Bye Bye, Miss America

(What, no pie?)

Miss America will finally be leaving Atlantic City. It seems no one wants to broadcast the pageant anymore and the Miss America Organization can't afford to pay to keep the show in AC without a big TV contract. Ratings hit a new low last year after a steady decline.

In general, I hope beauty pageants are a thing of the past. In recent years there has been talk about it being a "scholarship contest" and a lot of other hooey- but it's really about young women in bathing suits and evening gowns. They'd have a lot more traction to that arguement if a young woman won who wan't attractive but a science whiz with a sparkling wit.

When I was a tween I enjoyed watching pageants, with all the, um, pageantry and the sparkly dresses. I'd pick a favorite pretty dress and root for Miss NJ, who never had a chance (appologies to Suzette Charles.) As a parent, though, I'd never let my kids watch them; they are degrading and silly.

The organization is apparently planning to take the show on the road; maybe change cities every year or find a new permanent home. A better solution would be to let the whole thing just go. It's a piece of nostalgia that has no real place in a new century.

Wear a Helmet!

Yesterday Acting Gov. Codey signed into law an expansion of Our Fair State's bike helmet laws. Helmets will be required for anyone riding a bike under age 17 as of next spring.

Helmets will be required for anyone riding a bike who has good sense, starting now.

Real Life intrudes on the Center of NJ Life

Whenever I see something on which I want to comment in this here blog, I tear it out of the newspaper or magazine I'm reading and put it next to my computer. Or, if I heard it on the radio, I write it on scrap paper to leave here.

I have a big stack next to the keyboard, and I just can't get to it all now.

What have I been doing? Well, our tripod greyhound came home from the vetrinary hospital for the second time on Wednesday. I rushed her back there again today with wound issues but she was able to come back home. She's in a lot of pain and her wound is still seeping, but she's home and that's for the best. I've been helping a three-legged dog to walk and making sure she's not licking, bleeding, or in intense pain for the past few days. Plus all my regular stuff to do- blogging became a distant last on my list of priorities.

But I hope to catch up.

This weekend- a beautiful, end-of-summer weekend- I'll be stuck in my house with no family, a sick dog and a laptop. If you're around, stop by. I hope to make a dent in the stack.

The Fleecing of Hamilton and NJ- Update

Well, Hamilton is still trying to figure out what they're going to do about agreeing to vastly overpay for Klockner Woods. Last week they finally hired a surveyer to comply with the Department of Environmental Protection's order for a wetlands review. Van Note Harvey Assoc. will take no more than 30 days to finish the job. It's a shame that the deadline to begin paying Fieldstone is in 8 days.

And this week, documents were revealed that show the township planners knew last year that 41 lots was most likely not feasable. The chief planner, Allen Schectel, reviewed the original plan for 48 homes and felt that there were more wetlands than Fieldstone assumed. The memo eliminates seven units and suggests that more would be lost once a flood plain and wetland survey was completed. None was ever done; a year later, Hamilton agreed to pay $4.1 million based on an incomplete assesment of a plan that didn't include surveys recommended by their own planners.

Huh?

Our best hope here is, as stated by township spokesman Rich McClellan, "If the township finds there was any misrepresentation involved in the information provided by the developer as part of the negotiating process, we will petition the judge to vacate the consent judgment." Maybe someone should have looked for any misrepresentation before agreeing to overpay with township, county and state money. Or at least listened to the planners who said a survey should be in order.

$2.18

That's how much my electric bill was this month. I mention this because, well, I love it. I take every opportunity to mention our solar panels and how much we've saved on our electric bill. I worship solar energy!! But apparently, Our Fair State is not on board with that- or are they?

There was an article in the Times of Trenton yesterday about New Jersey's poor management of incentives being a main reason for our lack of solar production. State Sen. Peter Inverso (R-Hamilton) wants to transfer management of our Renewable Energy program from the Board of Public Utility to the Treasury. Why, you may ask? Well, apparently only 11% of our solar energy projects approved in this state have been completed as of the end of June '04. We need to "refocus efforts... given the lack of results to date."

If you are going to complain about the current state of our progress on any issue, I think you probably should have information that's something approaching "current, " not over a year old. Solar has exploded in Our Fair State, increasing from 6 installations in 2001 to 616 now, according to the BPU. The BPU also cites our clean energy program as a model according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. I suggest the Senator asses new statistics as they come available on the increase of solar usage.

Having navigated the rebate and installation system with the guidance of an experienced solar installer, I found it easy and straightforward. The only evidence I see of Our Fair State not pushing solar power is that most people with whom I've spoken are unaware of the rebate program. Also, the only delay we had in our installation process was with getting our panels due to a world-wide shortage. Germany, in particular, has very substantial incentives and initiatives to increase their solar production, thereby increasing demand for the panels. Inverso should investigate other reasons besides mismanagement before we attack the Board's performance.

The BPU has new initiatives which have just begun, such as the "Power Crop Initiative." I find this extremely cool, especially since the debut installation was at Lee's Turkey Farm in East Windsor, near the Center of NJ. Incentives, investors and credits all cover the initial installation and upkeep costs of installing solar panels on large buildings on farms- no trees! Ideal locations! This is a wonderful program, and some credit should be paid to the BPU.

I appreciate any effort to increase solar use, and I believe that Sen. Inverso wishes to do just that. But at this point it seems premature at best, mistaken at worst to strip the Board of Public Utilities of their authority over solar incentives.

Our vacation, an essay.

Imagine a great vacation.

You're staying at a beach house in a great little Jersey Shore town. The beach is three blocks away, the bay one, the state park very close too. It's a nice house, owned by the parents of one of your best friends, and he's invited you and a bunch of other good friends to spend the week there with his family. You don't know everyone staying there, but it takes only a short time to realize how well you all get along. There are a bundle of kids the same ages as yours and they hit it off immediately too. The TVs "break" on the first day and no one misses them. You stay up almost every night until 2 or 4 or later, playing games and drinking and talking and mostly laughing. The parents all take turns getting up early to watch the kids play. The weather is pretty good and there are some great beach days. You get to the boardwalk a couple of times and your kids have a blast on the rides. Everyone makes delicious food to share most every day. A few people get away for solo trips but most things are done as a group. You love this and it's a great, great vacation.

Imagine something goes wrong.

Very late one night you get a phone call telling you that your younger dog broke her leg. You spend hours in the emergency vet in Red Bank getting X-rays and starting her treatment. The X-rays are suspicious so more are taken in the morning; you get the phone call early the next morning that she has bone cancer. Her leg is amputated the next day, while your kids are on the boardwalk rides. The dog is only six. Based on the X-rays they decide her prognosis with treatment is 12-18 months.

Imagine adding one more thing.

While your kids are at the boardwalk that day, the eldest suddenly sprouts a high fever. The wonder drug of Children's Motrin brings it down and you hope for the best, but one of the other kids already has antibiotics for strep throat. You get the pediatrician appointment at home and have to rush off on the last day of vacation to get there on time, only to wait over an hour to discover an ear infection and probably strep. You go to the Coldest CVS In The Universe (why does it have to be 60 degrees in every public place this time of year?) to get the prescription, with a sick child who is freezing. The next day the doctor calls to confirm strep, and a few hours later the vet calls to say that you can bring the greyhound home.

Remember those good friends from the beginning?

You realize that if you are having a wonderful time, it's great to have your best friends around you. You realize that if you have to have an emergency, it's great to have your best friends around you. Even when something goes wrong and then there's one more thing, you can still have a great vacation- one I imagine no one will forget anytime soon.

Down the Shore

I'll be out of the blogosphere for a few days. Don't forget to check out this week's Carnival at Riehl World View.

Jersey Fresh Wine & Food Festival

If you have some time to spend in Central NJ this weekend, here is where you'll want to do it. The Jersey Fresh Wine and Food Festival will be at Mercer County College Saturday and Sunday from 12-5. It promises to be a good time for all; a Kid Zone is planned for the youngsters, music, vendors, and of course- NJ wines and foods.

Petty's Island

Water Works* recently published an article about Petty's Island, the piece of land off Pennsauken which has stirred up some controversey in this year's gubernatorial election. If you don't know the story of Petty's Island, the environmental and development issues being discussed, I suggest a start here. This New York Times article, reprinted on Garden State EnviroNet (not behind the paywall!), has a full discussion of both sides of the issue. Bloomburg.com has a slightly shorter one here.

