Since joining Daily Kos, I've had the pleasure of meeting many fellow New Jerseyans. There are many of us here. I suppose that's one of the many hidden benefits of living in a blue state!
With so much going on nationally, we rarely have the chance to talk about New Jersey affairs. I've decided to change that. Please join me for some Open Thread chit-chat. I'll toss out a few news items from this week that I'd love to hear your thoughts on. I've also done a Jersey-centric "diary rescue" of sorts.
I do hope to make this a weekly diary, so please speak up with those suggestions!
There's plenty of big news in NJ this week. These are the items that stick out for me:
Christie's corruption indictments:
Of the eleven NJ officials indicted on corruption charges last week, only one is a Republican. Surprised? You shouldn't be. US Attorney Christopher J. Christie is a Bush appointee with an agenda. You'd think that the US Attorney firing scandal would have made Mr. Christie hesitant to target Dems so blatantly, but you'd be wrong.
Mr. Christie criticized Democratic leaders Friday for not demanding the resignation of two indicted state senators. He's pretty political for a US Attorney, isn't he? He is a politician himself, though. Many of you might not be aware that Mr. Christie was a Republican Freeholder in Morris County before his appointment. He also holds the dubious distinction of serving on Alberto Gonzales' Advisory Committee.
The Doug Palmer Club:
The U.S. Conference of Mayors, of which my own Mayor, Doug Palmer, is the head, met in Trenton last week. Ho, hum, right? Wrong! Frank Weeden, who lost his bid last year to replace Palmer, organized a protest to draw attention to our Mayor's less than stellar performance. Frank Weeden got my vote last year, partially because he was the only candidate who actually graced my doorstep. His website, www.missingmayor.com, is worth a visit.
Virtual Voting:
Our state's voting machines will not be paper-trail ready before Super Tuesday. Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg gave the go ahead today for the State Attorney General's Office to seek an extension from the Legislature, which they are almost certain to get.
Rush Holt speaks at important meeting Sunday:
The Coalition for Peace Action and the ACLU of New Jersey are sponsoring a meeting on Sunday the 23rd to discuss the Protect America Act and other post 9/11 civil liberties issues. Rush Holt will be among the speakers at the Trenton Friends Meeting House. See you there!
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I'd love to hear what's making news for the rest of you guys. What's the scoop? These are the stories that hit big with other NJ Kossacks this week:
NJ diary round-up:
* papicek and ArgusRun weigh in on the NJ corruption indictments.
* Rush Holt scores points with dave1042 by speaking out on the Protect America Act.
* MrLiberal goes local with in depth analysis of the NJ-39 campaign, here and here.
* Ekaterin gives us the details on the recent NJ Supreme Court victory for reproductive rights.
* Mike Ferguson (NJ-07) isn't making any friends on DKos this week. goldberry and Linda Stender tear him a new one.
* Scott Shields has made it his business to rid us of Tom Kean, Jr., and he wants to make it your business, too.
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What's going on at Blue Jersey? I've recently joined that fantastic site, but haven't had much time to check it out yet. In light of my plan to post this NJ Open Thread weekly, I plan on making it top priority. In the meantime, if any of you have caught anything over there worth sharing, toss us the links.
I'd also like all the news on your candidates for the 2008 Congress. Links for campaign websites would be great. Let's here what you're doing to make Jersey even bluer!
UPDATE:
Along with several members of my city's civic association, I had the pleasure of talking with Mercer County Freeholders Anthony Carabelli and Keith Hamilton last Saturday. County Executive Brian Hughes' campaign manager was present to take photos, so if you live in Mercer County, my smiling face may be hitting your mailbox soon!
UPDATE 2:
State Senator Shirley Turner will be present at the next meeting of our city's civic association to discuss the status of pending legislation. Wednesday, September 19th at 7:00 PM, Columbus Park Building at Bayard & Chestnut in Trenton. Hope you can make it!