Quick Read

A medical test

The Political Co-Op’s leveraging of an early intervention story was cynical and gross.

By Justin Katz | November 8, 2021 |

First, let’s start with a thrilling observation of how wonderful our country and civilization are. Progressive candidate for the RI Political Cooperative, Mike Niemeyer’s daughter has severe brain damage, but as Katherine Gregg reports in the Providence Journal, modern life is full of miracles: In a telephone interview on Friday, Niemeyer described the invaluable help a team…

Landmark Hospital

Fining hospitals for failing to comply with COVID vaccination mandates is nuts.

By Justin Katz | November 6, 2021 |

We’ve reached the point of lunacy in the Ocean State.  Katherine Gregg reports for the Providence Journal: The Rhode Island Department of Health has slapped violation notices on Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket and the state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital for failing to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. If both Landmark and the state hospital…

Aaron Regunberg tweets about CO2

With progressives like Regunberg, cynical blame comes first, analysis second.

By Justin Katz | November 5, 2021 |

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the reason and one’s perspective), Aaron Regunberg deleted the tweet shown in the featured image of this post before the time of this writing. His anti-American and anti-capitalist word-association response, however, is still worth pondering. The image is of a chart from an article in Financial Times by Alex Kaufman that purports…

Cash, cuffs, and the American flag

Maybe it should be a crime to impose regulations that drive businesses to try to bribe officials.

By Justin Katz | November 5, 2021 |

Arresting a private business manager for attempted bribery of a public official raises an interesting crime to contemplate. Offering money for enhanced service is not a crime.  I’ve never heard of somebody being arrested for trying to slip a m’aitre d’ cash to find somebody without reservations a table in a busy restaurant.  And if…

A woman surrounded by photos

Friday morning philosophy: memory, victimhood, and recovery.

By Justin Katz | November 5, 2021 |

Whether one generally agrees with his ideas or not, Jordan Peterson’s podcast is unique and wonderful in its approach.  He’s a brilliant guy, and he’s genuinely striving to figure stuff out.  To this end, he invites other brilliant people who he thinks can help him answer some question on for a conversation.  Peterson comes to…

RI Senate Oversight hearing on Providence Schools

Mark the General Assembly down with the teachers union as unserious about Providence students.

By Justin Katz | November 4, 2021 |

These two paragraphs from Steph Machado’s WPRI report on a Senate Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight Committee’s hearing concerning the state takeover of Providence schools convey the most-important information, with the rest describing superficial political performance: Zack Scott, the deputy superintendent of operations, told the Senate committee Wednesday only nine departing teachers had responded to…

Kendra Anderson's Trump-It tweet

A red flag of dehumanization from State Senator Kendra Anderson

By Justin Katz | November 4, 2021 |

Remember that scene that stood out for its creepiness even in the deeply creepy Silence of the Lambs in which the kidnapper-killer is trying to get his newest victim to rub lotion on her skin to be suitable for his female skin suit, saying, “It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets…

Racial conflict fist as a green light

The purpose of critical theory in public schools is to make children unhappy.

By Justin Katz | November 3, 2021 |

Episode 49 of James Lindsay’s The New Discourses podcast, titled “The Birth of Identity Marxism as Critical Theory’s New Proletariat,” is well worth the hour and a half to listen to it, although it may leave you worried that you’re becoming a conspiracy theorist. As the title suggests, Lindsay reviews some leftist intellectual writing from the…

Joseph Paolino tweets in support of Superman

“Iconic” landmarks can’t be decorations on a stultified state.

By Justin Katz | November 3, 2021 |

One of my children is learning the standard single-axis political spectrum (no doubt in preparation for the AP test down the road), and the fortunate child enjoyed a free lesson on how inaccurate that is all the way home.  I’ll spare you, dear reader, that experience, simply pointing you to the circular political spectrum I…

Union head Maribeth Calabro tweets teacher complaints

The attitude of Providence public school employees proves failing students will continue.

By Justin Katz | November 2, 2021 |

In June 2019 — two and a half years ago, when Rhode Island students now in their senior years were finishing their freshman years — the Institute for Education Policy at Johns Hopkins School of Education published a ground-shaking report on systemic failure in the Providence public school system.  The first “challenge” the authors emphasized…