Today marks 220 Years of Freedom in NJ

On this date in 1789, The Great State of New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights. Regardless of what today's broken legislative and judicial systems tell you, all of these years later, you still have these most basic rights, and the government can not, and must not, take these rights from you:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

So go ahead and exercise your rights today New Jersey. We were first to think these were great ideas 220 years ago and in my humble opinion, these are all still great ideas today.

With that said, I'm go leave work early, head over to a church then go shoot guns at Brick Armory. If any readers are interested in joining me to exercise these rights, I'll even consider letting you use one of my guest passes for the range to save yourself a few bucks, I might even let you test drive part of my arsenal if your nice.

And if you believe that NJ has infringed on most of these rights (and you might be right), it's worth noting that North Carolina, which seems to be a hot spot for people escaping NJ, celebrates this same honor tomorrow.

Lonegan 2012... And Not Pallone 2010!

As of 10:30pm NJN is saying 49%/44% Christie winning with 81% of the votes counted (5% for Daggett)

So as the numbers trickle in, and it appears Christie will beat the odds and win this Gov. race, let me (hopefully be first to) suggest this:

Steven Lonegan's endorsement of Chris Christie was more powerful than Obama's endorsement of Jon Corzine COMBINED with Corzine's millions of Wall St dollars.

Surely the power of Lonegan can mean only one thing - Lonegan for President of the United States of America 2012!

On a separate note - it could also mean that come next November, Obama won't be able to help Frank Pallone, nor will Frank Pallone's millions of extorted dollars be able to stop a strong conservative from taking his seat in the house.

I have no idea how he'd feel about it, but I'd sure love to see a guy like Hank Butehorn, who I believe resides in the right district, take on Pallone, and I'm sure Hank could earn the Lonegan endorsement he'd need to win. How about it Hank?

For anyone who might not know Hank, Google can help.

P.S. Yes, I'm suggesting that I MIGHT not try to run again, we'll see. :-)

City of Long Branch Arbitrarily Age Discriminates

The City of Long Branch (New Jersey) has officially advised that:

A curfew has been established for all persons within the City of Long Branch under 17 years of age, to be invoked on October 30, and 31, 2009. The curfew will extend from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 am. each night. Director of Public Safety, William Richards has been directed by the Mayor to strictly enforce the policy.

I have to say that "when I was your age..." I would trick or treat with Mom and Dad all over Keansburg, all day long, where I grew up, and then we would head over to Keyport until 9-10 at night. It was a good time and once it was dark out, the general (unwritten) rule was don't go knock on doors where the lights are all out and bother people. Must have been simpler times ALL of those years ago.

And why 17? Isn't the magical number to be an adult 18? or is it 21? I think it might even be 40 to purchase cigarettes now. So when did it become 17? And why 17 for this curfew, why not 37, or all ages. Isn't this age discrimination? This NYRA Analysis is worth a read.

And if this is due to a concern of annoying the neighbors, then I can state for the record that I'll be more annoyed at a 62 year old grandma, or a 18 year old trick-or-treater for that matter, ringing my door bell at 1am than I would be at a 13 year old. I expect the kids to be out in the dark on Halloween begging for free candy - Religious Zealots beware - it's a day for the kids to have some fun with the ghosts and goblins, no harm no foul, no one is indoctrinating witches on the 31st to the best of my knowledge.

And if the claim is safety for these youngsters, then I'd say maybe the Mayor could ask Mr. Richards to have the clowns over at public works report the street light that is out in front of their public works yard on Branchport Ave (pole number is 53434, nearest address is 164 Branchport Ave, and nearest cross street is Irving Pl). I'd report it but I much prefer to be nearly run over by Long Branch police officers who speed through the lot on their cell phones at night (ok, since this has only happened to me 4 times in the 3 years I've been walking the dog past this location every night), plus it's fun for me to wait and see how long it takes the police, who are supposed to look out for public safety, ignore the street lights that are out. As a FYI - the light right beside this one is also out (#466 if you care to report it that one too). There are also two lights out in front of the Board of Ed building on Broadway which I refuse to report myself, call me negligent.

