CAIR-NJ targets Pascrell/ pushing Election Day Voter Registration

By Rubashov

There is a shocking solipsism to the statements coming from CAIR-NJ and its partners – like American Muslims for Palestine New Jersey (AMP-NJ) and the Palestinian American Community Center (PACC). They keep insisting that humanity is divided into “sides” and that only those who they identify as being on their side can experience loss and suffering.
 

But that is a false construct. There are no sides, only actions. When a “soldier” rapes a woman, murders her, and then displays her body so that other “soldiers” can desecrate her corpse – that is an action against humanity itself. The members of CAIR-NJ, AMP, PACC share our common humanity and must, on some level, understand that what those men did is an action against all humanity, of which they are a part.
 

Later today, CAIR-NJ and American Muslims for Palestine New Jersey (AMP-NJ) will take a crack at Congressman Bill Pascrell. They are holding a “Joint Press Conference Calling on New Jersey Officials to Support Ceasefire in Gaza.” They must know the futility of a ceasefire that does not acknowledge Hamas’ deliberate attacks on civilian noncombatants, but neither group ever mentions this or the civilian women and children who have been adducted and held by Hamas.
 

They plan to hold the press conference at Congressman Pascrell’s office in Paterson. It is set for 1pm today.
 

CAIR-NJ and AMP-NJ’s press release reeks of an almost pathological solipsism:
 

“CAIR-NJ and AMP-NJ continue to mourn Israel’s massacre of Palestinians stand firmly in unwavering solidarity with Palestinians and their right to freedom. The two groups continue to call on New Jersey elected officials to respond to Palestinian civil society and Palestinian American’s calls to action as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza rapidly climbs.”
 

Screw humanity. We only care about our “side”.
 

CAIR-NJ and AMP-NJ are specifically targeting Pascrell because they believe they can exercise political power at the polls:
 

“Aside from issuing a statement on October 7 in support of Israel, Rep. Bill Pascrell has remained silent in the wake of Israel’s war on Gaza, even as Israel launched an airstrike on a hospital in Gaza, killing over 500 Palestinians, bringing the overall death toll in Gaza from the past week to over 1,000. The congressman represents a sizeable Palestinian and Muslim constituency.” 
 

Which brings us to CAIR-NJ’s number 1 ask for New Jersey legislators: A bill that allows voter registration at polling places.

Currently, voters who recently moved to New Jersey must also live at their address for 30 days to be considered a resident. One month to show that you have skin in the game is too much for CAIR-NJ. They argue that changing this “is more reflective of who we are as a country”. What with homelessness on the rise and borders-in-name-only perhaps it is, but is that a good thing?
 

Given that residency requirements to vote (or even run for office) are notoriously weak – essentially you live where you say you live – the 30-day rule is all that is keeping us from the possibility of roving voters. Imagine people showing up on election day to throw an election one way or another. Hey, I moved in with my friend today, I say I live here so I can vote. Nothing would prevent them from moving on to a new voting district for the next election.
 

The legislation is A1966/S247. 19 Democrats are proposing it in the Assembly. The Senate version is cosponsored by Vin Gopal and Andrew Zwicker, among other Democrats. There’s one Republican cosponsor: Jon Bramnick.

Here’s Bramnick explaining why he believes this is a good idea: 

Democrats need to address anti-Semitism in their party

While we appreciate their concern for such things as “re-tweets,” Democrat State Committee Chairman John Currie, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, and Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver should spend some time looking inward, at their own party, and to the sickening cult of anti-Semitism present within it. 

It calls itself the BDS Movement – the Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.  As New Jersey Democrat Josh Gottheimer has said, the BDS Movement targets Israel.  Democrat Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib are among its leaders.   

According to the co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force on Combatting Anti-Semitism, “The BDS movement demonizes Israel and Jews and applies a double standard whereby Israel is always wrong, and the ‘oppressed’ Palestinians are always in the right – regardless of whether groups such as Hamas are engaging in terrorist acts upon Israeli citizens.”

Earlier this week, the United States Congress passed a resolution denouncing the BDS Movement on a vote of 398 to 17.  The only New Jersey House member to vote against it was Bonnie Watson Coleman. 

Shouldn’t the Democrat State Committee have taken the opportunity to make its position known on the BDS Movement and on Congresswoman Watson Coleman’s vote?  We know that “tweets” are important, even “retweets,” but actual votes on legislation we believe are so much more important.

As a member of the Assembly, Democrat Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver was one of just three legislators to oppose a resolution that prohibited investment of state pension and annuity funds in anti-Jewish companies that followed the BDS Movement boycott of the Jewish State and Jewish businesses.  We would like to know if the Lt. Governor has changed her position on the BDS Movement since taking that vote?  We think that should interest the Democrat Party as well.

“Tweets” are important.  So are “re-tweets”.  But so are votes in Congress and the Legislature.