Janaury 18th, 2011: NJ 3rd District Congressman wants to know "Who's Coming to the US From China?"
Congressman Jon Runyan is launching an investigation of the Obama Administration for refusing to "reveal who is coming from China" for a state visit this week.
"The only thing I heard from the White House was a question, 'Who is coming from China?'. This administration needs to be more open with the American people regarding foreign affairs," said newly elected Congressman. "This is outrageous."
Last week, the Obama administration issued an update of the presidential schedule to newly elected Speaker of the House John Boehner, and he passed the information onto Runyan in a phone conversation. We obtained the transcript:
Speaker Boehner: Hu is coming from China.
Rep. Runyan: That's what I want to find out.
Speaker Boehner: That's what I said: Hu is coming from China.
Rep. Runyan: Are you the Speaker?
Speaker Boehner: Yes.
Rep. Runyan: And you don't know this Chinaman's name?
Speaker Boehner: Well, I should.
Rep. Runyan: Well, then who's coming from China?
Speaker Boehner: Yes.
Rep. Runyan: I mean the fellow's name.
Speaker Boehner: Hu.
Rep. Runyan: The guy coming from China.
Speaker Boehner: Hu.
Rep. Runyan: The Chinese guy having dinner with Obama.
Speaker Boehner: Hu.
Rep. Runyan: The guy eating in the White House...
Speaker Boehner: Hu is having dinner with Obama!
Rep. Runyan: I'm asking YOU who's having dinner with Obama
January 13th 2011: Governor announces plan to deal with Gannett Newspapers Announced Layoff Plans: "We plan to create less news. This will become a government about 'nothing'."
The Gannett Company, owners of the largest newspaper chain in the nation, announced staff layoffs in three daily New Jersey newspapers. The Gannett Company includes the Courier News in Somerville, the Home News Tribune of East Brunswick and the Daily Record in Morris County. Ninety-nine staffers at the papers will have to apply for 53 remaining positions which amounts to the elimination of approximately half the editorial staff. Gannett has sought assistance from the Math Department at Rutgers to determine exactly "what percentage of 99 is 53."
The Gannett Company, seeking assistance from the governor's office and the people of New Jersey, issued a request through the New Jersey Business Action Center for the governor to issue an Executive Order requiring "elected officials around the state to do less, maintain a lower rate of activity by at least 50%, and do 'less with less'."
The mayor of a small central New Jersey town, who wish to remain anonymous, said, "For years they've been asking us to do more with less; for a while we had to do less with more; and now they're asking us to do less with less-it's all getting very confusing."
"If we can count on cooperation of New Jersey's state senators, assemblyman, mayors, and locally elected officials to create less news by doing less in their communities, we can ride the wave of this recession by using fewer reporters to report the less news created," said George H. White, Executive Director of the New Jersey Press Association.
Both Gov. Christie and Senate President Steve Sweeney were ready to do their part: "... I am ready to do less about the financial problems facing New Jersey small towns and create less news," said the governor in a statement issued by spokesman Michael Drewniak.
"I am also ready to continue abstaining on important issues coming before the state Senate in order to create less news," said Senate President Sweeney. "Working together we can do less and less, so as to help the New Jersey newspaper industry to survive this recession."
In other news, JWoww of MTV's "Jersey Shore" (real name Jenni Farley) filed an Order To Show Cause in court in a bid to stop her former lover and manager from cashing in on nude pictures he had taken of her.
"I'd hate for such photos to destroy my pristine image," said JWoww.
And now we enter Earth Two--a parallel universe where Chris Christie is the CEO of a major corporation.
The Republicans always say that we should be running government more like a business. A business, they say should be run as a for-profit enterprise answerable to investors whose only goal is to make money. Where every dime and every dollar is accounted for, and all employees and management are held to the highest standards of accountability and responsibility and credibility.
And so we travel to Earth Two---a parallel universe where Chris Christie is the CEO of a major corporation--NJ Industries--a company whose principal place of business is located in a small Northeastern state just off the Atlantic, and who has factories and offices all over the state employing thousands of workers.
