Marc Comtois

RI GOP Gets Executive Director

By Marc Comtois | March 26, 2007 |

In his interview with Dan Yorke, RI GOP Chair Gio Cicione mentioned that he thought it would be a good idea for the party to have an Executive Director. And now it does (via ProJo’s Political Scene column): Cicione has hired Donna (DePetro) Perry — sister of radio talk show personality John DePetro, and former…

As the ProJo goes…

By Marc Comtois | March 23, 2007 |

The Providence Phoenix‘s Ian Donnis continues his ongoing coverage of the changes that are going on behind the walls of the Providence Journal. In his N4N blog, Donnis writes: The shifts reflect ongoing cost cuts at the ProJo, which has been spared in recent years the kind of buyout taking place at the Boston Globe.…

Easter Bunny Banned…But Is that Going Far Enough?

By Marc Comtois | March 23, 2007 |

In the so-called “culture wars”, this is low-hanging fruit: The Easter Bunny was to have made a stop at a craft fair at the Tiverton Middle School tomorrow, appearing for photos with students as part of a fundraising effort sponsored by the school’s Parent-Teacher Council. But Schools Supt. William Rearick called a halt to the…

Zebra-crats: Simply Can’t Change Their Stripes

By Marc Comtois | March 22, 2007 |

Ed Morrissey commented (via email) to Glenn Reynolds: Isn’t it interesting that the Democrats — who ran on an anti-corruption, anti-war platform — now offer us a porked-up supplemental to fund the Iraq war? And, also via Glenn, that noted conservative outlet USA Today joins in: It’s hard to say which is worse: leaders offering…

House Democrats: Pork is OK if it’s Anti-War

By Marc Comtois | March 21, 2007 | Comments Off on House Democrats: Pork is OK if it’s Anti-War

It didn’t take too long to renege on that promise now, did it (H/T). House Democratic leaders are offering billions in federal funds for lawmakers’ pet projects large and small to secure enough votes this week to pass an Iraq funding bill that would end the war next year. So far, the projects — which…

Things Heard During the Cicione / Yorke Conversation

By Marc Comtois | March 20, 2007 |

Here’s a paraphrased run-down (though I’ve probably provided exact wording in a few cases) of Dan Yorke’s interview with new RI GOP chair Gio Cicione. (Hopefully, Yorke will put the audio up on his site). Cicione stated that the RI GOP needs to spread the word out about their ideals and they have to do…

ACLU et al: Stop Profiling…and by the way, Don’t Enforce Immigration Laws

By Marc Comtois | March 20, 2007 |

H 5237, promoted by the ACLU and the Rhode Island Civil Rights Roundtable and sponsored by Reps. Almeida, Diaz, Ajello, Handy, and Slater, will create the “Immigration Status Protection Act” and change the “Racial Profiling Prevention Act” of 2004. It is a true gem of self-contradiction. But I’ll get to that. First, though, as the…

Harold Ford at Brown

By Marc Comtois | March 20, 2007 |

Former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. (D) spoke at Brown last night. The ProJo (Scott McKay) reports: Democrats from New England and other deep blue regions of the country must understand that their party cannot succeed in the South and West without acknowledging that many voters consider the party too far left on social and…

Where Did Kennedy Get His OxyContin?

By Marc Comtois | March 19, 2007 |

Last week, in regards to Patrick Kennedy’s revelation that he had been addicted to OxyContin, I asked, “Wonder which doctor he had? Or was there more than one? Could he have been doctor shopping?” Well, WPRO’s Colleen Lima attempted to ferret out of Rep. Kennedy the who, where and how he got enough OxyContin to…

The Proof is in the Pudding: Americans DO Want “Those” Jobs

By Marc Comtois | March 19, 2007 |

I had heard last week that the recently-raided M. Bianco plant in New Bedford had opened it’s doors to applicants and that they were mobbed. As Mark Krikorian reminds, this is just another example that undercuts the claim that illegal immigrants do the jobs Americans won’t do. After the Swift meatpacking raids in Greeley. Colo.,…