Fantasia, consultant, fell out over COVID pay for county workers.

By Sussex County Watchdog

Sussex County Commissioner Dawn Fantasia called a meeting of GOP county leaders last year. The meeting was held on March 18, 2022, at a private club in the county. A quorum of the Board of Commissioners was present, and the agenda revolved around one item: The Sussex County Watchdog blog and its editorializing in support of county workers. 

The Watchdog blog had long been critical of the Board and how it was managing county government. One point of contention was the Board’s poor treatment of frontline county workers – like road maintenance crews – and its lavish spending on, and expansion of, administrative staff. Fewer and fewer workers seemed to require more and more administration. And while these “insider-connected” administrators got raises and benefits – county workers qualified for food stamps, the food pantry, subsidized heating fuel, and other anti-poverty programs because they were paid so poorly for a fulltime work week. 

The Watchdog blog website and Facebook page are filled with these stories. You can read them for yourself. 

A particular point of contention was bonus pay for frontline county workers who continued to do their jobs while exposed to COVID hazards during the pandemic. These bonuses were covered under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and federal money would be used to pay them out. The county administration at the time opposed worker bonuses – and in a letter from the then county labor counsel, was quite frank about it. 

Commissioner Fantasia called the March 18th meeting to confront the Sussex County GOP’s consultant, Bill Winkler, because it was known that he wrote some of the critical stories about the Board. Fantasia and others – notably Jill and Parker Space – wanted the blog shut down or Winkler fired. 

Winkler explained that he did not own the blog – which is a fact beyond dispute – but was the author of some of the critical stories. He pointed out that he had voluntarily lobbied on behalf of better pay and ARPA bonuses for county workers, so his position was well-known. 

Given the number of County Commissioners at this meeting, a record should have been kept, but the meeting was called by Commissioner Fantasia and, if there is a transcript, she would have it. Other county officials were present, including the County Surrogate. 

At the March 18th meeting, Assemblyman Parker Space was asked about his road trip with actress Janeane Garofalo’s brother, in the aftermath of the terrorist mass murder of nine people (including Pastor and State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney). Space acknowledged that the purpose of the trip was a Confederate flag tattoo but refused to address it further. This incident factored into the deal made between him and Senator Steve Oroho, in which Space would announce that he wasn’t running for re-election in return for Oroho’s support for Jill Space for County Commissioner. Of course, much has changed since. 

There is a dearth of media platforms that stand in opposition to the establishment narrative or that present an alternative perspective. The situation is bad nationally – but even worse locally, where some counties and local governments have become transparency free zones with no external oversight. Local media simply doesn’t exist, and the situation is a great incubator of corruption. 

Think of the work done by New Jersey Herald reporters to uncover the Sussex Solar scandal that cost taxpayers $40 million. A similar scandal now would go unnoticed – except for blogs like Sussex County Watchdog and news websites, like Jennifer Dericks’ TAPinto. For better, or worse, this is all voters and taxpayers have left. There is nobody else to blow the whistle. 

Dawn Fantasia is an example of how politicians become when there is no local media to scrutinize them. They believe the First Amendment shouldn’t apply to politicians like them. They believe that they can suppress what remains of local media. 

Tucker Carlson reminds us, “Free speech is the main right that you have. Without it, you have no others.” 

Micah Rasmussen, Director of the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University, reminds us of what happens when there’s nobody watching the politicians: “Voters can't make informed decisions unless they're informed. If you asked any self-respecting constituent of George Santos, they'd tell you they wish they knew then what they know now.” 

Does the NJ Herald want you to believe Sussex County is bad?

By Rubashov

Here’s a friendly tip for Democrat politicians like Kristy Lavin, Zoe Heath, and Katie Rotondi. If you are looking to condemn “hate”. Look in the mirror… and then simply condemn it.

What started out as an attempt by a failed candidate to legislate from the bleachers, has turned into an all-out jihad against Sussex County and what its detractors believe it stands for. Along the way, the people behind this jihad have used it as an attempt to distract media attention away from such community issues as…

(1) The economic insecurity that is the result of government reaction to the pandemic – including unemployment and underemployment, foreclosure and homelessness, and food insecurity.

(2) The increased property taxes that will result from Governor Murphy’s cuts to education funding for Sussex County’s children.

(3) The more than 8,000 people who died because of the Murphy administration’s decision to send COVID infected patients into the state’s nursing and veterans’ homes. Sussex County was one of the hardest hit communities.

The January 6th Capitol Riot is still under investigation. Nobody has been brought to trial yet. And media coverage – no matter how extensive – is not a judicial proceeding. You can have lynching by media – or you can have justice. You cannot have both.

So far, prosecutors have charged over 300 people with various federal crimes. The operative word here is “charged”. Statistically, about 10% of those charged will have the cases against them dismissed. Over 80% will have their charges reduced. Of those who opt for a bench trial – statistically, the best option – nearly 40% will be acquitted.

In America – for the moment, anyway – we still believe in the truth that anyone accused of a crime is INNOCENT until proven guilty in a COURT OF LAW. We not only believe this in America, this truth is one of the basics of INTERNATIONAL LAW.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.”

It is important to note that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and that it enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. It was signed in 1948 by those who had been in a life and death struggle against REAL, actual Nazis. It wasn’t a word they threw around in the casual way that it is today. They knew the enemy and he wasn’t Dr. Seuss.

Kristy Lavin, a Democrat candidate for Sussex County Freeholder in 2019, has been firmly rejected by the voters. She received less than 6 percent of the General Election vote.

From all appearances, Lavin is using the Capitol Riot in an attempt to “undo” the democratic election she lost. In the aftermath of the riot, Lavin proposed an “anti-Hate” resolution in which she linked “white supremacists”, “white nationalists”, and “neo-Nazis” to the Capitol Riot. But Lavin and her supporters didn’t stop there. They made the claim that their neighbors in Sussex County – large numbers of them – were conspiratorially involved in the riot.

Lavin did so despite statements by federal prosecutors that “the number of people arrested is large enough to defy generalization”. And while there have been arrests in 42 states and allegations by prosecutors and speculation in the media, none of this has been tested in a COURT of LAW. Ann Pompelio is a divorce lawyer and member of the New Jersey Bar. She understands that an attorney should not make public speculations on the guilt of someone in advance of trial. It is unethical.