To incredibly oversimplify:

The environmentalists want to preserve the island for pairs of rare and endangered nesting birds (including a pair of bald eagles.) Citgo wants to donate it as protected land and clean it up, avoiding some environmental-damage fines and getting nice clean PR. But, some doubt the environmental value of land that has seen such contamination and in such a location.

Pennsauken wants to put 2700 homes, a big golf course, a conference center, office and retail space on a small island with a great view of the Philadelphia skyline, preserving a portion of the island for wildlife, using an "environmentally sensitive" developer. The NJ DEP is ok with this. But, the developers have shown barely any environmental consideration so far. Many environmental groups also feel that any but total conservation of the island is too little.

There are solid legal issues and ethical questions on both sides, as well. If I go into all of them here, I won't have saved you 30 seconds compared with reading the above-mentioned articles, so go read them.

Here's where the candidates step in. Doug Forrester is against development of Petty's Island. Why? Well, his stance is a "transparent political ploy," and his "motives may not have been pure," according to a Home News Tribune article cited on his own web site. (Um, someone should be reading this stuff all the way through before it gets posted.) It's interesting to see him against development and for an environmental cause, going against the stereotypical Republican grain. Standing with an oil company? Well, that we expect.

Sen. Jon Corzine is more restrained- basically, we need to study it more. "Corzine has reserved judgment on the island, saying it might not be wise for the state to accept owner Citgo Petroleum Corp.'s offer to donate the land for a park if it means letting the oil company off the hook for toxic cleanup there." (Phily Inquirer) He also wrote an op-ed piece to that effect about two weeks ago, but it's behind the paywall now. Now, Forrester's folks feel this is all due to the influence of George Norcross, who is from Pennsauken and supported the developement from the beginning. Corzine has a perfect rating on the League of Conservation Voters' National Environmental Scorecard for his voting record in Washington, as well as the support of the Sierra Club for his candidacy- so, what's up here?

From Water Works: "Someday, one of us may see a bald eagle soar over Independence Hall. Or perhaps a kid in Camden might see one on a day when it matters most, a reminder that his world is a lot bigger than Camden. I imagine Ben Franklin would have admired the vision it takes to keep eagles nesting in that stretch of the river, by the bridge that bears his name. Instead of eagles on Petty’s Island, Pennsauken’s visionaries and our visionaries in Trenton would rather see – shopping."

Environmental damage has been done to Petty's Island, serious damage. But eagles appearing there show that Nature has begun to retake the land. Get this land designated a protected area, have Citgo do whatever they can to clean it up, and leave it the hell alone after that. For Pennsauken, of course they must continue to work on urban renewal- just do it on the mainland, with views of your own nature preserve as a highlight. Don't just turn this salvagable island into another condo development and suburban mall.

(Big tip o' the hat to Ron Gutkowski for information in this post.)

*Water Works is- well, it can tell you better than I can: "Water Works tells the story of the fight to protect one of the most environmentally sensitive watersheds in New Jersey. The series began in response to a state Department of Environmental Protection plan to increase the amount of water mined from the headwaters of Lockatong Creek, near the village of Quakertown in Franklin Township. Water Works appeared in the Hunterdon County News from March, 2003 to May, 2004. It is now produced independently, providing reports and commentary on a wider range of issues concerning water in New Jersey and beyond, while the story of Lockatong Creek continues."

Let's talk about the money.

Yes, please, let's talk about the money.

A Newsday article published a few hours ago does a fairly good job of assessing the new money scandals on both sides of the gubernatorial races.

First, the Dems: as we all know by now, Jon Corzine lent his then-girlfriend Union boss Carla Katz several hundred thousand dollars, then forgave the loan. He said he paid the gift tax, and it was years before he was a candidate for governor. The NJ GOP has picked it up as a HUGE scandal, mainly because they've had very little to actually pin on Corzine so far. My favorite line, seen quoted in a couple places lately, by Republican State Committee Chairman Tom Wilson: "A year later, we can substitute the name Jon Corzine for Jim McGreevey and the name Carla Katz for Golan Cipel."

In your dreams, Tom. It was a legal loan, it was a legal gift, and Corzine didn't make any big moves to hide it. He also didn't give her a high-ranking job for which she wasn't qualified, nor did she threaten to blackmail him. It was a gift from an extremely wealthy man to an ex-girlfriend. (My husband gave me a mixer while we were dating; Carla got $470,000. We live very different lives from the wealthy.) Yes, there's a chance they may be on opposite sides of the negotiating table from one another someday, and I guess some may think that Corzine's ability to negotiate will be compromised by the fact that they dated once. These aren't people who took any kind of a look at his record as a businessman, and aren't people who may have voted for him anyway.

Now, the Forrester money. He has a 51% stake in Heartland Insurance Co., based in Washington D.C., which does most of its business in Our Fair State. Under NJ law, insurance companies and those with majority holdings in them are barred from contributing to political campaigns. But, Forrester is spending his own money in this race, as is Corzine. Forrester's campaign immediately defended him, saying Heartland "is a D.C. company. It is not regulated by the State of New Jersey," he said through his campaign spokeswoman, Sherry Sylvester. "The statute is not intended to reach beyond the boundaries of New Jersey." (quoted in Phily Inquirer article.) PoliticsNJ.com has posted these "documents" relating to the GOP candidate's financing of his campaign and donations to other campaigns. (To me they look like Dem talking points or another article.)

This one may be in (Dem state chairman)Bonnie Watson Coleman's dreams. It looks like one for the lawyers to sort through, but in the meantime, it'll be on the front pages. Steve Kornacki at Politics NJ takes a good look at the candidates' stances on this one, and it looks as if this story doesn't have too much teeth; Forrester's folks are rather confident and Corzine's folks aren't pushing too hard for a formal investigation. However, if it comes out that the law applies and Forrester can't donate to candidates or fund his race, the implications are huge. I find it interesting that the GOP is already trying to push it off the front page with this little "stick with your candidate" stunt.

But everyone likes to talk about the money, don't they?

Carnival of Bloggers XII

Welcome to the Center of NJ! I'm so glad you're visiting the central region of Our Fair State. I love good food, so I thought I could show you some of the best restaurants in the area during your tour. That way we'd get a chance to talk and catch up.

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day.
We simply have to go to the diner, get a cup of coffee, and talk about what's going on around town.

Where is the Remote? Willow Avenue, Hoboken, prepared in the highway style with pedestrian signs, if available.

NJConservative: Representative government, on a bed of Clinton Township Fair Housing.

Tigerhawk: A chef's sampler of Princeton's new offerings, including P.F. Chang's, skateboarding, and digital textbooks.

Mister Snitch!: Our beloved Tillie, served two ways: Asbury and Coney.

Clifton Blogs: Please don't drink and drive.

Dojo Mojo: Jersey City manhole covers, in a surprize presentation, complete with sparklers.

Iambillpower.org: Wildwood days, sliced and diced.

Karl's Corner: Blame and sadness, tossed in Camden.

MyNewJersey: Bennys blended with beer pong in Belmar. Served only until Aug. 17th.

Where do you want to go for lunch?
In Trenton we could go to Chambersburg, but I was thinking The Mill Hill. It's right here by the Court House. Since we're here, I wanted to ask you, what did you think of what happened in Our Fair State this week?

The Jersey Shore Real Estate Bubble: Unfinished construction, slowly simmered.

Media In Trouble: The Asbury Park Press editorials, held over the fire.

Poetic Leanings: A different preparation of The Asbury Park Press- on a skewer.

Blanton's and Ashton's: New mud slinging, served fresh daily until the election.

Jersey Writers: A twist on that classic dish, Jaberwocky.

eCache: A slaw of Curtis Bashaw, Sun Bank, former Gov. McGreevey, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

The Rix Mix: Fresh, hot summer thunderstorms. Scary jolt of electricity on the side.

Dynamobuzz: McGreevey's book, served "honest and revealing." (NOT on the children's menu)

Joe's Journal: A stacked presentation of new condo development, cut-down forest and local opposition, in a petition sauce.

