Gottheimer: Was Bridgegate an act of Terrorism?
/By Rubashov
According to the Oxford Dictionary, “terrorism” is a noun meaning “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) states:
“There is no single, universally accepted, definition of terrorism. Terrorism is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations as ‘the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives’ (28 C.F.R. Section 0.85).”
The FBI goes on to state: “A terrorist incident is a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, in violation of the criminal laws of the United States, or of any state, to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."
Well, let’s see…
Was closing the George Washington Bridge, with the help of men with guns (albeit sworn officers), trapping thousands in traffic – including “the children of Buono voters” on school buses “an act dangerous to human life”?
Fort Lee officials certainly thought so. They called it a threat to public safety. Emergency services concurred. So did the Port Authority.
The Executive Director of the Port Authority at the time believed that the closure “violated federal and state laws”.
We learned from the related proceedings in federal court – in particular from the allocutions in those proceedings – that the closure was an attempt to intimidate, to coerce, the government of Fort Lee and a segment of the civilian population.
And, for our final question: Did the closing of the George Washington Bridge in what became known as Bridgegate have a political objective?
Check the boxes. Then you decide. Was it an act of terrorism?
Dr. Paul Saxton, Superintendent of Ft. Lee’s schools, called Bridgegate a “plot”, an “act of terrorism”, and a “premeditated action designed and targeted toward the kids.” Is he right?
Of course, Trenton doesn’t think so. Governor Murphy doesn’t think so. The guy he picked to run the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness (NJOHSP) doesn’t think so. Congressman Josh Gottheimer doesn’t think so. Even Patrick Murray doesn’t think so. They who talk so much about “political extremism” and “domestic terrorism” don’t have much to say on those subjects as they apply to Bridgegate.
That’s because those involved were all insiders. Fellow members of the Trenton political class. And you don’t call fellow members names like “terrorist” or suggest that what they did was an act of political “extremism”. Instead, you appear on their radio show and wish them the best.
See… these people are “goodfellas”. They’ve been vetted by Trenton, somebody vouched for them as a “goodfella”. Nobody is ever horrified at what they do. Excuses are made for it. They get a pass.
But if you are not “of Trenton” – not a “goodfella” – you are subject to very different handling. For example, Congressman Gottheimer has accused his own constituents – average citizens – of “domestic terrorism”. He is a rich insider and they supported his opponent.
Then his local party operatives call their job to have them fired. Unlike in Bridgegate, no charges will ever be filed, because the accusation is based on an opinion. It isn’t a real crime. There will be no trial at which the accused might make a defense and clear their name. Those options will not be afforded them. It’s a form of political intimidation, of retribution – an aspect of what’s become known as “cancel culture”. We wonder, does Patrick Murray approve of this kind of “due process”?
Gottheimer is currently undertaking an experiment in which he is attempting to “cancel” an entire county within his own district, by accusing it of extremism and domestic terrorism. He’s brought in the Murphy administration to talk about this (curiously enough, at a time when they are refusing to talk about those 8,000 people they allowed to die in nursing and veterans’ homes).
They didn’t vote for him you see. It was his worst showing – and the reason couldn’t be the COVID relief funding formula he voted for that entirely cut the county out and all its municipalities. No, says Josh, it must be something else. The sin must be with them. They must be extremists. For why else would they not love me?
And for “evidence”, Gottheimer and Murray and Murphy and his NJOHSP all point to the same private organizations whose incomes depend on the public believing some problem is a “crisis” that needs their money right away to address it. Two unelected, secretive, unaccountable, undemocratic private organizations with a sales force who earn in excess of six figures: The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
Of course, these private organizations have a natural tendency to magnify a problem to increase the income from that problem. And so, we have the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) which last year crushed their 2017 intake of $74.2 million and are looking to do even better this year. They recently released a report claiming that New Jersey went from “12 incidents of reported hate propaganda in 2017 to 323 incidents in 2020.”
What is “hate propaganda”?
Is it like shutting down the George Washington Bridge?
No. According to Gannett’s Hannan Adely it is “flyers, banners and leaflets promoting racism, anti-Semitism and white power.” Hey guys, that is called reading material for idiots – but under the Bill of Rights, it is perfectly legal. You can buy Adolf Hitler’s rantings on Amazon.
We don’t burn books in this country. Even stupid books. Even “flyers, banners and leaflets”. Because we each get to make up our own minds about what is and isn’t stupid. That is the American way. Here to explain this very American concept – one that, once upon a time, united both Left and Right and in-between – is the great Ira Glasser, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from 1978 to 2001…
And by the way…
Is it any wonder that “incidents” of “hate” and “racism” and “white supremacism” are on the rise when nearly everything today is an “incident” of “hate” and “racism” and “white supremacism”?
Over the weekend, the Star-Ledger published an opinion piece by Patrick Murray, the Director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. It was titled “Hate is thriving in New Jersey”, and featured a Confederate flag. Murray cites the ADL report and claims “the recent growth of hate activity in New Jersey has been stunning.”
New Jersey is one of the most woke places in America – and when you expand the definition of “hate” you are going to get more of it. Look, a year ago Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, was a liberal champion. Today she is a “hater” and to defend her “crime” of “hate” – flying a Confederate flag as part of a display of flags – is “hate” speech.
A school in San Francisco named for her (Feinstein served as Mayor) had to change its name. Heck, they are pulling down statues of Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, apparently because he too was a “hater”.
Groups like the ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center ($471 million, 2018) are manufacturing “hate” at an unprecedented level by redefining what it is. Why? Because there is BIG MONEY in hate.
And that goes for the taxpayer funded budgets of agencies like the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness too. Nothing exists without a reason and if it wants its budget to grow – that reason is going to have to grow… or at least appear to grow.
Ponder this for a moment.
Across the United States, the ADL reported 5,125 cases of hateful messages last year, nearly double the 2,724 cases reported in 2019. And to “combat” this in New Jersey, the Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness (NJOHSP) wants a bigger cut of the state budget – more taxpayer money.
5,125 hateful messages.
The United States Justice Department, Bureau of Justice Statistics, claims “the self-reported incidence of rape or sexual assault more than doubled from 1.4 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 2017 to 2.7 in 2018.” It goes on: “Based on data from the survey, it is estimated that 734,630 people were raped (threatened, attempted, or completed) in the United States in 2018.”
734,630 rapes.
And yet, the Defund the Police movement has gutted the ability of some police forces to cope with this very real threat. A real crime. Not “hateful messages” or “flyers” – RAPE.
Hey, but this is New Jersey. Just like with Bridgegate, when someone is raped in New Jersey – and it involves an insider, a “goodfella” – everybody looks the other way. It happens all too often, and the prosecutors, the political class, the insiders, the “goodfellas” all want to ignore it and get past it. Just ask Katie Brennan.
Shame on our leaders for having their priorities so screwed up.
“Civil liberties victories never stay won, but must be fought for over and over again.”
Ira Glasser