Kristy Lavin has used the bi-monthly public meetings of the Sussex County Commissioners to expand her “anti-Hate” resolution into a broader condemnation of America, of Sussex County as a typically “American” place, of the people who live in Sussex County as typical “Americans”, and of their typical “American” children. And by “Americans” she means racists, white supremacists, white nationalists, and neo-Nazis.

Katie Rotondi is the one-time Chairwoman of the Sussex County Democrat Committee. Rotondi is notorious for making wild accusations against others, including sexual misconduct allegations against other Democrats. The objects of her accusations have not been charged with a crime, so we will not mention names here. Rotondi runs a political group with fellow Democrat activist Zoe Heath. Lavin, Rotondi, and Heath have used the Commissioners’ meetings to pursue highly vitriolic, personal agendas against county residents and people they dislike.

Their campaign is a highly organized attempt to hijack the people’s business and turn it into a forum to slander Sussex County, its people, and their children. There are now hours of taped public comments by the Democrats’ posse and the picture they try to paint of Sussex County and its residents is chilling. Their comments on children are particularly disturbing.

The New Jersey Herald has strongly favored the Democrats with their coverage, while studiously ignoring such local issues as:

• Fire code violations at the County building that endanger the lives of 500 CWA union workers;

• the PBA’s negotiations for a fair deal with the County;

• COVID safety violations that endanger CWA workers.

 
Why?  Is this a reaction to recent efforts by employees of The (Bergen) Record, Daily Record and New Jersey Herald seeking recognition for their union after almost 90% of eligible employees (a total of 66) signed on with the NewsGuild union of New York?

The New Jersey Herald is owned by a Virginia-based corporation that itself has been accused in federal court of having racist hiring practices. Will the media corporation’s efforts to go along with the Democrats’ BLM-themed assault on Sussex County residents and their children be entered into evidence at some future legal proceeding as a counter to evidence presented against them?

Or is it something personal?

Bruce Scruton is a Pennsylvania-based reporter for the New Jersey Herald. He has a problem with reporting facts. Like quotes. He consistently gets quotes wrong. These are quotes that it should be easy to get right because they are recorded on paper, audio, and video. They are facts. But still Scruton gets them wrong. We could do a whole column just on this.

Scruton also appears to have a problem with women. We sense a certain hostility towards women who possess a certain authority. We don’t know about his personal relationships with women, but from his writing, he appears to us trapped in those 1960s-era certainties of his youth. We will say no more about it and invite Bruce to use our pages here to dispute this or to simply tell us that we are full of crap.

In any case, the New Jersey Herald has devolved into the mouthpiece of a group of people who would like us to believe that America is racist. And that Sussex County is an especially racist place – even violently so. They want to do so despite the facts as compiled by successive administrations of both Democrats (Clinton, Obama, Biden) and Republicans (Bush, Bush, Trump) clearly showing that Sussex County is one of the safest, least violent communities in America – with a low rate of bias crimes of any kind. Those are the facts.

The Sussex County Board of Commissioners has attempted to address the concerns raised by this crowd and, just as they were attacked by the Democrats when the Board passed LGBTQ Pride and Black History Month proclamations, the Democrats are not going to be satisfied. What, you say? Yes, after passing the first LGBTQ Pride proclamation last June, the Board was attacked by the Democrats for not mandating the flying of rainbow flags over every county building. Along the same lines, the Board was attacked last month after passing the first Black History Month proclamation for not involving enough “Black” people in writing it. Hey, if it is always going to be something, why bother?

After taking testimony from residents (and readers of the New Jersey Herald) who suggested a more “positive” approach than that contained in Kristy Lavin’s ever-broadening “anti-Hate” resolution, the Commissioners have come up with a love-thy-neighbor, “Pro-Respect” resolution. Predictably, the “Hate” lobby has gone nuts and lost it, especially Zoe Heath…

Will historians one day look back at the January 6th Capitol Riot as America’s Reichstag Fire? Will American Democrats ban political opinions and then organizations, the way the REAL Nazis did? Will American Democrats formally condemn the children of “white” people as being tainted by an original sin, in the same way as was done to Jewish “white” people?

What will the Democrats call their Law for the Protection of People and State? An expanded PATRIOT Act? Pay close attention to what the REAL Nazis alleged in the aftermath of their Capitol Riot:

“The burning of the Reichstag was intended to be the signal for a bloody uprising and civil war. Large-scale pillaging in Berlin was planned for as early as four o'clock in the morning on Tuesday. It has been determined that starting today throughout Germany acts of terrorism were to begin against prominent individuals, against private property, against the lives and safety of the peaceful population, and general civil war was to be unleashed…”

And remember how they put it to use:

“Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the Constitution of the German Reich are suspended until further notice. It is therefore permissible to restrict the rights of personal freedom [habeas corpus], freedom of (opinion) expression, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications. Warrants for House searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.”

"Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense."

Article 11
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

N.B. We welcome a conversation on this and all topics raised on this website.  Jersey Conservative is entirely open to your ideas and opinions.  To submit a column for publication, please contact Marianna at Marianna@JerseyConservative.org.

Anti-Trump criminals attack GOP legislator’s family

By Sussex Watchdog

Over the past month, we’ve gone where newspapers like the Gannett corporation’s New Jersey Herald fear to tread.  We’ve covered the vandalization of family homes in Northwest New Jersey by anti-Trumpers and asked why these obvious acts of hatred were not covered in the same way as when someone spray-paints a Gottheimer for Congress sign? 
 
Does the Gannett corporation approve of violence, so long as it is directed towards people who they decide are unfashionable?  Or are they simply glad that the violent are too distracted to examine Gannett’s record closely?  Are they pleased that the violence is directed away from them?  That someone else is doing the suffering?
 
Sometime last night, a billboard advertising Space Farms Zoo and Museum was defaced with spray-painted anti-Trump slogans and foul language…  

Space Farms is owned by the family of Assemblyman Parker Space (R-24) and his wife, Jill Space, a Republican State Committeewoman and the First Vice Chair of the Sussex County Republican Committee.  When Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s (D-5) campaign sign was defaced, everyone of both parties rallied around him, the media covered it in great detail, all and sundry were appalled.  We won’t hold our breath in this instance.
 
At this sick moment in our history, the Establishment has allowed the violent to target some with impunity, while taking steps to destroy the morale and effectiveness of the police.  Average Americans have watched this and have responded by personally arming themselves to an unprecedented degree.  Any possibility of a rational debate has been screwed to death over the past few weeks.  People cannot unsee what has happened. 
 