Let's get a quick beer before dinner.
How about Triumph? Oh, it's so hot out. Summer always makes me nostalgic...

Down The Shore: Fresh, young summer romance, served in the classic style.

Sluggo Needs a Nap: Refreshing seltzer combined with sharpened knives.

Parkway Rest Stop: Mr. Clean, prepared in your choice of three ways: mobster, pro wrestler, or model.

Greg Gethard's Amazing Personal Journey: Galagher, with the classic fruit salad on the side.

Phily2Hoboken.com: Memories served with lots and lots of champagne.

Dinner is a tough choice.
Palace of Asia? Rat's? Tre Piani? Royal Orchid? All great choices. You decide. We should go somewhere quiet, so we can discuss all this stuff in the national and world news this week.

The Opinion Mill: Allegory, served Sopranos-style.

Jersey Days: A home-town hero, presented with deep sadness.

The Nightfly: Palmiero, on chef's choice of prescription drugs.

Enlighten-New Jersey: Jersey-Fresh Representatives, in a shell of the Small Business Health Fairness Act.

Armies of Liberation: A tangle of Yemeni news (served hopefully without locusts.)

Daily Fry: Powel and Rove, presented by the chef in a fun sauce.

Sloppydawg: Classic racial profiling, served in a new way.

Tami, The One True: Straightforward preparation of the value of life.

Exit Zero: The future for Saudi Arabia, with 9/11 lawsuits removed.

Mamacita: Directions to the Supreme Court, your choice of toppings: left or right.

How about dessert?
I know- let's head over to Princeton. Halo Pub and Thomas Sweets are there, but my new favorite is the Bent Spoon. We didn't get a chance to talk about what's new in your life.

The Art of Getting By: The run-around, served on a bed of weights. Hold the Spanish.

The Bad Hair Blog: A classic Cuban party dish with ill-advised Mexican accents, accompanied by a proper linen napkin.

This Full House: Worry and hate artfully arranged on the Parkway.

Did I Say That Out Loud?: Prosecutor and felon, served side-by-side on the River Line.

The Pink Panther: A rough week, topped with a nice Russian weekend.

Cripes, Suzette!: A mesclun salad lyric mix, dressed in middle aged panic.

Poor Impulse Control: New apartment, presented on a brave sage-green sauce.

Usdin.net Blog!: A hash of shock jocks, t-shirt slogan and podcasts, served with mean spirits.

A Planet Where Apes Evolved From Man?!?: Busted foot with a side of bad neighbors.

Big Windbag: Atlantic City, presented on an anniversary, complete with $10 tables and an Xbox360.

Shamrocketship: Award-winning shredded Panda.

If This Is Paradise, I Wish I Had A Lawn-Mower: A new home, presented under cardboard boxes.

KateSpot: Popcorn with lots of freshly happy animals.

Mary's Lame Attempt at Fame: Hot water served after the bar exam.

My Life as a Rabid Blog: An interesting blend of writing and vacuuming.

Gigglechick: A fresh, new web design of a classic dish.

I'd love to grab a cup of coffee before you have to go.
Let's stop at the Slow Down in Hightstown. We can chat about anything else that's come up this week.

Inadmissable Evidence: The future of the Shuttle Program, served with a side of common sense.

Jersey Beat: Preserved CBGB, a very rare treat.

Dossy's Blog: AOL served in a new style.

CobWeb Photoblog: Freshly caught off Sandy Hook.

Gigglechick: A new t-shirt, served with a late-season spoiler alert and some banned stalkers.

Laughing at the Pieces: A variety of summer reading- chef's choice.

Barista of Bloomfield Ave.: New jeans smothered with at least 96 comments. $429-

Professor Kim's News Notes: Bill Cosby and education reform, served without fun sauce.

Jersey Perspective: Conservative pundit, with a very light sprinkling of votes.

Tequila Shots for the Soul: Dreaming, tossed in a light cheating sauce.

Confessions of a Jersey Goddess: Mercury rising, contributing very bright flavors to people.

Extreme Psychosis: 113-year old murders, in a surprisingly modern sauce.

Where is the Remote?: Note from the management- these premesis may be monitored.

I hope you're not too stuffed, but the restaurants here in NJ, like the bloggers, are just the best. Maybe I'll see you next week at the Carnival- it will be at Riehl World View. You can email njcarnival@gmail.com with the permalinks to the posts you want included. Thanks for coming by!

Klockner Woods update

Tuesday, a state appeals court ruled that open space preservation, to avoid development, is a legitimate reason to take land through eminent domain rules. Mount Laurel in Burlington County had a tract that the township tried to take away from a developer for open space. They initially lost in court but this week their appeal was won.

Now, remember that Hamilton Township declined to go to court on Klockner Woods, because they thought they might lose- so they're overpaying for the land instead. Well, lookee here, it probably would have gone the same way as it eventually did for Mt. Laurel. Hamilton says they'll study the decision. Let's hope they start quickly; now there less than 4 weeks to go until the Sept. 1 deadline to begin the purchase. Hmmm.

Hamilton has until Sept. 1st to start paying on their $4.1 million deal, but they've yet to hire an engineer to complete a new survey as requested by the state DEP. The town council may vote on it on Aug. 16th (with only two weeks left to go at that point.) Hmmm.

Why are they dragging their heels?

Carnival Avatar

Enlighten-NJ has come up with avatars for the last several Carnival of NJ Bloggers hosts. I just love mine.

Still time to get your entries in, folks! We still have room under the big tent! Send your entry to njcarnival@gmail.com.

Reminder!

Send in those carnival links when you can! njcarnival@gmail.com

It's always the yoga, isn't it?

Martha Stewart gets three extra weeks for leaving her house during her house arrest. Apparently, she didn't know she can get yoga DVDs via Netflix so she left the house to go to class. Went for a drive, too.

We'll all just have to wait three extra weeks for the next phase of Martha's Big Comeback. I'll order some yoga DVDs to pass the time.

Oh, Frank...

Dear Representative Frank Pallone,

I read your remarks about Doug Forrester in the Star-Ledger article and the New York Times article today. I don't think you've done Corzine any favors here. When Rep. Andrews had his press conference on Friday to talk about the Philadelphia Inquirer article, he asked some good questions about Mr. Forrester's contracts with state and local governments and pay-to-play. You'd have thought Forrester would have responded a bit more strongly, since he's using governmental ethics as a big campaign issue, but he just had the spokeswoman basically refute it and comment on how competitive the marked for drug benefits is. Not a strong answer and he should have said more.

But on Monday, you piped in and I got to read this in my paper today: "This guy on the campaign trail is essentially using his run for office as a marketing tool to sell Benecard," said Pallone, the Long Branch Democrat hoping to finish Corzine's U.S. Senate term if Corzine is elected governor. "As he goes around and promotes himself as a candidate _ then (in 2002) for Senate or now for governor _ he has the opportunity to make himself known, make Benecard well-known, and essentially his campaign becomes a marketing tool to sell Benecard." (AP article) Boy, that sounds like political campaign sniping to me, especially when it's brought up that you really want that senate seat. Why did you say it? Do you really believe he's spending tons of his personal bucks and eating up the GOP's shot at the NJ Governor's seat simply to promote his business? I guess you do- from the NYTimes: ""This is almost as much as a gubernatorial campaign as it is a campaign for marketing BeneCard, particularly if you think he's not going to win, and I don't think he's going to win," said Mr. Pallone." Did you consider how petty these statements sound?

You also mentioned how he used the same pay-to-play practices he decries as a candidate to build his business. The Star Ledger writes: "U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, a Monmouth County Democrat, said Forrester's "fortune is built on pay-to-play contracts. This is hypocrisy at its worst." " Good, important point! But it kind of got lost in the shuffle, since I've got four articles linked here and only one quoted it. Even if you were right about everything you and Rep. Andrews said, all that is resonating right now is how snide your attacks were and how Forrester threw together a press conference of his own to refute yours.

This is Corzine's election at this point- he's 13 points ahead in the last Fairleigh Dickenson poll- but that also means it's his to lose. Corzine has an actual platform, plans for Our Fair State, a property tax plan (without a catchy little name, unfortunately) that may have some chance to help taxpayers- all things Forrester is behind in establishing. So the last thing the Dems should be doing is appearing to sink to that mud-slinging level.

