Conflicting views

Phillipe and Jorge love the folks at the PR firm of Duffy & Shanley, who have long donated pro bono services to many of the state’s nonprofit organizations, with little or no fanfare. And their founder emeritus, the highly respected Dave Duffy, a gentleman and basketball fan — much more admirable than being a scholar — served as head of Governor Don " The Don " Carcieri’s transition team.

That is why P&J find it troubling that D&S happens to be the PR firm of record for both the R.I. Economic Development Corporation and Lincoln Park. The top leaders of Lincoln and its British parent have been indicted for allegedly spreading bribe money, supposedly destined for ex-speaker Johnny Hardwood and Daniel McKinnon’s law firm, to ensure they’d get the right to install more video slot machines at their dog track, and to squelch the chances of the Narragansett Indians opening a casino in the Biggest Little. Can you say, " This doesn’t look so hot, " boys and girls?

Perhaps The Don should re-examine the way in which the organization responsible for boosting economic investment in the state is affiliated with, and speaking up for, gambling interests accused of the lowest business tactics imaginable. This includes trying to undermine the legitimate interests of native Rhode Islanders, whose forefathers were here long before any ships from Europe hit the local shore. What cheer, Netop, indeed. Perhaps the estimable Mr. Duffy should pay a visit to his former employees for a little lesson in Ethics 101. This is yet another embarrassment for Vo Dilunduhs, as the back scratching seems to continue unabated.

Hung out to dry

Strolling by Providence City Hall the other day, your superior correspondents were stunned to find that the city’s human relations division has been relocated into the first floor board of canvassers office — one of the most easily observed, high foot-traffic areas in the building. Why is this of interest? The human relations department is where one goes if one seeks to make a claim of discrimination against the city. The phrase " chill factor " instantly springs to mind.

While we understand that the new Little Chi Chi Administration is keen to save money (and we’re sure this is the purported reason why human relations is no longer situated on Weybosset Street, above Downcity Diner), the new location is about as inappropriate as it gets. Confidentiality is a joke if this office is placed smack dab in the busiest area of City Hall.

As we ponder the fate of human relations, we also have to wonder whether some of the more politically ambitious types in the administration have the long knives out for HR’s longtime director, Christine Roundtree. You will note the story alleging how she may have signed an unauthorized lease for office space a while back. It’s interesting how that story seemed to leak out, while any information about the ongoing investigation of missing funds in the parks department is kept well under wraps. Could this contrast have anything to do with the fact that Nancy Derrig, head of the parks department, was actively involved in the Cicilline campaign last year, while Ms. Roundtree chose to remain neutral? We admire the work done by both of these women over the years, but why the different treatment?

Asking a number of regular City Hall denizens about why human relations wound up in such an inappropriate spot, we were told it was the doing of purchasing and property ramrod Alan Sepe. Is that Alan " I lied to the FBI because I didn’t want to be a rat " Sepe, who’s still got his job despite his less-than-meritorious conduct in Plunder Dome?

The Bud-I may be gone, but it sure looks like insider political intrigue is alive and well in City Hall.

Al Qaeda strikes on 9/11

As people who play professional intelligence agents on TV, P&J were not surprised that Al Qaeda operatives struck at the core of our country’s soul on September 11. Yes, you know what we mean — the ruthless assassination of John Ritter and Johnny Cash on the second anniversary of the day that will forever live in infamy.

Chalk it up to coincidence, but your superior correspondents know a vile plot when we see one. P&J are appalled that the keen mind of John Ashcroft, the lunatic religious zealot, civil liberties defiler, and purported attorney general — and a person who managed to essentially lose an election to a dead man, such was his public stature — hasn’t twigged to it. Just where was Suzanne Somers on 9/11, and what’s her alibi? And although The Man in Black, Mr. Cash, may well have thought to have offed himself after hearing his latest album — and justifiably so — we see the fiendish hand of Osama bin Laden seeking revenge after reading between the lines of Cash’s classic " Ring of Fire. "

Let’s get on the stick, Mr. Tom Ridge. Jack that alert code up to black right now. Who’s next? Ray Roman and Merle Haggard?

