By Ron St. Pierre, WPRO
M-I-A
Conspicuous due to her absence from all those televised EMA briefings during 
NEMO was Lt. Governor Liz Roberts. The answer to Rhode Island’s version of WHERE’S WALDO? came in a statement issued by her spokesperson, Maria Tocco:
“Lt. Governor Roberts was away last week with her husband visiting family. She was in London and Germany, and returns today. She coordinated with the Governor’s office previous to her travel to assure there would be no conflict with his out of office plans. We have been in regular, daily communication with her, and we are assisting the Governor’s staff and RIEMA in any way needed.”
OK, no great shakes that the Lt. Governor was abroad when we got nailed by a blizzard. She’s not exactly the lead dancer in the conga line of decision makers….BUT….if she seeks the office of Governor next election, I can already hear her opponent’s attack ads:
“When Blizzard NEMO threatened the safety of every Rhode Islander, where was Lt. Governor Liz Roberts, chair of the RI EMA? Vacationing safe and sound in Europe…”
You know it’s coming.
State of Flux
President Obama gives his State of the Union address tonight. The State of the Union not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows presidents to outline their legislative agenda. You can expect President Obama to spend plenty of time tonite talking about efforts to reduce gun violence.
Since FDR, The State of the Union is given typically each January before a joint session of the United States Congress. Calvin Coolidge’s 1923 speech was the first broadcast on radio, Harry Truman’s 1947 address was the first on TV and LBJ was the first to deliver the address at night in 1965. Ronald Regan was the only president to postpone his State of the Union address: on January 28, 1986, he postponed it for a week after learning of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and addressed the nation on the day’s events instead. Bill Clinton’s 1997 address was the first on the World Wide Web.
Wonder If He’ll Be Packing?
He’s got Cat Scratch fever, and the only cure is to attend the State of the Union address. Republican Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas has invited conservative rocker Ted Nugent to be his guest at tonite’s soiree. Stockman’s rather controversial decision to extend the invitation to Nugent came after learning Democrat lawmakers invited victims of gun violence to attend.
Nugent, who was interviewed and cleared last year by the Secret Service after saying he’d be, quote, “dead or in jail” if Obama was re-elected, says he’ll take on the media tonight and “counter the scams and lies of the left.” He did say he would “remain respectful to the office of the presidency and the event itself.”
This could be fun.
Will This Make Tonight’s Address?
Since taking office in 2009, food stamp rolls under President Obama have risen to more than 47 million Americans. That number exceeds the population of Spain.
Also, gas prices have risen EVERY DAY for the past 25 days. Reaching a national level of $3.59 a gallon according to AAA. That’s a bargain in Rhody.
The Morning Dew
Pepsi is launching a new Mountain Dew breakfast drink as an alternative to your morning coffee or tea. The beverage is called KICKSTART and has the flavor of Mountain Dew with 5% fruit juice and vitamins B and C. It comes in flavors called “energizing orange citrus” and “energizing fruit punch.” KICKSTART doesn’t have the amount of caffeine as REDBULL or MONSTER so it’s not considered an energy drink. It also contains artificial sweeteners to keep the calorie count below that of a regular soda.