Curfew's stink, regardless of age. They aren't preventing any crimes, only preventing the good citizens from enjoying a night out. Those who are going to commit crimes could care less about the date and time, or the existence of a curfew.

P.S. - For the record, I'm thinking about going out trick-or-treating myself after 8pm, free candy and thanks to the mayor discriminating against them, no competition from the kids.

Another "Unlikely"Dagget Endorsement

Remember Gene Baldassari, New Jersey's First Candidate from the Modern Whig Party? In a press release today, Baldassari has endorsed Chris Daggett for Governor of New Jersey. The press release follows:

Baldassari Supports Daggett in Unlikely Endorsement

Hamilton, NJ - In an unlikely advocacy, 14th District Assembly candidate Gene Baldassari has endorsed Chris Daggett for Governor. According to Baldassari, “Some people are accusing me of departing from my lifelong support of small government, fiscal responsibility, and freedom.”

“However”, Gene added, “the real issue in this election is the inability of Chris Christie and Jon Corzine to properly represent NJ citizens. At least Chris Daggett would not be attached to the powers that have held our State hostage to an incurable addiction of spending and taxation.”

Baldassari is running under the banner of the Modern Whig Party. This movement, restored by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and centered in Washington, has Chapters in 26 States. Along with their prescribed principles of fiscal responsibility, common sense, and rational thinking, the Modern Whig’s promote an end to party bickering by supporting candidates and officials who advocate a citizen oriented platform, regardless of party affiliation.

Links:

Full Text of Baldassari Endorsement:

http://www.votegene.com/who-should-you-choose-for-governor/

Baldassari Campaign Site

http://www.votegene.com/

Campaign Contact:

Dan Sexton: 609-528-4979

The endorsement really is "UNLIKELY" for several reasons as the two candidates could not be further apart on the issues. I would have expected someone with Baldassari's positions to endorse a candidate like Jason Cullen. The only way this endorsement of Daggett makes sense is, as Gene Baldassari has noted, if people simply vote third party (Daggett) and vote for Baldassari because they voted for an Independent Gov.

I personally still want to believe that people are doing their homework on each candidate and voting for the candidate who best represents their own beliefs and opinions, not the person that they think might win, or the person that they think offers the loudest protest vote, or the person who represents a party (or not) rather than their own individual interests.

November should be interesting... if I were a betting man, I'd say based on the polls, the media coverage, the endorsements and the undeserved support of Daggett by people who likely have no idea where he stands on most issues and probably wouldn't vote for him if they did, NJ should be prepared to deal with Corzine for another 4 years when he wins re-election with well over 60% of the vote.

Barack Hussein Obama and Yasser Arafat - Fellow Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Yes, Barack Hussein Obama has joined, terrorist, Yasser Arafat as a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Nothing more to see here, move along...

Hopefully I'll have an update to my Monmouth Park Junkyard story later today.

Bring your Cash 4 Clunker to Monmouth Park?

I'm trying to get some information about the parking lot full of junk cars over at Monmouth Park along RT 36.

There seems to be somewhere between 100 and 120 cars/trucks/van in the lot. I was only able to find 3 with license plates, the rest have no plates. Several have flat tires and won't be moving on their own without a tire fixing. At least one has "NO START" shoe polished into the side/rear window.

I suspect that I'm looking at Cash 4 Clunker trade-ins that are waiting to be carted off/chemically disabled/crushed/etc. Some of my immediate concerns in no particular order:

1) Have all hazardous fluids been removed from these vehicles? Oil, Gas, brake fluid, coolant, etc?

2) Does MP have the proper permits from DEP/OP to operate a junk yard/auto storage facility?

3) Are taxpayers (who paid for the C4C program) now paying MP to store these cars, if so, how much is it costing us taxpayers to store these cars? How long will we be paying to store cars at MP?

I'll try calling over there tomorrow to get some information unless a reader happens to have some information that they can pass along. Some more pictures of the junk yard (and my puppy) are available here, mind my poor photography skills.

... in fairness, I'm speculating... it is possible that these cars were purchased by a wealthy celebrity to be donated to local needy kids for free (plus tax!) at an event this weekend at MP... hey, it's possible....

Will Frank Pallone lose his Federal Pension?