Big-time lies

Your superior correspondents decided to take our skin for a crawl on Sunday morning, so we tuned into war profiteer and US Vice President Dick " Big Time " Cheney’s appearance on " Press the Meat " with Tim Russert. Yikes, does this zombie give you the willies or what?

Not allowing the truth to impede upon anything he thinks or says, the Halliburton hum-jobber has obviously been spending way too much time in his secluded secure location, where it appears the only news he gets comes from the Garfield comic strip. Cheney went with his boffo punch line, " I can’t say, " nearly every time he faced a difficult question, while pronouncing that Iraq is now " quiet and stable. " We have three Rhode Island families who might disagree with that claim, Big Time. But perhaps most galling and disgusting was he admission, during his last appearance on Meet the Press six months ago that, " I did misspeak. " when he claimed Iraq had nuclear weapons. Where we live, we call that lying, Mr. Vice President.

Along the same line, for a totally shocking and stomach-turning view of what the Bushies have been feeding us as " misspeaks, " look up the Philadelphia Daily News on the Web and read William Bunch’s 9/11 column titled, " Why Don’t We Have Answers to These 9/11 Questions. " If you can read that and still have the slightest shred of respect for Dubya, Big Time, Rummy, Karl Rove, Queen Lotsateetha Rice, and their pals, you are a sad case. Or a traitor.

Fighting to the end

P&J and anyone remotely concerned about environmental protection lost a good friend this past week in the person of Alison Walsh, after a five-year fight against cancer. A former Save the Bay employee who was with the US Environmental Protection Agency, she was one of the most feisty, shin-kicking defenders of what’s good and right, and she will be greatly missed by those who knew her. Condolences to her husband, Doc, but we all have fond memories of a real battler.

Organ grinding

We read with interest a front-page story in the September 8 BeloJo about how Senator Leo Blais (R-Coventry) has spearheaded legislation to make the state better able to collect information from those who wish to be organ donors. Once again, though, we note that the whole operation centers on the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Is Vo Dilun (and, in general, the whole US of A) so single-mindedly focused on automobile owners and drivers as the basis of all civilization that this is the be-all and end-all for all political and/or social policy? Here’s one person (Jorge) who does not drive a car and who is more than willing to be an organ donor. But no one has come up with a plan to make this a simple task for the non-driver.

Does anyone understand what over-reliance on automobiles has done to this country? Does anyone care to create non-automobile initiatives for us, or do we just want to continue on a moronic path that has led to increased environmental instability, greater dependence on (foreign) fossil fuel consumption, and a country, where, according to a recent report, there are more automotive vehicles than drivers? Just asking.

Incentivizing to the max

Many thanks to the BeloJo’s intrepid Kathy Gregg for Sunday’s timeline story on the Wembley/Lincoln Park case. This is guaranteed to get bigger, folks, but in the meantime, before the full picture of what the government alleges here is revealed, we can content ourselves with the usual linguistic twists and turns that tend to accompany all major Vo Dilun criminal cases.

While we may not have a wordsmith on a par with the Bud-I here to spin out one-liners, we did find, in an alleged fax from Wembley head ramrod Nigel Potter, to Lincoln Park CEO Dan Bucci, the use of the phrase " incentivize and maximize " to be a little touch of genius. Might this have been inspired by the late, great Johnny Mercer’s " Accentuate The Positive " ?

We don’t know for certain, but it sure was nice to see in an alleged follow-up fax from Bucci to Potter that Danny has picked up on the new lingo and refers to " incentivizing " himself. Let’s hope further revelations will continue to illustrate these remarks.

Art in the Bucket

Yes, P&J took a little time out over past couple of weeks to check out the goings-on in Pawtucket, where the city’s weeklong arts festival has become the envy of the state. The fest has attracted good crowds. The sculpture exhibit at the visitors’ center is definitely on the traditional side, but it is a glorious tradition with some very impressive representational work by a number of first-rate artists. Who woulda thunk it? The opening night concert by Le Vent du Nord, a traditional musical outfit from Quebec, was also excellent and enthusiastically received by the sizeable audience that showed up on a lovely September night to drink in the festivities.

Keep it up, Pawtucket.

Send Jorge’s bus pass and Pulitzer-grade tips to p&j[a]phx.com