NAME? Joe Bernstein.
DISTINCTION? Retired former senior special agent for the US Immigration and Naturalization Service who frequently calls talk radio and comments on local blogs.
RESIDES IN? Elmhurst area of Providence.
HOW DID YOU BECOME AN INS AGENT? I was in local law enforcement in New York state and then applied to Border Patrol in 1977. The rest is history.
DOES THE NEWS MEDIA DEVOTE TOO MUCH COVERAGE TO IMMIGRATION? Not too much attention, no, but often inaccurate information gets conveyed.
FAVORITE POLITICIAN? John McCain, really.
LEAST FAVORITE POLITICIAN? Barbara Boxer, US senator from California. We went to the same high school, and she’s always had a reputation for mixing bad ideas with a lack of intelligence!
FIVE FAVORITE FILMS? 1) The Wild Bunch; 2) The Friends of Eddie Coyle; 3) Irma Vep; 4) A Mongolian Tale; 5) Prince of the City.
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND LISTENING TO TALK RADIO EACH WEEK? While doing other things, about 30 hours a week, of only “non-syndicated” radio.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT RHODE ISLAND? I’ve been all over the country, and I have to say, the quality of the State Police department here — they’re the best. A close second would be the all-around beauty of the state: 20 minutes to the woods, 20 minutes to the ocean. I love that.
LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT RHODE ISLAND? The climate of political corruption.
THE THREE THINGS THAT WOULD MAKE LIFE BETTER HERE? 1) A real two-party political system; 2 Electric transit; 3: A unified city school district
FAVORITE DRINK? Coffee.
SECRET CRUSH? Maggie Cheung.
FAVORITE CANDY BAR? None — I’m diabetic, but my granddaughter’s is Reese’s.
BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ RECENTLY? All of (RI native) Cormac McCarthy’s novels.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FALL? A nice leaf season.
FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Mainelli’s on Chalkstone Ave.
IF YOU COULD HAVE FIVE HISTORICAL FIGURES OVER FOR DINNER, WHOM WOULD YOU CHOOSE? 1) Kemal Ataturk, politician and Turkish republic founder; 2) Anna May Wong, American actress; 3) Teddy Roosevelt; 4) Ben Franklin; 5) Charles Burchfield, painter.