(Just for my own amusement, Earth Two is very much like Earth One with a couple of minor exceptions: number one-Al Gore was elected President of the United States in the year 2000 and just completed his second term at the end of 2008; the Yankees went on to beat the Boston Red Sox in four straight games in 2004 and then went on to win the World Series that year; and from 1968 to 1974 I played small forward for the New York Knicks, coming off the bench to substitute for Bill Bradley periodically. Oh, also I taught Phil Jackson all he knows about basketball those years. But I digress...).
As it turns out CEO Chris Christie of NJ Industries decided to take a vacation with his family to DisneyWorld--while a snow blizzard crisis was taking place that closed all the NJ Industries around the state, putting thousands of workers out of work. Additionally, the Deputy-CEO Kim Guadagno arranged to be out of the country with her family in Mexico--approved by CEO Christie.
After Christie returned from DisneyWorld, he was called before the NJ Industries Board of Directors, led by Board President Steve Sweeney who was left in charge of NJ Industries during Christie's vacation.
Board President Sweeney: " Sir, why didn't you return to help deal with the blizzard crisis at NJ Industries once you knew about it?"
CEO Christie: "I would have been doing the same thing here as I would have been there," Christie said, "I would have been in a room someplace. I would not have been out, like, driving a plow."*
Board President Sweeney: "Sir, no one is suggesting that you should be out there plowing the snow yourself...but what about all the factory workers who couldn't get to their jobs...".
CEO Christie: "If someone is snowed into their house, that's not our responsibility, --- I know who they are and they should buck up and take responsibility for the fact that they didn't do their job."*
Board President Sweeney: "Sir, you are the CEO of NJ Industries and you're elected for your leadership skills. You left me in charge and never even called me from Florida to let me know what was going on."
CEO Christie: "...You--Sweeney and I consulted on all of the significant decisions that needed to be made during the period of my time out of the state...we never once disagreed on what needed to be done."*
Board President Sweeney: "I never spoke to you the entire time...you and I never spoke until you got back."
CEO Christie: "You can decide to be a showboat, hop on a plow and act like you're doing something or you can actually put leadership skills to work that put competent people with good character in important positions,".*
Board President Sweeney: "As CEO, don't you think you have a responsibility to our investors and employees?"
CEO Christie: "I know what my responsibility is. And I know my responsibility as a father. I wanted to be there with my kids... I had a great five days with my children. I promised that....my wife warned me to not 'even think about' canceling the trip."*
Board President Sweeney: "Any final thoughts on this issue, sir?"
CEO Christie: "All of the Monday morning quarterbacking and the harping and complaining should just take a breath".*
Board President Sweeney: "Thank you, sir. We will be meeting with the Board of Directors, and let you know if your actions in the crisis constitute a need to replace you permanently--- applying standard business principles in a capitalist society."
And CEO Christie on Earth Two signed a letter seeking money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help cover cleanup costs related to the storm---even though he opposed the bailouts from the federal government two other industries during the Earth Two recession.
* Governor Christie's actual answers to questions posed by the press regarding his absence from New Jersey---on Earth One.
If Chris Christie has his way, no other elected official in the United States will be able to use the expression, "This is WHO I Am!". This has been the governor's signature way of expressing to the New Jersey public exactly who he is, with a capital WHO.
In 1946, Congress passed the Lanham Act, which currently defines federal protection and registration for trademarks in the United States. And with his new found international fame due to the New Jersey blizzard crisis, Christie has decided to trademark expression, "This is WHO I Am!". The story about Christie staying in Disney World while New Jersey tried to dig itself from more than 2 feet of snow has been the topic of blogs and newspapers all over the world, and even the front pages at the London Daily Mail.
This is an expression that he used for the first time in his early candidate debates against former Gov. John Corzine. But Gov. Christie began to be known for the expression "This is WHO I Am!" in his viral video attacks on teachers, especially Flemington teacher Marie Corfield. Corfield challenged Christie over state education cuts at a town hall meeting in September. Their tense exchange was posted on YouTube.