This attack on the family of an elected representative of the people comes just weeks after two Black Lives Matter activists were arrested for spray-painting “BLM” and defacing property near the home of the elected Sheriff of Sussex County, Mike Strada.  At about the same time, ten shots were fired at the home of Sheriff Strada, while his wife and children were inside.  That crime is still under investigation and Governor Murphy’s State Police have not released the name or names of those suspected of perpetrating what could be a case of attempted murder.
 
Fresh from successfully intimidating the Sussex County Freeholder Board into passing a resolution that they dictated, Black Lives Matter activists were out in force yesterday, holding a Black Lives Matter rally in Byram while – a few miles away – engaging in an action to disrupt a planned pro-Trump rally that was called off at the last minute for safety concerns.  The stated reason was weather related.
 
Now the New Jersey Herald is willingly accepting the intellectual servitude of the Black Lives Matter movement.  Its pages today remind us of the end of the free press in Germany during that very dark period of the 1930s and 40s.  We will devote a future post to illustrate just how parallel the language is – often word for word.  It make us wonder if those running BLM are historical copycats?
 
Of course, the Gannett corporation is more than happy to spread the blame to America or “society” or the police… instead of being held to account for its own actions.  No matter how many riots or burned down buildings or spray painted slogans or murderous acts… violence does not result in peace.  You cannot compel peace or tolerance or respect at a global level.  Government cannot mandate these things.  Such things happen at the smallest, personal, and individual scale.
 
That is Gannett’s problem.  As a corporation Gannett has been wantonly cruel to its individual workers – generally, across the board, although some have believed it to be due to the color of their skin. 
 
Black Lives Matter is complicit in Gannett’s corporate viciousness.  By allowing Gannett to “take a knee” they are complicit as its public relations “fig leaf”.  But so long as they get their pay-off, Black Lives Matter doesn’t seem to care about the workers.  After all, these are academic “Marxists” of the snowflake variety.
 
Gannett pays homage to Black Lives Matter because it doesn't want anyone looking at their behavior or the behavior of some of the corporation's media outlets.  Like the recent federal class action lawsuit brought against Gannett alleging that the corporation is "running a racist workplace that makes it impossible for black workers to be promoted".  The 26-page lawsuit, with 23 pages of attachments makes for interesting reading:
 
"Gannett ran a sophisticated scheme and cover 'in the form of focus groups and other means and methods that are subjectively manipulated by Gannett to achieve its discriminatory goals and objectives.'
According to the lawsuit, Gannett 'has a corporate custom, policy, pattern, practice and procedure of not promoting African-Americans to director and leadership positions and utilizing a ‘one-and-done policy’ that disparately impacts African-American employed within the company.'
Gannett, based in McLean, Va., is best known for its flagship newspaper, USA Today. Its chain of newspapers, TV stations and other media reach than 110 million people a month, according to the complaint."
 
A journalist employed at Gannett added:
 
“In sum, the overall employment atmosphere and attitude at Gannett is hostile toward recruitment, training, leadership, management and advancement of African-Americans into top broadcasting leadership positions and opportunities.”
 
The EEOC found that it could not certify that Gannett is in compliance with the federal anti-discrimination law.  The federal class action lawsuit "seeks class certification, restitution, and compensatory and punitive damages for Civil Rights Act violations, loss of prospective earnings and a court order 'to enjoin the discriminatory practices.'"
 
Gannett was also recently sued for age discrimination over its practice of replacing older employees with younger, less expensive ones.  Over 1,300 Gannett employees have been "fired" between 2011 and 2017. 
 
Gannett is a ruthless corporation that takes knees and points fingers in a public relations spin operation designed to take the focus off them.  Black Lives Matter is aiding and abetting this scam.  Don’t be fooled.
 
We will keep you informed.  Stay tuned... 
 
 

“It is his millions of relationships that will give man his humanity… It is not our ideological rights that are important but the quality of our relationships with each other, with all men, with knowledge and art and God that count.
 
The civil rights movement has done a magnificent job but it is now faced with the ancient choice between good and evil, between love for all men and lust for a group’s power.”
 
“Every group on earth that has put ideology before human relations has failed; always disaster and bitterness and bloodshed have come.  This movement, too, may fail.  If it does, it will be because it aroused in men more hate than love, more concern for their own group than for all people, more lust for power than compassion for human need.”
 
“We must avoid the trap of totalism which lures a man into thinking there is only one way, one answer, one option, and that others must be forced into this One Way, and forced into it Now.”

(Author Lillian Smith, civil rights pioneer,
on accepting the Charles S. Johnson Award for her work)  

Sussex Democrats go low… politicize Jersey City police officer’s death

Yes, they went there.  It’s what you do when you fail and fail again.

As the New Jersey Herald reported this morning, last night’s anti-Trump/ pro-Impeachment rally was a bust.  Nobody showed… but for a counter-rally of Trump supporters, organized last-minute by the redoubtable Bill Hayden.
 
Referring to the inclement weather, Hayden (who is probably the best conservative grassroots organizer in the state) laid this perfect line on the Democrats (we quote, from the Herald): “I guess the snowflakes don’t like ice.”
 
The rally-that-didn’t-happen was organized with the DC-insider group MoveOn.org, which was originally called Censure and Move On and formed to oppose the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.  You can’t make this stuff up.  The hypocrisy of it all.  Does the sucking ever end?  No, it never ends… it just goes on and on.
 
So this morning’s lash-out by the Sussex County Democrat Committee surprised no one.  They always flip-out after a major screw-up.  Only this one was in exceedingly poor taste, somehow managing to equate hunters and owners of firearms in general with “far-right extremists” – while attacking Sussex County Republicans over the tragic death of a police officer in Jersey City, Hudson County.
 
Yep.  Real crazy.  And exceedingly poor taste. 
 
We won’t point out that the Democrats in Trenton did away with the death penalty for cop-killers.  Or that the political leanings of these cop-killers do not fit the Democrats’ narrative.  Or that the Sussex County Democrats supported the efforts of their party to hold a “criminal appreciation day” in Trenton, during which they passed laws to give convicted criminals voting rights and education aid (just months after cutting education funding to Sussex County’s school children).  What kind of message does this send?  Pushing criminals to the head of the line before school kids – if that isn’t proof that “crime pays” what is?
 
Not content with the level at which they disgraced themselves, Democrats ramped it up, attempting to link the GOP to anti-Semitism and terrorism.  Perhaps they were gazing into a mirror?
 
