John’s End O’Year Rant, 2006

From the Reverend John Hall, Episcopalian Priest...

I think we are growing up a bit, and I am coming to the end of 2006 with hope. I’m feeling more comfortable as an American and as a Christian.

This is not to say that things are all better or even good. After all, we have a government that didn’t tell us the truth. They didn’t even tell Congress the truth, or anybody else for that matter, and thus we became engaged in a war of our own making, and even though we are the Superpower (!), our war has been singularly ineffective even by its own terms, and thus we have created a mess in which many Americans and many, many more Iraqis have been killed, wounded and/or shell-shocked (PTSD’d), and Iraq to-date is worse is off than when we went to save them five years ago. In the name of our being at war, people here, there and elsewhere are deprived of basic human rights by us, the self-proclaimed champion of human rights. Torture under our auspices continues. All of this is sickening to those who love this country and the best that we stand for (freedom of speech, press, religion – the right of all to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – government of, by and for the people – the inherent equality of all).

But at least holier-than-thou is over, or at least taking a rest, whether certain people know it or not, and we meet the rest of the world on a level playing field, a field on which we no longer command respect but have to earn it. This is a grown-up place to be. The childishness of king-of-the-mountain gets old, not just for others but even for us. We have an opportunity to put away America-the-better-richer-more powerful-than-thou and become America-trying-to-be-as-good-as-we-can-be. This is a more secure place for us, because it is based on reality, not hype.

I believe that the church is similarly in a more grown-up place. Yes, some “major” parishes in Virginia are leaving my denomination in a pique precipitated by the consecration of an openly gay bishop, thereby moving the Episcopal Church from Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell to Tell. But the rest of us have decided to concentrate much less on sleeping arrangements of people who wish to make a loving, lifetime commitment to one another, and much more on the plight of the poor. Jim Wallis of Sojourners Magazine points out that the Bible speaks actually very little about sex, but endlessly about poverty. If, as some claim, we have been not-so-good in dealing with sex and sexuality, how much more not-so-good we are regarding poverty! In the sexual realm, we have at least begun to own up to hypocrisies and cruelties of the past (protection of some homosexuals, persecution of others), and confession is good for the ecclesiastical as well as the secular soul, along with repentance and amendment of life. In the poverty realm, the general Convention of the Episcopal Church and my own diocese have committed us ideologically and financially to the support of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, aimed at dramatic alleviation of poverty in the world and the support of universal human rights.

Once again we have learned the hard way that when you take down the wall of separation between church and state, “sin coucheth at the door” (phrase from Genesis 4:7). Some of the most raucous purveyors of moral rectitude in our land have been found to have some pending business of their own in the confessional, just like the rest of us. We too are all on a level playing field. And we do not have to protect God and God’s Truth, as if God needed that from us, and as if we had anything more than a meager understanding of God’s Truth at best. We are growing up.

We are discovering one another: including some wonderful Methodists, Roman Catholics, Quakers, Orthodox Christians, Episcopalians, dissident Episcopalians, Jews of all stripes, Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, Buddhists, and (gasp) atheists, and (of course) agnostics, and people with a home-made spirituality, and so forth. We are realizing that we can benefit from standing in one another’s spiritual shoes and looking at God and Truth from a (for us) different angle. Isn’t that more spiritually grown-up than a we’re-totally-right-and-and-you’re-totally-wrong mentality!

Most of us need to put our spiritual feet down somewhere specific, with respect and wonder for the truth we find there, yet realizing that there is much, much more to know about God, Truth, Reality, Life. I am proud when we forsake knowing-it-all in favor of humbly sharing what we have found to be good and true and beautiful, with an openness to receiving what others may share. I am proud whenever we, the religious people of the world, reach out to the poor and needy. I think that this is what Jesus would do, did, does. And I am proud whenever we take a step away from hypocrisies and cruelties directed toward people who have been traditionally outcast, including homosexuals. My understanding is that we all deserve to be cast out, and would be but for the love of God.

Sure there is lots of work to do in the Church and in the State, but the stalemate of recent years is breaking up, and hope is in the air. Still we do well to be mindful of the parable of the man who was released from the power of seven evil spirits, but then went on to take in some even more evil spirits (Matthew 12:43-45). Let’s not do that. We have to remember that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, spiritual and temporal, and that the place to meet one another is on a level playing field. And we have to remember that God loves each of us in a way that parallels our love of our children, not because of how good they are but because they are our own.

We can learn to love one another more fully. We can, by the grace of God, learn how to love our enemies and make peace in the world, starting in our lives. We can determine to be unfailingly kind, respectful and just with one another, and ask God for assistance in situations where we might otherwise be harsh and hurtful. We can shed any responsibility we might harbor for knowing it all, and rest in the reality that we know very little, really, and that what we do know is a gift, first from God and then from our mentors. And we can be thankful for a diversity of mentors.

Let us in the days ahead, in concert with God, build a world that is better for all, and a church that is truer to Jesus. Happy New Year.

The ONE Campaign

Cranston high schools are falling behind

From the Cranston Herald...

Recently released test results of the New Standards Reference Exam classify Cranston schools as having “insufficient progress” – an unsatisfactory standing experienced by 40 percent of Rhode Island schools.

Save Darfur

SaveDarfur.org has a post called "Generate Press Coverage" that's worth checking out...

Media coverage of the ongoing genocide in Darfur has been woefully inadequate. The Center for American Progress found that during June 2005, CNN, FOX News, NBC/MSNBC, ABC, and CBS ran 50 times as many stories about Michael Jackson and 12 times as many stories about Tom Cruise as they did about the…

TRACKING, THE SAGA CONTINUES

SCHOOL UPDATE FROM CRANSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER STEVE STYCOS, 12/13/06...

Last week, Cranston East principal Sean Kelly generated an uproar in a meeting with the East faculty. I was not present, but was told by several teachers that Kelly stated that starting in September 2008, due to state high school reform, the college preparatory and comprehensive tracks would be combined, leaving only an honors track and an "everybody else" track. He also allegedly said that this decision had already been made by the school committee.

I have also been told that West faculty were given a similar message last year.

If the two principals did say these things to faculty, they were in error. There is no state requirement to end high school tracking and the school committee has not acted on this issue.

After talking with parents and teachers, I called the Rhode Island Department of Education to ask about the state's requirements. I spoke with Sharon Lee, a senior high school reform fellow. She explained that the key requirement is that high school graduates meet state established standards, regardless of whether they are honors, college preparatory or comprehensive students. The entire high school reform package is described at www.ride.ri.gov. Then click on "middle/high school reform" and go to "Diploma System Technical Bulletin-February 2005.

The grade level expectations are also listed at www.ride.ri.gov. Go to "Instruction" and then you will find "grade span expectations" for various subjects.

The regulations require that courses must help students move toward the grade span expectations, Lee explained, adding that the days of "general math" or "sports math" are over. A progression of courses must lead students to achieving the expectations. She also said other districts were addressing this issue in two main ways. First, by giving slower students more time to learn the material. While college preparatory students might take a year of algebra, for example, comprehensive students might take two years to learn the same material. The second approach is to put college preparatory and comprehensive students together in a class, but give the comprehensive students a second or remedial period of math, so to help them learn the material.

After talking with Lee, I spoke with Superintendent Rick Scherza who confirmed, 1) That changes had to be made, but there were no requirements that tracks be combined, and 2) That the school committee has not acted on this issue, but would have to ultimately vote on whatever plan is proposed. He said he is currently trying recruit faculty to serve on a committee to devise a proposal to bring Cranston into compliance with the state high school reform rules.

What does all this mean?