Earlier this year, the governor was challenged by Star-Ledger columnist Tom Moran during a press conference at the State House for his 'confrontational tone'. The governor's response: " Tom, you must be very thin-skinned...This is WHO I Am!'."
If the governor's trademark application is approved, the expression will have to be printed this way by the media: "This is WHO I Am! ™"---With the word 'who' in capital letters; always with an exclamation point; and followed by the legal trademark symbol, 'TM'.
"According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, there are two other current users of the 'This is who I am! expression: One by the Richline Group, for jewelry. And one by the WNBA, for its use in 'entertainment and educational services in the nature of ongoing television and radio programs in the field of basketball'," said Marc Manshen, a trademark attorney with Lowe, Ball & Lynch of Bayonne.
Neither could be reached for comment, but Manshen gave reassurances that "the governor does not wear 'womens jewelry', nor does he play basketball", so there is the unlikely possibility for any consumer confusion.
"The only major issue we anticipate in the application is the use of a similar expression, 'I Yam What I Yam!' registered by Time Warner, continued Manshen.
"But the governor looks nothing like Popeye, the character who is most closely associated with the expression. Nor is the governor a fictional character."
"The war against Christmas has been perpetrated by the Jews in New Jersey, and this has caused the blizzard conditions that impacted towns from Bergen County to Cape May," declared New Jersey State Tea Party chair Donald Bardus Swartz, of Teaneck.
"Schools, malls, public squares, municipal buildings--are all prevented from singing traditional religious Christian Christmas carols such as 'Little Drummer Boy', 'Silent Night', 'O Little Town of Bethlehem'----or any song that mentions God or Jesus Christ."
Swartz, one of the original founders of the New Jersey State Tea Party, said that the ACLU worked along with the Jews in order to make sure that "Christ was not kept in Christmas this year".
"We have been relegated to sing such songs as 'Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!', 'Walking In A Winter Wonderland' and 'Frosty The Snow Man!'. It is obvious to us that this so confused God, that the message the Lord received is that we wanted it to snow---instead of wanting to keep Christ in Christmas. Apparently, from God, you get what you pray for."
Swartz said that it was no wonder that Governor Christie stayed in Florida, with so much snow in New Jersey. "Where would you rather be---in a godless state or on Main Street USA with Mickey?"
In other news, it was reported that Governor Christie was prevented from riding Space Mountain due to the Magic Kingdom requirement that 'all passengers on this ride must be smaller than the Mountain itself."
Joey airs his grievances, it must be Festivus. Promoted by Rosi
Happy Festivus, New Jersey!
It's that time of year again to get out your unadorned aluminum pole, and celebrate Festivus.
For those of you unfamiliar with the holiday of Festivus, "the holiday, as portrayed in the Seinfeld episode and now celebrated by many, includes practices such as the "Airing of Grievances," which occurs during the Festivus meal and in which each person tells everyone else all the ways they have disappointed him or her over the past year. After the meal the "Feats of Strength" are performed, involving wrestling the head of the household to the floor, with the holiday ending only if the head of the household is actually pinned."
And so, in the spirit of the holiday of Festivus, I share with you today how people in New Jersey politics have disappointed me over the past year 2010:
Gov. Chris Christie: How could anybody expect this Governor not to be on the list of any Democrat in New Jersey celebrating Festivus?
Losing $400 million in Race To The Top Funding. Vilifying NJEA. Yelling at teachers and reporters. Stopping the ARC Tunnel. List too long to list here. No wonder his tide is turning more than the Jersey Shore's.
Bear Hunters: What's the matter? Hunting and killing Bambi not macho enough for you? So, you need to go after Yogi and Boo-Boo?
State Senator Loretta Weinberg: For not getting elected Lieutenant Governor. I know it is heaven to have you in the Senate where you still give them hell. But, I know as Lieutenant Governor you would have done so much more than just look adoringly over the shoulder of the Governor as he vetoes bills.
Senate President Steve Sweeney: For his abstention on Marriage equality, and lack of leadership in general. Has not lived up to all the leadership hype as of yet, and is pale in comparison to his predecessor. Lots more will be expected in 2011.