If any party has a problem with anti-Semitism, it is the Democrat Party.  As Democrat Congressman Josh Gottheimer has noted, there are members of the Democrat congressional caucus who are open supporters of the anti-Semitic BDS movement.  Sussex County Democrats even got an award from Linda Sarsour – who was dumped from the Women’s March because of her anti-Semitism.
 
The government of Israel and Jewish community leaders worldwide have noted the inexorable rise of anti-Semitism on the Left.  And it’s not just the Democrats in Washington, DC.  One of the causes for the defeat of the British Labour Party at the recent General Election was its open embrace of anti-Semitism.  It directly led to the worst defeat for the Left since 1935 – and the largest Conservative majority since the 1980’s era of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
 
And as for terrorism…
 
The award those Sussex County Democrats got was in recognition of voter registration drives and other political campaigning done by Action Together New Jersey in coordination with a group called CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.  Presenting the award was CAIR National Chairwoman, Roula Allouch, and CAIR-NJ Founder, Ahmed Al Shehab. 
 
One of America’s most important Islamic allies – the United Arab Emirates – has designated CAIR a terrorist organization.

Action Together New Jersey is in the forefront of the drive to push the Democrat Party in New Jersey to the far-Left.  They have joined CAIR in opposing the bi-partisan efforts of New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-5) to push back on members of the so-called “Jihad Squad” (far-Left Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib) in their attempt to promote the anti-Semitic BDS movement. 
 
Entire county party organizations are being taken over by Action Together New Jersey.  In Sussex County, for instance, their members have thoroughly infiltrated the local Democrat committees and pushed the moderates out.  On the group’s website, they identify members of Action Together New Jersey who have taken over and occupied leadership positions in the Democrat Party. 
 
These include Katie Rotondi, the Chairwoman of the Sussex County Democrat Committee.  Also listed as members on the group’s website are Democrat State Committee members Michele Van Allen and Ben Silva, Stanhope Councilman Anthony Riccardi, Sparta Board of Education member Kate Matteson, as well as a number of Democrat County Committee members.  
 
The far-Left is on the march, taking over the Democrat Party, pushing out common sense and fiscal responsibility.  The hypocritical attempts by Sussex County Democrats to smear others are merely a cover for this takeover.

Shouldn’t FIGHTING FIRES FOR FREE give you the right to express yourself at your own event?

Volunteer firefighters put their necks on the line every time they get a call to come out for a fire or some other emergency. Because they do it for FREE, as an act of kindness to their neighbors and community, they save taxpayers millions each year in Sussex County (billions nationally).

Now Democrats and their far-Left allies are trying to destroy the fire protection services in one Sussex County town. Initially, they called town halls to request that volunteer firefighters be “fired” or “removed” because the Democrats were “offended” when the volunteers displayed a Trump banner at THEIR parade.

The Democrats have gone to the IRS with the claim that by displaying the flag, the volunteers “endorsed” a candidate. The Democrats are pushing to have the fire department investigated by the IRS and “eliminated”.

One snowflake actually wrote about how he feared that volunteer firefighters would not show up to rescue someone of a different political point of view. To make matters worse, the Editor of the New Jersey Herald – a newspaper that has a number of good writers – came out in support of the IRS complaint against the volunteers and repeated this same nonsense.

Well here is a newsflash for that snowflake… and for the Editor of the New Jersey Herald: The membership organizations of paid firefighters endorse candidates for public office ALL THE TIME – every year, every election, every office. So does the PBA and the FOP for the police. They take sides… and send money. Is anyone concerned that these formal endorsements will affect the services they provide? Has the Editor of the New Jersey Herald ever expressed concern about this?

And how often does Governor Phil Murphy use law enforcement as props at political announcements? He orders them to stand behind him when he comes out with nonsense like the Sanctuary State directive which law enforcement plainly believes is dangerous. The Governor is not a police officer or a firefighter but he uses them for politics, pure and simple.

How many political organizations have a non-profit side to go with their political action committees and lobbying organizations? There are literally hundreds that operate in New Jersey. People like George Soros and the Koch Brothers have created political empires while hiding vast fortunes in so-called “non-profits” that are little more than a means for them to shape policy and get their way (and make more money). But there are lots of smaller lobby/political operations disguised as “non-profits” too. They keep just this side of the letter of the law, mostly, while grossly violating the spirit of the law. Where is the outrage?

The group Action Together New Jersey claims that it is a non-profit. Most of the leadership of the Sussex County Democrats belong to it. It is a shadowy, far-Left group, but you won’t read about what it gets up to in the New Jersey Herald.

On February 10, 2018, Action Together New Jersey accepted an award from Linda Sarsour. Among those accepting the award was Action Together New Jersey’s Sussex County Co-Chair. Linda Sarsour was recently kicked out of the Women’s March for her anti-Semitism.

Sarsour is a controversial Democrat activist who has praised the notoriously anti-Semitic Louis Farrakhan, cop-killer Joanne Chesimard, and the anti-Semitic BDS movement. In 2017, Sarsour famously called for “Jihad” against the elected government of the United States of America…

The award that the Sussex County Co-Chair picked-up was in recognition of the political campaigning done by Action Together New Jersey in coordination with a group called CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Presenting the award was CAIR National Chairwoman, Roula Allouch, and CAIR-NJ Founder, Ahmed Al Shehab.

Due to its apparent ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, one of America’s most important Islamic allies – the United Arab Emirates – has designated CAIR a terrorist organization.

The New Jersey Herald actually covered an event organized by Action Together and CAIR – a pro-Sanctuary State rally on Newton Green – but nobody mentioned that the group was officially designated a “terrorist” organization. And it is an Islamic nation that gave CAIR the designation. An Islamic nation in which American military personnel are currently serving in peril to their lives – our neighbors, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. We think that’s important. We think you should be aware of that. There are those in the media who would sooner suppress that information.

Action Together New Jersey is in the forefront of the drive to push the Democrat Party in New Jersey to the far-Left. They even bash other Democrats who get in the way of their agenda. For instance, they have joined CAIR in opposing the bi-partisan efforts of New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-5) to push back on members of the so-called “Jihad Squad” (far-Left Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib) in their attempt to promote the anti-Semitic BDS movement. It’s a fact. There was a vote taken. You might not read about it. But there it is.

If the Democrats and their allies succeed in breaking the backs of the volunteer firefighters in one community in Sussex County, what will happen? Will the current trained firefighters be “removed” as the Democrats have asked? And who will they be replaced by, the next time a fire happens, or some other emergency? A paid department that will require a large property tax hike?

