Rather than honest debate, Star-Ledger tries McCarthyism by slapping race card

By Scott St. Clair

The Star-Ledger hit a new low of innuendo and guilt-by-association smear tactics in editorially trying to link racists to the Republican Party.  You get an A+ in McCarthyism and dirty tricks, but an F in integrity and respect for any point of view other than your own.

The editorial’s subliminal message is that Republicans who disagree with the paper’s editorial board or President Obama on policy do so for racially-motivated reasons.

Why not consider that maybe, just maybe, those who disagree do so because the policies are horrible, not in the national interest and complete failures?

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Gramiccioni: Prosecutor’s Office Will Conduct Internal Affairs Investigation Of Seidle Shooting

Acting Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni

Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni issued the following statement this afternoon regarding the investigation into the Asbury Park and Neptune Township Police Departments’ response to the murder of Tamara Wilson-Seidle last week:

“Yesterday morning, I informed the police chiefs of the Asbury Park and Neptune Township Police Departments that our Office will conduct the Internal Affairs review and evaluation of the performance of the responding officers to last week’s tragic shooting by off-duty Neptune Township Police Officer Philip Seidle.

“This review will be conducted by our Professional Responsibility Bureau to ensure a thorough review and evaluation is performed that will stand up to the scrutiny from the community.

“It is imperative that we look at this incident with a critical eye towards doing all that we can to understand what transpired and learning how, moving forward, we can improve from that evaluative process.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Veterans Name Congressman Chris Smith Legislator Of The Year

Congressman Chris Smith

The New Jersey State Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has named Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ4) its 2015 Legislator of the Year.

VFW State Legislative Director William F. Thomson presented Smith with the award Monday in Hamilton, Mercer County. VFW State Commander Jack Kane announced the honor on June 19 at its annual convention in Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood, N.J.

“The men and women in uniform make tremendous, selfless sacrifices for our nation,and they must know that when they come home they will receive the care and assistance they earned,” said Smith, who chaired the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee from 2001-2005 and authored more than a dozen veterans’ laws. It is an honor for me to accept this award, but it is more of an honor to work for our veterans.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, June 26-28, 2015

By Greg Kelly

Like this?

Friday, June 26

• Hall & Oates at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Wall Twp Fair – MORE INFO
• Closure at NJ Repertory Theatre (Long Branch) – MORE INFO
• Jersey Shore Greek Festival (Ocean Twp) – MORE INFO
• Bridgefest ‘15 (Ocean Grove) – MORE INFO
• Charlie, Trevor and a Girl Savannah at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO
• Nancy Scharff’s God & Country Patriotic Concert (Middletown) – MORE INFO
• Magical Musical Me (Middletown) – MORE INFO
• Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee Meeting (Lincroft) – MORE INFO
• Honoring Summer II Art Show at BCC (Lincroft) – MORE INFO
• The Great St. Mary’s Fair (Middletown) – MORE INFO

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

SCAT Dispatcher Pleads Guilty To Obstruction

Mickey Major, 54, of Howell Township and a former dispatcher for the Monmouth County Special Citizens Assisted Transportation (SCAT) buses, pleaded guilty to Obstruction of Justice after admitting that he shredded fare envelopes while the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office was investigating the collection of fares, according to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Major worked as dispatcher at the Center Street, Freehold location of the Monmouth County Division of Transportation, where he dispatched SCAT buses, but was also tasked with reconciling fare reports with the actual fare amounts collected and reported by the drivers. On Sept. 16, 2014, detectives arrived at the Center Street location and discovered Major shredded the envelopes and fled from the office in his vehicle.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Asbury Park Police Officer Busted For Putting His Sister On His Heath Insurance

Alix Antoine, 36, an Asbury Park Police Officer, was arrested on Monday and charged with second degree Official Misconduct, Conspiracy to Commit Official Misconduct, Insurance Fraud and third degree Tampering with Public Records.  Antoine’s sister, Patricia Louis, a/k/a Patricia Antoine, 43, of Clifton, was charged with one count each of second degree Conspiracy to Commit Official Misconduct and Insurance Fraud.

According to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni, Antoine filed documents in connection with his employment as a police officer enabling Patricia to obtain medical benefits she was not entitled to receive.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

What Happens When The President Uses The “N” Word?

By Tom DeSeno

 

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” — Juliet of the House of Capulet

I’ve written columns for many outlets over the past 15 years, and one practice I’ve always maintained is to spell out the whole “N” word when it is being used in an historical context, as in, “Slave owners referred to blacks as “N.” I do the same when quoting another person, as in, “He called him a “N.” I’ve also reserved the right to spell it out in condemnation of the word itself, as in, “It’s wrong to call anyone a “N.”

My thinking was that the “N” word is an insult when intended that way. I owe my American brothers and sisters with superior protective pigment the courtesy of not using that word as an insult, because it is worse than other words on the insult scale.

However, I don’t owe anyone a distortion of history. I don’t owe anyone less than exactitude when it comes to a quote, lest I be distorting history myself.

Yet every single editor I’ve had changes the spelled out word to the abbreviated “N word” before my column is published (I’m using the abbreviated “N” word now instead of spelling out the word, in recognition of Ricochet’s past practice).

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t use the word casually. I don’t use it in my own conversations and have not done so in decades. I think the only time I ever really used it was during a fistfight on the playground. There are different rules when throwing down — I would get called a cracker, a honky, etc. and I would yell out as many reciprocal remarks as I could. None of the white or black kids watching considered it racist. Afterwards, even the combatants did not. When you are in a fight, the rules of decorum are suspended. You’retrying to insult the guy you’re punching in the face.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

FDU Poll: New Jersey Lacks Leadership

50% of New Jersey voters think our State’s problems are solvable, but that our politicians are not willing to stick their necks out to get our State moving in the right direction.  That’s the take away from the FDU Public Mind Poll released this morning which indicates that Governor Chris Christie approval rating is upside down, 30%-55% and that the State Legislature’s approval rating is negative 24%-44%.

28% of the 792 self identified registered voters survey by FDU from June 15-21 said that New Jersey is moving in the right direction. 57% said we are on the wrong track.

Poll results that this should indicate that change is coming in November.   Don’t count on that happening, unless Christie shocks the world and announces that he is not running for president.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

3-year foreclosure ban proposed for Sandy-damaged homes

As the recovery from Hurricane Sandy drags on for the thousands of residents still not yet back in their homes, a bill cleared an Assembly panel on Monday afternoon that supporters said would offer storm victims “breathing room” while rebuilding their homes. But an opponent of the measure, which proposes a three-year stay on foreclosure proceedings… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Hanlon: Don’t pay scammers for deed copies

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

Private companies are mail soliciting Monmouth County homeowners to pay between $79 and $89 for certified copies of the deeds to their homes, according to a statement by County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon. Those same copies can be had from Hanlon’s office for $10.00.

“It is unfortunate that companies would prey upon citizens who are sometimes already struggling financially, especially our senior citizens in Monmouth County who are living on fixed incomes,” Hanlon said, “for a very minimal fee, residential and commercial property owners can request and receive a copy of their deed, and other property documents, directly from the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office.”

Hanlon cautions property owners to be on the lookout for these solicitations because they appear as if they are coming from a government agency, but they are not.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet