Jud's Journal: Rhode Island
In the next installment of Jud's Journal, Jud discusses Rhode Island and some of the state's accomplishments as well as its tolerant past.
Transcription:
Well, we've been talking about that sixth New England state, sort of as part of the 75th anniversary of Yankee Publishing and it brings us to Rhode Island. Rhode Island. Little Rhodey. The plantation of the otherwise minded. That's how they used to call it.
The first civilized community in the world to allow freedom of religion. That's Rhode Island. They're very tolerant. Roger Williams, you know, freedom of religion. He founded the state of Rhode Island and they, I think there's a lot of examples. The only fishing cooperative I know, Point Judith, is in Rhode Island. The Brown gets along with Providence much better than say, Yale gets along with New Haven, for instance.
The Town Gown is great. Rhode Island is a very tolerant state. They're also very interested in history, their history. And I listed just a couple of things that they really will point out to you if you start talking about history with a Rhode Islander.
For instance, they'll say they were first to announce allegiance to Great Britain. The first to fire a cannon at a British vessel. First Baptist Church, Providence. First Jewish Synagogue in America, New Port. First cotton mill, in Pawtucket. First lighthouse. First spinning jenny. I mean, on and on. Lot of firsts in Rhode Island.
There's so much to say about it but I have to tell you, they're very good at put downs too. You know, put downs, like a final statement that kinda ends the conversation. Gotta give you this one. It was a wrongful death case in Providence, Rhode Island and one of the witness was a guy named, a Rhode Islander named Dr. Benjamin Shay. I'll give you what they said.
Question, the prosecutor: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
Dr. Shay: No.
Question: Did you check for blood pressure?
Dr. Shay: No.
Question: Did you check for breathing?
Dr. Shay: No.
Question: So then, is it possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
Dr. Shay: No.
Question: How can you be so sure, doctor?
Answer: Well, because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. (It's not the put down yet.)
Question: But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?
Dr. Shay: It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.
Yes, I love it. So people ask me, well how big is Rhode Island? Well, I'd say it's about the size of the state of Rhode Island.