimination does not occur, and ensure that services are not unfairly excluded.

OHIC will no longer have adequate ability to protect consumers from unscrupulous companies issuing non-compliant and misleading insurance plans.

“Rate and form review is a key component of health reform. It must be carried out by state governments, because the federal government does not have the authority to deny or modify premium increases in the states. In recent years the federal government has provided start-up and development grants to states to build and enhance rate review and oversight initiatives as a means to protect consumers and improve insurance affordability, with the expectation that states would continue the work. Rhode Island’s grants have allowed us to maximize our statutory authority to review rates and forms and to build one of the most comprehensive health oversight agencies in the country – but no further grant opportunities are being made available by the federal government.

“The 9 positions sought by the Administration for OHIC are integral to having a well-resourced watchdog agency in place to protect and maximize savings for employers, employees, and consumers. Only a well-resourced OHIC can provide the necessary level of oversight to protect Rhode Island consumers and businesses.”

Last week Speaker Mattiello defended the cuts at the Budget Briefing under questioning from Representative Teresa Tanzi. Mattiello said that these jobs were only made to last as long as there was federal funding to support them.

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