Neptune Nudniks: Pass the American Jobs Act. Now.

The Asbury Park Press Editorial Board opined to its declining readership that President Obama’s American Jobs Act should be passed now.

The problem with that is that is that the bill  hasn’t been written yet.  Obama launched his reelection campaign in earnest Thursday night in an address to a joint session of congress that proposed a 1/2 trillion in spending.  He said it would be paid for, but didn’t say how.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, hardly a Tea Party radical “determined to dismantle government and its vital programs piece by piece”  said he would have to see the bill before deciding whether to vote for or against it.

I never would have thought that I’d be writing that Kucinich exhibits more sanity than my hometown newspaper.

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Bayshore Tea Party Responds To Neptune Nudniks

By Barbara Gonzalez,  published in The Press (formerly The Asbury Park Press) on August 12, 2012

As the founder of The Bayshore Tea Party, I must take exception to the Press’ Aug. 7 editorial, “The deadly sins of the Tea Party.” It showed a lack of understanding about the Tea Party, our motives and objectives. But it did reveal a lot about the mindset of the editors.

The editorial states that refusal to raise the debt ceiling would constitute the “first default in American history.” In 1933, President Roosevelt confiscated privately held gold. In 1971, President Nixon took the U.S. off the gold standard.

We are upset, not “angry” as the editorial stated, that the actions of the federal government have put each and every American over $46,000 in debt to creditors.

We are upset Congress has “borrowed” $2.6 trillion of the assets in the Social Security Trust Fund, which they have no way to pay back. Borrowing of this nature in private enterprise is called embezzlement, but in the world of politics it is called an “investment.”

We believe the president and Congress engaged in “intellectual sloth” by passing the health care bill without reading it.

The editorial asserted that federal, state and local income taxes are at historical lows. It only mentioned federal, state and local income taxes. It failed to take into account payroll, sales and embedded taxes. When all taxes are factored in, the real total of taxes paid is more than 45 percent.

Many Press editorials and special investigative reports have highlighted government waste. Now, we are being taken to task for calling on the government to fix the very things the Press exposed.

The Press implies that the Tea Party shows too much “courage.” Did the Founding Fathers show too much courage by refusing to prostrate themselves to King George?

Courage is precisely what is needed today. The courage to speak out and tell self-serving politicians that they work for the people and not the other way around.

As for raising taxes on the “wealthiest Americans,” how about defining “wealthiest Americans?” The federal government could tax every person who earns $250,000 or more per year the entire amount and it wouldn’t raise nearly the amount needed to cover the increase in spending. The “wealthy” would simply park their money in the tax shelters their friends in Washington have created.

The editorial called the raising of the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion “routine,” leading one to conclude the Press has lost touch with reality. What is “prudent” about borrowing $2.1 trillion that you have no way to pay back, a fact that was evident to Standard & Poor’s and our nation’s creditors? Prudence is only borrowing what you can afford to pay back. Stupidity and greed is borrowing more than that amount.

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Henry Vaccaro Responds To The Neptune Nudniks’ Editorial

By Henry Vaccaro, Sr

I just saw an OP Ed story in the Press entitled “The Deadly sins of the Tea Party.

I take strong exception to that story.  In fact I resent it.

Had it not  been for the Tea Party Obama would have had a ” Clean” bill to raise the debt limit, without any spending cuts .

The Press has a very short memory.  Obama’s last budget called for Trillions in new debt. It was voted down in the Senate 94 to 0. We the United States of America are working without a budget. That budget proves that he had no intention of reducing the debt. Just more spending as usual.

The Press said “compromise.” I say “BULLS SHIT”. It’s about time that someone stood up for their principles. The Tea Party stood up to be counted.

At the Alamo, Col. Travis drew a line in the sand with his sword and challenged 180 men to cross the line if they were willing to fight and die for their freedom. They showed the world what Patriot’s stood for.

You the former Asbury Park Press have shown the world how bias the news media really is. You mention the Koch brothers “Oil barons and billionaires who have supported the Tea Party”. I did not see any mention of George Soros and the billions he has spent to further his and Obama’s agenda.

I am a proud member of the Tea Party; you have called us rowdy, rude and disruptive at town hall meetings. Maybe we didn’t like Obamacare being rammed down our throats, with all the backroom deals going on just for votes. There was NO open debate. Where were you the Asbury Park Press defending our freedom?

You say that it is time for the Tea Party to learn a lesson. We have learned a good lesson.

See you in 2012.