Good luck on that whole senate-seat thing, if/when it comes up.

-Sharon GR

The Next Carnival of Bloggers

The next Carnival of the New Jersey Bloggers will be here at the Center of NJ Life on Sunday, Aug. 6th. I'm already hoisting the tents and setting up the rides, all I need now are some posts.

Please send your submissions to njcarnival@gmail.com . I'm looking forward to reading everyone's blog!

New Jersey Treasure #4

There are so many good things about living here in the center of NJ, I could go on and on about them. And I've decided to do just that. Periodically I'm going to pick something that has recently made itself a pleasure in my life and tell you why it's a NJ Treasure, in hopes that you'll enjoy it too and have more pleasures in your life.

This installment features: Home-grown tomatoes. The garden is overwhelmed these days, with tons of zuchini, carrots, lettuce and green beans- but the real attraction to summer gardens in Our Fair State is the tomato. It doesn't matter what kind; I plant Brandywine, Rutgers, these little orange ones and some big pink ones I've long since forgotten the names for, super-sweet cherry tomatoes, and Romas. I save the seeds and grow my favorites again each year, plus some cross-bred wierd ones which show up from rotten tomatoes that fell in the garden, leaving seed. (We had an orange Brandywine last year. They were good!)

There's nothing like that home-grown tomato. Oh, the farmstands are close, and if you can't or don't have a garden you should visit one and get some big beautiful examples. But if you're lucky enough to have a few plants or neighbors who have too many, you will get that summer beauty. Still warm from the sun if you can. My youngest goes out into the garden and picks them with me, eating all the way. My husband slices the big juicy ones and put them on Lebanon Bologna sandwiches made with good bread and lots of mayo. My oldest will only eat them cooked so we make pasta sauces. I love tomato salad with fresh mozarrella and basil. If I visit anyone during August, I will bring them a bag of our fresh-picked bounty.

The peaches here are outstanding. Oh, I love blueberries too. But for summer produce, the winner is the tomato. Go pick some Jersey Fresh tomatoes and enjoy one of New Jersey's Treasures.

Carnival of Bloggers 11

Jersey blog postings
are at SmadaNek today.
Visit and enjoy.

The Carnival will be heading here to the Center of NJ next week. (Am already getting nervous, as is my way before any kind of project.)

Perfect on a summer day

The Bent Spoon in Princeton, Palmer Square.

Ginger-Cardamom ice cream.

Perfect, perfect, perfect.

Still here

But not much to say. It rained here in the Center of NJ and the heat broke, but I don't know if that'll cure the summer lethargy.

Another little piece of my soul gone

I just heard Derek and the Dominoes' Layla, on the Weather Channel, behind the local forecast.

It's not as bad as hearing Led Zeppelin on Cadillac ads, but it's still another little piece of my soul gone.

Carnival of Bloggers 10

The Carnival is up at the Bad Hair Blog. Kudos to Fausta, it looks like there were a ton of submissions this week!

Random Searches

NJ Transit and Port Authority NY/NJ cops will begin random searches of bags, etc., at train stations and bus depots starting Monday mornign. Acing Gov. Codey ordered the policy, but it appears it was pushed by the fact that NYC police began their own random searches Thursday. "We couldn't look like we were weak and doing nothing," said some unnamed official.

Apparently racial profiling will not be tolerated. We learned our lesson with that one in Our Fair State. But no one will say how people would be selected to be searched.

My first reaction to this is to remind everyone what the Fourth Ammendment says. I guess the question here is, is this unreasonable? As yet another unnamed person in the Times article points out, they search everyone at the airport, and that's not considered unreasonable.

The real issue with this is that it's useless. As pointed out by Random Official, they don't want to look weak. But this won't actually make us any stronger. How many people can they search in a day? There are 800,000 trips on NJ transit on an average weekday, not to mention PATH. Will randomly pulling a few hundred, or even a few thousand, aside daily really increase our safety?

Now, I have the outsider perspective here- neither I nor my husband uses NJTransit on a daily basis. (Only for fun trips, like to see this.) The news is new today so I have yet to see it come up on the NJ blogs yet. It will be interesting to see what the throngs have to say, especially if the commutes are delayed on Monday.

I guess one out of three ain't bad

Moody's joined Fitch Ratings in not raising Our Fair State's credit rating based on the new budget. They had basically the same concerns.

Oh well. It was a nice feeling, for a moment.

Three years

Today is DSM day. There are events all over the country to mark this occasion, unfortunately, none of them include impeachment.

I won't be attending such an event to mark this occasion, although many are. I'm going to do what I usually do when I'm angry about something- write my legislators. I suggest you do the same. It's sad, really- so little has been done by our representatives, I can just pull up most of my old letters and change a few bits and the dates.

AfterDowningStreet.org

Big Brass Alliance

Here comes Cheney!

Vice President Dick Cheney will be here in Central Jersey tonight, stumping for Doug Forrester at a big $1000-a-plate fundraiser. And even while taking the money, Doug tried to distance himself somewhat:

Forrester said yesterday he doesn't agree with all of the president's initiatives, but he said there is nothing wrong with him taking cash from a Cheney event when Corzine makes hefty donations to the state's Democratic bosses.
"I have not expressed support for any aspect of a federal agenda that is not good for New Jersey," Forrester said.

That's probably because support for Bush's administration is at an all-time low in Our Fair State, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson poll this week. Some local politicians, including Assemblyman Bill Baroni(R-Hamilton), are sitting this one out too. As of yesterday, the state Repubs hadn't even sold all the tickets yet.

Doug's support in NJ is not on the rise. That FDU poll showed him 13 points behind Corzine. The money may be nice but associating with the rather unpopular Bushies is a bad move right now. Plus the traffic tie-up on Rt. 1 and 295 on a Friday night resulting from the complete closure by the Secret Service of the highways on which the VP will travel will result in bad press and bad feelings.

I don't think the Forrester folks really thought this one through.

Searching...

One fun thing about blogging is seeing how readers find you. Blogpatrol (see that counter down there on the right? Those guys) lets you see your last 20 keywords for searches that have sent folks to your site.

The last four for mine were:

Base closings political retaliation (sorry bud, I said it wasn't.)

nj right to life (boy, I bet that person was disappointed, huh?)

herronton woods, princeton, nj (that was a long time ago I mentioned that, but here it is)

And, my favorite, JCP&L meter reading screwed. The funny thing is, I didn't even blog about my meter reading being screwed. But it was. We went solar not long ago, and I couldn't be happier with it. Especially the part where I get to watch my new meter, which shows how much I've produced and how much I've used from the grid. Was actually looking forward to my electric bill this month! It was going to be SO LOW! Right? Right??

But, JCP&L screwed up my meter reading. They estimated the reading this month based on last year, instead of coming out and doing an actual reading. Boy, I was mad. They wanted a lot of money I didn't owe. So I called them, ready to scream and yell until they fixed it! Was I ever surprised when a very nice service rep quickly helped me, had me read the meter to her over the phone and quickly sent me a corrected bill, which was only $30. Yay! (How's that for one of the hottest months of the year? Love that solar power.)

I also get the occasional search for NJ night life. Sorry, whoever that is, but I have kids- I have no idea about night life in NJ. I bet it's smokin', a great time, lots o'fun. Let me know tomorrow, I have to get up early.

That didn't last long, did it?

Standard and Poor's may have raised ther rating of Our Fair State, but Fitch Ratings (another Wall Street credit agency) refused to do so. We stay at AA-, same as last year. They say we're too dependent on "non-recurring resources."

Wish I could disagree with that.

One way to help the budget

Standard and Poor's just raised Our Fair State's bond rating. We can get better interest rates when we borrow money, so we spend less. ('Course, we could save money by borrowing less, but that's just my opinion.)

The agency said it raised the ratings because of "the underlying strength of the state's economy, highlighted by a strong and diverse economic base and high wealth levels that, in the past, had been the basis for a higher rating." S&P also said the new, $27.9 billion budget "makes significant strides toward structural balance" and "is a positive and necessary step for the state in turning around its weak, but improving, fiscal posture." After last year's budget was enacted, S&P and other major rating agencies lowered New Jersey's ratings one notch, citing nearly $2 billion that was borrowed to balance the $28 billion plan for the fiscal year that ended in June.