And curiously enough, that new paid department will have a membership organization that will most certainly ENDORSE POLITICAL CANDIDATES and write checks to political campaigns. Then you will have both higher property taxes and real political activity to contend with, not the one-off expression of a group of un-paid volunteers having some fun at THEIR event that they earned by risking their lives again and again and again.

The far-Left is on the march, taking over or destroying every community organization and service in its path, pushing out common sense and fiscal responsibility. The Action Together New Jersey crew represents the very radical far-Left of the Democrat Party – and it has taken over the Sussex County Democrat Committee.

Children’s charity closes due to Murphy’s minimum wage increase

While we generally support the idea of a minimum wage, the blinkered ideological approach of “one size fits all” is having a bad effect on those who serve some of our most vulnerable residents.  The best way to ensure a rising minimum wage is through collective bargaining through the unionization of the work force.  Labor negotiating in the free marketplace with capital produces individual outcomes that are collectively much better than the imposition of mandates from above that Governor Phil Murphy and his gang favor.  

Lori Comstock of the New Jersey Herald did a great job covering one such tragedy today:

Kids Educational Enrichment Program, a childcare organization best known as K.E.E.P. that has served the Sussex County community for over 100 years, will be shutting its doors for good next week.

The announcement was sent to parents and guardians via a letter dated July 17. The letter, signed by K.E.E.P., Inc. Board of Directors President Barbara Vandenbergh, said the nonprofit will cease operations effective at close of business on Wednesday, July 31.

The letter states many reasons for the closure including a mix of "usual" business challenges coupled with "increasingly strict and ever-changing regulatory requirements imposed on the industry" by the state and the state's mandatory minimum wage increase schedule which has, combined, "rendered us unable to meet our financial obligations," Vandenbergh wrote. Earlier this year, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation boosting the state's minimum wage and implemented a five-year phase starting with an increase from $8.85 to $10, which went into effect July 1, to $15, which will be reached by January 2024.

In the letter, Vandenbergh states that "after much investigation and future financial projections" the board came to the decision to close.

…K.E.E.P., formerly known as Sussex County YWCA, was incorporated in 1917. The program, which is dubbed the largest child care provider in the county, according to its Facebook page, offers flexible scheduling, low rates and financial assistance to qualified families. A registered 501(c)3 organization, K.E.E.P. employed 72 people in the year 2015, according to the latest 990 form available by the Internal Revenue Service.

Perhaps there should be a philanthropic wage for those who want to volunteer to do good works but need something to cover the basics?  This is what an individual union, covering these individual workers, could accomplish.  If the management of a charity couldn’t figure out a way to make it work, there would be a ready organization – the union – to step in and try.  What we have now are top-down mandates that don’t take the realities on the ground into account.  One-size fits all… except that it doesn’t.

Please read Ms. Comstock’s full article here…

https://www.njherald.com/20190723/keep-ceasing-operations-next-week

Herald lies about Sanctuary State ballot question. Cites attorney that they refused to interview.

Sussex County Clerk Jeff Parrott is hiding behind inadequate legal counsel in his contention that the taxpayers of Sussex County do not have a say in the function of the Sheriff’s office, which they pay for entirely from their property taxes.  As one activist put it, “The Clerk doesn’t understand the idea that he who pays the piper calls the tune.  In this case, we taxpayers are paying, so we want our vote.”

In a New Jersey Herald story today, Parrott agreed with the Administration of Democrat Governor Phil Murphy, “that only questions about issues over which a governing body has control can be submitted for a ballot referendum. In this case, the policy in question is set by the Attorney General's Office.”  Parrott used this argument to cancel a vote by the people on a public question on the November ballot.  The ballot question asks voters their opinion on whether Sussex County Sheriff Mike Strada should follow American law on illegal immigration – or the directives of the Murphy administration.  

However, just a few sentences later, Parrott raised the question of “Sussex County taxpayer funds” and stated “that only the freeholders control the budget.”  This is essentially the Freeholders’ argument that they – not the Murphy administration – have the authority to ask the taxpayers how they want the Sheriff’s office, which they pay for, to function.

The Herald story – written by reporter Bruce Scruton – contains one whopper of a lie.  Somehow Scruton got it into his head that the County Clerk has retained three attorneys.  This is not true.  The Clerk has only one attorney contracted to advise him in regards to this question, and according to news reports he is more of a specialist in criminal matters (sex crimes, homicides, and such) as opposed to election law.  Somehow the Herald was led to believe that County Clerk Parrott had a stable of three attorneys, reporting the following:

“County Counsel Kevin Kelly, the clerk's attorney Gary Kraemer and special counsel Douglas Steinhardt all advised Parrott that such a question could not be put on the ballot.”

Of course, it was County Counsel Kevin Kelly who conducted the legal review that cleared the Ballot Question to be placed on the Freeholder agenda in April.  Kelly signed-off that it was legally sound before allowing it on the agenda, so the Herald’s claim is nonsensical, unless the newspaper is alleging malpractice against an attorney who has often represented the corporation that owns the Herald itself.  

As for Special Counsel Douglas Steinhardt, he was hired by the Freeholder Board less than 48 hours before the County Clerk precipitously sent his “letter of surrender” to the Murphy administration.  He is a very good attorney, but even a legal savant would not be so reckless as to throw together a constitutional argument in so short a time, especially as he was travelling out of state the morning after he was hired.  It simply wasn’t possible for Steinhardt to provide the kind of legal argument the Herald claims the County Clerk based his opinion on. 

To add further injury to the Herald’s claims, when the newspaper was asked to interview Steinhardt for its story, they failed to do so.  If they had done so, they would have been provided with the following statement from Steinhardt released on July 13th:

“To be clear, Sussex County conceded nothing. On July 24th, its Freeholders will consider revisions to the public question that will strengthen it & make clearer the County’s resolve to stand firm & fight the Murphy Administration's gross overreach & attack on the safety of the residents of Sussex County.”  

Why did the Herald allege that Special Counsel Steinhardt supplied advice to County Clerk Parrott, but then fail to interview Steinhardt or even include a statement that has been in the public domain since Saturday?  Did the Herald deliberately mislead its readers and advertisers?  Did its reporter lie to provide a fig leaf by which the County Clerk could excuse himself?