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APP Turns On Obama

By Art Gallagher

The newspaper formerly known as The Asbury Park Press (their print edition masthead now reads “THE PRESS”) has irrefutably revealed itself as a far left extremist publication.  In an editorial published on their website last evening, Obama caving in to GOP demands, the Neptune Nudniks have moved on to the left of the New York Times, the old Huffington Post, Daily Kos and Middletown Mike.

The Press called the President “weak,” “hardly a leader,” and said his speech Monday night was “too little, too late.” They said his speech “was not tough so much as it was petulance.”  As Dan Jacobson would say, hilarious, though hysterical would be more accurate.

“Left wing extreme, Art?” you might say, “that sounds like right wing rhetoric I might read on MoreMonmouthMusings.”  You’d be correct, except the nudniks are complaining that Obama “has alienated his base, gone back on what he held as rock-solid principles,” while drawing a “line in the sand” that is inside the Republican Tea Party right’s tent.  APP is now short for apparatchik.

The Press did get one important thing right in their rantitorial.  They correctly identified Obama’s reelection concerns and the only issue that is holding up a deal that would raise the debt ceiling, reduce the deficit and prevent a default.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, also not left enough for the apparatchiks, and Speaker John Boehner have already agreed on a plan that would raise the debt ceiling, reduce spending and not raise taxes.  Obama killed the deal because it only lasted for a year.  He doesn’t want to go through this again next summer only a few months before the Presidential election.

If Obama thought his economic policies and philosphy were popular with the American people, he would welcome having such a debate next year.  Instead, he’s willing to put the full faith and credit of the United States of America at risk rather than debate “redistribution of wealth”  and massive government expansion months before the American people decide whether or not to give him another four years. 

It is no accident that most of ObamaCare kicks in after the election.  This is more of the same.  Obama wants his lease on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave renewed before the American people realize what he has done to them.

The “Tea Party Republican” members of congress are controlling the debt ceiling debate because Obama is letting them control the debate.  If Reid and Obama agreed to Boehner’s proposal, Nancy Pelosi would deliver enough Democratic votes in the House to pass Boehner’s plan with moderate Republican support, thereby neutralizing the “Tea Party” Republicans who are uncompromising.

Obama would have to take a page out of Chris Christie’s book in order to make a deal like that.  And Christie says he’s not ready to be President.

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The Asbury Park Press Needs A Fact Checker

By Art Gallagher

The Asbury Park Press, aka The Neptune Nudniks  really needs to teach their editorial staff how to use google or they need to hire a fact checker who knows how to use google.  In this information age there is no justification for getting the facts wrong as often as the Nudniks do.

In editorial published yesterday about the Live Action video depicting a Planned Parenthood employee in Perth Amboy coaching Live Action activists posing as a pimp and underage prostitute how to avoid being caught trafficking underage sex slaves, the APP editorial  board inaccurately defended Planned Parenthood  They said:

To its credit, Planned Parenthood said it had promptly notified law enforcement authorities after the visit, and it also announced it had fired the clinic employee for violating some of the organization’s policies.

Planned Parenthood also said at least 12 of its clinics across the country had been visited by Live Action undercover operatives claiming to be sex traffickers. None of the clinics’ employees at the other sites took the bait.

Emphasis added.

That’s not true.  The Planned Parenthood clinics’ other employees, at least some of them,  did take the bait.  Live Action released four more videos on Friday morning  that show employees in four Virginia clinics cooperating with activists posing as sex traffickers.

If the Asbury Park Press editorial board didn’t know that, they should have.  At the very least they should have known that LiveAction was going to release more video footage.  They said they were going to.

Incidentally, this is why, in part, that I’ve been critical of Live Action for releasing their videos without including an acknowledgment of the fact that Planned Parenthood’s leadership reported their visits to the authorities a full week prior the video releases.  The mainstream media is both lazy and strapped financially. Their “news” is increasingly nothing more than regurgitated press releases and sound bites.  It’s a shame that their editorials are as well.

On a much lighter note, APP sports writer Steve Edelson started his latest blog post with the cliche “You can’t make this stuff up.”

Edelson’s post was about a Dr. Scholl’s Super Bowl commercial featuring Jets coach Rex Ryan and his wife Michelle of foot fetish video fame.

The press release about the commercial that Edelson received was made up.

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Fox News PAC Gave to Pallone

By Art Gallagher

Remember the hullabaloo last summer over News Corp, parent of FoxNews, giving $1 million dollars to the Republican Governors Association?  The lefty media made a big deal about it.  The Asbury Park Pres, aka Neptune Nudniks, even wrote an editorial condemning the contribution wherein they made a laughable assertion about how “real journalists” work hard to maintain their objectivity.