Nice little pat on the back for Acting Gov. Codey.

Don't lose focus

As is often the case, Shakespeare's Sister says it best:

There will no doubt be plenty of debate across the blogosphere over the next few days about whether Rove or Rogers should command our collective attention, but it’s not really an either-or proposition. Whether it’s the Downing Street Memos revealing that the administration was fixing facts and intelligence around the policy, or senior administration officials using their media operatives to discredit a critic (and compromising national security in the process), or an announcement of a GOP hack SCOTUS nominee politically timed to distract from an official investigation of the administration’s misdeeds, it’s all part of the same ugly picture. Our country’s leadership is corrupt.

Property Taxes Dispair and the Assembly Race Money

It's almost 8:30. I've got a half hour until Bush's press conference, after which NO ONE will be paying attention to Our Fair State for a while. So, while there's still time, here goes:

Once again, Tom Hester is right on the money. If you don't read the Times of Trenton reporter's column every Monday, you miss a good assessment of our current state of affairs.

Doug Forrester, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, opposes a convention and
insists his priority will be implementing his plan to require the state to pay 30 percent of the property taxes on each primary residence.
If Republicans gain an Assembly majority in November's election, he'll get that plan through that house, but regardless it's dead on arrival. Neither Assembly nor Senate
Democrats, who will still control the Senate, will support it, no matter how much noise Forrester makes about being given a mandate by the people to push it through.

And:

Most property taxes go toward education costs, and the fairest way to fund education is through a progressive income tax. Corzine has noted the unfairness of using property taxes to pay for education, but he also won't suggest a change. He punts that suggestion to the mythical convention.
If a shift to income taxes is made, a large segment of New Jersey voters will be significant losers and they're not going to sit quietly. They're going to come after politicians just like they did former Gov. Jim Florio and no one wants to repeat that experience, especially a new governor and Democrats who enjoy their majority status.
The only other option is fiddling around with either some laws or the tax structure to provide some change, but that's not a solution. Lawmakers have done that for years and nothing has changed.
It's difficult to see a solution. Property tax reform will continue to be discussed, but it's going nowhere.

Yep, Tom, you're right.

I've heard it said before that the convention idea is cover for politicians. It is, and it's a shame that it's needed, but it is. More sessions of the legislature and further griping will get us nowhere- minor changes, silly miniscule tax structure alterations, that's it. We need real reform, and I'm sorry to say, I think a convention is the only way currently proposed to get there. I think it's a slim chance it will work, but I think we have to try.

Now, on to the money.

The Dems are rolling in it for this year's elections- over three times what the Repubs have raised. This is mainly about Assembly races, since the multi-millionaires who are running for governor are funding themselves, but some of that money may be used "to help their efforts." This looks good for the Assembly Dems, and some help for Corzine if he needs it.

So let's face facts: with Forrester trailing Corzine big time, it looks like Forrester has no chance of trying to get his ill-advised 30%-in-3 plan proposed. So, let's hope that Sen. Corzine can pull a rabbit out of his special session/convention hat and make it all work.

And the headline read...

Council attacked over $4M purchase

Surprisingly, not with picks and shovels and implements of destruction.

State regulators have already told the developer and the township that much of the land Fieldstone had hoped to build on likely was wetlands. Of the 41 units township planners agreed could be built on, at least 14 would sit in areas the DEP has questioned.
Township officials were made aware of the DEP's reservations about the property in July 2004, but it is unclear whether the information was taken into account when the plan was studied and the 41 lots were agreed to.

It sure doesn't look like it was!

The candidates running to replace current Hamilton Township council members are, of course, shouting that the council was negligent in their investigation of Klockner Woods and should not have bought it. Also, there is no provision for Hamilton to back out of the sale if the State or County chooses not to fork over the cash.

I expect, as with any investigation, there will be information of which the public is unaware. There will be some justifications and reasoning for agreeing to this purchase with this rotten deal. The DEP will weigh in and that may change the assessment.

But we don't need a fortune teller to predict that the council members who voted for this deal don't have a shot of being reelected.

I read Harry

Finished last night, um, late. It's good, but not as good as Order of the Phoenix. And I wonder where we're going next.

It's good. Read these books.

Carnival of Bloggers 9

This week's Carnival is up over at Sluggo Needs a Nap.

NJ voter law updates

Tuesday, Acting Gov. Codey signed into law a big package of voting reforms.

Among them was a law requiring a verifiable paper trail for electronic voting machines. Critics of that new law say that there are no spot audits, only a paper trail for recounts. Spot auditing may be nice, but this will still at least back up the electronic results. It's a step in the right direction.

Bright lights, small city

The Trenton Makes bridge is glowing again. (I wanted to post a new picture but was unable to find a current one.)

It's a nice bit of pride for our capital city.

Slow Down!

Acting Gov. Codey extended the order to delay the fast-track legislation for developers. This is a law, passed last summer in three days with almost no debate, which grants permits to developers if state agencies don't answer within 45 days. The implementaion of the law is delayed only until portions which conflict with federal law are reconciled.

This law is a sprawl nightmare, and should be repealed. I understand the delay in processing is a deterrent to some development and often over-long, but the impact of any development in Our Fair State should be studied thoroughly before it is rushed through. Forgive me, but it bears repeating: throwing another Wall-Mart and some McMansions up on every cornfield hasn't helped Our Fair State so far (see the state of property taxes and the $4bil deficit for examples), what makes anyone think it will in the future? Shouldn't we spend some time looking before we leap?

There are bills to repeal the fast-tracklaw, S2157 and A3650, which are both sitting in committe for more than six months. Now we're in summer and nothing will happen. But a delay in the implementation of this law is a step in the right direction.

Public Service Announcement!

If you had to file documents with the clerk's office in Mercer County in the last two weeks, there's a chance they were lost.

A janaitor apparently accidentally threw out documents filed on July 1st and July 5th. If you were a filer there for any reason, call the clerk's office.

Fleecing Update- Klockner Woods Deal Postponed

In a 180 degree spin, Mayor Glen Gilmore and the township of Hamilton will wait to purchase Klockner Woods until the state finishes its review of the deal.

Quoted in today's Times of Trenton, Gilmore says "Until we've been reassured that we've been given a fair deal, we're not going to purchase Klockner Woods." I guess the public pressure got to them. Unfortunately, it's not yet clear that a new price can even be negotiated or not; the price was set and there's a deadline of Sept. 1 to pay off or face an 8% per year penalty, payable to the Fieldstone Group.

At this point in the whole deal, this may be the best development we could've wanted. Now, let's see what the state comes back with in the report, and if anything can be changed in the sale.

I can't fuckin' believe he said that

I wonder if John Gibson has a good psychiatrist for his delusions. I sure as hell hope so. Outing Valerie Plame endangered all the agents "working" for her CIA front company. It's a crime. It was done as political retaliation. There isn't even a moral middle ground here- it's WRONG, plain and simple.

I can't fuckin' believe that guy said that. I'm speechless. I don't know what else to say.

Go here for the full post from The Left Coaster. Go here for the recap from Shakespeare's Sister.

After you pick your jaw up off the floor, that is.

The Carnival and The Press

The Carnival got some nice exposure today, in the New York Times Our Towns column by Peter Applebome. Sluggo's trying to handle the pressure of being next week's host. (The big tent will be here at The Center of NJ Life on Aug. 7th.)

UPDATE: as of 6PM, I have 155 hits today. Oh my.
My proverbial fifteen minutes started earlier today and I didn't even know it!

Fort Monmouth Mega-Base?

Last week, officials from Our Fair State went before the Base Realignment and Closure Commission to try to convince them to not close Ft. Monmouth. The Pentagon has proposed combining Ft. Dix, McGuire AFB and Lakehurst Naval Air Station into one big mega-base; Rush Holt and others from our area want Ft. Monmouth included in that merger. (G.D. over at B. and A. provides us with links to Rush Holt's testimony.)

The mega-base is a great idea. Rep Jim Saxton (R-Mount Holly) stated:"These three bases already make up the only joint Army-Navy-Air Force installation in the country. They are a model of our armed services working jointly, with elements of active duty, reserve and National Guard forces working side-by-side." Consolidation is often useful in reducing costs and redundancies; we welcome efforts to do just that. But, is Fort Monmouth going to made it in?

