By most estimates (except, of course, by those who routinely produce attendance numbers of the crowds at MAGA Events that are beyond believable), seven million Americans took to the streets all across the country to protest the abomination that is the Trump Administration.
And the reactions of those who support Mr. Trump were pathetically predictable.
Speaker Mike Johnson called them “unAmerican.”
Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas Collins wrote on X,
“Good Morning to my fellow Americans who are celebrating No Kings Day today. While most of us celebrate this reality on July Fourth, you do you.”
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Douglas Collins.
Note to Mr. Collins and Mr. Johnson.
The Fourth of July celebrates the end of the Revolutionary War where we fought to rid ourselves of a King. It was the culmination of decades of protests and resistance over unfair government policies and the use of military troops occupying the cities and towns in America. Actions that ultimately ended with troops firing upon protesting civilians under orders of this Monarch.
Perhaps you missed this in history class. Perhaps you prefer willful ignorance. Perhaps, since you enjoy the favor of this wannabe King, you long for a return to a monarchy.
Does any of this sound familiar? Could this be one of those moments of history that rhyme?
There is nothing more American than peacefully protesting the wrongful actions of the government. You’ll also notice the lack of violence by these millions of Americans and the low number of arrests. These protests are clearly anti-fascist in nature, yet none of these protests in any way resembled the actions of a “militarist, anarchist enterprise that calls for the overthrow of the U.S. government…” as Mr. Trump has designated them.
Mr. Trump sees opposition to his policies as anarchy, something to be suppressed by all means. Those of us who have actually read the Constitution and support it understand better that these disagreements are the very foundation of our success.
At least up to this point in history, the future is more precarious.
Perhaps Mr. Johnson would have preferred these protests take the form of violent storming of the US Capitol building and the threatened lynching of government officials? It is clear Mr. Trump, by pardoning the J6 insurrectionists, and Mr. Johnson, by supporting such actions, prefer that form of “American” protests.
Their concept of a patriot also has precedents in history, generally attired in brown shirts and particularly proficient at breaking glass.
We should take heart in the number of Americans peacefully voicing their open disgust at this march toward totalitarianism. Seven million Americans of courage and conviction took the most patriotic of actions and “petitioned their government for a redress of their grievances.” Something those patriots of the Revolutionary War gave their lives to obtain for future generations, Mr. Collins, but you’ll ignore that reality out of blind fealty to your dear leader.
Take heart, for this large gathering of Americans is the sign of hope rising.
Come this mid-term election, and, more importantly, the next Presidential election, the world we see that the American people can weather the worst of storms raging against us, even those we create ourselves, and restore these United States to the country our forebearers intended it to be.
Mr. Trump and his maniacal band of charlatans will become just another scab on a long history of self-inflicted wounds in this country, soon enough to heal and fade away.
Free Speech in this country is apparently about as solid a concept as an ice cube in the desert.
The President of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, and the Director of the FBI all said they will investigate groups based on the sole criteria of, in their determination, left-leaning organizations. They intend to scour websites, publications, social media, speeches, etc, looking for evidence that these groups encourage or support political violence.
Now to play Advocatus Diaboli, any organization that encourages or supports political violence should be investigated.
But this is the height of hypocrisy.
These are proud (dare I say Proud Boys?) supporters of the most recent organized and orchestrated attempt of a violent takeover of the government of the United States that happened on January 6, 2021.
But let’s use their logic in how they rationalize that event into something it was not.
On January 6, 2021, an assembly of American citizens joined together in solidarity to support and defend the Constitution of the United States by the exercise of their First Amendment-protected right to protest the government for a redress of grievances. A select portion of this group was exploited by a corrupt and weaponized government operation which entrapped, targeted, defamed, violently arrested, maliciously and falsely charged, fraudulently convicted, and unjustly punished and imprisoned them. (https://www.wearej6.com/the-story)
If that was an expression of their First Amendment rights to free speech, freedom of assembly, and to redress grievances, and does not rise to the level of encouraging political violence, let alone engaging in it, how does a monologue on late-night television foster something the federal government need investigate?
Or, more troubling, what argument does the government make that statements made by Jimmy Kimmel warrant government-imposed censorship?
