Cold War Soviet ideology preferable to Mideast religious lunacy ?

   Vladimir Putin - who might yet emerge as the hero in the present Fall- of- Iraq crisis- said a few years back that the collapse of the old Soviet Union was an historic tragedy. Did not the whole world seem less divided and chaotic in Cold War era ?  Everywhere in the under-developed  world (  the Mideast, Africa, Asia, Latin America ) potential young rebels were introduced  to the Marxist ideology of " class struggle " - which- though fanatical in its own way-rejected irrational violence for the POLITICS of mass movement.  An " historical materialist " would never plan or welcome  the diabolical terrorism we see in these regions of endless bloody conflict today.
              No Marxist-even of the Stalinist stripe- would ever have demonized Western Civilization- the cradle of Judeo-Christian morality and the very  source of modern popular democracy and
 modern Science itself.  Now  I see why the late great humanist Carl Sagan wrote " The Demon Haunted World " in which he made some very sympathetic comments about the assassinated Bolshevik, Leon Trotsky . Read Trotsky's " The Revolution Betrayed " for a deeper understanding of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
           In the 1960s the New Left in the United States was convinced that young people should turn to revolutionary POLITICS -not bloody violence- to change the world.
      Even Pope Francis today is showing the world a better way to economic and social justice than the deranged fanatics of Islam.  But is Reason dying, are the lights going out everywhere ? Is there a candle in the dark ? asked-and answered- the late great humanist Carl Sagan.

Pure Gold- fully digitized Providence Journal Archives

Any long time reader of  the Providence Journal -interested in local history or just haunted by spirits of the long-past- would surely appreciate a fully digitized Providence Journal archive. I recall your series on the Lizzie Borden murder-mystery. Did you use tedious microfilm searches for that ?     As a Library of Congress project there are now many digitized American newspapers ( 1836-1923) .  In one of these old digitized newspapers I read a rather sultry story of an adulterous Rhode Island governor and his high society mistress. For the rich and famous perhaps a readily available local newspaper archive might expose too many still smoldering scandals.   When I was  just a kid I recall reading about my Uncle Nick assigned to the propaganda office of the United States Embassy in Rome -  back then  Uncle Nick was a professional anti-communist ( also a former Providence Journal editor ) .  But all this was during the Kennedy Era.
           And just yesterday I viewed an eerie page turning of three old newspapers - and showing their age- on You Tube: the very three days in November 1963 following the Kennedy assassination. The story is very well known. But  Thanksgiving was approaching and there were amusing ads telling the reader the price of a pound of turkey - about 40 cents.
          Does anybody at 75 Fountain St. share my interest in a fully digitized Providence Journal ?

     ( I also believe that H.P. Lovecraft once sent a letter to the Providence Journal advocating for some form of socialism.

        It was a Great Depression Year and the famous horror writer was living on Campbell's Soup .  )

                             

                                                                                                                                  

Humble suggestion for a visitor-friendly Rhode Island

   I can only agree with our state leaders- seeking tourist dollars- who want to make Little Rhody more visitor friendly. But they often forget the basics. A tradition of New England puritanism makes many business owners hostile to human physiology . I see many obnoxious NO PUBLIC RESTROOM signs in my frequent RIPTA bus travels. You would think that the Kennedy Plaza bus station rest- room could be open just as long  as  the buses are running-or even later. Around twilight I find myself  walking in the alley between the Superman Building and the CVS store.  And I am nearly sickened by the overpowering stench of many stale gallons of urine. The homeless or " just drunk " late at night ?  Of course in the light of day we could just arrest and fine ( fine the penniless ! ) them all for " indecent exposure ".  But  we are all too human: is having a full bladder an " abominable and detestable crime against nature ?

          To be sure, we need more USER FRIENDLY public restrooms in Rhode Island.   The late 60s rascal Abbey Hoffman demanded that we " abolish pay-public toilets. But like pay-public phones they are no more to be found.

         Esteemed editors of the Providence Journal : Speak now or forever hold your piss ( sic) !

The stale music of Kennedy Plaza

        I am a RIPTA regular in Kennedy Plaza.  I can only wish RIPTA's management better or more efficient funding. There is no excuse for less than superb bus service in Little Rhody. Indeed a car should be almost superfluous here. But I must  vent a petty complaint: the piped- in- music in Kennedy Plaza has not been changed - I am sure- in 20 years.  Day after day I hear the pleasant but oh- so- stale music I recognize as Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 , popularly  known from the 1967 Swedish movie, Elvira Madigan; and Rossin's William Tell Overture, popularly known as  The Lone Ranger theme form the old TV show.

          Standing in the garbage of Kennedy Plaza , counting all those horrid cigarette butts , seeing all those poor alienated souls, thinking about the poor masked man and a tragic female type rope walker,  I wonder if  a statue of St. Jude might be erected in the center of Kennedy Plaza: he is still the patron saint of hopeless cases !

           St. Jude or Edward Achorn hear my prayer: change the music in Kennedy Plaza. Let me hear Buddy Holly's " Things are getting better " or even " The day the music died ".