Something is going to happen and everyone needs to stay alert to make sure the result is an improvement.

MORE MONEY PROBLEMS

According to information presented at last night's meeting between the city council and school committee, a new state law bars the school department from submitting a budget which is more than 5.25 percent higher than this year's budget.

The school administration, however, presented a budget projection for next year that is eight percent higher than this year. The leading causes of the increase are a five percent increase in wages (caused by contracts which generally provide a 3.5 percent general increase and an additional step for top paid employees), a ten percent increase in the cost of health insurance and a 12 percent increase in pension costs. Superintendent Scherza will present a proposed and detailed budget to the school committee in late January. Tuesday January 9 he will deliver a state of the schools address which will certainly touch on finances at 7PM at Western Hills Middle School.

Omnibus meeting

Cranston Schools says...

Tuesday December 12 at 7:00pm in City Hall Council Chambers, the annual “Omnibus” meeting will occur. This is where the School Committee and School Department meet with the City Council and presents their estimate of the financial needs of the School System for the next three years.

Petition Cranston for Climate Protection!

Dear Fellow Neighbors,

What I come to you this evening to discuss has nothing to do with Domestic Bank but in my opinion, an issue larger than anything involving the bank.

During some environmental research I have done over the past year, I came across a program entitled the 'US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement' which essentially calls for cities to put themselves in line with the Kyoto Protocol or even exceed the standards outlined in the treaty. For those unfamiliar with the Kyoto Protocol, you can find out more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol

The agreement has the following main goals:

• Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns;
• Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and
• Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system

As the third largest city in the State of Rhode Island, I feel it is time for the city to join this agreement. Already Pawtucket, Providence, and Warwick have signed the agreement. That is three of the four largest cities in the state with only the city of Cranston missing. All across the country major cities are signing the agreement ranging from Seattle to Chicago to Los Angeles to New York City to Miami.

For more information about the agreement, you can visit this web site: http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/climate/default.htm

I have created a petition that I hope gains at least 1,000 signatures by January 15, 2007. At this time I intend to print the petition out and submit it, along with pertinent documents related to the agreement, to Mayor Napolitano. I sincerely hope he realizes that the city has an opportunity to play an important role in this growing problem of global warming.

The petition is located here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/191123144

After entering your name, it asks for your e-mail address, city, state, and zip code. On this same page, they sometimes check boxes that sign you up for environmental e-mails. If you un-check these boxes, you can be assured you won't receive anything.

I ask that you strongly consider signing the petition to voice your support for the new administration signing onto the agreement. At the same time, encourage others in your household to sign the petition as well. Even if you do not support it, I encourage you to forward it to your friends, family, and neighbors in Cranston in hopes that we can exceed the goal of 1,000 signatures by January 15th and the only way we can accomplish this is through word of mouth so please forward it around.

I thank you for your time and consideration and do apologize for taking up any of your time.


All the best,

Peter Baptista

Domestic Abuse

We the people of Forest Hills in Cranston have been fighting Domestic Bank for years.

For your worthwhile reading...

Fight with Domestic rages as city mulls parking limits

and

Editorial: Domestic abuse

Why the U.S. Loses ‘Small Wars’

If history is any gauge, the US will lose the current conflict in Iraq. Since the end of World War II, major US use of force against substantially weaker enemies – Vietnam, Lebanon, Somalia, for example – have ended poorly. The last remaining superpower is not alone in this phenomenon of strong armies losing to lesser foes: the American colonists beat the British, the Vietnamese forced France to leave Indochina and Afghanistan’s Mujahadeen drove the Soviets from their country.

Why do powerful armies lose against decidedly weaker enemies, and what does it say about the US involvement in Iraq?

more...

The Failures of RI Public Education

The American public education system is designed to give every child in America the same opportunity to succeed based on an excellent schooling from K through 12. So, why does the median income of your city or town serve as an indicator of your likely educational success in Rhode Island?

more...

The Commercialization of Our Public Schools

On the commercialization of our schools, I want to be on the record as being completely against it. Commercialization permeates every facet of our society. It dumbs down our arts to the lowest common dominator. It sensationalizes our news into sound bites of “infotainment” that is neither newsworthy nor informative. It has trivialized our holidays. It also teaches that sex sells and that it is more important to be cool than it is to be intelligent. It literally makes girls die to be thin and boys kill for athletic footwear.

I was horrified to discover that Swansea has decided to allow commercial radio to be played on school busses as a source of revenue (Providence Journal, 11/21/06). This is the first misstep on a very slippery slope. If you must have some kind of electronic distraction on the buses, what is wrong with noncommercial educational entertainment and information?

During Cranston’s mayoral campaign, I heard the idea touted that advertisement and signage maybe a good way to help fund our schools. This is nuts. As parents, we fight commercials every day for our children’s attention and priorities and now they want us to allow the schools to be a vehicle for the economic exploitation of our children by greedy moneymakers?

Our elected officials must work better on funding and budgeting instead of resorting to this. Our schools are a sacred institution and they should be protected as such. Do not let the money changers into this temple.

Also printed here...

PAWTUXET

PAWTUXET ART SALE DECEMBER 9

The Fourth Annual Aspray Boat House Holiday sale will be held Saturday, December 9 from 10 to 5 on the Warwick side of Pawtuxet Village in the boat house by the park. The sale will have a selection of locally make jewelry, glass, fine art, handmade paper, wreaths and bath and body
products. Among those present will be the farmers market's Micki Whelan of Babygreens. Please consider supporting local artists by attending this sale. Mr. Peabody's will provide the food and drink.

REDUCE YOUR TRASH I

You can buy a worm compost box (The Soilsaver model) from the The R.I. Resource Recovery Corporation for about half the retail price, or $50. You have to go to Johnston (always an educational experience) to pick it up. Details are available at http://www.nerc.org/rhodeisland.html.

Every fall, I start my compost pile with the leaves from my lawn. Over the winter, I add all the vegetable scraps from my kitchen, turning it over sporadically. I continue through the summer and by fall I have a pile of good soil for my garden, just in time to start again. But a
compost box is faster, neater and more compact. Either way you will soon find yourself cringing when someone "wastes" a banana peel by putting it in the trash.

REDUCE YOUR TRASH II

The Pawtuxet Village Farmers Market has won a $1000 grant from the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund to start a berry box recycling program next year. We will be offering a 5 cent deposit for pint and quart berry boxes, but have yet to work out the details. You can help by saving your cherry tomato, blueberry or strawberry boxes.

You can always drop them off on the porch at 37 Ferncrest Avenue in Cranston (heading north on Broad Street from Pawtuxet Village, Ferncrest is the last left hand turn before Hall Library). Or you can save them and cash them when the market opens in the spring. They must
be clean and in good shape. Thanks to the ardent recyclers who regularly deposit boxes on the porch. We have stockpiled several hundred, but need hundreds more for this program to succeed.

FRIENDS OF THE PAWTUXET MEETING

The Friends of the Pawtuxet will meet Thursday December 7 from 6:30 to 8PM at the William Hall Library's program room (Broad Street in Cranston). We will plan our trips for next year, hear a presentation on the proposed concrete plant and discuss a possible winter environmental film series. We will also consider whether to join the Environment Council of Rhode Island, the environmental lobby group for $45. All interested people are welcome.

November's CEAB meeting

Cranston Educational Advisory Board Meeting

November 6, 2006

7:00 PM Cranston East Room 301

Represented: Dutemple, Orchard Farms, Park View, NEL/Charter, Hope Highlands, Glen Hills, Stone Hill, Waterman, Central Administration, Eden Park, Cranston HS West, Cranston Teachers’ Alliance (CTA), Garden City, Arlington, Peters, Edgewood Highland, Rhodes, School Committee, Woodridge

Agenda:

The CEAB was called to order by Laura Gabiger at 7:03 PM.