Kimmel said “”We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trg to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,”
When the government says it will investigate organizations based on the government’s determination of its political affiliation or policies, absent any reasonable and articulable suspicion of criminality, i.e. probable cause, we should all be gravely concerned.
“…upon the death of a principal government figure or in the aftermath of a national tragedy.”
Let’s call this what it is. This involves using the power of the government to investigate and prosecute crimes and turning it into a means to suppress political opposition. If those who shouted from the mountaintops that prosecuting the J6 defendants was weaponizing the Justice system against “innocent” citizens, absent any actual proof of such, here it is in real time.
That any American sees this as a legitimate means to “Make America Great Again” is astounding. But if you need more evidence of this troubling government trend targeting those who do not support this president, here it is.
DOJ removed a study showing far-right extremists are responsible for higher levels of violence than far-left groups or Islamic Jihadists. (Deity of your choice) forbid we have information to base our opinions and actions on.
Since 1990, far-right extremists have committed far more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist extremists, including 227 events that took more than 520 lives,” the study said. “In this same period, far-left extremists committed 42 ideologically motivated attacks that took 78 lives.
This is an image of the report from archive searches. Why conceal a report if one is interested in the truth? Because they’e not interested in the truth, they’re interested in suppressing dissent. And every American who doesn’t realize that dissent from government policy is the very foundation of our power over the government is suffering from delusions.
All this came about, or at least was brought into the light of day, with the murder of Mr. Kirk. The leadership of the FBI, the Justice Department, and political allies of the President have worked themselves into a frenzy trying to paint the suspect as a left-wing ideologue programmed by NPR, Sesame Street, and other “left-leaning organizations.
Which brings me to my final point. By what measure do we determine a situation requires the flag to be flown at half staff? From various organizations (none of them left-leaning if that gives you comfort) “The President of the United States can order the flag to be flown at half-staff. This happens upon the death of a principal government figure or in the aftermath of a national tragedy.”
Mr. Kirk was a controversial individual who made frequent and outrageous remarks that were homophobic, xenophobic, disparaging of individuals and groups, and promoted clearly false theories of election fraud and the great replacement concept.
And he had every right to do so under our principle of Free Speech.
However, to accord such an individual with the honor of flags being flown at half-staff, transportation on official government aircraft, and the trappings of an official state funeral is to sully the purpose of such honors.
Mr. Kirk’s death was a criminal act, tragic, unfortunate, and horrifying. But it was not a national tragedy any more than any other violent act. If the deaths on the same day of two young children in school who were also murdered aren’t even mentioned, how is that the appropriate use of this practice? Perhaps, if it were, the flag would never be flown at top staff again, and that might be too painful a reminder of our continued violent tendencies.
Having seen over the years how Mr. Trump treats those in his circle when they no longer suit his purpose, there is only one conclusion here. Mr. Kirk served the president well in his campaign, and now his death is a convenient way for Mr. Trump to foment more government control over those who would challenge him.
If that were not the case, none of this would be happening.
Mr. Kirk was not a saint or someone to be venerated any more than any other human being. Mr. Trump should not be empowered to target his enemies in such a manner. And those who are blind to this virus will come to regret it.
Now the President intends to send the National Guard into Memphis so they can “fix it like we did DC.” This wasn’t his original plan; he did a T.A.C.O. in Chicago, no surprise there. Guys with a brain like J.D. Pritzker scare him.
The “fix it like DC” requires some huge assumptions about the effectiveness of the deployment, but, for the sake of argument, let’s say there’s been a reduction in crime because of the presence of the Guard and additional law enforcement resources.
That would be a positive. But what is the long-term plan? Do we flood the streets of America with military force as our long-term crime reduction strategy?
In 1972-1973, the Kansas City Police Department conducted a landmark study about police deployment. The study had several goals.
Would citizens notice changes in the level of police patrol and crime?
Would different levels of visible police patrol affect recorded crime or the outcome of victim surveys?
Would citizen fear of crime and attendant behavior change as a result of differing patrol levels?
Would their degree of satisfaction with the police change?
