Morgan was quite right to scold Laffey for his idiotic and offensive remarks. As she wrote, “None of us should expect to get out of this life alive, Steve, but your wishing for a quicker demise to those who might not support you is wildly inappropriate.” On the nosey, Patty Cakes.
P&J have lived in the Biggest Little (and will continue to, Mr. Laugh at Me) long enough to know that the local GOP contains a great many good and successful individuals whose hearts are in the right place, even if we don’t always see eye-to-eye with them. Many are current and ex-servicemen who contribute good, solid values to the Vo Dilun commonweal. Those good folks are fairly thin on the ground where residing in Newport mansions is concerned.
Chuck Schwartz
Chuck Schwartz, the longtime director of the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, and a huge presence in every struggle for justice, passed away last week. He was a good man, an inspiration to his friends and to all people committed to fairness and harmony. Here is what a few folks have to say:
Chuck . . . turned that fledging organization [the Institute for Labor Studies and Research] — a room on Jefferson Street behind the State House — into a pivotal Rhode Island institution for the advancement of adult literacy and worker rights. Indefatigable does not do justice to “the hardest working man in all business, period.” Chuck’s sad passing leaves a gaping hole in the progressive movement for worker rights, to which he devoted his life. Jeffers, a much neglected and cagey poet, said the sun will die blind, its heart blackening, but brave hearts will always find honey peace in old pomes.
— Jim Celenza, RI Committee on Occupational Safety & Health
In my years of activism since returning to RI 25 years ago, I never met a more committed progressive than Chuck Schwartz. No matter the issue — labor, peace, civil rights — you could always count on Chuck.
— Richard Walton, writer, teacher, and longtime peace and justice activist
Chuck was a gentleman and a gentle man, yet unionism and activism coursed through his veins. If you were associated with organized labor in this state, at times you had to wonder if there was more than one Chuck, since he seemed to be at nearly every rally, picket line, or action, more often than not toting his ever-present camera. Chuck was truly one of a kind, an absolute believer in the merits of organized labor and in the tenets of unionism, and the path he walked was marked with wry humor and a deep inner strength. He will be sorely missed and never replaced.
— Scott Duhamel, writer and union organizer
Paul Dichiara
Rick Bellaire, Casa Diablo regular, musician, and Vo Dilun rock historian, writes to tell us of the passing of guitarist Paul DiChiara, 55, someone we knew well. Here’s part of Rick’s obituary for Paul:
A key ingredient in many of the most successful combinations to emerge from the area, Paul was a perennial figure on the scene for the last 40 years.