June minutes were approved unanimously. Copies were made available to delegates of an article from the Providence Journal of September 26, 2006 about the CEAB-Sponsored School Committee Candidates’ Forum.

Ken McDaniel gave the Treasurer’s report (attached). The beginning balance in June was $412.70. There were $359.83 in expenses and $25 in income leaving a closing balance of $77.87.

It was decided that Beth Martinelli will be responsible for maintaining the CEAB contact list.

Chair’s Update: The Chair discussed how she had met with the Superintendent and would be meeting with him monthly. The Superintendent has confirmed that he will attend the December 4^th CEAB meeting. The Chair clarified the role of the CEAB and stressed that she will be working with the CEAB to focus on school and district-wide issues rather than personal grievances.

Old Business: The PTO University training was discussed. Participants were generally positive about the training which is being planned again for the Spring.

Introductions: Each delegate introduced themselves and discussed some of the issues that are important to the parents in their schools. Issues identified included;

• $ Interested in possibility of coordinating regional buying opportunities (Rhodes)
• $ Parents need guidance on how to help their kids with math investigations. (Stonehill, Dutemple)
• $ Concerns about safety of the grounds and the school building (indoor/outdoor maintenance and upkeep) (Stonehill, Glen Hills, Dutemple)
• $ Concerns about security of the schools. (Park View, Glen Hills, Peters, Woodridge, Eden Park, Chester Barrows)
• $ Interest in developing school-wide listserve for emailing bulletins (Park View, Chester Barrows)
• $ Interested in academic after school programs (Arlington)
• $ Concerned with improving NECAP scores (Arlington)
• $ Interested in getting broader representation/ input from parents (Peters, Woodridge)
• $ Ideas on raising money (Peters)
• $ Concerned about bus safety (Woodridge)
• $ Traffic concerns (Woodridge, Glen Hills, Dutemple)
• $ Is there a district-wide procedure in place for lockdowns? (NEL/CPS)
• $ Class size (CHS West)
• $ Digital portfolios (CHS West)
• $ Merging comprehensive & college prep courses (CHS West)

Given the significant interest in the issues of security, parental involvement, and communication, these issue areas were selected for further discussion. CEAB delegates were tasked with identifying some best practices for encouraging parental involvement to share at the January meeting.

It was announced that there would be an event of the Cranston Civics Education Speaker Program at Cranston West on November 14^th. This event focuses on the judicial system; additional information is available on the school department’s website, http://www.cpsed.net.

The CEAB was adjourned at 8:35 PM

SCHOOL UPDATE

SCHOOL UPDATE FROM STEVE STYCOS, 11/21/06

BOYS, BLACKS AND HISPANICS LEFT OUT OF HONORS CLASSES

At my request, the school administration prepared a report on the race and sex of high school honors students. The report indicates that boys, blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in honors classes. Slightly less than ten percent of the high school students take honors classes. At Cranston East, only 30 percent of honors English students are boys. At West only 22 percent are boys. Blacks make up 8 percent of the student body at East, but only one black student takes honors English in all four grades. Hispanics represent 19 percent of the student population at East, or 346 children, but only 11 take honors math. Asians are ten percent of the East population and represent about ten percent of the honors students.

West has far fewer minority students (4 percent Asian, 3 percent Hispanic, 2 percent black) so the statistics are too small to indicate a trend.

I am not sure what to do to increase the number of boys and minorities in honors classes. I would welcome hearing your reactions-especially from the parents of high school boys and minorities. Perhaps we need to have a meeting at the library to discuss this. Please let me know if you would be interested in attending a meeting.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTION

Former Mayor Michael Traficante appears to have four votes to be elected the next chairman of the seven member school committee. His key supporters are Andrea Iannazzi (Ward 6), Debbie Greifer (Ward 2) and newcomer Frank Lombardi (citywide). All four received support from the New England Laborers' Union during the election.

MIDDLE SCHOOL"REFORM"

By January 1, a committee of Cranston administrators and teachers will submit a report on reforming middle schools, based upon a report by the National Association of Secondary Principals called "Breaking Ranks in the Middle." The committee is examining the role of team leaders and curriculum coordinators, devising an advisory program and looking at scheduling. The report will be considered by the school committee early next year.

I see scheduling and the foreign language program as the key issues. All secondary teachers are required to teach five periods per day. In the middle schools, students are divided into "teams" of about 100 children. These "teams" share the same English, social studies, science and math teachers. Each team teacher instructs four classes of about 25 students. Team teachers are also responsible for a fifth period of "team time" or study skills. My experience has been that team time can be educational or a waste of time, but there is little administrative control over what teachers do. For example, during team time several years ago my son's class was told to do their homework, or silent reading-in other words it was a study hall. Our teachers should teach five periods, so this needs to be addressed.

Meanwhile, our middle school foreign language program is a disgrace. Children take a language only two days a week, which most foreign language teachers say is a poor system because the kids forget the material from one class to the next. In Cranston, in sixth and seventh grades, children take half a year of general language study, half a year of French, half a year of Spanish and half a year of Italian. Then in eighth grade they pick one language and take it two days a week. When they enter high school, however, they are placed in a level one language class.

So they spend three years and learn almost nothing and get confused by the accents of three different languages. We need a serious foreign language program that prepares students to enter high school with a full year of language. Former superintendent Catherine Ciarlo staunchly defended the existing program, but hopefully with her retirement we will be able to offer a serious language program in our middle schools. It may not be a program for everyone, but it should be available for students who want to learn a second language.

I have raised both these issues and been assured they are being addressed, but we will not know until late December.

RECYCLING

I have been working with plant operations director Joel Zisserson to increase school recycling. The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation finally agreed to do recycling presentations with Max Man in all Cranston schools. Those are currently underway. Citizens can help by taking a peak in school dumpsters to make sure the recyclables are not being thrown away. If you see large amounts of paper in a school dumpster please contact me and/or Joel at 270-8190.

EAST REPORT ON LINE

The Cranston East accreditation report is available on line at the Cranston East web site. First go to www.cpsed.net, then use the link for Cranston East. Also check out the "Parents Connection" on the website for interesting information about East.

ADD/DELETE

If you would like to added or removed from this list of occasional updates on the Cranston schools, please reply to ch1650@pol.net.

The end.

The election is over

The election is over and as a Democrat, I am overjoyed with the “Blue Wave of 2006” and the power shift in Congress and hope that it continues into the White House. As for my own fortunes, I take it as a valuable learning experience.

I stood up for the school committee because of the closure of my daughter’s elementary school, Horton. Small community based neighborhood schools with small classes is what we need, not what we rid ourselves of. According to the US Department of Education, 90 percent of the fastest growing career fields in America require a college degree and yet less than 30 percent of the working population has the requirement. We are in a new age, a post-industrial nation in a global marketplace. College education is no longer a luxury for the privileged but a necessity for the masses. This is not liberal rhetoric but the facts as I perceive them to be.

The last great social injustice left in America is the disparity between rich and poor and this disparity is growing ever wider in our globalized reality. The economic strain of energy, healthcare and education is deteriorating the nation’s middle class. For America to compete, she must have a very well educated work force capable of exploiting future opportunities. It is our responsibility to ensure that all of the next generation is prepared in spite of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Our children need smaller classes in smaller schools intrinsically bonded to its surrounding communities for the necessary nurturing, followed by a secondary system that is preparatory for further continuation, and easier access to post secondary education. Every child entering the ninth grade today should be expected to reach a college degree and not be hampered with heavy debt because of it. Sadly, simply staying in school and acquiring a high school diploma just does not cut it anymore.