Assemblyman Alex DeCrocce: For his Scrooge-like opinion about the unemployed work force in NJ being lazy: ("I'm one of the few people here ... who feel that benefits are too good for these people,"). And he is the Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Leadership Committee? What a moron.
Wally Edge for revealing himself: This is a secret that would have survived just fine, like Dear Abby or the Dread Pirate Roberts.
The entire Republican Congressional Delgation from NJ: For being on the wrong side of history and not voting to repeal "Don't Ask/Don't Tell"---Including my own Congressman Leonard Lance. Land mines don't make distinctions based on sexuality and neither should you. Shame on you all.
The 44 folks indicted for corruption: The electeds and rabbis who went to trial this year did nothing to enhance the reputation of New Jersey corruption, and just served to help the folks who produced "The Soprano State" make some bucks.
Cast of "Jersey Shore", "Real Housewives of New Jersey": Not quite as bad as the Corrupt 44, but you are enablers of the Jersey jokes written for late night hosts Leno, Fallon, Letterman and Ferguson. Snooki, please go back to NY.
Statue of Lou Costello: For not coming to life and making us laugh all year. We needed some good laughs this year, and you were not on First.
Mayor Anna Little: For distorting Frank Pallone's record over and over again in your campaign for Congress. And for your wacky ideas on governance.
Future Ex-Congressman John Adler: For voting against the healthcare bill because he thought it would give him a win in the second term; and for having a hand (if true) in running a fake Tea Party candidate. While I was proud of State Senator Adler, Congressman John Adler disappointed me.
The entire New Jersey population at large: Over the last decade New Jersey's population grew, but at a rate much more slowly then either Texas or Florida. I am very disappointed that the New Jersey population could not distract itself more often from watching the Jets or Giants, reading the Star-Ledger or the Asbury Park Press or listening to Jon Bon Jovi or Bruce long enough to schtup more often to increase your numbers. Now the very Republican states of Texas and Florida will have more influence in Congress.
And I am sure you can add your own.
Now, on to 2011, and the Feats of Strength. Between being a legislative election year, and a year we lose a Congressman, we will need all the strength we can muster.
Gov.Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak announced Saturday,
...the governor has spent most of his first year in office working on the problem of overpaid educators and lazy administrative staff in New Jersey. In 2011, he will be looking for new 'victims' to bully. While the governor enjoys the YouTube attention he has been getting at Town Meetings around New Jersey, where he is able to attack overpaid teachers regularly, he is looking for new groups of people to turn into problems.
Amongst some of the people and groups that the governor is considering bullying in 2011 are nuns, children with disabilities, the homeless, people who live in Pennsylvania but work in New Jersey and, possibly, moderate Republicans who describe themselves as "socially liberal and fiscally conservative."
Drewniak said that the governor is seeking input from the public on who he should bully in 2011 and even put up a website --www.whoshallchristiebullyin2011?.com with a survey for the public to take.
We welcome the public's opinion on this very important issue. There were many groups to attack in New Jersey but the governor has limited time. We need a group with many members, who have time to show up at town meetings and engage the governor for his YouTube channel bullying,
finished Drewniak.
In other news, Sunday two hunters from South Jersey were arrested in Sussex County for indecent exposure as they were hunting naked.
I am sorry, but I just misunderstood what they meant by a six day 'bare' hunt. It's not my fault, it could have happened to anyone.
promoted by Rosi Cross-posted from Jersey Jazzman; click through for all links.
TRENTON -- In an announcement that surprised very few in Trenton, Governor Chris Christie formally announced today that Jim Gearhart, morning DJ on radio station NJ 101.5 FM, is Christie's choice to be the new Commissioner of Education for New Jersey.
"Obviously, Jim has been directing education policy since I took office," explained Christie. "I figured that I may as well make it official. Anything to get the press to stop listening to Bret Schundler - and I don't have any more tunnels to shut down."
"It's about time!' proclaimed Gearhart. "I've only been able to do limited damage behind my microphone to the teaching profession; now I'll really be able to wreak havoc. Hey, Chris, two sugars, lots of milk - right now, big man, let's go!"