I've heard it said that several of these base closings are "punishments" for blue states. Now, I love a good conspiracy theory as much as anyone, but folks, it just ain't so. Fort Monmouth has been on the chopping block for years now. It only made it through rounds of base closings in 1988 and 1993 by taking major reductions in work force. Our NJ reps tried to explain to the BRAC that if Monmouth closes, only about 20% of the work force will relocate to the new facility, in Aberdeen, MD. Unfortunately, that may be just the thing the Commission is counting on to happen.

I have friends who work at Fort Monmouth. They are resigned to the closure. Unlike the majority, my friends have decided to move and follow their jobs south. They get a couple years before the actual switch is made, so there is time to plan. But, they have no illusions that the BRAC is going to change their position. So I guess we can keep our fingers crossed and hope for a change of heart, and express thanks to the legislators who are giving it their best shot as they have to do, but don't expect a miracle.

Does a bear...

...not in the woods, apparently:

Michael Kerlin, who lives on an old orchard, also on Windsor-Perrineville Road, has had a unique - and steady - view of the bear's daily routine.
"He's been eating apples and pears off my trees in the back yard," Kerlin said. "He's also been eating a lot of mulberries recently. I can tell because he's (going to the bathroom) on my driveway."

Funniest thing I've read in a long time

Steve, Don't Eat This!

(Thanks to Seething in the Wilderness.)

Desperate for blood

No, this won't be something about vampires or the Bush administration's Middle East policies.

The American Red Cross Penn-Jersey Blood Services, who serve more than 125 hospitals in Our Fair State and Pennsylvania, is reporting that we have less than a 1 day's supply of blood; optimal level is a 5 day supply. They're out of Type o negative, and all other types are low as well.

Give blood if you can. Search here to find a local blood drive and go.

Carnival of Bloggers #8

This week the Carnival is alphabetical; find it at Cripes, Suzette. Go forth and read.

The Fleecing of Hamilton and NJ

The state DEP is going to investigate (finally) the purchase of Klockner Woods in Hamilton Twp., here in Central Jersey.

In 2001, Fieldstone Associates, a developer, bought the Klockner Woods property in Hamilton for $375,000. Much of the property is wetlands and many developers had passed on the deal already. In 2004, an appraisal of the land was done, finding 27 suitable home sites and valued the property between $1.25 and $1.34 million. So to preserve it for open space, how much is Hamilton buying it back for?

$4.1 million. Based on 41 (not 27) homesites worth $100,000 each. Really.

Oh, most of that will be funded by Our Fair State, with Mercer County kicking in $300,000, and there is hope that a few nonprofits will kick in as well. Hamilton didn't go the "Eminent domain" route; so, they avoided spending a few grand on court battle that they probably would have won. Huh?

Of course, one of the principals in Fieldstone kicked in over $2000 to Mayor Glen Gilmore's reelection campaign. But you already suspected that, right? The Times of Trenton also reported that Fieldstone's attorney stated that Gilmore promised to build a large apartment development if the developer would wait until after the election to submit the plan. Gilmore denies this.

This is insanity. Pure and simple, we're all being ripped off here, even we who don't live in Hamilton.

What you wish for

From Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo: How you wish our leaders would act. Today, on this day of horror in London, and every day. A rarity: symbolism that meant something.

Let's see how well Villaraigosa does in the next few years. The Dems really need a rising star...

Who am I? Why am I here?

Retired Vice Adm. James Stockdale dies at age 81.

I remember that VP debate very well, when he started with those now-famous questions. He got a lot of ribbing for that (and for turning off his hearing aid when it wasn't his turn,) but they were the main questions most people had for him.

"The questions were relevant in terms of the evening's purpose, which was to introduce myself and let the American people know where I was coming from," he wrote in 1995. "But I also chose them for their broader relevance to my life: I am a philosopher." (from the CNN article)

Happy 4th

We went to the fireworks and concert in East Windsor Township last night, and they put on a heckuva show. The kids overslept from being out so late and we missed the parade this morning. Tonight we head to East Brunswick's festivities, after spending the afternoon swimming. My flag is flying high and proud. The weather is beautiful.

It's the kind of 4th you always want to have.

Happy Independence Day.

Back on track- the short form

This week the Carnival of Bloggers is back at Enlighten NJ.

I've seen first-hand what Mercer County Community College does with entertaining expenses, specifically at the Conference Center. It's lavish- over the top, really. School Pres. Robert Rose is well-liked with some at the school but this is his second big scandal since taking office; it looks like it's time to go.

Tom Hester Jr. at the Trenton Times has a nice bit on the budget negotiations. State Sen. Kenny is right that this year's Assembly elections won't be decided on the amount of rebates. It'll be about who saved them, and property taxes in general. The final budget seems to be a good one, even if it has those ridiculous rebates and less given directly to public schools and municipalities than I'd like. (Those steel-cage matches would have made great television, though.)

I emailed the Corzine campaign folks again about non-working links on their web site. I'd like to get back to blogging about the gubernatorial race, so I've been surfing their site and found a bunch that aren't working. Let's see if they can get it all running.

And yes, something DID happen on the Supreme Court while I was away! It's a sad day when we liberals are upset about losing a Reagan appointee, but here we are. A swing vote, a sometimes-moderate voice is lost. Roe v. Wade is over, you heard it hear first. (Ok, so I'm a little behind, so you heard it here seventeenth or eighteenth.) The speculation is already gettin' crazy about who will be nominated. Cross your fingers, close your eyes and wish really hard: "Not Gonzales. Not Gonzales. Not Gonzales..."

Aren't I still on vacation?

Not really.

But if I close my eyes the lake is once again a few steps away, there are great hikes within a twenty minute drive, and my nephews are playing with my kids. I can see the kayaks, the mountains, the chipmunks scurrying around. Someone always wants to play a game or read a book. There are people to babysit if my sister-in-law and I want to sneak out to get coffee. I can feel the warmth of the sun as it rises over the lake. The air smells clean, but for the bug spray and sunblock.

Here at home I have piles of work. I have a bunch of things to read and do. I have zucchini the size of my shins which need to be picked quickly and an overgrown lawn. Not to mention a few suitcases full of dirty laundry. I have to get back in touch- the assembly made a budget deal while I was gone, Mercer County College is in scandal again, and did something happen with the Supreme Court? I'm so tempted to turn a blind eye to it all, for a couple more days.

Real Life can begin again on Tuesday. Today, I want to pretend I'm on vacation still.

Pass the sunblock and bug spray.

I'm still here

I'll be out of the blogosphere for a few days. I shall return.

Don't forget to check out the NJ Carnival of Bloggers, over at Reihl World View this week.

Corzine's Plans

When I posted about wanting real property-tax reform, Matt Stoller from Corzine's campaign got back to me pretty quickly, and recently came through with some newer links. They are:

Property Tax Relief
Economic Growth
Ethics Reform

I like the economic plans, and true ethics reform is needed in Our Fair State.

But let's talk about the property tax plan for a minute. It still focuses on sending people a check of their own money back. It's a simple redistribution of wealth, plus I'm paying to have the state administer a program to send me my own money. I just can't accept that this is the best way.

I'm warming up to the idea of a Citizen's property tax convention, which Corzine is for. I'd love to have the lawmakers enact real property tax reform, as is their job. But- they just aren't going to do it. They've had decades and lots of promises and it's gotten worse, not better. No one wants to be the lawmaker who took the checks away. I've heard it said that all a convention would be is political shelter for the legislators, but maybe we have to accept that that's the only way any real changes will come.

Life intrudes on the CoNJL

So, a half hour ago I'm trying to formulate a comment, one which I'd like to be accurate, thoughtful, and articulate. I'm not sure I succeded in those goals because in the middle of composing it, my oldest spilled a bottle of red paint on the rug. School's out for summer!

PS (for the co-owner of the rug:) I got most of it out.

The final hurdle!

First Energy approved us- that was the last inspection. We're officially SOLAR!

Of course, they say I got a new meter box on 6/14. I didn't, so there will still be some issues on which I have to follow up. But it's running, just in time for the next heat wave!!

And now for something completely different

We saw The Sixth Sense last night, finally.

Wow.

What a good movie.