The design took three different police beats in Kansas City and varied patrol routines in them. The first group received no routine patrols. Instead, the police responded only to calls from residents. The second group had the normal level of patrols, while the third had two to three times as many patrols.
The experiment had to be stopped and restarted three times because some patrol officers believed the absence of patrols would endanger citizens. This full study went twelve months, from 1 October 1972 to 30 September 1973.
Victim surveys, reported crime rates, arrest data, a survey of local businesses, attitudinal surveys, and trained observers who monitored police-citizen interaction were used to gather data. These were taken before the start of the experiment (September 1972), and after (October 1973), giving ‘before’ and ‘after’ conditions for comparison.
The results of the study;
Citizens did not notice the difference when the frequency of patrols was changed.
Increasing or decreasing the level of patrol had no significant effect on resident and commercial burglaries, auto thefts, larcenies involving auto accessories, robberies, or vandalism–crimes.
The rate at which crimes were reported did not differ significantly across the experimental beats.
Citizen-reported fear of crime was not affected by different levels of patrol.
Citizen satisfaction with police did not vary.
The Kansas City Police Department concluded that routine preventive patrol in marked police cars has little value in preventing crime or making citizens feel safe and that resources normally allocated to these activities could safely be allocated elsewhere.
A significant factor derived from the study was that crime prevention was more highly dependent on the willingness of citizens to report suspicious and/or criminal behavior to police than on the levels or types of patrol.
(Kelling, G.; Pate, A.; Dickman, D.; Brown, C (1974). “The Kansas City preventive patrol experiment: A technical report”. Police Foundation. Braga, Anthony (27 June 2012). “Hot spots policing effects on crime” (PDF). The Campbell Collaboration. The Campbell Collaboration. p. 23. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.)
There have been targeted programs of increased police presence (Operation Hot Pipe in San Diego during the crack cocaine epidemic) that have been successful. However, all were characterized by intense planning, officer training, a defined implementation and scope, and a limited duration. (https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/benefits-and-consequences-police-crackdowns)
Both pre- and post-implementation analyses were used to evaluate the process and adjust future projects. None of that is taking place with the deployment of the National Guard.
What does this tell us? A great deal.
Anecdotal data (or more accurately, public proclamations) showing a positive effect on reducing crime with the deployment of National Guard and other resources to aid local law enforcement is incomplete at best and political confirmation bias at worst.
Now I am certain those who support this approach will say it makes people feel better when they see the guard on the street. So does morphine when you break your leg, but the leg is still broken and will take proper treatment and a long time to heal. The morphine eventually wears off.
Deploying the National Guard is an improperly prescribed analgesic applied to a false perception of rising crime. It is a crisis with no basis in fact. And even if it has some positive effect in certain areas, it is not a long-term solution.
Until one is willing to take a three-pronged approach to deterring crime– strong, effective, and equitable enforcement, available economic opportunities, and providing access to solid education and vocational programs –a single-focus approach will not reduce crime in the long run.
But that doesn’t lend itself to as pithy a slogan as “Lock’em up and throw away the key.” We’ve done that to an entire class of individuals (look into minority incarceration rates and US incarceration rates). All that’s accomplished is creating a new (and lucrative) industry of private prisons.
I would argue our abandonment of public education to the false and inherently biased promise of “school choice” is a fundamental cause of inequity in our country and a significant contributing factor to criminal behavior in those who don’t have the luxury to “choose” their school.
None of this is news to anyone with any background in criminal justice. None of this is absent from the mountains of information available to criminal justice agencies and the political entities that control them.
Where it is absent is from the current management team at the Department of Justice and in the Office of the President.
The choice to have National Guard troops patrolling the streets of our cities is optics, pure and simple. And it is a lesson in the propagation of propaganda and unadulterated politics influencing decision-making.
Contrary to all valid measures of crime conclusively showing it is decreasing, the President contends that we are in a tidal wave of violence and criminality. Strange how he focuses on Democratic led cities and ignores issues in the red states.
The reason is apparent and the manner transparent.
Invent a problem, demonize a convenient entity as the cause, focus your solution on those in the political opposition, and declare victory after a few weeks.
All this amounts to wasted resources that could have been used to reduce crime (which already was in decline) in a more effective and lasting manner.