"Absolutely, Mr. Gearhart, right away!" said Christie. "But before I go, just a quick word about your salary. In a show of solidarity with the New Jersey taxpayer, Jim has agreed to accept a salary equal to that of the median teacher salary in NJ: $57, 467. His pay will increase 1.58% a year, until I get the merit pay system in place; after that, it may not increase at all.
"Oh, Jim, I almost forgot: you've got to shave 7% off of the top right away for pensions and health insurance, and I'll be cutting that even more: if my plan goes through, you'll lose at least another 7% off of that. But, hey, those 'gold-plated benefits' are great, right?"
Well, only kinda sorta. Actually, the American Red Cross Tri-County Chapter is having it's inaugural Mayor's Jail and Bail today to raise money for local disaster relief. Elected officials and other community leaders have been invited to participate by being "arrested" and having to make "bail" to get out.
Time is running out - these folks are going to the clink if they don't post bail by today. Can you help these jail birds get out?:
Jail Bird Mayors Colleen Mahr, Mayor of Fanwood
Victor Sordillo, Mayor of Warren
Antonia Ricigliano, Mayor of Edison
Michael Giordano, Mayor of North Plainfield
Jim Kennedy, Mayor of Rahway
Joseph DeIorio, Mayor of Roselle Park
Nancy Malool, Mayor of Scotch Plains
Albert Ellis, Mayor of Watchung
Elected Official Jail Birds: Derek Armstead, Councilman of Linden
Domenick Bratti, Scotch Plains Councilman
Larissa Chen, Councilwoman of Roselle Park
Angel Estrada, Union County Freeholder
Mary Forbes, Councilwoman of North Plainfield
Everett Merill, Councilman of North Plainfield
Jamel Holley, Councilman of Roselle
Rick Proctor, Union County Freeholder
Douglas Singleterry, Councilman of North Plainfield
Anthony Sytko, Councilman of Garwood
Is it true that sensational headlines capture a reader's attention? The American Red Cross, and these good folks sure hope so. :)
In an Ask the Governor radio show last night on 101.5, Governor Chris Christie revealed that his administration's "error" on the Race To The Top funding was an elaborate stunt for MTV's new Jackass movie, based on the show of the same name. Jackass ran on MTV from 2000 to 2002, and featured people performing various ridiculous and self-injuring stunts.
We think this stunt definitely fit their criteria,
Christie told the 101.5 hosts.
Christie told the Jersey Guys that he
had been a fan of the crude-stunt movie series for years
and was actively seeking advice from his Cabinet for a stunt that could appear in the new movie, to be released in October:
We need something that is wacky---dangerous, crude, ridiculous, and self-injuring for New Jersey
, Christie told his Cabinet in June. Former Education Commissioner Brett Schundler recommended the stunt involving losing the Race To The Top funding.
This will get us national exposure
, an enthusiastic Schundler told the Governor, back in the early summer. Although Christie said his Race To The Top stunt had been a hit, he warned New Jersey towns,
Do not - I repeat - do not try this in your own school district. Leave this type of thing to the professionals in Trenton.
The Governor said he first tried imitate a Jackass stunt back in 2002, when he was in a traffic accident that injured a motorcyclist in Newark. Back then, Christie drove down the wrong way on a one-way street, playing 'chicken' with motorcyclist Andre Mendonca.
But I guess that was not wacky or dangerous enough to get on the MTV show back then
, Christie told the 101.5 hosts Monday night.
In Newark this week, where Christie and Mayor Booker were receiving a $100 million check from FaceBook founder Mark Zuckerberg, the Jackass news was astoundingly well-received.
When Christie told the State Senate that NJ lost $400 million, we thought he was just joking," said Senate President Steve Sweeney, But it's gratifying to know New Jersey is getting national exposure for things beyond Snooki and Tony Soprano.
In other news, the Christie administration revealed today that they have been in negotiations for the governor to appear on an episode of the new Bravo network show The Real Teachers of New Jersey, insulting one of the show's teacher stars at a town meeting.