And finally, why wasn’t a statement by Sussex County Sheriff Mike Strada part of the story?  The Herald article appears to be mainly written from the perspective of one politician – County Clerk Jeff Parrott – an apologia as opposed to a news story.  In contrast with the Clerk, the statement of the Sheriff could not have been clearer:

“Sheriff Strada states that he will cooperate with ICE officials and does not plan on letting any immigration inmates that have a detainer out of our facility unless they are turned over to ICE officers. I will not jeopardize the safety of the citizens of our county.”

What is the upshot to all this?  Does the Herald support illegal immigration?  Does it wish to see its readers and advertisers less safe?  Is the reporter the problem?

One thing’s for certain… in the era of Trump, there are still some Christie Whitman Republicans out there.  Let the voter beware!

Phil Murphy tries to suppress voting in Sussex County

In a move that is rich in hypocrisy, the Murphy administration has “ordered” the Sussex County Clerk, Jeff Parrott, not to place on the ballot a public question that allows voters in that county to instruct their Sheriff on the Sanctuary State directive issued by Governor Murphy’s attorney general.  The ballot question gives voters a choice to instruct their county Sheriff to (1) obey the state directive or (2) follow the laws passed by the Congress of the United States of America, signed by successive Presidents of both parties, and upheld by the United States Supreme Court. 

So Phil Murphy is telling Sussex County that they must obey him – and join him in disobeying the laws of the United States of America.  And he is attempting to suppress the rights of voters to have a say in the matter.

The “order” was issued by Murphy ally Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, who Murphy appointed in January of 2018.  The Attorney General is the scion of a very wealthy but controversial family of developers.  And it is no secret that Grewal is angling for a spot in some future Democrat administration in Washington, DC, if he can get past the confirmation hearings (which are a whole lot tougher in Washington than they are in Trenton).  That controversial family of developers thing again (it’ll get you every time).

The “order” to deprive the voters of their right to voice their opinions on a ballot question pits Murphy and Grewal against Sussex County’s Sheriff, Mike Strada, who has strongly supported the ballot question and opposed Murphy’s Sanctuary State plan every step of the way. Strada, a career law enforcement officer who led a U.S. Army platoon in Iraq (Desert Storm), has no time for federal law breakers like Murphy and Grewal.

Murphy & Grewal vs. Sheriff Mike Strada

New Jersey Herald reporter Bruce Scruton did a good job of covering this breaking story, which appeared on that newspaper’s website late last night.  It can be accessed here:

https://www.njherald.com/20190524/attorney-general-nixes-countys-anti-sanctuary-ballot-question

Reactions from the Freeholders have been mixed, with some clearly in the mood to stand up for the rights of voters and others a bit tepid.  Four of the five member freeholder board cast votes in support of the ballot question earlier this year, but there is a long history in Sussex County of elected officials taking the advice of “go-along-to-get-along” establishment types.  This is what lured them into the solar debacle that cost taxpayers $26 million but has yet to identify a guilty party (despite nearly $600,000 in “studies” to find out what went wrong and who done it).

You can’t put a cost on doing the right thing – and the right thing is standing up for the right to vote and the primacy of the Constitution of the United States of America.  Too often doing the right thing is dismissed on grounds of cost (unless it can be monetized, as with the $600,000 in “studies” into the solar debacle). 

This is a moment of truth for Sussex County Republicans.  We’ve heard a lot about the “walk away” movement among the Democrats.  Republicans should understand the frustrations of their own base – at least enough to prevent a “walk away” movement of their own.

This Saturday: Stand against Gov. Murphy in Sussex County

Governor Phil Murphy has cut education funding for Sussex County and his administration has dragged its feet on stopping illegal dumping in Vernon. 

Murphy is pushing a bizarre New-Left agenda of making taxpayers pay for illegal immigrants with his Sanctuary State programs to fund subsidized legal and education benefits for illegals.  Murphy has allowed dangerous criminals to flow into New Jersey, simply because they claim illegal immigrant status, while he works to take away the rights of New Jersey residents to defend themselves and their families from violence.  

Murphy has driven out jobs (over 9,000 last month alone) with higher business taxes and higher property taxes, while calling for taxes on everything up to and including the rain. His administration is a by-word for corruption – not only hiring convicted politicians who ripped-off taxpayers, but even tolerating the rape of its own female employees.

This Saturday, you have a chance to let him know in person just how pissed off we are.  Governor Murphy will be in Sussex County to place his stamp of approval on Democrat Assembly candidates Deana Lykins, an insurance industry lobbyist, and Dan Smith, the city attorney of Orange, in Essex County.

Murphy will be arriving at an event put on by the Sussex County branch of the Trenton Democrats.  The event starts at around 9 in the morning.  Murphy is supposed to get there by 10.  The location for the event is the Walden Village Clubhouse, 1 Rolling Brook Way, Hardyston. 

The New Jersey Herald announced that the event will be “open to the public” but that might change on Saturday.  That’s how Murphy rolls.

Bill Hayden of the Skylands Tea Party is organizing a counter-protest.  You can and should access his effort at

https://www.facebook.com/events/1991865810926266/?ti=icl

This is a great opportunity to tell the Governor about the illegal dump in Vernon and about his cuts to education funding in Sussex County.

Thugs attempt to shut down discussion of candidate Boden’s record

Yesterday, the New Jersey Herald reported that Andy Boden, a challenger to Republican Sheriff Mike Strada, was suspended from duty in January, per a determination by Undersheriff John Tomasula and Dr. Matthew Guller of the Institute of Forensic Psychology, and is awaiting a "fitness-for-duty evaluation”.  You can read the full story here:

https://www.njherald.com/20190319/sheriff-candidate-suspended-from-job

Again and again we have publicly asked Candidate Boden for his side of things and offered the use of this website for that purpose.  We have invited Boden and his campaign to provide documentation that would dispute the documentation provided by Boden’s own attorney, which is the basis of the Herald story.  On at least a dozen occasions we have published requests for this and have assured him that will publish whatever he sends, unedited.

Instead of taking us up on the offer, those around Andy Boden have resorted to the tactic, used by Antifa and other far-left advocates, of silencing any opinion they happen to disagree with.  Instead of free and open discourse about a candidate who wants to be the top law enforcement officer in Sussex County, we have received threats and thuggery of the most Neanderthal variety.

The message of the thugs who surround Andy Boden is clear:  If you attempt to bring up why Candidate Boden was suspended by a police psychiatrist, the Boden team will hurt you and will personally attack anyone they believe might be against their candidate.  Frenzied, aimless attacks, in the manner of a mad dog.