One has to wonder if this is more about making people fearful about turning out to vote in the mid-terms or, more troubling, creating a false crisis, an opportunity to declare martial law, and a suspension of basic human rights than it is about any concern over crime.
No one should ever die over differences in belief. It is not the American way, or at least it never used to be the way we handled our disagreements.
Mr. Kirk was a lightning rod of right-wing rhetoric and often used inciting and bitter language about those he disagreed with and their policies.
But he did not deserve to be killed for it.
I can think of nothing I ever read or heard from Mr. Kirk that I agreed with him about. But this does not give someone the right to take a life. Whether I or anyone else agreed or disagreed is irrelevant; he had every right to speak and write about it.
Mr. Kirk is also not a martyr for any cause, to make him so clouds the bigger issue. His words have to be considered when one examines the man’s life. One cannot do such things in a vacuum. Words can and do have consequences.
“I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.” Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk said of gun deaths on April 5, 2023,
And in the news avalanche after Mr. Kirk was shot, another school shooting happened, with young people killed. This was ignored. It’s not even a front-page story anymore. I wonder if Mr. Kirk visualized a shooting in a grammar school when he uttered that statement?
The shooting will be characterized as an “assassination” by the right instead of a “nut with a gun” as they characterize school shootings, and they will miss the point.
Perhaps Mr. Kirk’s untimely death will serve a greater purpose.
Perhaps it will open a dialog among Americans to confront our violence problem.
Perhaps it will serve as a catalyst for less antagonistic, winner-take-all political diatribes and foster open communications.
Mr. Kirk may have roused extreme responses from those with whom he disagreed, but he did not deserve to be killed for it.
Mr. Kirk was a husband and father to two young children, and we should grieve that they live in a country where people resort to violence. Two young lives forever changed by the pull of a trigger, in this case and far too many others.
Sending thoughts and prayers, no matter how sincere, absent actual effort to change things, seems vacuous. Let’s hope we never find ourselves where we accept a few gun deaths as the price of our living in this country.
Apparently, the biggliest challenge facing our military, and by extension all areas of government, is the name of the department that runs it. Over the course of time, wokeness has caused us to dilute the power of a name.
Well, this President says NO More!
Our SGOTUS (Stable Genius of the United States), after deep contemplation and analysis, identified the problem and solved it. Henceforth, the Secretary of Defense (interestingly enough, SODOTUS, which sounds quite sodden, more wet noodle than formidable force) will be known as Secretary of War. SOWOTUS (pronounced SoWhatUS) as in So what if you don’t like US, we’re doing it anyway. Now that is a manly sounding department!
But why stop there? If all it takes is a name change to make everything more effective, then I say get on with it.
SOSOTUS, Secretary of State of the United States, sounds like a call for help. We don’t need anyone’s help. So, the Secretary of State will now be Secretary of Belligerence (SOBOTUS)
The Department of Justice will now be called the Department of Crime and Punishment.
The Secretary of Agriculture is now the Department of Land Disposal.
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is now the Department of Presidential Assurance.
Department of the Treasury is now the Department of Money, Money, Money.
Department of Energy is now the Department of Drill, Baby, Drill.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now Find, Brutalize, Inter
ICE, the acronym is perfect, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement is too kind and gentle. We’ll call them Identify, Capture, Eliminate.
With these simple changes, the entire world will now understand what we are all about.
Making these changes will have long-term consequences, but we fear nothing.
Let’s just hope the changes don’t have a negative impact. Instead of the United States of America, we may soon be known as the Former United States of America.
Our indivisibility no longer certain.
P.S. For those of you with the song Name Game stuck on a loop in your brain, you’re welcome
In the brilliant piece by Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal, Swift suggested that the state should provide care up to the age of one for infants of the poor. At that time, properly aged and fattened, they would be turned into food to feed the elite at a premium price for such delicacy and satisfy the needs of the starving population.
In case you were asleep during the lecture on the book, it is satire about the terrible conditions in Ireland. As a side note, if you were never required to read it in school, they did you a disservice, and you should demand your money back.
But even a brilliant writer like Swift could not create a more deadly scenario for children than what is happening in the State of Florida.