Stanhope, N J - A big black and brownish grizzly bear wandered into the auditorium last night at a Back To School gathering at Stanhope Regional High School.
He growled at the crowd of parents for almost fifteen minutes, before attendees realized he was not Governor Christie. The grizzly bear held the rapt attention of the 150 parent attendees as he growled, snarled and gnashed his teeth ----- ultimately receiving enthusiastic applause from the confused and mostly Republican crowd.
Hermione Turtletaub, the civics teacher at the high school, got into a shouting match with the 'governor', when he interrupted her several times with loud roars. Turtletaub, who has been a teacher for 24 years, was condemning the bear for his attacks on the NJEA, when the bear got up on his hind legs and dropped his 'business' right on the stage.
At the time, I was not at all shocked at how rude he appeared to be, shared Turtletaub, I saw those town meeting videos on YouTube.
Glenn Johnson, the parent of a high school senior, observed,
I voted for him and liked what he had to say here tonight.
When it became evident that the bear was not actually Governor Christie, Johnson admitted that he did
have some trouble understanding the bear about half way through the speech.
High school cafeteria manager Chet Agostino was the first to realize the bear's true identity when the brown grizzly made his way just outside the cafeteria, and began eating through the food trash bin:
I knew somethin' was amiss-the last time the governor was here, he had state police with him when he was at them food bins.
Meanwhile, Sussex County Republican Chair Ailish Hambel called a meeting of the County Committee this week to determine if the bear was eligible to run in a primary against Assemblywoman Alison McHose in 2011, saying,
That bear shows the kind of leadership skills we need in the legislature representing Sussex County.
Not to be outdone by his cross town rivals at Facebook, Tom Anderson, one of the original founders of MySpace, pledged to donate over 100 million free MySpace accounts to each of the students in the Newark school system.
This is a wonderful day for the students of Newark, said Anderson, This way they can hook up with each other and they can concentrate on their studies of current events like the legal problems of Lindsay Lohan or what kind of meat Lady GaGa is wearing to the Grammys.
On board for the presentation was former Newark Mayor Sharpe James and former TV host Jerry Springer.
You can't fix schools by throwing money at a problem. The hundred million dollars that Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook gave to the city school system won't help fight off a rival gang in MafiaWars or find a lost cow in FarmVille,
said Jerry Springer.
Anderson, in fact, had been looking to do something big in education.
I have no doubt if I hadn't been given those opportunities, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to build MySpace and give away these free accounts."
Why did he become interested in Booker - and Newark?
I just thought, this is the guy I want to invest in, Anderson said. This is a person who can create change.
And to think it all began with a chance meeting on FaceBook.
"Anderson and I have been friends on Facebook for about three years," said Mayor Booker, "... if it weren't for that social networking site, this might've never happened. The next thing I'm working on right now is a free Yahoo e-mail account for every resident of Newark."
Sometimes, I am not the swiftest guy who lives in New Jersey and who follows politics. Over the years, I have definitely found it difficult to tell the difference between New Jersey's two Peter Cammaranos and the two John Farmers.
Thank God for Google and Wikipedia.
So, for those of you who are like me, who could not tell the difference, I provide the following information which I found Googling and Wikipedia-ing.
First of all, there is Pete Cammarano who is a partner in the lobbying firm of Cammarano and Hagan. His partner is Kevin P. Hagan, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor James E. McGreevey.
That Cammarano served as Chief of Staff to Governor Richard Codey and in this capacity, was responsible for overseeing all legislative and executive branch activities in New Jersey. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, That Cammarano spent ten years working in the New Jersey State Senate as Senator Codey's Chief of Staff. He previously served as the Director of Public Affairs for the Department of Insurance during the tenure of Governor Florio, and as Deputy Director for United States Senator Frank Lautenberg's 1994 reelection campaign.
Now the Other Pete Cammarano is Peter J. Cammarano III, the 37th Mayor of Hoboken serving from July 1, 2009, to July 3th 2009. At 32, Cammarano became the youngest mayor in history. Not bad, so far.