The school committee is responsible for the administration, maintenance, care, staffing and supplying of our schools. It is also the burden of the committee members to champion its schools and lobby funds from the state and federal government as well as seeking private grants. They must also shift the burden away from the local property tax payers because they will revolt if not. I encourage all, not just parents, to pay attention and be involved in our education system. Go to the meetings, write letters to editors, agitate and most of all, run for committee seats. There were three uncontested seats this year; any time that any elected office is unchallenged is unhealthy for a democracy.

Running for office is not difficult. It may seem like a daunting task but once you get into it, you realize that it is quite an easy thing to do. For an office like school committee, you need about $500 to purchase signs and cards and 2,500 voters to agree with you. Let us not shirk our responsibilities to our children and our great country.

Andre Araujo

Concentrating on the Campaign

With only six weeks to go until the election, I will have to take a break from regular posts to this site and concentrate on my campaign for school committee.

Check out my website, andreforschools.com for the latest news!

Domestic Bank

September 8, 2006

Dear Neighbor,

As you know, Domestic Bank has asked for and received a date before City Council Safety Services. Domestic Bank hopes the council will approve an underground propane storage tank in the vacant and unfinished parking lot within our neighborhood. The hearing will be held at city hall in council chambers on Monday, September 11, 2006 at 7:00 pm.

In my opinion, the city council should never had allowed this hearing to go forward as Domestic Bank is currently and flagrantly violating city codes and ordinances. In fact the bank has received a cease and desist order, and cannot use their eyesore of a gravel hole because they refuse to change the curb cut off of Reservoir Ave. Something that would improve an unsafe situation. The city building inspector’s office is also in the process of citing the bank for other violations.

As you know, the president and owner of the bank, Nathaniel Baker, was recently quoted in the Providence Journal discussing his plans regarding all of us. He said of us, "these people will scream loud and long enough to make the city back off. Otherwise, they'll be looking at a gravel lot for a long time.” This is a statement that demonstrates an unparalleled disregard towards all of us, not withstanding one of the most arrogant statements I’ve ever heard uttered from a bank president’s lips. I guess he feels as long as he and his family own the bank they can say and do as they wish no matter how antagonistic and detrimental to us all.

Mr. Baker’s actions are adversely affecting the value of our real estate. Imagine trying to sell your home. Have a family with children pull up to your house with your broker. Watch your broker attempt to find a parking space. Then listen as he attempts to explain what the unfinished dirt hole is about, and the smell of propane exiting the storage tank’s vent. Think you’ll get you’re asking price? Think you really know what the fair market value of your property is? Actually, if we think about it, no family with small children would purchase our homes. They’ll be too concerned for their children’s safety. Besides, where would they play in front of the house in the street? Nope, not there, too much traffic and the street is filled with parked cars.

You know, as I write this I’ve convinced myself that we’re all entitled to an “abatement”. I’m sure the city’s appraiser did not take the bank actions into account while they were conducting the recent reassessment.

Oh yeah, Baker and is bank are adversely affecting our pocketbooks, the character of our neighbor and the quality of life. No doubt about it.

Linda and I have only been living here a year. We’ve been told that Baker and his bank have been bullies for years. It’s time we take back our neighborhood. If we don’t attend this hearing, Baker wins. If we all attend, we show baker and city council that we are of one voice. “That we’re tired and we’re not going to take it anymore.” That they will no longer dictate to the homeowners, taxpayers and voters of this neighborhood will be. We’ll tell them if they don’t listen, the politicians won’t be reelected and the businesses intentionally causing damages will be held accountable. My dad told be once, “the only way to make a bully go away is by punching him in the mouth”. My dad is right. Our signs are a start. Our voices will finish it.

Hope to see all of you Monday night.

Tom Cloonen
24 Richland Road
Cranston, RI 02910
401-944-3954

Jury Duty day

Today I had jury duty. I was not picked for the trial. It was a possession of cocaine charge against a man in his early 20's.

Back to work tomorrow and drill this weekend...

First day of school

Ok, today was the very first day of our new school.

This morning we waited at the bus stop at Richland. Who jumped out of the bus to greet every one? Deb Griefer! I was shocked by the audacity of the stunt. Is this even legal?

When it came for the return trip home, the very same bus was 45 minutes late!

Deb Griefer was no where to be seen for that snafu.

Back from Vacation!

We have returned from our Disney World vacation. We had an amazing time.

Today is the very first day of our new school, Woodridge.

We have workmen still working on our bathroom - why does that always seem to last FOREVER.

I see that the neighborhood is in a fighting mood with Domestic. That's wonderful to see.

Hope, you guys are catching my lawn signs. I have about 25 out there.

Civics Education Program

Politics and the law dominate the Civics Education Program that Cranston Public Schools is unleashing for the 2006/ 2007 school year. The themes are not surprising, considering the event organizer.

Cranston School Committee Member Andrea M. Iannazzi, of Ward 6, not only came up with the idea for the program, but also picked the topics and contacted the guest speakers. Working closely with Superintendent Richard Scherza and Social Studies Program Supervisor Beverly Prestage, Iannazzi identified issues ranging from stem cell research and media influence to terrorism and civil liberties. The program’s goal is to present a balanced and thought provoking presentation for Cranston students and the surrounding community. The year long series will be free to the public and will be broadcast throughout Cranston, courtesy of Bain TV.

Since being elected to the School Committee in 2004, Iannazzi has focused her efforts on enhancing the history curriculum and engaging students in civics. Andrea said, “I believe that our students’ best chance of succeeding is to understand the political and social realities of today’s society. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, ‘Our children should learn the general framework of their government and then they should know where they come in contact with the government, where it touches their daily lives and where their influence is exerted on the government. It must not be a distant thing, someone else's business, but they must see how every cog in the wheel of a democracy is important and bears its share of responsibility for the smooth running of the entire machine.’ I agree completely and believe this program is a key first step in shaping responsible and engaged future citizens.”

Andrea credits her studies at the University of Rhode Island for her idea for the program, “I am often asked what sparked my interest in civics at such a relatively young age. Overwhelmingly, I look back to a Rhode Island State Government class I enrolled in at URI, moderated by Professor Maureen Moakley. Over the course of the semester, we heard from Judges, Lieutenant Governor Fogarty, then Attorney General Whitehouse, and other dignitaries. Instead of reading about the responsibilities of the judiciary or elected officials, we heard directly from the source. Due to Rhode Island’s small geographical size, this is the type of learning experience that is truly unique to our great State and will serve as a catalyst for civic engagement in the City of Cranston.”

Guest speakers include several members of the Rhode Island Judiciary, Congressman James Langevin, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, State Senators Hanna Gallo and Elizabeth Roberts, and State Representative Carol Mumford, among others.

Monthly events are scheduled for 7:00 p.m., beginning on September 19th at Bain Middle School. No event is scheduled for December. The venues will rotate throughout Cranston. A full schedule will be posted at www.cpsed.net after Labor Day. For more information on the series, contact Andrea at (401) 383-5642 or e-mail andreaiannazzi@msn.com.