It seems like based on Frank Pallone's bribery, racketeering and fraud regarding his actions with ReGen and the FDA, Pallone might as well just turn in his federal pension now.

In case you missed it, Frank Pallone's extortion scheme of ReGen is Big News.

Frank Pallone - One Set of Rules For Himself - One for Everyone Else.

http://www.house.gov/list/press/nj06_pallone/pr_apr18_corruption_legislation.html

CONGRESSMAN FRANK PALLONE, JR. Sixth District of New Jersey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Andrew Souvall April 18, 2005 or Jennifer Cannata (202) 225-4671

PALLONE TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION THAT STRIPS CORRUPT OFFICIALS OF THEIR FEDERAL PENSIONS ---Bill Would Also Double Financial Penalties--- Long Branch, NJ --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) announced today that he will introduce legislation this week in the U.S. House of Representatives instituting tougher penalties for government officials convicted on federal corruption charges. The New Jersey lawmaker's legislation excludes convicted officials from receiving any federal pensions once they are found guilty in federal court, and doubles the financial penalties corrupt officials are required to pay. Under current federal law, governmental officials, whether elected, appointed or hired, are still entitled to their federal pensions if they are convicted of any crime, with the exception of treason, in a federal court. In 1954, Congress passed legislation prohibiting the distribution of federal pensions to federal officers and employees, including Members of Congress, who were convicted of various offences relating to disloyalty. Eight years later, the legislation was amended to only include the loss of pensions for federal officers and employees in instances of disloyalty on issues relating to national security and defense. Pallone pointed to former U.S. Rep. James Traficant, a Democrat who represented a congressional district in Ohio for 18 years, who was convicted in federal court in 2001 of ten charges including bribery, racketeering, fraud and tax evasion. Despite his expulsion from the House and the fact he's now serving a ten-year prison sentence, Traficant still has access to the federal pension that he accrued during his 18 years in the House. "It defies reason to allow a government official access to a pension after they've been found guilty of a federal crime," Pallone said. "My legislation will broaden federal laws to prevent any convicted official from receiving his or her federal pension." Pallone's legislation also doubles the financial penalties corrupt officials are forced to pay once they are convicted. Currently, under federal "anti-corruption" statutes, any government official faces up to 15 years in prison, but cannot be fined more than $250,000 if they are convicted of bribery in a federal court. The federal statute calls for fines of up to three times the monetary equivalent of the value of the bribe, or $250,000, whichever is greater. Pallone's legislation doubles those federal fines to $500,000. "The federal government has to send a stronger message to government officials who betray the trust of the American people," Pallone said. "We should double these fines as a way to deter governmental officials from breaking the law." ###

Frank Pallone: I won't listen to YOU PEOPLE, or Science!

First, I certainly won't be providing any new "news" on this subject, so if you were looking for any information about how corrupt Mr. Frank Pallone is today, you can review some news stories here here here here here here or here.

With that sad, the summary of the story goes something like this:

ReGen, a company who makes a [defective] knee meniscus replacement device was EXTORTED out of over $50K by several of New Jersey Democratic representatives including our own Frank Pallone. This $50K in addition to the $200K extorted by Sen. Menendez through an aide of his. So in order to have their product approved by the FDA for use, after being rejected twice, ReGen was EXTORTED by Mr. Pallone, who happens to be the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Health, and used the payoff as incentive to put "extreme pressure" on the FDA to approve the product. Then, having recognized that he could be caught, Mr. Pallone decided to back track and try to play the good guy by asking the FDA to review what went wrong.

SO, if you recall from last month's Pallone town hall meeting, the one where Pallone told the people "NO, I won't represent you", then this situation further demonstrates that Pallone is not in office with the intentions to represent the people, he is there to EXTORT money and shove garbage, in the form of bad legislation and bad medical devices, down the throats of us taxpayers. Mr. Pallone REFUSED TO LISTEN TO THE SCIENCE at the FDA and forced them to accept this device just as Mr. Pallone REFUSES TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE and the accounting facts and wants to force government healthcare upon We The People.