Unfortunately, on July 23, 2009, just twenty-three days after assuming the office of mayor, This Cammarano was arrested by the FBI as part of a major corruption and international money laundering conspiracy crime probe known as Operation Bid Rig . This Cammarano was charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey with accepting $25,000 in cash bribes from an undercover cooperating witness. Ooops!
At the time, I am sure that That Cammarano was not very happy with the work of This Cammarano.
While That Cammarano serves as a member of the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, This Cammarano is serving 24 months in a federal penitentiary.
Now, to the John Farmers.
This John J. Farmer, Jr. is a lawyer; he attended Georgetown University receiving a J.D. degree in 1986. After law school, he worked as a clerk for New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Alan B. Handler. In 1997, Governor Christie Todd Whitman appointed This Farmer Attorney General . He continued to serve under Donald DiFrancesco after Whitman's resignation. This Farmer currently serves as dean of Rutgers School of Law Newark .
This John J. Farmer, Jr.'s father is John Farmer, Sr., That John Farmer (for the purposes of our analysis) is the legendary Star-Ledger editorial page editor. To make things even more confusing, This John J. Farmer, Jr. has periodically written for the Star-Ledger himself.
I am sure that This Farmer is very proud of That Farmer, and visa versa.
Maybe NJN or News 12 can have a new show entitled: Cammarano and Farmer, each week featuring a different Cammarano being paired with a different Farmer. Might be fun.
Or maybe shake things up a bit and pair the Two Farmers for a show, and the Two Cammaranos for a show.
One final bit of trivia: This John J. Farmer, Jr. served as Acting Governor of New Jersey for 90 minutes on January 8, 2002 by virtue of his status as New Jersey Attorney General; making him the shortest serving NJ governor in history.
This Cammarano served just 23 days as the mayor of Hoboken, making him the shortest serving mayor in Hoboken history.
Follow the hilarious romp when an Italian girl from the other side of the tunnel in Marlboro, New York develops a twitter relationship with the African-American Mayor of Newark!
It's the first TwitCom of the new Twitter season! Here is just a Twitter sample of the wacky crazy laughs you'll get each week:
"Ugh stuck in newark traffic is no fun...Omg why I got a stick shift I will never know. Stop and go traffic I'm killen myself here
:( "
-- Snooki tweets
"Snooki! I'm the mayor where R U so I can give u a ticket 4 texting & driving we needs revenue!"
-- tweet from Newark mayor Cory Booker
"Today is a day that is stupendous, for all of Ohio, and all her descendents."
- Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, proclaiming Bret Schundler Day
The former education commissioner of the State of New Jersey may be reviled in the Garden State, but in Ohio he is a hero to the several hundred thousand children of the Ohio school system. Last week, because of the actions of Schundler, Ohio will receive $400 million from the Obama administration to improve schools.
Screw Justin Bieber! Mr. Schundler is my new hero. Because of him we don't have to lose cheerleading, or after school lacrosse! He's so cool. - 11-year-old Jessica Lynn Grant, Columbus, Ohio
The U.S. Department of Education announced that Ohio was among nine states and the District of Columbia that will receive funding in the second round of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition. Other winners include Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island.
The schools here usually suck. But Mr. Schundler 's actions will allow our schools to suck just a little bit less this year. And I don't have to give up my raise or vacation.
- Dayton, Ohio middle school principal (anonymous)
Gov. Strickland signed this proclamation this week:
Whereas Bret Schundler has long been known as having a commitment to the education of the children of Ohio and;
Whereas it was his actions alone that enabled Ohio to finish 10th in the "Race to the Top" federal funding for education competition and;
Whereas his actions enabled the Buckeye State to receive $400 million to help hire teachers, provide scholarships for students, and keep our schools open;
Therefore, it is in great recognition of the fine contribution Bret Schundler has made to the state of Ohio for all of our students and teachers; I proclaim today September 3, 2010 Bret Schundler Day.
Gov. Christie's office in New Jersey could not be reached for comment.