Cranston Public Schools’
Civics Education Program

September 19, 2006 Terrorism
Bain Middle School Marc Genest, Naval War College

October 17, 2006 Politics and the Media
Park View Middle School Ian Donnis, Providence Phoenix
Dave Layman, Cote & D’Ambrosio
Bill Rappleye, WJAR 10

November 14, 2006 RI Judiciary
Cranston High School West Chief Justice Frank J. Williams, Supreme Court
Chief Justice Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr., Family Court
Justice Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson, Superior Court
Judge Elaine T. Bucci, District Court
Representative from Worker’s Compensation Court

January 16, 2007 Criminal Law
Cranston High School East Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch
Public Defender John Hardiman
Moderator Lawrence Rothstein, URI

February 13, 2007 Rhode Island History
Western Hills Middle School To be announced

March 20, 2007 Women & Politics
Park View Middle School Denise Aiken
Representative Carol Mumford
Senator Elizabeth Roberts

April 2, 2007 Stem Cell Research
Cranston High School West Congressman James Langevin

May 15, 2007 Education Funding
Cranston High School East Senator Hanna Gallo

All programs begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.

Fighting Dem

Carl Sheeler

Summary of Jim Webb’s National Security Address

National security policy under the Bush-Cheney Administration is in total disarray. There is no end in sight to the conflict in Iraq, the Middle East is out of control, Al Qaeda is stronger today than 5 years ago, and homeland security is being neglected. These difficulties have come about, in large part, because those who are leading us lack the kind of strategic vision that has served our country so well in past eras. George Allen, by blindly following the Bush administration and neglecting his constitutional duty as a Senator, bears great amount of responsibility for the state of American foreign policy.

America has a unique place in the world. It also has unique obligations – and opposition – in the conduct of it’s foreign policy. Terrorism and Iraq were separate issues, until George Bush incorrectly and unwisely linked them; now we need to straighten out the mess in Iraq. The war in Lebanon today is a direct result of the Bush Administration’s complete failure of policy in the Middle East. Issues in the Middle East are closely connected to matters across the globe to which we need strategic solutions. For instance, China has been developing closer ties with the exact Middle Eastern countries that pose challenges to the US. This is a dangerous and neglected alliance that we need to address.

First and foremost is Iraq. Iraq is in a crisis that we must address now in order to make progress on all other security matters. The invasion of Iraq was a double strategic blunder. First, it was a diversion from, not a response to, the war against international terrorism. Second, it has tied down our military in a costly occupation, fighting an insurgency that has strengthened not only the Shia population of Iraq, but also Iran itself. America needs – and deserves – a real debate: about all these issues, and about our strategy in Iraq itself.

The key question facing us is how long we should be expected to occupy Iraq. Someday we are going to leave. Senator Allen seemed rather blasé about this during our recent debate, stating that we have been in Cuba for more than 100 years. But most Americans want us to finish this mission and come home, as long as we do not leave even greater chaos behind. The Administration has never shared with us a specific approach of its own.

For more than two years, Jim Webb has been proposing a formula that might lead to the end of our occupation of Iraq. The first step would be for this Administration to say unequivocally that our country has no desire to occupy Iraq in the long term. It has not done so, and we should be mindful of the many comments by those who pushed so hard for this war, to the effect that we should set up a long-term “MacArthurian Regency” in Baghdad. We should say clearly to the people of Iraq and of the region that we have no plans for a long-term presence in that country. This will take the moral high ground away from the insurgency in the eyes of the Muslim world, and defuse the concern of some Iraqis that we plan to stay for good. This will also put the Iraqi government on notice that it cannot wait forever to stand up before we will stand down. We should not build permanent bases in Iraq. If we’re leaving, we don’t need them, and it sends the wrong message. In the short term, we could move our troops out of the country but within the region – strong possibilities could be Jordan and Kuwait. This would give us the ability to contain the terrorist threat within Iraq without continuing our occupation. From there, we could then bring them home when we’re sure the withdrawal is working. Congress should make sure of this by banning any expenditure for permanent bases in Iraq.

The second step would be for us to begin immediate discussions with those countries that are culturally and historically invested in Iraq, and arguably aligned with us, to become overtly involved in a diplomatic solution, taking responsibility at some level for future stability among Iraq’s competing factions. This is do-able. Quite frankly, it will be more difficult in the wake of our failure to take similar steps during the early stages of the recent events in Lebanon. As you might recall, during the first days of that action, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Bahrain all condemned Hezbollah, as did the Beirut government, for inciting the Israeli attacks. By not taking advantage of those gestures, we lost a great opportunity to bring some long-term stability in both situations. But, we should continue to pursue these sorts of solutions, just as we should work to break Syria apart from its unnatural alliance with Iran through direct discussions – something this Administration, with the strong support of George Allen, as refused to do.

Senator Allen has made it clear that, no matter how things are going, he will not question, let alone review and re-examine, the policies of the Bush Administration. Jim Webb, in contrast, has the experience – both on the battlefield and off – as well as the willingness and, most importantly, a strategic vision for doing so.

In debating the current occupation of Iraq we should be reminded of another era, in which a recently retired General took strong issue with a war that had gone on too long and resolved to do something about it. Few Americans called Dwight Eisenhower unpatriotic in the summer of 1952 when he criticized the Truman Administration for its conduct of the Korean War. It’s worthwhile in this era where Generals who speak out are accused of betrayal, to quote the five-star General who became our president.

“Where do we go from here?” he asked. “When comes the end? … These questions demand truthful answers. Neither glib promises nor glib excuses will serve. They would be no better than the glib prophecies that brought us to this pass… [a]ny answer that dishonestly pledged an end to war in Korea by any imminent, exact date would brand its speaker as a deceiver. The second and equally false answer declares that nothing can be done to speed a secure peace. It dares to tell us that we, the strongest nation in the history of freedom, can only wait, --and wait-- and wait. Such a statement brands its speaker as a defeatist.

“The old Administration cannot be expected to repair what it failed to prevent. Where will a new Administration begin? It will begin with it’s President taking a simple, firm resolution. The resolution will be: To forego the diversions of politics and to concentrate on the job of ending the Korean war-until that job is honorably done.

“And just as General Eisenhower made that pledge 54 years ago, it is relevant today. We must forego the slash and burn political tactics that have marked the last six years, and reach for a true solution to the war in Iraq and the chaos in the Middle East.”

Signs have been ordered!

This is a rough-copy JPEG version. The signs are double-sided, navy-blue and white, 18" X 24", union made, and corrugated plastic.

I have initially ordered 50 signs which will find homes on the fine lawns of Cranston's second ward between now and election day.

The Cranston Herald Article

One problem, ITS WARD 2 NOT WARD 4

Araujo challenges incumbent in Ward 4



Andre Araujo recently sent out a press release announcing his run for School Committee in Ward 4.


Araujo, a 32-year-old married father of a young daughter who attends Cranston’s public schools, lives in the Forest Hills neighborhood.


An employee of the U.S. Navy, Araujo also serves as an enlisted technical sergeant with the R.I. Air National Guard and is a vestry board member of the Church of the Ascension in Cranston (Episcopal).


Araujo graduated from East Providence High School in 1991 was discharged honorably from the U.S. Air Force in 1997. He holds two associate degrees, one from CCRI and the other from the Community College of the Air Force; he is nearing completion of his bachelor’s degree at URI.


Araujo, in his release, cited Horton Elementary as one of his top motivations for running.


“We were all very disappointed with the way that Horton Elementary School was shut down and shocked by the callous manner in which our community was treated by the School Committee,” he said. “Instead of just complaining, I want to do something about it. I want to work hard for more reasonable school budgets. I want to work with City Hall to get better state and federal aid and to alleviate the burden from the city property taxpayers. We have hardworking and loyal teachers in the schools that deserve a decent wage so that they can continue to provide quality education to our children.”

Celebrating Lamont win with Dave Brubeck's classic "Take Five"

Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat!

Senator Clinton's Statements and Question to Rumsfeld

"What I think the president ought to do..."