One Boden insider, who is himself an elected official in Sussex Borough, went so far as to attack Senator Steve Oroho over this, apparently unaware that Boden is a supporter of the Senator.  Again, these are frenzied, aimless attacks that fail to take reality into account.  Another Boden-backer took time from his work at a real estate office in Vernon to attack Senator Oroho’s consultant from his 2017 campaign… simply because the Boden-backer “believed” he was involved.

This is crazy, shoot-first-ask-questions-later behavior.  Which, in a way, is the whole worry in the first place. 

So let’s recap.  The New Jersey Herald ran a balanced story on the case of Andy Boden, who is now running for office against the head of the department that suspended him – Sheriff Mike Strada.  Citing a letter written by Boden’s attorney to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, here’s what the Herald wrote:

The letter begins by saying the law firm has been retained "with respect to his (Boden's) suspension as a result of a Jan. 16, determination by Undersheriff John Tomasula and Dr. Matthew Guller of the Institute of Forensic Psychology."

The letter then asked that the document be accepted in lieu of a more formal petition for interim relief "as Lieutenant Boden has been orally advised that as of Monday, March 4, 2019, he is no longer on paid leave status and he is being required to use his own time while he undergoes counseling with a licensed mental health professional."

The Institute for Forensic Psychology was founded in 1972 and built a reputation for providing services for police applicants, recruits and on-duty officers throughout northern New Jersey as well as several federal law enforcement and other agencies, according to its webpage and other newspaper stories.

That is what Boden’s attorney wrote.

That’s right, a prison officer who carries a loaded firearm at work was suspended “while he undergoes counseling with a licensed mental health professional.”  That sounds to us like the right move by Sheriff Strada.  Why take chances when you have an employee who carries a firearm suffering from what could be a serious psychological issue?  Let him get the help he needs to get back on his feet, then re-evaluate him to see if he is fit for duty.  Don’t brush it under the rug and hope that the problem attends to itself.

Unfortunately, the Antifa-like thugs who surround Candidate Boden don’t think the voters should be allowed to know any of this.  Instead, they go mad dog on anyone they even believe dares to think about it.   They attack Sheriff Strada, accusing Strada of suspending Boden, when Boden’s own attorney clearly admits that it was a police psychiatrist who suspended Boden.  Haven’t we had too many deadly incidents concerning firearms to simply ignore the concerns of a police psychiatrist?  Don’t we have the right to ask questions?  Or should we expect to be bullied and threatened just for asking?

Once again, we invite Andy Boden to present any documentation he has to correct the record that his own attorney provided.  We invite candidate Boden the use of this website to provide us with his perspective.  We will publish what he sends us.

Lafayette resident calls out Herald on Gottheimer

Lafayette taxpayer Josh Aikens called out the New Jersey Herald for reporting that Democrat Congressman Josh Gottheimer was in attendance at the annual Sussex County St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday.  The parade was held in Newton, Gottheimer was the only elected official mentioned by name…but he was, in fact, a no show.  Records from Gottheimer’s own social media indicates that he was in Teaneck at the time of the parade in Newton. 

Aikens, who serves as the President of the Lafayette School Board, took to social media himself to complain about the Herald’s dishonest focus on Democrat Gottheimer, while other elected Republicans were ignored.  In recent years, the Herald has openly promoted Democrat Gottheimer.  This appears to be its editorial policy.

Matteson & Trish ignore modern slavery, human trafficking

In today's New Jersey Herald, Democrat candidates Matteson & Trish made one of their most foolish arguments to date, claiming that the Hank Williams Jr. band logo was the "most symbolic visual of slavery."  Once again, these argumentative and nit-picky schoolmarms demonstrated their complete lack of understanding and common sense.

Are they really so dense that they do not understand that there are more people in slavery today than at any time in human history?  According to the United Nations and other international agencies, there are upwards of 45 million or more people enslaved today across the world and millions within the United States.

Recently, the Democrats attended a campaign rally at which they displayed a banner with a symbol of that enslavement -- the Islamic crescent -- along with the wiccan symbol signifying the triumph of evil.  Islamists continue to believe in the enslavement of non-Muslims and Islamic countries are among the biggest offenders at turning a blind-eye or even officially condoning slavery.

Legislators like Senator Steve Oroho and Assemblyman Parker Space are leading the fight against modern slavery.  They have proposed the Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Act (S-2928/ A-4503).  Senator Oroho is considered a national leader -- up there with Ashton Kutcher -- in the fight against modern slavery.

The most "symbolic visual of slavery" today -- in 2017 -- is probably the flip-flops some appear to like so much, made with slave labor and sold with an enormous mark-up to willing American consumers.  There are a host of products and services that Americans use that depend on enslaved victims.  Then there is the sex trade -- including Internet porn -- that some Americans can't seem to live without.  Look there for slavery today.

Again and again, Matteson and Trish have demonstrated their insensitivity to the real problems of today.  They appear to live exclusively in the bubble of the one-percent and that is a big problem for average working people in Sussex, Warren, and Morris counties.

Will legislator be sued for trying to silence blog?

What did Assemblyperson Gail Phoebus mean when she told her Assembly colleague that Andover Township was going to silence Bill Winkler?

Phoebus, a former Andover Township Committee member, has targeted Winkler claiming that he is the "founder" of the Sussex County Watchdog blog.  Phoebus knows better, as the blog was created at the time of her first run for countywide office in 2012.  In fact, Phoebus' campaign mail featured the Watchdog in it, so she should know that the blog was founded by the late Rob Eichmann and has been maintained by a group of his associates ever since. Phoebus herself has contributed numerous stories to Watchdog.

Sussex County Watchdog has a long history with Andover Township that of late has become contentious.  The Watchdog has complained about Andover Township's failure to follow OPRA (Open Public Records Act) rules and has written about its failure to abide by the Open Public Meetings Act.  The blog acted as a whistleblower when it uncovered the improper way in which a recent resolution was drafted and passed.  Now that the blog has criticized Phoebus and her former colleagues in the Andover Township government, Phoebus is angry with the Watchdog.

What has upset Andover Township's politicians the most is Sussex County Watchdog's coverage of the former headquarters of the notorious American National Socialist Bund -- Andover Township's own Camp Nordland.  According to Assemblyperson Phoebus, township officials became incensed when the Watchdog made the following recommendations:

That Andover Township place a plaque at the site of the American National Socialist Bund's Camp Nordland, to honor the victims of the ideology practiced there; and that Andover Township donate all proceeds from events held at the former Nazi Beer Hall to organizations representing the victims of the Holocaust and their families.