In my opinion, Mr. Pallone should be immediately removed from his Chairman position and removed from Congress pending the outcome of an EXTORTION inquiry. Worth noting here, again, that Mr. Pallone was one of only a few Congressman who voted to continue to fund ACORN. This vote after ACORN was caught on camera providing information to a pimp and his ho on how to commit crimes.

Further, what company, or companies, is Mr. Pallone EXTORTING, by promoting ObamaCare? This certainly isn't the first time that Mr. Pallone has EXTORTED money from a company to get their device approved (or banned) as I'd have to doubt that a first time offender would know how to put "extreme pressure" on the FDA. EXTORTION.

How NOT to run for office

If you browse the archives here, I explained the steps I took to run for office last year in my first posts. Not that I had such great results that I have tons of room to talk, but my advise would be that if any of my readers are going to be running for office for their first time, don't be like this guy!

To be fair, that story might have a bit of a writers bias to it, so here is another story which doesn't paint Mr. Katz as such a fool.

Monmouth Park Dog & Pony Show Continues Sept 16 - 2pm

I've just received notice that the NJ DEP will be holding a big* press conference at Monmouth Park tomorrow (Wednesday Sept 16) at 2pm in Oceanport. *Big except for the fact that no-one will be there.

A copy of the NJ DEP Event Information Worksheet is available on Google Docs here.

Officially the event is "Monmouth Park Racetrack Stormwater Project Announcement" / Event Time: 2:00 - 3:00pm in the Tracks "Library, Admin. Building"

Attendees: Commissioner Mauriello, Dennis Robinson (CEO, NJSEA),

From the spreadsheet:

DEP Commissioner Mauriello and NJSEA Pres & CEO will announce funding for infrastructure improvements to Monmouth Park Racetrack that will create jobs and improve stormwater runoff management at that park. The project will redirect contaminated water to a treatment facility and provide clean water run-off drains that lead to Branchport Creek.

Event will be held in the library on the 2nd floor of the Park's administration building. In the event that the weather tomorrow allows for an outdoor event, location will be determined on site and staff will be on hand to direct press.

Create Jobs??? Not that I'm against creating jobs, BUT, since when was the NJ DEP responsible for creating jobs after the NJSEA pollutes a river? Seems like first and foremost in that Event Information Checklist should be "address EXACTLY how NJSEA will WASTE $22 MILLION pretending to fix the pollution problem while really just doing some landscaping work around the facility.

And speaking of $22 MILLION, and maybe I shouldn't care since I'm supposed to believe that our tax money won't be used for this project, here is the list of pending projects in NJ with costs. Seems like a lot of things can be done much cheaper than MP's claim for needing $22 MILLION to resolve a pollution problem that seems like it is caused mostly by lazy, incompetent workers. Go Figure.

Oddly enough, I don't seem to be invited and neither are you. The "invites" list is empty and no one seems scheduled to talk back at DEP, NJSEA or anyone else. I'm wondering if Mayor Mahon and/or any of the Oceanport Counsel are aware of the meeting and invited?

In either case.... $22 MILLION.... let's hope that the track can fund this project with proceeds from those $1 parking passes and not from our tax dollars. Let's also hope that the DEP employees start doing their jobs and ensure that Monmouth Park spends this money on the project that will prevent pollution and nothing more.

UPDATE: 11PM Tuesday: It seems that Oceanport administration was notified of this meeting sometime around or after 4PM today. Not much time for planning and I suspect that Mayor Mahon, Joseph Irace and the others who have worked hard to resolve this issue for Oceanport, Long Branch and all of New Jersey will be at work like the rest of us and unable to attend the big* event.

*Big except for the fact that no-one will be there.

Lisa Jackson to Lisa Jackson: "You Fail fundamental tests of competence"

Continuing my week of providing quotes that others have said... the Worst News Paper Ever today reported that Lisa Jackson, head of the Federal EPA, has reported that the NJ DEP, while headed by the same Lisa Jackson, "still hasn't made fixes promised since 2006 and detailed extensive shortfalls in New Jersey's toxic-site cleanup program."

In a sense, the report means the EPA — headed by former DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson — is criticizing the management of the DEP during the years Jackson was in charge.

...