While on the campaign trail in 2000, George W. Bush told President Bill Clinton how to handle OPEC, in public no less. “What I think the president ought to do," he said, "is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots."

And in a brilliant, highly educational follow-up comment, Bush informed the audience: "One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up."

"OPEC has gotten its supply act together," Bush advised listeners, "and it's driving the price, like it did in the past."

"And," he said in direct advice to Clinton, "the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the prices."

Apparently, Bush has lost the phone numbers for OPEC members, or they are refusing to take his calls, because I think its safe to assume that he did not "jawbone" members of the OPEC cartel.

That said, if Bush is not in the mood for "jawboning," he could at least use a little pillow talk with his buddies in Saudi Arabia and get them to open the spigots.

During campaign 2000, Bush told Americans that he had an energy plan that would reduce gas prices at the pumps and here we sit five years later, with the highest prices in history.

The high energy costs are affecting everyone, from commuters and consumers, to public and private programs. The damage is devastating everywhere.

Since Bush took office, gas prices have increased 62.5 percent from $1.44 per gallon in January 2001 to $2.34 in March 2006. The average household with children will spend about $3,343 on transportation fuel costs this year, an increase of 75 percent since 2001, according to the Energy Information Administration, Retail Gasoline Prices, and Household Vehicle Energy Use: Latest Data and Trends, November 2005.

And gas prices are still rising. As of April 24, the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge report said, nationally, the average price for a gallon of regular gas was $2.90, or a 15.5 percent hike over the $2.51 price per gallon a month ago.

So where is all the money going? One need not look far. In 2005, the world's largest oil company, ExxonMoblile, reported the most profitable year in US corporate history, earning more than $36 billion.

Economists say oil producers and refiners, not gas stations, are making a killing. The five largest refineries, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Shell, Valero, and British Petroleum (BP) have recorded $228 billion in profits since 2001, according to testimony at a congressional hearing last November.

In 1999, refiners made 23 cents for each gallon processed and in 2004, they made 41 cents a gallon, according to Department of Energy data.

While watching oil company profits skyrocket, the average American household spent about $107 more for heating this past winter compared to the year before. In 2005-06, households heating with natural gas paid $402 or 86 percent more than they paid in 2001-2002. Consumers of heating oil paid $759 or 121 percent more this winter than they paid in 2001-2002, according to the Energy Information Administration, Short Term Energy Outlook, April 2006

It's hot! Real hot! Africa hot!

It's hot!  Real hot!  Africa hot!

That's what my TI would bark at us when I was a young airman in basic training.  It was Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas in May and June of 1994.

The Texas heat and the stress of basic would make young airmen act real dumb.  The TI's knew this and would play on it.

Has the summer heat and the 2006 election stress dumbed the Republicans this year?

Browsing around Yahoo, I came across these examples of Republican meltdowns...

Sen. Conrad Burns confronted members of a Virginia firefighting team at an airport and told them they had done a "poor job" battling a southern Montana wildfire, according to a state official's report obtained Thursday.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

Gov. Mitt Romney has apologized for referring to the troubled Big Dig construction project as a "tar baby" during a fundraiser with Iowa Republicans, saying he didn't know anyone would be offended by the term some consider a racial epithet.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

Majority Leader Bill Frist hasn't been following all the Senate's rules when it comes to disclosing details about his finances.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

The state Republican Party bluntly told Rep. Katherine Harris that she couldn't win this fall's Senate election and that the party wouldn't support her campaign, a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press shows.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

When the ruling party has problems on the domestic side of things, they turn to overseas issues...

The Bush administration may have badly miscalculated in insisting that any Mideast cease-fire be tied to long-term objectives. As the toll on Lebanese civilians has soared, even moderate Arab governments have turned into U.S. critics, and Hezbollah's support has climbed across the region.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

The remaining Axis of Evil?

North and South Korean troops along their heavily fortified border exchanged gunfire for the first time in about a year, a military official said on Tuesday, with the incident coming as ties between the two have soured.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

The U.N. Security Council passed a weakened resolution Monday giving Iran until Aug. 31 to suspend uranium enrichment or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions. Iran immediately rejected the council action, saying it would only make negotiations more difficult concerning a package of incentives offered in June for it to suspend enrichment.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

But do not worry, they still have the Iraq War...

Gunmen dressed in military fatigues burst into the offices of the Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce and a nearby mobile phone company Monday, seizing 26 people in a daylight raid in a mostly Shiite area of the capital.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

The State Department agency in charge of $1.4 billion for reconstruction projects in

Iraq used an accounting shell game to hide cost overruns and failed to tell Congress about schedule delays, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

When all else fails, turn to faith...

An official police report on Mel Gibson's arrest on drunken driving charges substantiates claims that he made anti-Semitic remarks and threatened a deputy, a law enforcement official said Monday.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

Privatization of the Public School System

MyDD had an item on this this week called, "Social Security Privatization Fails; GOP Turns to Public Schools"

The partial privatization of Social Security pushed by the Bush administration and the Republican Congress failed miserably last year, failing to really even get off of the ground as a result of widespread public disapproval. Stymied on that front, the White House and it's GOP allies in the Congress are now turning to another government program, public schools, for another effort at partial privatization.

http://www.mydd.com/...

They tried it with social security and they are trying it with American public education!

The education gap in the U.S., like the wealth chasm, is growing ever wider, and equal educational opportunity, the perennial dream of working-class and progressive people, is being undermined by neo-conservative forces.

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/...

The conservative movement, being thoroughly anti-union, has at its heart a desire to rid the United States of the two remaining unionized sectors of the national economy: Public Education (teachers unions), and Public Employees. In service of these goals, the movement has moved aggressively against both public schools and public school teachers.

Of course, the movement is also interested in converting to private profit the estimated $400+ billion annually spent on public primary and secondary education.

http://www.mediatransparency.org/...

The argument.

Our elementary and secondary educational system needs to be radically restructured. Such a reconstruction can be achieved only by privatizing a major segment of the educational system--i.e., by enabling a private, for-profit industry to develop that will provide a wide variety of learning opportunities and offer effective competition to public schools. The most feasible way to bring about such a transfer from government to private enterprise is to enact in each state a voucher system that enables parents to choose freely the schools their children attend. The voucher must be universal, available to all parents, and large enough to cover the costs of a high-quality education. No conditions should be attached to vouchers that interfere with the freedom of private enterprises to experiment, to explore, and to innovate.

This article appeared in the Washington Post on February 19, 1995. Reprinted by permission of the author and the Washington Post.

http://www.cato.org/...

The retort.

In public schools today, little is safe from commercialization and privatization. A wide variety of companies and corporations are attempting to take over virtually all of the work traditionally performed by school district employees, from teaching to providing student transportation to cooking meals to cleaning and maintaining school buildings and grounds, and more.

The attempted corporate takeover of our system of education has its roots in support services - it is in this area that private contractors have been around the longest, and that contracting out is the most widely practiced. The National Education Association is strongly opposed to privatization because of the threat that it poses to the quality of education, the accountability of public schools to the communities they serve, and to the well being of children in school.

NCLB and "Starve the Beast".

The 2002 No Child Left Behind Act is a clever long-range political ploy to discredit public education by branding good schools as "failures" and to drive American education toward vouchers, charter schools -- and even resegregation.

That's the bitter conclusion reached by the leaders of groups representing Massachusetts' school committees, teachers unions, superintendents and administrators.

"Starve the Beast" (or STB) is a conservative political strategy which uses budget deficits to force future reductions in government expenditure, especially spending on socially progressive programs. The term "beast" is used to denote government and the social programs it funds, including publicly-funded health care and education, the implication being that expenditure on such programs, or the programs themselves, is wasteful or destructive.