It seems that baseball is not the only American pastime plagued with steroids these days: US Department of Education spokesperson Grant Handley revealed today the real reason why New Jersey lost out on $400 million in educational funding: "it's obvious from the mistakes in this application, and the way it was hurried down to DC from New Jersey that it was obviously prepared by someone on steroids. And that someone is Gov. Chris Christie.
Under US Department of Education funding federal statutes, it is "illegal to use any substance such as steroids, narcotics, or perception enhancing drugs when preparing an application for any type of federal funding." Ironically, this law was signed by Pres. George W. Bush--the man who appointed Chris Christie to be US attorney.
Mr. Handley made note that this was not the first time that it was observed that Chris Christie may have been on performance enhancing steroids. Like Roger Clemens when he threw a bat at Met catcher Mike Piazza in the 2000 World Series, steroids can cause "rage, irritation, extreme arrogance and lashing out at others on a regular basis. With the New Jersey governor's attitude towards the NJEA, small towns and suburbs and most recently Justice Wallace of the Supreme Court--it's obvious that the governor has been suffering from steroid rage for a long time."
Other evidence of governors use is his enormous "bulking up"--similar to the way baseball homerun hitters Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire looked after many years of being on steroids. "You don't look you don't look that 'bulked up' from just eating food," said a source inside the governor's office, who wished to remain anonymous.
Other evidence of the governor's use of steroids in the past was his blaming on Commissioner of Education Bret Schundler for a "compromise" he made with the NJEA back in June during the first round of "Race to the Top" educational funding. Back then, he hid his steroid use by saying of Schundler, "I'm sure we'll have disagreements in the future. Hopefully we'll just handle them a little differently,"--after which he flew into a steroid rage.
Handley pointed out that last fall Christie flew into a steroid rage in front of Congress, when he was giving testimony. He left in a hurry, saying that he had to "catch a train and get back to New Jersey."
Now you may have thought that the only people from Their Side who say wacky things are Michael Patrick Carroll, Steve Lonegan and Michael Doherty, but nooooo. Here are others---What Their Side Says...
A congressional candidate in Alabama, Rick Barber, a self-described tea party adherent, claims in a new advertisement that the new health law amounts to "slavery,". In his latest ad, the tea party candidate is speaking with a revived Abraham Lincoln.
'Hey Abe,' Barber says, 'if someone is forced to work for months to pay taxes so that a total stranger can get a free meal, a medical procedure or a bailout, what's that called?' Before Lincoln answers, Barber cuts in to ask: 'What's it called when one man is forced to work for another?' 'Slavery,' Lincoln says."
Barber will face Martha Roby in a runoff on July 13 for the GOP nomination to oppose incumbent Alabama Rep. Bobby Bright (D) in November. Barber defended his ad, which also included Nazi imagery, saying "Somebody has to say this. When Hitler took power, no one wanted to think that the Holocaust, the murder of 6 million Jewish people, was possible. I'm saying that you have to recognize and name tyranny when you see it", according to MSNBC.
Thousands of students came down to Trenton mid-day Wednesday, to see the world renown "Dancing Police Horses of Trenton". They waited all afternoon in anticipation of the world-famous dancing horses -- -- which were scheduled to dance on State Street in front of the Statehouse in Trenton, in celebration of spring. The students patiently waited on the steps of the Statehouse with their signs welcoming the horses.
Police Capt. Sebastian Dinwiddie, trainer of the horses, said "it always makes me smile to see the laughing faces of students as the horses do their dance."
Students came from as far as Bergen County, and from as far south as Cape May County. "I think this year they were especially good, I remember seeing them I was a kid in Newark," said Joshua Goldstein of Weequahic High School.
"I see a lot of horses on horse farms in Hunterdon County," said Emily Ann Chesterfield of Voorhies High School in Lebanon. "But none of the horses we have are as talented as these ponies."
What was especially exciting for most of the students was the final turn where all the horses showed their best side, in "their tribute to Republican governors of New Jersey."
Here you can watch the video to its completion and see all the students as well as the horses do their thing.
http://tinyurl.com/26lmtjt
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