Saturday letters: Misguided opposition at State House; too dependent on electric
Opposition to Senate bill 'misguided'
In her opinion piece, “Rhode Island can do better than this Senate bill” (Commentary, March 9), Tatiana Rothchild calls vital, common-sense legislation “exclusionary” and accuses those responsible for it of “intentionally” denying protections to Asian women. As a longtime lawyer and advocate for sex workers and survivors of trafficking, I find her opinions to be misguided, inflammatory and in direct opposition to improving the safety of sex workers.
Sex workers are vulnerable to violence and exploitation because abusers know they cannot come forward without fear of arrest. I have accompanied many clients to police precincts to ensure that they would not be arrested, harassed, or harmed while reporting crimes committed against them. I’ve had to respect the wishes of clients who were too scared to seek needed medical attention because they feared arrest. I, along with many other sex workers’ rights activists, would love for massage without a license to be included explicitly in the bill, but groups that represent massage therapists have made it clear that they would oppose any legislation proposing this.
None of the nine other states that have passed immunity laws have included massage without a license for this reason. In the real world, we accept incremental changes we can make to help people. We do not have the luxury to look from atop an ivory tower. Sex workers in Rhode Island cannot risk another year without immunity protections because a reasonable concession is being mischaracterized as bigotry. Ms. Rothchild’s opposition to S2441 is unconscionable.
Melissa Sontag Broudo, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Too dependent on electric power
Our world saving leaders are moving everything to electric. We must remove all fossil fuels, upgrade solar, wind, and of course nuclear. In addition, add a new expanded power grid to handle all the added electric-needed power for autos, trucks, trains, plus more new power for expanded internet, including AI, and the proposed digital currency. Everything runs on clean electric.
Or rather it does until the power fails, then nothing works. No cars, no cash, no electronic payment systems, no heat, refrigeration or air conditioning, no telephones, TV, cable, internet, nothing. We will all be well and truly in trouble. Will not even be able to buy a candy bar − no cash.
Florida hurricane comes, or California earthquake, violent rains, or snow. Electric power disrupted, and who helps? No trucks rushing in supplies. They need electric power to run.
What kind of idiots would design that economy?
Biagio C. Trofa, North Providence
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Saturday letters: Misguided opposition at State House; too dependent on electric