Just when you think no one is capable of Trumping Trump, Governor Ron DeSantis and his Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, descend to the occasion.
They have eliminated almost every vaccine mandate for children in the State of Florida and, for those that require the state legislature to pretend they are independent, will seek legislative action to remove any remaining mandates.
Here’s one of the best quotes in the history of quotes.
“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Dr. Joseph Ladapo said. “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body?” Dr. Joseph Ladapo.
Here’s a thought: you are a doctor. Act like one. A doctor is someone whom people regularly turn to for advice on what to put in their bodies to prevent or cure diseases and maintain good health. Did you skip that class in medical school?
Dr. Ladapo graduated from Harvard Medical School, not exactly Fred’s College of Medical Knowledge. How do his former professors view him now?
Here’s a thought: you are a doctor. Act like one.
Joe Broadmeadow
Hmm, maybe the Trump administration is onto something with their assault on the university. And not to fall into the trap of stereotypes, but wouldn’t Dr. Ladapo be the poster child for the anti-DEI movement?
Here’s a somewhat comforting excerpt from his Wikipedia listing,
“Ladapo is best known for his opposition to COVID-19 mitigation measures, and promotion of COVID-19 misinformation, for which he has been rebuked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ladapo has promoted unproven treatments, opposed vaccine and mask mandates, questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, and contradicted professional medical organizations.
After immigrating to the United States from Nigeria, Ladapo earned a M.D. and a Ph.D. in health policy from Harvard University. He served as a professor of medicine at New York University before being tenured at the University of California, Los Angeles, prior to his appointment to his current position by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Ladapo has opposed gender-affirming care and counseling for transgender and nonbinary minors.
In September 2025, Ladapo, in his capacity as Florida Surgeon General, likened vaccine mandates to “slavery”, in announcing Florida’s plans to eliminate all vaccine mandates, including those for children attending public school. This announcement was met with grave concern from the American Pediatric Association and the Florida Education Association, among others.”
Measles Smeasles, so what?
In 1919, there were almost 13 deaths from measles per 100,000 population in the United States. However, this rate had dropped to zero by the year 2021. In early 2025, an outbreak of measles in Texas resulted in the death of three children. This was the first measles death in the United States since 2015. Measles is a highly contagious disease, that is especially dangerous for children. However, vaccines have significantly decreased the rate of cases and deaths in the United States. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/1560955/measles-death-rate-in-the-us-since-1919/)
So now children in Florida will no longer be required to receive vaccinations against chicken pox, hepatitis B, Hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and the pneumococcal vaccine PCV 15/20.
The Florida Legislature will have to remove the mandates for polio, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, pertussis, mumps, and tetanus. But, as they are not known for the willingness to stand up to DeSantis or other idiocies, they will fold like a cheap suit.
So here are some ideas,
Invest in mobility devices and wheelchair ramp companies in Florida.
Use Facebook Marketplace to buy lightly used children’s clothing, Florida will be flooded with it. Here’s a sample ad. “For sale, baby shoes, never used.”
Consider buying public school buildings, which will soon be available as the population decreases.
And if you have neighbors with annoying children, consider telling them to move to Florida for the warm weather.
Wanna take bets on the next states to devolve into witch hunts, black magic, and shamanism as state policy? Oh, yeah, and don’t forget thoughts and prayers for the kids in Florida.
The following is a priceless example of the nonsensical, unoriginal, and idiotic pablum being offered by and to Trump supporters. Like a call for the government to come clean on UFOs and the aliens we have in custody and asking people to share the absolute truth of this deep government conspiracy, this stuff floods social media like a tidal wave of noxious effluence too toxic for a waste treatment facility.