A truly well-done movie. It grabbed me and held on tight. And, contrary to what I expected, I didn't have nightmares, but I did have to watch every single special feature on the DVD while I calmed down a bit.

Wow, what a good movie. (Thanks to the folks who lent us the DVD about a year ago- we'll be returning it now.)

Carnival of Bloggers 5

Enlighten-NJ has put up this week's New Jersey Carnival of Bloggers. He's also thinking of taking it on the road, which is a great idea. Check it out! See what fellow residents of Our Fair State are saying!

Why Care about the Downing Street Memo?

There are three major issues brought up in the DSM that I think are worthy of public hearing. These are:

1.The statement that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" of military action. This really sounds as if Bush and the hawks were aware that the war wasn't very justifiable, so they publicized what they wanted to push their end. It even alludes to outright lying. The only way we'll ever know about that is a true investigation.

2."Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran." The Bush adminin. knew the justification was weak, and that there were bigger threats to our national security, but they chose to go into Iraq. (Remember Richard Clarke and his assertion that Rumsfled wanted to strike Iraq back in 9/2001?) This should also be investigated.

3. "...but he thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections.” This sickens me. They wanted to go to war based on a timeline of political gain? Tell that to the families of the approx. 1800 (as of today) soldiers who bravely gave their lives. (Not to mention the untold thousands of Iraqi civilians.) This HAS to be investigated.

There are a lot more issues the memo brings up, including questions of post-war planning, and the fact that the Bush admin. was privately saying one thing and telling another story publicly at the same time. (Some like to call that "lying to the American People.") Will these and the other statements hold up to strong legal and public scrutiny? I'm not sure. But the only way to find out is to get that strong scrutiny. A true Congressional investigation is in order.

The point has also been made that Conyers is leading the Democrats into oblivion, presumably since nothing will come of the DSM. I will admit, I don't truly think this will lead to an impeachment of Bush. But why is the White House so scared of it? This admin. has never been interested in justifying their claims, true, but they've ignored Conyers' letter signed by 122 congressmen, and the Republicans in the House scheduled 11 major votes to coincide with Conyers' forum. Bush's little pat dismissal of the whole thing when standing with Tony Blair the other day did him no favors. Especially in a news cycle dominated by reminders of Watergate.

So I'll keep arguing to get the issue heard. The national news medias basically blew it off in May when the story broke in the Sunday Times in London, and only recently have picked up steam in covering it. This memo and its allegations should be investigated thoroughly, not dropped because the news media is onto a new trial or missing person story.

Related reading:

The entire Downing Street Memo
The Sunday Times article, May 1
CNN article, June 16th
Why Care? DowningStreetMemo.com
Conyers letter
Teflon Dubya, Did I Say That Out Loud?

Latest Gubernatorial Poll

Corzine leads Forrester by 10 points, according to the latest Quinnipiac poll. That's the big number that makes headlines, but some of the other numbers are more interesting to read.

(all numbers are of registered voters unless noted)
Better job reducing property taxes? 37% say Forrester and 35% Corzine (statistical tie.) 40% believe the biggest problem facing NJ is taxes, 31% specify property taxes. But Corzine's still ahead.

Is it a "good thing" for candidates to use their own money to finance campaigns? 48% say yes, 41% no. (68% say candidates who do are free of lobbyists' and special interest groups' influences.) Yeah, see, I dunno if I agree. It also means the biggest spender usually win the seat, and non-multi-millionaires don't stand a chance of ever seeing the inside of Drumthwacket.

73% say political corruption is extremely or very important in choice of governor. Hmm. Remember, these are the same folks who think taxes are our biggest problem. Clearly, we are not one-issue voters. That's nice to know. Property taxes get a lot of attention but we care about more than just that.

Corzine is honest and trustworthy according to 50%, Forrester is to 40%. But 46% associate the Democratic Party with corruption, 27% associate the GOP. That's not what the Assembly Dems wanted to hear.

41% of voters, 25% of Republicans, haven't heard enough about Forrester to form an opinion. Forrester has already spent a fortune of his own money, and 25% of Republican voters haven't even formed an opinion? That's not what Doug's camp wanted to hear.

And the Battle of the Multi-Millionaires rolls on...

Downing Street Forum

My clock radio woke me up early this morning with a news story about today's Downing Street Forum being held by Rep. John Conyers. Not quite a hearing, since they can't get an official hearing with the Republicans in charge of the House, Rep. Conyers could not have his forum on the House floor. But it's still news.

Keep it coming, fans and friends. Keep pushing to get this heard.

Screwed up priorities

I'm trying to form a well-reasoned, articulate post on this. But so far, all I've come up with:

"What the hell are they thinking?"

and

"Seriously, what the hell are they thinking?"

Here's the article from today's paper. "Looking for money to restore property tax rebates, Assembly Democrats have targeted a fund used to help the poor pay heating bills and to promote cleaner energy, raising concerns less money for such needs will push more poor families to the brink and scuttle renewable energy plans. "What a disaster that would be," said Connie Mercer, executive director of Homefront, a Mercer County organization that advocates for and helps the poor. "I don't know what else to say but disaster." "

Screwed. Up. Priorities.

If there's extra money in the fund already that isn't needed for the charity heating bills, use it! Use it to make our state buildings and vehicles fuel efficient, saving us money in the long run. Use it to go solar, saving us even more money in the long run. Give it directly to municipalites to help with our energy efficiency plans, saving towns money in the long run. Invest it in cutting our state and muncipal energy use, saving money in the long run. (Anyone see a theme here?) But don't touch what is needed for our poorest citizens.

This money comes from fees the utilities pay, not even from property taxes. Using this money to restore the gimmicky rebate plan is just wrong.

I think I've decided. I'm going with, "Seriously, what the hell are they thinking?"

Pull the crickets

I have to remove the crickets from the soundtrack to Monday's post. Matt Stoller, with the Corzine campaign, emailed me yesterday evening:

"Here is a post on Jon Corzine's agenda.He has outlined specific steps and cuts to make to state government more efficient, as well as a comprehensive health care proposal to expand access to care.
http://corzineconnection.com/story/2005/6/6/11622/00746

He also has an aggressive ethics reform proposal which spells out how he intends to change the structure of NJ government to eliminate corruption:

http://corzineconnection.com/story/2005/6/6/11622/00746

In addition to his tax plan, he has called for a property tax citizens convention to address the structural roots of the problem, which is the funding of our schools through a regressive and unfair property tax."

Right now, those links just aren't working properly. As soon as I see that fixed I'll post it. I'd like to read exactly what they have to say. I've read the overview on Corzine's site, as well as what I can find on Doug Forrester's site. But, I must again refer to the Tom Hester Jr. article as a comprehensive compare-and-contrast, and I'm not seeing what I'd hoped to see- true reform of the system. (I may be cynical but I still have hope.)

No one from Forrester's camp has contacted me, but I would be surprised if my blog was on their radar for any reason. (I was more than a little surprised that Matt Stoller emailed me!)

Property Tax Plan Round-up

Once again, Tom Hester Jr. is our go-to guy with state news. His article in today's Times of Trenton is the best compare-and-contrast on the gubernatorial candidates' property tax plans that I've read so far. He tells us that we shouldn't expect actual property tax reform, certainly not on the level that is needed. But both plans expect to cut lots of corruption and waste. (Wow! No other politician has ever talked of doing that!)

Doug, Jon, listen to me. Here's what we voters really want. We want the gimicks stopped. We don't need catchy titles or special legislative sessions. We want the state to stop trying to put bandaids over gushers, we want our budget balanced, and we don't want any more revenue tricks. We want a leader who will make hard decisions, often unpopular decisions, and follow through on what needs to be done. No more houses of cards; we want actual TAX REFORM. Tell me how you plan to do that.




(crickets chirping in the background)





We're waiting.

Carnival of Bloggers

EnlightenNJ has put up this weekend's Carnival of Bloggers. It's a great way to find out who's posting about life here in Our Fair State.

New Jersey Treasure #3

There are so many good things about living here in the center of NJ, I could go on and on about them. And I've decided to do just that. Periodically I'm going to pick something that has recently made itself a pleasure in my life and tell you why it's a NJ Treasure, in hopes that you'll enjoy it too and have more pleasures in your life.