Turns out Fox gave to Frank Pallone before they gave to the RGA.   They also gave to Andrew Wiener, James Clyburn, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.   The Nudniks probably didn’t know that…..because they probably didn’t check.

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So what went wrong and who is at fault?

 It snowed too much too fast.  That’s what went wrong in New Jersey this week.  New York too.

It wasn’t a personal snowstorm, yet naturally many, if not most, people relate to the aftermath of a storm out of their personal concerns.   The numb minded media, especially the Asbury Park Press editorial board, who is once again is living up to their Neptune Nudniks moniker, granted a full page in the print edition to selfish rants, 12 pages on their website, contributing to an online frenzy of wind-bagging. 

The Nudniks are contributing to directly to the frenzy with yet another editorial premised on inaccurate information and assumptions.  They say the storm was predicted days in advance.  Hogwash.  Forecasts as late as Saturday night were predicting snow falls in Central Jersey in the 12-18 inch range.  It wasn’t until just a few hours before the storm hit that any forecaster was talking about accumulations of 25-30 inches with 55 mph winds.   Folks in Buffalo or Syracuse might be expected to be prepared for the type of storm we got, but the truth of the matter is that New Jersey’s various governments don’t have the equipment or the personnell to handle the this type of weather quickly.   That is why the clean up is continuing now, 48 hours after the snow stopped falling.

The Nudniks started their editorial rant accusing road crews of “surrendering” to the storm.  

I was out Sunday night to plow my properties.  The DOT crews were out.  The visablity was terrible.  It was dangerous to be plowing.  It was snowing too hard too fast.

If they were not still out there cleaning up, I would suggest those crews dump truck loads of snow that they surrendered to at APP headquarters in Neptune.  Cancelled subscriptions should suffice for cooler heads. 

It snowed too much to fast.  That is what happened.  There have been lots of rumors and comments that there have been job actions and sick outs in some towns and maybe the state.  Given how well Monmouth County’s crews performed vis-a-vis many towns and the DOT, you have to wonder.  Investigations should take place and corrective action taken where appropriate.   However the APP should be tracking down the validity of those rumors rather than wind-bagging that road crews “seem to have” quit on the storm.

The media driven brouhaha over Governor Christie and Lt. Governor Guadagno being out of state at the same time is as absurd and insulting as the Nudniks’ assumption that road crews quit.

As published elsewhere and confirmed by MMM, Guadagno and her brothers are spending what is most likely their last Christmas holiday with their father who is suffering from Stage 4 prostate cancer.  The trip was planned and booked months ago with Christie’s approval.  Shame on the pundits and politicians who have been trying to score points over Guadagno’s absence.

Once the news about why Guadagno is “on vacation” at the same time as the Governor gets around, watch he feeding frenzy on Christie step up.   I’m looking forward to his first press conference back.  I hope he shames the mindless numbskulls of the press.

There’s little going on in Trenton this week.  That’s why it was a good week for the Governor to take his family to Disney World.   Guadango’s situation made the decision to take a vacation delicate.  Senate President Steve Sweeney’s good character made the vacation doable.  But various pundits and political hacks won’t care.  Let the Christie kids give up one more thing because their Dad is tough to lay a political glove on.

Does anyone really doubt that Christie would have returned to New Jersey given the “state of emergency” if it was possible?  The airports were closed. They are just opening today.

Christie’s presence would not have made a difference in how the snow was cleaned up, or not cleaned up.   His leadership from the bully pulpit would have made a difference though.   He would have told the media the truth. It snowed too much too fast.  We’re doing the very best that we can and we’re working about the clock, he would have said.  He would have done a much better job than New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg did when he told NY that everything is OK and that they should go shopping.  Christie would have told people to remain calm and safe; to look out for the elderly and disabled.   And the media would have had something responsible to write about, rather than create a frenzy over the fact that it snowed too much too fast.

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Sad Story Continues At Fort Hancock

Pallone, Lautenberg and Menendez should put up. The Asbury Park Press should shut up

By Art Gallagher

In their editorial today, Sad chapter ends at fort, the Asbury Park Press editorial board demonstrates that their grasp of reality is insufficient for a newspaper of record for the Monmouth-Ocean region.

The press rehashes the sorry history of  Sandy Hook Partners’ failed plans to redevelop Fort Hancock. They fault the National Park Service for granting the developer nine years of extensions to obtain financing for the redevelopment plans.  They fail to mention that SHP’s ability to finance the project was thwarted by litigation and grassroots opposition to the commercialization of the park.  The litigation and opposition was supported by the APP and by Congressman Frank Pallone.