Without further adieu, here it is in all its unedited glory…
I offer no apology for what I am posting for this is truly how I feel. Please know this is my opinion and not open for debate. If you don’t agree that’s your prerogative but I will not be responding to any or all comments. I have lived through several United States Presidents prior to our current President Trump. In my lifetime I have never seen or heard of a President being scrutinized over every word he speaks, demeaned by the public to the point of disgrace, slandered, ridiculed, insulted, lied to, threatened with death, threatened by some to rape our First Lady, and have his children also insulted and humiliated.I am truly ashamed of the people of MY country. I am ashamed of the ruthless, insufferable, cruel, Trump haters who have no morals, ethics or values and the irresponsibility of the reporters who feel they have the right to deliver personal opinions just to sway their audiences in a negative direction even if there is no truth in their message. After every other President was elected and took the oath of office they were allowed to try to serve this country without constant negative scrutiny from our news sources. ALWAYS BEING PRESSURED while news sources search only for negative results from our President will not serve the people of our country. Nor will it create informed Americans. ENOUGH is ENOUGH is ENOUGH. Nor have I ever known a President to serve in that capacity at no salary to line their bank accounts until PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP! He gave to other departments those funds! I am very proud to have and I still do stand with my PRESIDENT!
Now, leaving aside the horrific grammar, run-on sentences, apparent aversion to paragraphs, rampant cognitive dissonance, inconsistency of thought, not to mention a complete absence of originality or creativity, it offers a perfect view inside the mind (or lack thereof) of the most common of Mr. Trump’s supporters, the willfully ignorant.
They are part of a phenomenon in this country where ignorance is seen as a badge of honor. Education beyond the most basic seems to be a reach for them. Those who post this nonsense are witless valedictorians with a Summa cum Laude in incomprehension.
Now, by education, I do not necessarily mean college, but for the love of all that is precious, read a history book once in a while.
It was challenging to resist interjecting comments directly into the text, but why bother? They would be ignored or misunderstood.
It’s not that most of those who post this idiocy do not know better; it is an intentional disregard of the clear contradictory evidence right before their eyes. The motivations are varied: intellectual laziness, a myopic view of current affairs, or a lack of understanding and historical ignorance.
There’s a phenomenon in this country where many celebrate ignorance. Education beyond basics seems to be a reach for them. Those who post this nonsense are witless valedictorians with a Summa cum Laude in incomprehension.
Joe Broadmeadow
The main point of this inexplicably viral post is that Mr. Trump faces a level of criticism for his actions that previous administrations did not. This is just one example of a falsehood within the piece.
Pointed and intelligent criticism of the President, or any government official, is a necessary tool in balancing the power of government and the rights of the governed.
Lyndon Johnson (perhaps one of the presidents the author of this nonsense references) had an almost psychotic dislike of the media. When asked about this relationship to the press, Johnson said this.
“I could walk across the Potomac on a bright sunny summer day, and the headline would read, ‘Johnson Can’t Swim!’
I will continue to take great pleasure in reading these postings and savaging them. Although the joy is tempered by the thought that these people are out there, perhaps unmedicated, congratulating themselves in their ignorance, embracing the Second Amendment, wrapping themselves in the flag, and ignoring the reality right before their eyes.
And they somehow managed to vote.
(Insert name of your personal favorite miraculous being here) Save Us!
Here’s an excerpt from the book Divine Providence: The Mayor, The Mob, and the Man in the Middle. The book takes you inside the world of mob-controlled nightclubs, backroom deals, and political corruption in the times of Buddy Cianci and his turbulent administrations as witnessed by the man in the middle, Pat Cortellessa.
Divine Providence: The Mayor, The Mob, and the Man in the Middle release date August 16, 2021. Order it here.
In the 1950s, Providence, Rhode Island, a gritty, working class city striving to compete with its big brother, Boston, and not-so-distant cousin, New York, had one thing neither of those cities could claim.
Providence had Raymond L.S. Patriarca, the head of the New England Mob and one of the most respected (among those in the organization) and feared (among those who crossed him) bosses in Organized Crime.
Nothing happened in Providence, at least in the criminal underbelly and backroom politics, that Patriarca didn’t know about, manipulate, control, or profit by. All one had to do was invoke the name, Raymond. No last name or further explanation was needed.
Into this world, two men, Vincent Albert “Buddy” Cianci, Jr. and Pat Cortellessa grew up. While Buddy was fifteen years older, their paths worlds apart—Cortellessa came from the West end of Providence and went to public schools. Cianci was born into an upper middle-class family and went to Moses Brown—their lives would be intertwined in ways neither could have imagined.
