Letter: A closer look at the progressive agenda

Posted 2/28/19

June Speakman’s statement in the Jan. 21 Bristol Phoenix is a great example of the progressive agenda. 

The headline included fine sounding words like “families,” …

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Letter: A closer look at the progressive agenda

Posted

June Speakman’s statement in the Jan. 21 Bristol Phoenix is a great example of the progressive agenda. 

The headline included fine sounding words like “families,” “equality,” “safety,” “health” and a “voice.” All are terms that are euphemistic and integral parts of the standard progressive agenda, along with identity politics.

Her letter starts with a nod to identity politics by noting that she would “stand up for women.” I would hope that any Bristol representative would stand up for the people of Bristol, not just one segment, albeit a very important one. This is divisive.

A “high quality education” does need proper facilities, more funding and better teacher training, but these may not be the most critical issues. Enhanced discipline not restorative justice, competition not an education monopoly, and teacher merit not seniority are equally if not more important.

We hope that Ms. Speakman’s focus on climate change is not an endorsement of the new fantastical progressive cause, the Green New Deal.

Her reference to the fine sounding term “reproductive health” is just an euphemism for abortion, and if progressives in Rhode Island have their way, expanded abortion.

The reference to “epidemic of gun violence” leads to the mantra of “sensible gun control,” a euphemism for the roll back of the Second Amendment. Sensible to whom, about what and to what extent? Deranged or violent people using guns in mass or any killings are serious problems. However, none of the recent atrocities would have been avoided by the measures proposed in her letter.

As a footnote, “military grade weapons,” which are fully automatic, are strictly prohibited in the U.S. The Parkland tragedy is very instructive. Andrew Pollock, whose daughter Meadow was murdered at Parkland, blamed public officials and their social justice policies that led to the Parkland atrocity. Foremost was Robert Runcie, the Broward superintendent, who introduced an Obama administration program called PROMISE, under which students who committed crimes, including drug dealing, sexual assault and bringing weapons to school, would no longer be reported to the police by administrators (restorative justice writ large)

The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, had a long history of abnormal behavior that was recorded in great detail. He should never have been in school nor allowed to have a firearmAndrew Pollock notes, “Cruz was never going to be a model citizen, but it truly took a village to raise him into a school shooter.” Pollack claims that “Parkland was the most avoidable mass shooting in American history.

Ms. Speakman correctly notes that our community has been in turmoil with our recent state representatives. What was left out was that the turmoil was caused by the darling of progressives, Laufton Ascencao Longo. No doubt that Ms. Speakman is honest and a model of integrity, but her funding sources resemble Mr. Ascencao Longo’s, and there are many policy reasons for not going down the progressive road again.

Mike Byrnes
Bristol

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.