Things that upset Blake Flip Filippi: An ongoing series

Cow commies, executive orders and telling the truth

By Will Collette

"Hammer and sickle," Flip? Really?

Charlestown’s state Representative Blake “Flip” Filippi, a Trumplican, gets outraged by many things. Since he has no real political power, no tangible agenda other than self-promotion and no positive achievements, outrage is the way Flip tries to make himself newsworthy so he can get the media coverage he craves.

This is the tweet that triggered Flip to believe
the commies were coming for his cows

Leading off this installment, we find Flip in total outrage at the communists who would force you to give up beef to help to stem the climate crisis. 

Flip claims to be a full-time cattle rancher in Lincoln, a full-time hotelier on Block Island and a full-time lawyer in Providence as well as a full-time Trumplican legislator. Busy boy, our Flip.

Flip’s deep love for his cows and his outrage at any threat to beef consumption raises this question: how can he love his cows so much and yet want to see them get eaten?

Flip’s tirade against linking cattle raising and climate change was triggered by this tweet (right ᐅ) he re-tweeted from the RI Progressive Democrats which accurately shows that cattle production really is one of the major ways our consuming habits worsen the climate crisis. 

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Speaking of Flip’s full-time hotelier work on Block Island where he owns restaurants and hotels, he posed for a public service announcement from the state’s hospitality industry. The PSA (below, left) identifies him by his title as Minority Leader in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, but not that he owns businesses that directly benefit from this ad.

Wouldn't it be more ethical if Flip disclosed HE is a
hotel and restaurant owner?

In my opinion, simple ethics would call for Flip to identify his direct self-interest in the ad. Is he speaking as a state representative, as the ad seems to say, or as a hotel-restaurant owner?

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Since my last compendium of things that outrage Flip, he has raged against our accidental Governor Dan McKee’s continuing to issue COVID-19 related Executive Orders. Flip was also outraged that Gina Raimondo also did that so she could order swift action to prevent more Rhode Islanders from getting sick and dying.

Flip and his Trumplican colleagues felt that instead, each issue addressed in those executive orders should have been fully debated in the General Assembly – in person and unmasked of course - so the legislators could also infect and kill each other. 

Flip made the false claim that Rhode Island issued more executive orders than other states.

Colorado and Michigan have issued more. Connecticut slightly less. But the most important detail Flip doesn’t mention is that under law, Rhode Island executive orders expire in 30 days and have to be renewed. Nearly all of RI’s 220 orders except about 20 were in fact renewals.

The pandemic, which is still not over, despite seeming like it in Rhode Island, was an emergency. While duly legislating state policy is the best way to go, in an emergency you have to act fast and decisively.

What possible good would come out of delay and a protracted debate with wingnuts like Flip, Justin Price, Mike Chippendale, et al.? 

Besides, where were Flip and other Trumplicans when perfect spiritual master Donald Trump issued 220 unwise or unconstitutional executive orders?

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Next, Flip expressed some outrage at Rep. Anastasia Williams (D-Providence)’s bill to incorporate African American heritage education in public schools.

This is part of a nation-wide Trumplican campaign to find ridiculous, distracting issues. In this instance, Trumplicans have concluded the study of “critical race theory” in schools as something that is somehow un-American.

The Tulsa Oklahoma Race Massacre, 1921

In a nutshell, critical race theory would introduce students to facts from American history about slavery, how Native Americans have been treated and other race-related parts of our history that have been largely ignored or distorted to make white Americans look like the good guys every time.

We would teach kids the truth rather than the John Wayne version.

Ask yourself: How much do you know about the Tulsa Race Massacre that happened 100 years ago this month? How many Charlestown residents know about the long history of relations between the Narragansetts and the descendants of Europeans who now dominate the town?

The bill passed the House with Flip and most of his Trumplican caucus voting no.

UPDATE

A female daring jumping spider. David Hill

In my last column about things that upset Flip Filippi, I noted his angst over Rhode Island’s decision to name the Northern Star Coral as the official state coral. That was done at the behest of scientists who are hoping this coral will be more resistant to climate change and possibly rebuild Rhode Island’s coral reefs.

I am sure Flip got really bugged when New Hampshire Governor and fellow Trumplican Chris Sununu signed a bill last week that designated the “Daring Jumping Spider” as New Hampshire’s official spider. Photo above ⇧.

New Hampshire has also designated the white potato as the official State Vegetable. No surprise there.

To see some of Progressive Charlestown’s previous coverage of things that outrage Blake “Flip” Filippi, go to:

http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2021/05/video-more-things-that-upset-rep-flip.html. In addition to being outraged over the official state coral, Flip is outraged over remote sessions of the General Assembly, mask-wearing, vaccine “passports,” and unisex one-seater restrooms.

http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2021/05/some-more-things-flip-filippi-doesnt.html. In this edition, Flip gets outraged over a plan to make RIPTA rides free in the push to get cars off the road and promote public transportation. He is also outraged over organ donation being the default option on your driver’s license.

http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2021/04/what-do-flip-filippi-and-dan-mckee-have.html   Flip doesn’t like telling anyone whether he’s been vaccinated and is outraged that anyone would ask.

http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2021/04/filippi-doesnt-know-how-government-works.html   Flip really hates the Act on Climate legislation now signed into law.