And the organization controlled by Raymond would cast a shadow over both men.
Pat Cortellessa was born in 1956 and lived on the corner of Chapin Avenue and Messer Street in Providence, Rhode Island. It was a neighborhood of mostly Italian families, triple decker houses, and neat yards. Where the grandparents were on one floor and their kid’s families lived above them. Even if the family outgrew the house, they didn’t move far. Staying in the surrounding streets of the west end of Providence.
When Pat was a kid an older neighbor, Joe Paris, would load up his car and take the neighborhood boys to the Rhode Island Red’s hockey games at the R.I. Auditorium on North Main Street. The Red’s played in the old AHL (American Hockey League), the original feeder system to the NHL. The days of the Red’s playing at “the Arena”—as the place was known—offered kids and adults a chance to see hockey played in all it’s original, often bloody, glory.
No masks, no helmets, few pads. Lots of action between big men on skates and the only thing separating them from the crowd was a short wall and chicken wire.
But before there was the politics of Cortellessa running against Cianci, there was the Providence Club scene, the payoffs and bribes of liquor licenses, the “rent” paid to the mob for protection, and the always volatile mix of alcohol, pretty women, and testosterone-fueled muscle heads with too much brawn and too under-utilized brain.
Joe Broadmeadow, Divine Providence: The Mayor, The Mob, and the Man in the MIddle
No one worried about letting their kids go to the arena. It was a different era in a city and country where World War II was still a powerful memory, the Korean Conflict became the forgotten war, and Vietnam was a place few Americans had even heard of let alone find on a map.
The West End of Providence in the 1950s and 60s was a world away from the East side where Buddy Cianci, already fifteen years old when Pat was born, would attend private school, followed by college and law school. Pat would take a more pedestrian public-school path. Yet their respective careers, politics for one and running restaurants and clubs for the other, would culminate in first a business association, then a friendship, then a break that would drive them both to face each other in the political arena.
One would end up in prison, the other would dance a fine line between the world of the wise guys, the seductive lure of the nightclubs and bars, and the world of politics. Their unlikely association would forever intertwine them in the history of Providence.
But before there was the politics of Cortellessa running against Cianci, there was the Providence Club scene, the payoffs and bribes of liquor licenses, the “rent” paid to the mob for protection, and the always volatile mix of alcohol, pretty women, and testosterone-fueled muscle heads with too much brawn and too under-utilized brains.
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“The friend of a conqueror is but the last victim…”
Isaac Asimov, Foundation and Empire
During the 70s and 80s, Providence experienced the demise of one empire and the rise of a new one. They both bore the outward veneer of honor and respectability. One criminal at its core, the other did a better job of concealing its genuine nature.
In 1970, perhaps the most powerful man in Rhode Island, with influence extending far beyond the borders of the state and even New England, was Raymond L.S. Patriarca. Respected within Organized Crime by more than just those who worked for him, many considered him a man of honor in an organization with a warped sense of the concept.
But he made no bones about what he was. He ran the family with a ruthless intensity masked by neighborhood generosity and concern for his domain, Federal Hill. All knew him as “the old man,” with a smile and a wave for most and a disdainful look for the cops and prosecutors who targeted him and his organization.
But like all things, after attaining the height of control within the organization, he began the inevitable decline until his death in 1984.
While the Patriarca legacy was reaching its zenith, an unknown phenomenon entered the scene. An up-and-coming lawyer—with a penchant for flair, a quick wit, and an uncontainable ego—began his own rise to prominence in Providence.
A man who, in that unique Rhode Island way, as an assistant Attorney General, once prosecuted Raymond Patriarca.
His ability to draw people to him, to gain their loyalty, brought him from the small city of Providence to the national stage of the Republican National convention where Gerald Ford considered him for the position of his Vice-President running mate.
Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci began his rise to legendary status as a prosecutor, then turned his sights on politics. As the “old man” faded, “Buddy” began his rise.
The smallest state in the union offers every Rhode Islander unique access to the inner workings of the state. Almost to a person, the people of Rhode Island knew who “Raymond” and “Buddy” were with no need for a last name.
Many, if not most, had a story of encountering one or both men. Yet few people penetrated the inner circle of both empires.
