With the local AFL-CIO elections coming up, Phillipe and Jorge would like to make a rare union endorsement by saying that nothing would please us more than to have George Nee, current secretary-treasurer of the organization, win his bid to take over departing Frank Montanaro's position as the organization's president.
It is easy to bash unions, a favored if dead-wrong sport these days but, to put it simply, when it comes to labor and its impact on Little Rhody, George Nee gets it and has for ages. A protégé of the legendary Cesar Chavez — he was a pallbearer at his funeral — George understands the dynamics of union-government relations and equity, as well as how to get the best but ultimately fair deals for his members. He also understands the impact of a wide range of elements on the Biggest Little's economic future. Phillipe has worked with Nee frequently through the years, beginning when he was co-chair, along with the equally esteemed Trudy Coxe of Save the Bay, of the state's first Open Space/Clean Water bond, that sailed through at about a 70-percent approval margin. George's public explanations of how both of those concepts would help all Rhode Islanders and create work for union members and other citizens came at a time when economic development and the environment were not to be seated next to each other at dinner parties.
Unfortunately, as previous (and current in P.'s case) union members (albeit not of the AFL-CIO), your superior correspondents will not be able to vote early and often for George Nee. But we strongly urge the AFL-CIO membership to come down in his corner. George has been, is, and will continue to be a vital and active asset for the hardworking people of Vo Dilun.
MR. RICHARD JOKE
An esteemed gentleman of P+J's acquaintance did a close inspection of the regional map being used to identify dredge disposal areas should the preposterous LNG shipping project proposed by Weavers' Cove Energy be allowed to go forward. To the cultured eye of our source and of course your observant correspondents, the dredge area looks exactly like, well, let's find a good euphemism here . . . say, a man's rampant wedding tackle? Perhaps a directional signal device with round foundations located beneath one's waist? Or maybe a macho man's idea of a banana and two cherries? At any rate, we encourage our inquiring readers to seek this out, as P+J's suggestion that whatever this obviously prurient image is called, we urge the good folks at Weaver's Cove Energy to suck it.
OLD FARTS, PART DEUX
It has happened again! After P+J's car was broken into during the night in Newport once more, the no doubt youthful vandals repeated the previous M.O. and grabbed both of our CD carrying cases from under the front seat and, after perusing albums by the Flaming Lips, Miles Davis, Lucinda Williams, and Etta James, decided the selection was just a bunch of junk owned by brain-dead old farts who know nothing about music and left them scattered around the floor of the car. While P+J have no desire to defend our impeccable taste in all things artistic — no, they didn't find our copy of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal in the glove compartment — our young thieves were stupid enough to steal about $8 in petty cash we keep in an old child's cowboy wallet in another dashboard compartment while ignoring the $80 watch lying right next to it. Good move, boyos. And you wish you knew how amazing Jeff Beck is.