"This audit is an indictment of DEP management for failing fundamental tests of competence," Wolfe said. "Without basic procedures for assuring the accuracy and quality of performance data a public agency cannot even be sure that its shoes are tied."

Special Note: Since 2006 - take a look at the year on that sign about pollution in Branchport Creek... the sign is still there today - Aug 28, 2009 with no real sign of progress made although Monmouth Park does have plans "in the works"...

In a hate to say I told you so moment... I said this back in November of 2008... and I really said it... because if you haven't noticed, it's possible that this week's quotes MIGHT be my own version of something someone else said or implied.

Asbury Park Press: You People have some nerve asking Pallone to represent you!

Just when I thought that the Worst News Paper Ever was at the rock bottom of editorial ability, they sunk one level lower today by publishing their own opinion of Pallone's town hall meeting. One paragraph of their editorial is enough to summarize where they went wrong:

Many of the 1,500 people who showed up at Red Bank Middle School didn't seem interested in learning anything or engaging in the reasoned give-and-take necessary to gaining a fuller understanding of an extraordinarily complicated issue.

I offer this correction to the APP:

One of the one Congressman who showed up at the Red Bank Middle School didn't seem interested in learning anything or engaging in the reasoned give-and-take necessary to gaining a fuller understand of an extraordinarily complicated issue.

If 1,500 people show up asking their representative to represent them, and that representative explicitly tells them "No. I won't give and take anything and I won't represent you", how or why would the APP expect those 1,500 to give-and-take anything?

Further, it sounds like Tom DeSeno offered quite a bit of give, and it even sounds like Pallone took something from Tommy, but don't expect Pallone to go any further or change his opinion and beliefs, or modify the bill, or research Tommy's own research, or consider what We the People of NJ-6 want.

Of course, the Asbury Park Press expects you to change your opinions and beliefs, because Frank Pallone said so.

Frank Pallone: I'm NOT here to listen, I'm here to Tell!

Some would call this a dictatorship...

"Congressman Pallone, you represent us, the constituents of your district," Degman declared. "Will you remove your support from a bill the majority of your constituents do not want?"

No, was Pallone's response.

"I'm very proud of the bill," said the lawmaker, who repeatedly told the audience, "I don't believe the majority are opposed to this."

Art has a good recap of the meeting here. Chris also has his own recap here. Noteworthy from Chris' review is this line:

Pallone also claimed that ObamaCare would be budget neutral. He said it will cost only 1 trillion

Oddly enough, Congress also believed that $2 Billion for Cash For Clunkers was more than enough. Seems they didn't calculate correctly and had to end that program a bit early due to over-demand (is that even a word/concept?). Further, Pallone wanted to have his town hall meeting in a room for 100 people.... about 1500 showed up. Talk about planning, or lack there-of.

I'll be perfectly honest, based on the lack of planning, what I saw and the reports of what was said - it almost seems as if Mr. Pallone was just trying to cause a fight, shooting or other form of violence in the crowd. It seems as if he was antagonizing the audience and hoping for a real problem, probably so that he can ram some other legislation (like a gun ban) down our throats. I give those of you who attended much credit for remaining calm and level-headed. Hopefully the Holt meeting is equally peaceful and equally strong in opposition to ObamaPalloneCare.

For the record, I did make an effort to stop by the event after work afterall. I wasted a half tank of gas trying to find parking in Red Bank around 6:15 and when I finally got to the line and saw 1000 people ahead of me after the first 500 had already entered the meeting, I decided to leave the event and waste some more gas driving back home.

Why I won't be attending Pallone's Phony Town Hall Meeting

I've received numerous emails (and even two telephone calls!) from readers asking me if I would be attending Pallone's Phony Town Hall Meeting tonight in Red Bank. I thought about it for a long time and have decided that I will not be attending. If you are interested in my reasoning, continue on, otherwise, make your own choice and feel free to drop me a note if you attend.

First and most important, I will not be attending this town hall meeting because the primary topic is sure to be ObamaCare. I absolutely, in no way, shape or form, believe that government run healthcare is in the best interest of We The People. Let me be clear and say that I include Medicare and Medicaid in that statement but I do not include VA care as the government is the employer of our service men and women and as their employer, the government should provide healthcare to it's employees, in my humble opinion.