Phoebus told a fellow legislator that Andover Township was going to "get" the person they held responsible.  And now, it appears that an attempt is being made. 

On Monday, October 31st, the Sussex County Watchdog blog posted a report about how an old Quaker gentleman had been accosted by Sussex County Freeholder Director George Graham and two Andover Township Committeemen.  The blog report is posted here:

http://www.sussexcountywatchdog.com/blog/2016/10/31/graham-supporters-accost-pro-lifer-at-gop-event.html

The incident took place at a GOP event held at the former headquarters of the notorious American National Socialist Bund.  For some strange reason, instead of demolishing the former Camp Nordland, the town leaders of Andover Township have maintained the building that hosted numerous Nazi, Fascist, and Ku Klux Klan rallies in the 1930's. 

The day after the Watchdog blog posted its story, the Deputy Mayor of Andover Township filed a harassment complaint against the old Quaker who was accosted by the three Sussex County politicians.  According to witnesses, one of the Andover Committeemen had threatened to "punch someone in the face," while another Andover Committeeman had threatened a bystander earlier that evening by saying "you better not be his (the old Quaker) friend."   

Of course, the people who run Andover Township would have you believe that it happened the other way round.  They want you to believe that a 60 year old Quaker assaulted a 40 year old Marine and his two comrades.  They want you to believe that writing about their political corruption is "harassment".

As David Danzis of the New Jersey Herald reported today, the Andover Township Deputy Mayor has filed a complaint against the alleged blogger:

http://www.njherald.com/20161214/county-political-consultant-faces-assault-harassment-charges

Really?  In America?  Are they really playing the old brown-shirt trick of beating up the Jew and then claiming he started it, in order to have him arrested?  Shame on the elected and appointed officials of Andover Township and shame on the residents who elected them and then stood by and let it happen.

Filing a false report is a serious offense, as is the attempt to deprive American citizens from exercising their First Amendment rights -- both the right to report the news and opinion, and the right to read it.  Of course, the former Hudson County Democrats who have switched their party registration and now occupy positions of power on the Sussex County Freeholder Board (Graham) and in Andover Township are following the playbook of where they came from.

A few years ago there was a similar case in Hudson County when the mayor of a city there decided that he wanted to "take down" an anonymous website that was publishing news and opinions that he didn't want published.  The mayor and his son conspired to "take down the website and to identify, intimidate, and harass those who operated and were associated with the website."  The United States Department of Justice takes such civil rights violations very seriously and the feds arrested both the mayor and his son.  The son took the rap and was convicted in federal court.     

Is there a similar conspiracy in Sussex County?  Watchdog knows the names of a great many political figures in Sussex County who were aware of this matter well before the accused was and that Assemblyperson Phoebus herself was making calls about it, spreading false information, and that she has expressed her animosity towards the Watchdog website and the individuals she claims are associated with it.  Yes, this stinks to high heaven! 

Will this end up in federal court?  If it does, it will impact you greatly if you are a taxpayer in Andover Township.  Remember, you elected them.  And you are responsible when they behave like fascist thugs.  As they say, stay tuned...

Is the Tea Party anti-First Amendment?

Earlier this week the Skylands Tea Party ran a paid advertisement in the New Jersey Herald inviting members of the public to attend a rally on Saturday, October 22nd.  It was accompanied by a press release, which formed the basis of the following NJ Herald story:

Rally planned for Newton Green Saturday in wake of gas tax hike

New Jersey Herald: Oct. 17, 2016 12:01 am

NEWTON -- The Skylands Tea Party and New Jersey Taxpayers' Association will hold a rally on Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Newton Green to demand a forensic audit of NJ Transit, the Transportation Trust Fund and Port Authority in response to the approved 23-cent gas tax hike signed by Gov. Chris Christie on Friday and set to take effect Nov. 1.

"We, the people of New Jersey, have been overtaxed and poorly governed for far too long," states a joint news release submitted by Harvey Roseff, vice president of the NJTA.

"The increased gas tax, one of the largest tax increases to ever hit the family, was a bridge too far and is unconscionable. Tax policy can't fix management problems -- the problem festers and grows."

The public event is scheduled to run 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"We are inviting friends and families to stand tall and ask for low-cost, efficient government to become the governing priority," states the event announcement.

http://www.njherald.com/20161017/rally-planned-for-newton-green-saturday-in-wake-of-gas-tax-hike

This was followed by an email from the Skylands Tea Party on October 18, 2016:

"We the People of this Garden State are staging a protest on Saturday, October 22nd.  It will be held at the Newton Green on the corner of Route 94 and Spring Street, beginning at 11:00 AM and ending at 1:00 PM."

That's an open invitation to a public meeting on public property.

But when some of the organizers of the rally found out that folks who don't necessarily share their point of view were thinking of taking them up on the offer, they flipped.  Sources claim they went to the Newton mayor's office with their concerns. 

We don't know what action the Mayor, a political ally of Assemblyperson Gail Phoebus, took.  What we do know is that a Newton police officer called people and suggested that they do not belong at the rally.  We don't know why these people were targeted or who gave their names to the police.  What is clear is that these people do not share the Tea Party's point of view.

How is that for silencing the opposition?  How is that for bullying the First Amendment? 

Anyone who uses armed government officers to eliminate the presence of opposing viewpoints, inconvenient as they may be, is nothing more than an old-fashioned Fascist.  Speech should be met with speech, ideas with ideas, not by men with guns.

Of course, we can understand the concerns some in the Tea Party might have for what some of their members might do to anyone at the rally who holds a different opinion.  Tea Party members have been going overboard using violent and pornographic images and language on social media to describe anyone who disagrees with them -- like this charming Tea Party member from Sussex County:

"All 545 sitting in DC right now are guilty of treason. And all those living who have sat over the past 2 decades, since the signing of NAFTA are, too. That is our reality, they should all be indicted, dragged out in chains, the evidence a matter of congressional record and unimpeachable. And all should be subject to all the consequences the law provides up to the firing squad."

If the Tea Party allows its members to behave this way then they should take responsibility for them.  They should not seek to protect them from any alternative opinion that might result in them going off their meds.  And they certainly should not be involving armed government officers in what should be a civilized, human-to-human exchange of ideas.