Except for one man.
Pat Cortellessa—businessman, club-owner, entrepreneur, politician — is one of the few who rubbed shoulders with the wiseguys in joint businesses, worked alongside Buddy for mutual benefit until Buddy decided Pat was no longer useful, opposed Buddy in runs for the office of Mayor, and lived to tell the story.
Divine Providence: The Mayor, The Mob, and the Man in the Middle is the story few have ever heard, taking you inside the backroom deals, shady operations, and blood politics that was the Patriarca and Cianci eras.
Pre-order coming soon. Look for more announcements on sales, books signings, and media appearances.
JEBWizard Publishing (www.jebwizardpublishing.com) is a hybrid publishing company focusing on new and emerging authors. We offer a full range of customized publishing services.
Everyone has a story to tell, let us help you share it with the world. We turn publishing dreams into a reality. For more information and manuscript submission guidelines contact us at info@jebwizardpublishing.com or 401-533-3988.
Since the January 6th attempted insurrection by violent supporters of Mr. Trump, incited by a host of lies about the Presidential Election, the pendulum has changed direction. Many of those involved have been arrested, lost their jobs, and been the object of scorn and derision.
Much of this, for those who broke the law, is well deserved. Mr. Trump, touting his strong on crime positions of the past four years, often proselytized swift and significant punishment for lawbreakers. Those words may now come back to haunt him and those who were blinded by his subtle yet real calls for violence against the government. One thing Mr. Trump is good at is obfuscation of truth to serve his purpose. No one will ever dissuade me from the belief that Mr. Trump had every intention of inspiring that crowd to do exactly what they did.
Yet our reaction need be one in direct contradiction to Mr.Trump’s blatant incitement. There is a danger here in our substituting one philosophy for another and punishing those who disagree with us, that is his approach not ours.
Every single person who attended that rally supporting Mr. Trump had the absolute right to do so. Expressing one’s opinion in protest and free speech is the very foundation of government. Even when that speech is permeated with lies and intentional misrepresentations.
No matter how distasteful such political positions may be, no matter how antithetical they may be to the spirit of America, they are protected under the First Amendment from governmental restrictions or intrusions.
It is when they cross the line into violent acts that the law must apply.
While they may be well within their right to do so, if a company or other organization terminates an employee for their beliefs, for their exercise of their constitutional rights, for expressing an opinion outside of the workplace, absent any criminal act, it comes dangerously close to creating an atmosphere of fear.
As to those who took it beyond peaceful protest, you made your choice, and you must face the consequences. I know many of those who stormed the Capitol building took great delight in many of Mr. Trump’s forceful statements on punishing those who break the law. They just never thought it should apply to them because they bought into the lies of a charlatan.
Evelyn Beatrice Hall, writing under the name, S.G. Tallentyre, in her biography of Voltaire wrote the following line (which is often incorrectly attributed to Voltaire underscoring the need to research truth)
In The Friends of Voltaire, Hall wrote the phrase:
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”
The line illustrated Voltaire’s philosophy, and it is one we should embrace.
I do not understand how anyone could support Donald Trump. I didn’t understand it in 2016, and I see the past four years as further evidence of his Presidency being the biggest mistake ever in our history.
But seventy-five million Americans voted for Mr. Trump. Seventy-five million. Because Mr. Trump lost the election does not mean they must be silent on their positions. It does not mean they must abandon their positions. It does not mean they cannot work toward 2024 for a Republican candidate to challenge President-elect Joe Biden.
It does mean they must accept the results of the 2020 election and exercise their rights of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly within the law.
As long as they do that, then while I would disagree with their philosophy I would defend to the death their right to say it.
And I would expect, as Americans, they would do the same. It is what makes America great and always will.
JEBWizard Publishing (www.jebwizardpublishing.com) is a hybrid publishing company focusing on new and emerging authors. We offer a full range of customized publishing services.
Everyone has a story to tell, let us help you share it with the world. We turn publishing dreams into a reality. For more information and manuscript submission guidelines contact us at info@jebwizardpublishing.com or 401-533-3988.
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The Writing of Joe Broadmeadow 