The revelation that Carl Sheeler’s new commercial was produced by a 15-year-old — Ava Lowery, who lives in rural Alabama — is one of the most interesting stories to emerge from the Democratic Senate primary between Carl and Casa Diablo charter member Sheldon Whitebread.

According to Sheeler’s release, dozens of vivid and emotional videos on Lowery’s Web site, www.peacetakescourage.com, have been viewed internationally, earning attention from CNN, the New York Times, and Daily Kos. The Sheeler camp says, “Ms. Lowery interviewed and endorsed Sheeler’s Rhode Island US Senate bid.” Well, that’s all well and good, but may we point out the obvious: a) she is too young to vote; and b) even if she was old enough, she still couldn’t pull the lever for Sheeler, because she lives in ’Bama. We do find it strange that Carl is relying upon the views of a barefoot cracker — excuse us, lovely young woman — to validate his run. A little insecure there, Mr. Sheeler?

The TV spot will have no spoken commentary, just music. (Something by another politically astute Southern intellectual, like Britney Spears, we hope?) The visuals, however, rather than depicting Carl break-dancing, will show him standing with Rhode Island’s oldest living Marine and youngest women Marines. Sheeler is a jarhead (you can’t say ex-jarhead, because once a Marine, always a Marine, as our Semper Fi friends always point out), so that’s fair enough.

Carl says of this rather unusual choice of campaign assistance, “Our kids should believe we can make a difference in our communities and create a better planet in 10 years. It is critical to see the world from the purity of our youth’s perspective, not DC advisors building up their limousine liberal candidates with expensive media buys and plastic messages.”

Trust us, Carl. Sheldon is no more likely to drive a limousine than a Hummer, and the most expensive buy we can recall him making was when he sprang for a bottle of Pernod, so we could quaff a few Pernod-and-grapefruits on stage during our 25th year anniversary roast at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet.

Final observation: Maybe Sheeler’s campaign consultant wasn’t the first to break the teen barrier in the Senate primaries. P&J always thought that Cranston Mayor Steve “Laugh at Me” Laffey’s race against Linc Chafee was being masterminded (honk!) by people, including the candidate, with at least the intelligence and savoir faire of a junior high school student.

Go die
Mayor Laugh at Me is doing his best to put the already out-on-its-feet Rhode Island Republican Party into further oblivion.

The state GOP was recently embarrassed when Dubya’s local legions were not even able to field a candidate against US Representative Jim Langevin in the November election. GOP state chairwoman Patricia Morgan flatly admitted it would be a losing battle.

It’s not that Morgan isn’t feisty. She recently wrote a stinging letter to Mayor Laffey, about his assertion on WPRO that the state Republican convention in late June was a “charade.” Not content to alienate his fellow travelers just that much, Laffey said the conventioneers were “old-line Republicans living in their mansions in Newport,” and added that they are dying off. Such a sweet sentiment, n’est-ce pas?

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