As usual, the cons use the religious right to undermine the American public school systems with political fights such as "school prayer" and "intelligent design".

"Intelligent Design" is essentially a marketer's strategy to distort science with a theologically influenced pseudo science, using sophistry, the ancient art of talking around something and inundating questions with high sounding but inaccurate or irrelevant information, to advance the interests of right-wing religionists.

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/...

The American people fight it, locally, with the landmark case "Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District"
http://en.wikipedia.org/...

The GOP takes up that local fight.

Friday, July 21

It was reported today that the Pinellas Republican Party has committed $50,000.00 to local School Board races. The money went to Nancy Bostock, Peggy O'Shea and to one of my opponents Carl Neumann.

See article at http://www.sptimes.com/...

And editorial at http://www.sptimes.com/...

Elections for School Board members and judges are intended to be Nonpartisan. Legally all that means is that there are no separate Primary elections in which voters get to chose a Democrat and a Republican to face each other in a General election. My campaign has always been Nonpartisan and Bi-partisan, It will continue to be so. All of my actions as a School Board member will be Nonpartisan and in the best interest of first students, then parents, and lastly tax payers and no one else.

http://www.jackkillingsworth.com/...

Friends, the fight for the heart and soul of America is just as important in our local school committees and city councils as it is in Congress and Washington, DC.

There is evidence that there is an effort by this White House to undermine and do away with our current public school system. Not to reform it but to eliminate it.

As I was driving home from work today, I was listening to NPR and was taken aback by this report. Do yourself a favor and listen.

Public vs. Private School Report Spurs Controversy - http://www.npr.org/...

As usual, the Bush administration was playing politics by burying data it doesn't like.

Public schools performing favorably with private schools when students' income and socio-economic status are taken into account, according to a new report from the U.S. Education Department. The findings counter a popularly held notion, that private schools outperform public schools.

Andre Araujo For Cranston School Committee, Ward 2

Hello Everyone,

I am proud to announce that I am on the November 2006 ballot for the School Committee in Cranston, RI’s second ward!

I am asking for your vote but if you cannot vote for me, your help!

Visit my new website, http://andreforschools.com. On the site you can find out if you live in my voting ward or know someone that does, you can register to vote, you can review the issues facing the Cranston Schools, review news articles concerning the schools and even make a donation to the campaign.

This is my first political race. Like many of you, I share the passion for political change. I stay informed and I follow the issues closely. I donate money and time to candidates and causes that I feel best enable this country and the world to become a better place for all of us. I felt as though that now the time is right to enter the arena and take up the fight. I feel like I can make a difference and that I will make the difference that is badly needed.

This is the hardest part for any politician, asking for money. Everyone knows that campaigns are expensive adventures. Leaflets, palm cards, lawn signs and websites all cost money. Now, I humbly ask of you, to visit my website donation page - http://www.andreforschools.com/donate.html and if so inclined, make a small donation. I am not asking for much, a dollar or two and if you feel generous five dollars ($5 buys 1 yard sign).

I thank you all!!!

Andre Araujo

http://www.AndreForSchools.com

Andre Araujo For Cranston School Committee, Ward 2

PS - If you know someone in Cranston's Ward 2, I humbly ask if you may forward this onto them. Thank you, again!

Mayoral Debate

Get to see the candidates in action - Mayoral debate at Hope Highlands School on Hope Road. Starts at 6 pm on the Wednesday the 26th of July- be there early!

Ditherer-In-Chief

In your lifetime, has the US ever exercised less global leadership?

The Middle East is burning. Iraq is disintegrating. Afghanistan is collapsing. North Korea is escalating. Iran is cheering.

And all President Bush can do is dither. The Administration has no foreign policy.

- The Nation

How many members?

How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to change a light bulb?

1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed,

2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed,

3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb,

4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing the light bulb or for darkness,

5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Haliburton for the new light bulb,

6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner: Lightbulb Change Accomplished,

7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how Bush was literally in the dark,

8. One to viciously smear #7,

9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along,

10. And finally one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

This was just uncalled for

Don't you think?

See

Mayor Laffey's Tax Letter

Both DailyKos and RIFuture are blogging this story.

When local tax bills were mailed last week, the envelopes contained a letter from Mayor Stephen P. Laffey promoting his administration's accomplishments and encouraging residents to stay fiscally vigilant after he leaves office in December. - ProJo

"Mayor Laffey now has the FEC to worry about in addition to the many residents of Cranston he has offended with this gratuitous political mailer."

A little old but worth noting

You may not have noticed that not only did Mike Pisaturo drop out of the Mayor’s race and decide to not seek re-election to the Council, but he also resigned from the City Council, effective August 18th, due to a job opportunity. The Cranston Herald reports that the Council will name a replacement until the election in the fall.

More here

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Captain Jack is back and he owes a debt to Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman.

An amazing movie. It starts slowly but builds into a swash-buckling climax with Jack battling the sea monster, the Kraken.

A very surprising ending but alas, we must wait for the conclusion in the next installment of this high seas adventure.

Street Prophets blogs RI Senate race

Street Prophets is a spin-off of Daily Kos and it describes itself as an online forum that mobilizes progressive people of faith to name, discuss and take action on critical political and religious issues.

One of the most competitive political races this year is in Rhode Island where incumbent U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee is running in a contested Republican Primary. Whoever wins that primary will face a strong challenger from the Democratic Party. National democrats hope to pick up the seat in an effort to gain a democratic majority. Our nation would clearly benefit from a change in congressional leadership but a Chafee defeat would be a loss for the nation.

READ MORE

July 7, 2005

In total 52 people lost their lives in the London bombings, 700 people were injured.

The attacks were carried out by four suicide bombers.

The presumed ringleader, Mohammed Siddique Khan, had recently visited Pakistan and was later found to have made a video message in which he claimed British foreign policy was oppressing Muslims.

Al-Qaeda issued a videotaped statement in September claiming it was behind the London bombings.

On July 21 there were four more attempted bombings in London. None of the devices exploded.

On 22 July 2005, police shot dead a man, Jean Charles de Menezes, they mistook for one of the bombers.

Five men were later arrested and are due to face trial in September 2006.

A decision is still awaited on whether any charges will be brought over the de Menezes shooting.

We vacationed in England in July of 2005.

Kmareka profiles Mark Lucas

Kiersten Marek interviews Mark Lucas!

Collecting Signatures

Andre Araujo is collecting signatures of registered voters in Cranston's second ward.

Fifty (50) confirmed signatures are required to be submitted to the canvassing authority at Cranston's City Hall no later than 4:00 PM on July 14th in order to be placed on the November ballot.

If you are eligible to sign the petition, one is available for you at Cindy Fogarty's campaign headquarters located at 832 Park Avenue.

July 5, 1975

The Cape Verde Islands were uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived in 1456, and the islands were thus made part of the Portuguese empire. Due to its location off the coast of Western Africa, Cape Verde became an important supply station, then sugar cane plantation site, and later a major center of the slave trade and whaling industry.

Although the Cape Verdeans were treated badly by their colonial masters, they fared slightly better than Africans in other Portuguese colonies because of their lighter skin. A small minority received an education; Cape Verde was the first Portuguese colony to have a school for higher education. By the time of independence, a quarter of the population could read, compared to 5% in Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau).

In 1926, Portugal had became a right-wing fascist dictatorship which regarded the colonies an economic frontier, to be developed in the interest of Portugal and the Portuguese. Frequent famine, unemployment, poverty and the failure of the Portuguese government to address these issues caused resentment. And the Portuguese dictator Salazar wasn't about to give up his colonies as easily as the British and French had given up theirs. After World War II, Portugal was intent to hold on to its overseas territories. When most former African colonies gained independence in the 50's and 60's, the Portuguese still held on. Consequently, the people of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau fought one of the longest African liberation wars.