This installment features: Day Hikes. Here in the Center of NJ we have some forests and open space left, and there are a lot of places to take short hikes. We favor hikes that are 1-4 miles and not too hard, because two of the hikers in my family are under age 8. A week or two ago we visited Clayton Park in Upper Freehold, and it was just great. The trails were easy to follow, maintained and it was a good place for families with young kids or dogs. A big favorite: Plainsboro Preserve, part of the NJ Audubon Society, perfect for all ages. We recently hiked through Herronton Woods in Princeton, and while we enjoyed it, I would not recommend it if it has recently rained. It was a swamp, really. We've hiked up Sourland Mountain and had a fantastic time. Be sure to bring binoculars, because at the top you can see NYC, proving how flat NJ really is. The D-R Canal offers hiking opportunities through a big stretch of Central NJ.

Being family day hikers, we really appreciate well-maintained and marked trails. The only place we've found poor trails was Watson Woods in Hamilton. We tried to hike there yesterday, and while it was cool to be able to hike under the highway that cuts across the marsh, we left in about twenty minutes. The trails were not maintained at all, unmarked and horribly grown over with poison ivy. (We got the kids washed off quickly and seem to have escaped unscathed.)

There are a bunch of good NJ hiking books, such as Best Hikes In NJ with Children and Fifty Hikes in NJ, both probably available at your library. Check out NJ Trails site too. Get out and take a hike- one of New Jersey's Treasures.

Wildlife gone wild!

This week so far we had a shark attack and a bear home invasion. No people were killed, but a bear cub was shot to death.

Not too long ago, a coyote was seen here in the center of Our Fair State; while in Millstone Twp. dog owners are being warned about increased coyote activity. "Agressive residential development" is being blamed there. (Are there any places in central NJ where there isn't agressive residential development these days?)

Every now and then, the animals remind us that they need some space too...

Primary's over

... and now the real fight begins.

A couple interesting results from yesterday:

Jun Choi, who was insulted by NJ101.whine, took the nomination from incumbent George Spadoro and will run for mayor of Edison.

Robert Schoeder, Paul DiGaetano and Todd Caliguire each received fewer votes than Democratic gubernatorial candidate James Kelly, Jr. Kelly resides in a group home for the mentally ill. That's gotta hurt even more than the Pete Vincelli thing.

Downing Street Memo & Senator Kerry-no, Kennedy

The other Mass. Senator brought it up first. Between that and this weekend's Meet The Press, it's still being heard! Click through on Senator Kennedy's site and contact your senators. Keep the word out there.

UPDATE- Well, Bush got the question, and no big surprise, he denied the allegations. Dan Kennedy at the Boston Phoenix said it very well: "On Tuesday, both Bush and Blair attempted to play down its importance during a joint news conference, a sign that the issue may finally be gaining traction."

Downing Street Memo & Senator Kerry

John Kerry is planning to 'present' the memo to congress. No note in the article on when this will happen.

The Republicans have their anti-aircraft fire ready. The article mentions the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which President Clinton signed into law, which "Declares that it should be the policy of the United States to seek to remove the Saddam Hussein regime from power in Iraq and to replace it with a democratic government."

Ok, sure, but it doesn't state that it's ok to LIE to the American People to achieve that end. Which is what this is all about.

I entreat you again, please, contact your legislators and favorite media outlets to get them to push this issue. We were lied to, and those at the top should be accountable for it.

Tomorrow's Primary

Latest Quinnipiac poll: Forrester 35%, Schundler 33%.

No word on Vincelli's latest numbers.

If you are registered with a party, VOTE! You can declare at the polling place if you wish. Polls are open tomorrow until 8PM.

New Jersey Treasure #2

There are so many good things about living here in the center of NJ, I could go on and on about them. And I've decided to do just that. Periodically I'm going to pick something that has recently made itself a pleasure in my life and tell you why it's a NJ Treasure, in hopes that you'll enjoy it too and have more pleasures in your life.

This installment features the Trenton Thunder. This past weekend my family and I enjoyed spending Sunday watching the Thunder beat the Binghamton Mets at Waterfront Park. We had cheap seats, so no shade for us. (Note I didn't say "bad seats," because really, there aren't any in Waterfront Park.) We had our hats and sunblock, and a lot of water. We walked around in the shade and snuck over into good shady seats in the 7th inning when folks started to leave.

The Thunder has Boomer the mascot and Chase that Golden Thunder (the golden bat retriever) who keep everything entertaining. Even the ground crew came out in grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts, dancing to Jimmy Buffet's "Fins." There were dozens of distractions and giveaways during the game to keep the kids occupied. There's a Kidcessions stand selling kid-sized food portions for $1, and the rest of the concessions were reasonably priced for attraction fare. Bonus- Flying Fish Extra Pale Ale on tap!

Understand that we are not big baseball fans. Really, we don't follow it at all. And we still had a great time, for under $40 including tickets and parking. I'm told the Blue Claws and the Patriots are cool too, but my heart belongs to Chase that Golden Thunder and the Trenton Thunder. So, enjoy a fun summer day and go out to a minor league ball park- one of New Jersey's Treasures.

Weekend update

On solar: we got our rebate approved by the state. Yay! Now, once JCP&L gets out here with the new meter, we're in business.

On Schundler IS Dean: The publicity firm took responsibility, saying Schundler had no idea. It's always some "junior staffer," isn't it?

On Downing Street Memo: Apparently, John Kerry is going to raise it on Monday, and there's been a bit of national media coverage- CSpan, and MSNBC is supposed to be planing to put it on their program Connected early next week. Keep getting the word out.

Hope you have a good weekend.

The Downing Street Memo

Fans and friends of this blog know I'm always entreating everyone to write letters to their assemblymen or other lawmakers when something is important. Our voices always need to be heard, and loudly. This subject is no different- but is not being heard by enough people, and should be heard by all.

The Downing Street Memo is minutes of a meeting held in July 2002 and clearly indicate that the United States and Great Britain agreed to attack Iraq, well before Bush and his chickenhawks even sought Congressional authority to engage in military action, and that U.S. officials were deliberately manipulating intelligence to justify their pre-planned war.

A most heinous quote: "he (Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfleld) thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections." Have no illusions, kids, this was planned to the minute politically. But wait- see the Tom Paine article for even more hilarity! John Prados concludes the war was decided by Feb. 2002!

Unfortuntely, main stream media hasn't really gone off on this like they should. This memo should be the smoking gun showing the chickenhawks' deliberate lies, and those in charge should be called to the carpet on it. Are we so cowed that we can't even question authority anymore?

Today I joined Big Brass Alliance, an organization of bloggers who feel the word must go out about this. This group supports AfterDowningStreet.org, "ADS is a coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups, which launched on May 26, 2005, a campaign to urge the U.S. Congress to begin a formal investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war. " Today I wrote to all the news outlets linked on the BBA's website- they have a few targeted media outlets for each day- and requested they produce detailed reports regarding the DSM. Thursday I mailed letters to my senators and congressman urging a formal investigation. I'll probably email them as well, as mail takes forever to get to their offices (security measures.) I signed Rep. Conyers' letter the other day as well (after Christian reminded me how important this all is.)

And yet, I feel I haven't done enough.

Fans and friends, we were Lied To. We need to get to the truth. Write your own letters, add your blogging voice to the growing crowd, and push for formal legal action. Get active in this.

Our voices need to be heard. And loudly.

Bret Schundler IS Howard Dean!

This is almost too good to be true, but it's for real. Check this out. Make sure to see the side-by-side images at the bottom.

I guess Bret couldn't amass enough supporters to get a picture like this for himself.

Now, the fun part is how I found this on politicsnj. If you go there in the near future, you'll get hit with a full page containing a lot of anti-Forrester rhetoric and a bunch of Schundler's video ads. Not having watched a lot of TV lately, I hadn't seen these, so I chose to sit through all four ads. And there's the little blurb at the bottom of the ad page, stating

"*** By “documented” – in the case the Forrester campaign doesn’t understand the use of the word “documented” – we mean documented WITH FACTS, not things you just make up out of whole cloth and slap on your ad, in the belief that no one will bother to check."

Two clicks away we find the Bret-as-Howard pictures. Guess what, Bret? Someone's checking on you, too.