Marc Comtois

Good, Ol’ Fashioned Generation Baiting

By Marc Comtois | May 13, 2008 |

Mark Bauerlein has a new book in which he calls the current under-30 crowd the “Dumbest Generation,” though it’s not really their fault so much as that they are growing up in the “digital age.” The Boston Globe has pruned out “8 reasons why this is the dumbest generation“. I’ll give you the reasons, but…

A GOP Veepstakes Aside

By Marc Comtois | May 13, 2008 |

Many conservatives are swallowing hard and coming to accept that John McCain is the best option out there. But I wonder if that will change should Mike Huckabee become the VP choice. James Pethokoukis has the scoop: Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and defeated contender for the GOP presidential nomination, is currently at…

Turning the Nanny State to Your Advantage

By Marc Comtois | May 9, 2008 |

Since it looks like the red light cameras are a go again, I wonder if some local entrepreneurial band will take a cue from Britain’s The Get Out Clause and turn nanny-statism to their advantage: Unable to afford a proper camera crew and equipment, The Get Out Clause, an unsigned band from [Manchester, England], decided…

Update on Legistlative Grant “Sunshine” Bill

By Marc Comtois | May 9, 2008 |

When both Anchor Rising and RI Future agree on the merits of a piece of legislation, one would think passage through the House would be a no-brainer, no? I haven’t seen anyone who doesn’t agree with Rep. Nick Gorham’s Legislative Grant Sunshine Bill. It would require that all such grants: …must be included in the…

Differing Perspectives on America

By Marc Comtois | May 8, 2008 |

Historian Dale Light offers an interesting summary of how the candidates and their supporters view the country. One benefit of this interminable Democrat nomination process is that fundamental issues do get discussed — no I’m not talking about health care, or foreign policy, or the war, or any of those other transitory things; I’m talking…

Two Feel-Good Stories

By Marc Comtois | May 6, 2008 |

Times are tough, but we shouldn’t be blind to the uplifting stories that are out there. Here are a couple. William Kamkwamba was a 14 year old school dropout from Malawi. He wanted electricity to help his village. So he went to the library, read some books and built a windmill. Here’s more (h/t). As…

“Tricky” Sue Menard

By Marc Comtois | May 6, 2008 |

It appears that Woonsocket Mayor Susan Menard has been channeling Richard Nixon. She had a secret recording operation set up in her office. The mayor has a concealed audio/video recording system installed in a credenza behind her desk in her City Hall office. The device recently came to light during a work session regarding the…

Interpol Confirms FARC Data

By Marc Comtois | May 5, 2008 |

We’ve heard a lot from Democrats for, what, the last 8 or so years, about how the U.S. should listen more to the “international community.” Maybe we should (h/t): The information found in the computers of the deceased leader of the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), Raúl Reyes, was not manipulated by Colombian authorities,…

Pope Sees a Fragile but Inspirational America

By Marc Comtois | May 5, 2008 |

Father Roger J. Landry of the Diocese of Fall River has some thoughts on the meaning of Pope Benedict’s recent visit to the U.S. (h/t). In particular, he focuses on how the Pope called on our own founding traditions to reinvigorate us. He came to speak to all Americans: to remind us who we are,…

International Conservatives Continue Winning Streak

By Marc Comtois | May 2, 2008 |

While many pundits still expect the U.S. to make a leftward move in November, it’s interesting to note that political ground continues to be gained by the right in some important Western European countries. The latest example being the local elections in Great Britain: Winning the London mayoral contest is expected to cap an historic…