Considering that Frank Pallone wrote/co-sponsored the bill in question, it seems very likely that anything I say, you say, or anyone says in opposition of Mr. Pallone's views will simply be ignored so that the next nut hugger can be heard singing the praises of poor, mis-managed, inefficient, government run healthcare. Again let me be clear, nothing said by We The People will be heard by Frank Pallone tonight despite his claims that everyone will be heard. You may, or may not, get your chance to speak, but be sure Frank will not be listening, let alone hear what you say or think about your opinion.

Second, I will not be attending this town hall meeting because Frank Pallone is not a representative of me. I believe in government of the people, by the people, for the people. Frank Pallone does not fit this description of government. Frank Pallone is elected of the Democratic Party, by the Democratic Party, for the Democratic Party. He solely represents the Party and not We The People. Again, to be clear, he does not represent, you, my neighbor who might even be a registered Democrat, he represents the entity that is the Democratic Party. If you are a registered Democrat, I do not for one second believe that Frank Pallone represents you. Just as I claim to be a registered Republican and ran as a Republican, I am surely not Karl Rove or George Bush just as you are not Frank Pallone or, his friend, Nancy Pelosi. We the People are not represented in the United States Government by Frank Pallone just as we were not represented by George Bush and are not represented by Barack Hussein Obama. The two party system has failed to serve We The People and speaking tonight at Pallone's Town Hall Meeting will not help a system that is owned and operated by the Republican and Democratic Parties. If you want your voice to be heard, and listened to, by Frank Pallone, the solution is not only to not elect him, again, next year and to force career politicians like Pallone to find alternative means of employment by seeking term limits for all politicians, at all levels. Frank Pallone no longer needs to be concerned with the opinions of his constituents because the Democratic Party will always ensure that he is elected to represent their interests, even when their interests conflict with the interests of the people.

Finally, I will not be attending tonight's town hall meeting because, once again, the topic will surely be "healthcare". It is my belief that the Obama administration has no real plan to ever actually provide a healthcare plan to We The People. I believe that the Obama administration simply wants to distract We The People from all of the other failures of our government, namely that the Obama administration has failed to withdraw our troops from Iraq, has escalated a war in Afghanistan, and has increased the national defict so greatly that we're $2 TRILLION further in the hole than even Obama hmself thought we would be. Could you imagine if you or I were more than 22% further into debt that we even thought we were? Again, this administration, Frank Pallone included, does not represent me and I do not believe that it represents any of We The People although a few may still be fooled and believe that they are somehow being represented.

So anyhow, if you go, please feel free to leave me an email with your own review of the meeting. If you don't get a chance to speak, or even if you do but don't think anyone was listening, feel free to email your comments and opinions and I'll read, and even think about them.

And now back to my regularly scheduled duties...

Hero Charles (Gus) Augusto Saves 3 Lives Including His Own

Hero Charles (Gus) Augusto rightfully defended his life as well as the lives of his employees yesterday in Harlem. So far Al Sharpton hasn't commented but there are questions to as to whether the gun was legally licensed, possessed and used.

Insert something here about "Vigilantism is Justified when the Government has Failed to Enforce the Law" - in this case, the "Law" failed to Protect and Serve, perhaps because the Law was busy tasering a Mom? As politicians, like Jon Corzine or Mike Bloomberg, make it harder for us law abiding citizens to obtain firearms to protect ourselves with initiative like "one gun a month", the criminals will find it easier and easier to rob and terrorize law abiding citizens. We the People MUST make our voices heard to ensure that this Hero is not charged in ANY crimes and future would-be-victims are not afraid, or unable, to defend themselves.

As some points of reference for NY Gun "Crimes", see:

Bernhard Goetz
Plaxico Burress
We the People must be sure that Gus is not charged as a criminal for his bravery because the politicians have failed to protect our rights in the past and will fail again if we permit them.

Further, We the People should also be sure to observe our own 2nd Amendment Rights and ensure that our lives, and the lives our loved ones, are protected from the criminal thugs who would otherwise prey upon us by having firearms of our own and proper training in the use of said firearms.