After the fall of the fascist regime in Portugal in 1974, widespread unrest forced the government to negotiate and in July 5, 1975, Cape Verde finally gained independence from Portugal.

July 4, 1776

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Boss. the plane! The plane!

We went down to the the 61st US Women's Open Golf Championship in Newport today.

We saw Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie. That was cool. But what really caught my attention was an airplane towing a banner that read “NBC – Give NABET A Fair Contract”

Who or what was NABET? Well, it is the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians. I googled the name and came up with this.

The Flight of Discovery on STS-121

From the pages of Daily Kos...

Discovery's STS-121 mission will the 18th assembly flight to the International Space Station and deliver badly needed water and other supplies. It will also ferry a European astronaut who will bring the ISS crew size back up to 3 for the first time since February of 2003. The crew will also perform a spacewalk to service a malfunctioning piece of construction equipment at ISS and another to test methods of repairing the fragile orbiter heatshield.

NASA Administrator Mike Griffin has bluntly stated that the program will end if another vehicle is lost. The shuttle program has been a white elephant of sorts from the day its design was finalized. Too many compromises had to be made for it to live up to its initial promise. And it wasn't as safe as many made it out to be and as 14 brave American men and women tragically proved.

The International Space Station (ISS) is another white elephant. It's in the wrong orbit and also will never live up to its hype. Studies have shown that in order for ISS to even begin to accomplish what it was meant to do would require a permanent crew of at least 7 people. To date the crews have spent the majority of their time just doing maintenance and housekeeping.

President Bush (yeah, I know) has decided that there will be no more space shuttle flights after the year 2010 and possibly sooner. This decideration was made so that NASA could focus more on his ambitious program to develop a new space flight vehicle and return astronauts to the moon, and eventually Mars. ISS still requires 16 assembly flights before it is completed and it's anybody's guess at this time whether or not they can actually be accomplished given the tight schedule. Deciding to end the program once the ISS was completed would have made too much sense I guess, but hey, what do you expect from someone whose age is about to match his IQ?

Others might speculate that his real motive is to militarize space. We must work to make sure that never happens. I take it as a bad sign that the rocket that will take astronauts into space starting in 2014 is named after the god of war. Maybe it's just me.

It's all but certain that once Bush is out of office his grand vision for space exploration will be scrapped no matter which party is in control of the White House and Congress. What emerges in its place is bound to be far less exciting. And for that I am sad. But as Discovery lifts off tomorrow I would ask everyone here, Democrats, Liberals and Progressives to think about what direction the country's space program should go in. Just start to think about it, and please try to remember that its value as an inspiration to young people all over the country from every conceivable background and culture is incalculable. Achievments in space are something the world, even the Arab world, respects and have been a justifiable source of global goodwill for decades. For what it costs to fight the war in Iraq for a week we could have something to be very, very proud of. How long has it been since this nation accomplished something all Americans could proudly point to and say, "We did that!"? Hint: the War on Terror and the War on the Constitution aren't getting it done for me.

I know many Democrats over the years have harshly criticized NASA programs. Walter Mondale almost single-handedly got the space shuttle program shut down before it ever started. The biggest criticism has always been that these programs are a waste of money and resources that could be better spent on earth where we have plenty of problems that need fixing. Mondale called it "an enormous federal boondoggle", and called Nixon's decision to build it an "example of perverse priorities and colossal waste in government spending". I wonder what he would say today about the war in Iraq and the Department of Homeland Security?

England versus Portugal

The FIFA World Cup is well underway with only six teams left as of Saturday morning.

My wife is from England and my parents are from the Cape Verde Islands (Portuguese speaking). Who do I support?


*** UPDATE ***
Portugal beats England and France beats Brazil

Andre Araujo for Cranston School Committee

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

My name is Andre Araujo and I am running for School Committee. I am asking for your vote on Tuesday, November 7, 2006.

I am a 32 year old married father of a young daughter attending Cranston’s public schools. We own a single family home in the Forest Hills neighborhood.

I am an employee of the US Navy. I also serve as an enlisted technical sergeant with the RI Air National Guard and I am a vestry board member of the Church of the Ascension in Cranston.

I graduated from East Providence High School in 1991. I was discharged honorably from the US Air Force in 1997. I hold two associates degrees, one from CCRI and the other from the Community College of the Air Force. I am currently completing my bachelor’s degree at URI.

We were all very disappointed with the way that Horton Elementary School was shut down and shocked by the callous manner in which our community was treated by the school committee.

Instead of just complaining, I want to do something about it. I want to work hard for more reasonable school budgets. I want to work with City Hall to get better state and federal aid and to alleviate the burden from the city property taxpayers.

We have hardworking and loyal teachers in the schools that deserve a decent wage so that they can continue to provide quality education to our children.

If elected by you, I will do my utmost to serve you and our future generations to the best of my ability.

Sincerely yours,



Andre Araujo

Website: AndreForSchools.com
E-Mail: Andre_Araujo@cox.net
Phone: (401) 261-2681

Herald Letter to the Editor calls out No-pony-tano

I think the word is DUMBFOUNDED. This word describes my reaction to recent newspaper articles and television commercials reminding me that Michael Napolitano will be running for mayor of Cranston. He is the number one choice of the Democratic Committee, and I can’t help but wonder WHY.

- Claudia Pietros, Cranston, http://www.cranstonherald.org/

Read it all here!

*** UPDATE ***
Another scathing letter to the editor concerning No-pony-tano can be found in Thursday's printed ProJo West Bay edition on page D4 titled, "Hold onto your wallets!" by Rick Jackson of Cranston.

Superman Returns

Just caught Superman Returns and I highly recommend! If you are a fan of the 1978 Superman film you will not be disappointed in this one.

Look for hints and inside jokes about the first movie in this one. There are even small subtle digs at Bush, if you are quick enough to catch them.

This movie takes place five years after the events of Superman II.

My only gripe is a trailer for a movie called "John Tucker Must Die". I was with my seven year old daughter and I found this trailer to be very inappropriate considering the audience for "Superman Returns".

There is a more movie executive that does not deserve his job out there.

Declaration of Candidacy Deadline Today!

A reminder that today at 4:00 PM is the deadline to declare yourself a candidate.

If you have not done so, I urge you to get to Cranston City Hall and get on the ballot for a political party committee.

More info can be found with the Secretary of State concerning political party committees, campaign finance information, declaration of candidacy, and how to run for office.

*** UPDATE ***
TIME IS UP!

*** UPDATE ***
THEY ARE OFF AND RUNNING!

CranstonSchools.Org is Launched

Mark Lucas has launched a new website blog called Cranston Schools.

Take a look-see... http://www.cranstonschools.org/

Cindy Fogarty Reception

Please join us for a Reception Honoring

Councilwoman Cindy Fogarty, Democratic Candidate for Mayor of Cranston

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Fitzpatrick's Pub
1145 Park Avenue
Cranston, Rhode Island 02910

Suggested donation: $50.00

If $50 is too much for you, consider $20...

We rather have you there with a little than not have you there at all!

*** UPDATE ***
A wonderful night with special thanks to Joe Castellone and Carl Sheeler!

A Message from Al Gore

From the creators of Futurama comes a terrifying message from Al Gore. An Inconvenient Truth is now playing in theaters.

Avon Cinema will be showcasing the movie today, June 25th at 3:00pm. Tickets are $6.50. Call 724-7700, Ext. 6 for more information.