Now the APP says,

Fort Hancock must be preserved for future generations. In order for that to happen, a developer or developers with both the money and sound plans need to be found. The park service would do well to heed the suggestion by Reps. Frank Pallone and Rush Holt, both D-N.J., that the historic buildings be leased to entities one by one, rather than as a package.

Clearly, neither the Neptune Nudniks nor the Congressmen have even an elementary understanding of how development works.

Where does Pallone, Holt and the APP think the Park Service will find a developer, or developers, with an extra $60-$100 million sitting in the bank who would be willing to commit it to Fort Hancock after what Sandy Hook Partners went through? James Wassel, the head of SHP is no slouch.  His experience and personal committment to our community made him the right developer, if a public-private partnership was the best method to redevelop the fort.

Private partners were, and apparently still are, sought because federal dollars are not available to rehabilitate the park.  Said another way, Frank Pallone, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez (and Jon Corzine, as U.S. Senator before Menedez) either did not have the clout or commiment to secure federal funding to rehabilitate Fort Hancock.

The Pallone/Holt/APP idea of leasing the 36 buildings of the fort one by one, to non-profits, rather than as a package, is crazy.  Even if 36 organizations “with both money and sound plans” on hand could be found, managing 36 separate projects with 36 separate project managers is not feasible.

Wassel’s plan to “commercialise” Sandy Hook would not have turned the park into Times Square or the Monmouth Mall.  He would have developed the fort into an educational and cultural campus.

As a neighbor of and frequent visitor to Sandy Hook, I never understood how Wassel’s plans would have been commercially viable or returned the investment required for the rehabilitation, given the location and climate of the site.  Yet, I supported the plan because the proposed usage would have been an enhancement of the park.  If private investors or lenders were willing to risk their capital on a project that enhanced the park while giving the National Park Service control of what could be done with the site in the event of failure, there was no downside for the public.  Yes, I read the master lease.  The public was protected from turning Fort Hancock into an amusement park or shopping mall.

Now that Wassel’s is out of the picture, it is incumbent upon our federal representitives to secure funding to preserve the fort.  Failing that, the Park Service should fence it off and install Keep Out-Hazardous signs like there has been for most of the fort’s ruins for decades. 

Alternatively, the Park Service should either level the buildings and convert the land to a recreational use like a marina and camp ground.

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Middletown Is Not Going Broke

You might have been concerned if you saw the Neptune Nudniks’ head line yesterday, Middletown missed loan deadline for dredging of lake.

Middletown did not miss a loan payment.  It didn’t even miss a deadline as the headline states.  The township’s leadership chose not to apply for a loan now for a project, the dredging of Shadow Lake, that they don’t anticipate happening until 2012.  Why would they?

If your bank was having a special on home mortgages that expires on on Friday, but you’re not in the market to buy a new home, did you miss the deadline for the mortgage special?

The Asbury Park Press article does present interesting and useful information about the Shadow Lake situation. It reveals that township officials are on top of the situation and are examining their alternatives.  It is unfortunate that the Nudniks chose to spin the information as if there was crisis.

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The Land of the free and the home of the brave

The United States government is now requiring people who wish to travel via airplane to submit to radioactive photography that exposes their nude body, or alternatively submit to a full body pat down.

The constitutional experts at the Asbury Park Press think that’s a good idea.

Here for their first reading, I offer the fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution to the editorial board of the Neptune Nudniks:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

What is the probable cause that justifies every airline traveler to be compelled to submit to these searches?

The Council for American-Islamic Relations issued this travel advisory for airline passengers.  For women wearing hijab they advise the following:

• If you are selected for secondary screening after you go through the metal detector and it does not go off, and “sss” is not written on your boarding pass, ask the TSA officer if the reason you are being selected is because of your head scarf.
• In this situation, you may be asked to submit to a pat-down or to go through a full body scanner. If you are selected for the scanner, you may ask to go through a pat-down instead.
• Before you are patted down, you should remind the TSA officer that they are only supposed to pat down the area in question, in this scenario, your head and neck. They SHOULD NOT subject you to a full-body or partial-body pat-down.
• You may ask to be taken to a private room for the pat-down procedure.
• Instead of the pat-down, you can always request to pat down your own scarf, including head and neck area, and have the officers perform a chemical swipe of your hands.
• If you encounter any issues, ask to speak to a supervisor immediately. They are there to assist you.

I don’t have a daughter, but I will be adding hijab to my Christmas shopping list for my wife, mother, sister and nieces.  You can buy them online here.

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