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Controversial developer Charles Kushner pulled off one of the largest real estate deals in the history of New Jersey yesterday, selling nearly 17,500 apartments to an investment firm for roughly $2 billion. The sale, announced by Kushner Cos. and buyers AIG Global Real Estate and Morgan Properties, comes eight months after Kushner bought 666 Fifth Ave. in Midtown Manhattan for a record $1.8 billion and is part of his plan to transform his company into a New York-based entity. Kushner, once considered the ultimate deal-junkie, plans to stake his family's fortune on a few choice properties in New York. "We're...

Here is a link to Gawker's take on this. Gawker's take isn't really important. The relevant part is that outside of one other website maintained by a freeper, politicsnj.com was the ONLY political website in NJ that has thoroughly covered the Charles Kushner political corruption scandals. Now Charles Kushner's son Jared owns the website. Everyone should be forewarned about the major changes about to take place, and the probable deletion of the comprehensive reporting on the Kushner clan's corruption in the state. The owners of the politicsnj.com websites made their buck, and professional soundbite makers in NJ will continue to...

Millionaire real estate developer Charles Kushner is home.......he will be back at the firm he founded before his downfall on tax fraud and other charges. The one-time political heavyweight was released from a Newark halfway house Friday after finishing what remained of a reduced sentence....... Kushner, a prominent philanthropist who has given millions to schools, hospitals and charities, and contributed to the campaigns of politicians including former Gov. James E. McGreevey, toppled from grace in 2004 after a lengthy investigation into his finances. He admitted to making campaign contributions in the names of partners and cheating on his taxes by...

Charles Kushner, the Port Authority commissioner who is New Jersey Governor James McGreevey’s choice to be the agency’s next chairman, may soon find the dreaded appellation "embattled" attached to his name. Mr. Kushner is facing a whistle-blower lawsuit that could jeopardize his appointment to head the Port Authority—an appointment he doubtless helped to secure through generous contributions to New Jersey Democrats. He was the single largest donor to Mr. McGreevey’s campaign fund last year; to Hillary Clinton’s in 2000 and 2001; and to Senator Robert Torricelli’s in 1999 and 2001. Kushner companies collectively provided the largest bundle of contributions to...

July 14, 2004 Lurid Charges Hit Top Donor to New Jersey GovernorBy RONALD SMOTHERS EWARK, July 13 - Gov. James E. McGreevey's top contributor was charged on Tuesday in a bizarre scheme to enlist prostitutes in an effort to silence potential witnesses in a federal investigation of possible illegal campaign contributions.In a criminal complaint that reads like a plot line from an Elmore Leonard novel, Charles Kushner, a New Jersey landowner and businessman with close ties to many religious and political figures, was charged with hiring prostitutes to entice his brother-in-law and his accountant into sexually compromising situations.The complaint says...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Real estate developer and political fund-raiser Charles Kushner of Livingston, New Jersey, was charged by federal prosecutors Tuesday with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and interstate promotion of prostitution. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie for New Jersey. In February 2003, Christie's office began investigating Kushner for alleged violation of federal tax and fraud statutes and for purported violation of federal campaign contribution laws. According to the indictment, two of the cooperating witnesses in the investigation -- a married couple described as close relatives of Kushner -- provided information against him to federal...

KUSHNER'S CUSHY DEAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 20, 2006 -- Charles Kushner, one-time chief fund raiser to disgraced former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, is being given a "get out of jail early" card by confessing that he is an alcoholic in need of substance-abuse treatment. Problem is, this is the first anyone has ever heard about Kushner's alleged drinking problem. Kushner, recall, was sentenced to two years in a bizarre blackmail plot in which he arranged for his own brother-in-law to be videotaped having sex with a prostitute whom Kushner had hired; Kushner wanted to embarrass his sister, who was a...

Charles Kushner chief fund raiser to disgraced former NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey, is being given a "get out of jail early" card by confessing that he is an alcoholic in need of substance-abuse treatment. Problem is, this is the first anyone has ever heard about Kushner's alleged drinking problem. Kushner was sentenced to two years in a bizarre blackmail plot in which he arranged for his own brother-in-law to be videotaped having sex with a prostitute whom Kushner had hired......to embarrass his sister, who was a cooperating witness to his tax-fraud and campaign-finance malfeasance. Now, Kushner is going to a...

Without the bullwhip and hat, but with his camera, his moviola, and his trusted young sidekick, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg has set out to do what no great head of government alone or in concert, no statesman, not even Winston Churchill, not even the United Nations when it was still shiny, hopeful, and had clout, has been able to do since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire -- solve the riddle of the Middle East. Befitting such an heroic undertaking, Time magazine has put Spielberg on its cover and given him eight pages of copy and pictures with which to...

So much for the suggestion that running multimillionaire candidates who can self-finance their campaigns will rid politics of the "influence of money" factor. Sen. Jon Corzine... whose approach to politics has always been "you have to give if you want to receive" suddenly finds himself embroiled in a potential scandal involving both money and sex. Judging by his reaction thus far, Corzine believes his best bet is to stay close-mouthed behind an avowal of his right to privacy... lends an added air of someone trying to hide something. And since Corzine is trying to run as the Mr. Clean..., the...

August 2, 2005 Good Evening : A few short months ago, the “Peoples Truth Forum” set out on an extraordinary mission – one of establishing a grass-roots initiative to disseminate the truth regarding “radicalized” factions of Islam and the threat they pose through their acts of barbarism to Western Society and our very way of life As you know, “PTF” is sponsoring an educational symposium titled, “The Radical Islamist Threat to World Peace and National Security.” It will take place on September 21, 2005 in Plantsville, Connecticut. This symposium will delve into the minds of those who use terror as...

Dear Fellow American: For many decades we here in the United States thought of terrorism as something that happened “overseas.” It was something that our borders – two oceans and two “friendly” countries – shielded us from. We were being naïve. The devastation of the attacks on September 11th was the result of years of preparation and the conglomeration of resources by thoroughly evil minds. Their brand of wickedness had been experienced before yet for whatever reason we chose to place little heed in the message being delivered – “We want you dead!” 1983 - Sixty-three people, including the...

Democratic mega-donor Charles Kushner is in jail, but auditors are still investigating the mess he left behind at two Livingston schools that bear his family name. Kushner ran a building fund for Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy and Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston. Three trustees of the schools, all of whom asked not to be identified, tell the Auditor they are concerned that some of the funds have not been accounted for. The fund's balance usually runs between $6 million and $8 million. Financial auditors hired by the board have been scouring the books for two months, and have...

News Release -- Plotkin, Marci -- Indictment Accountant for Kushner-Controlled Companies Arrested, Charged with Conspiracy, Tax Fraud and Obstruction NEWARK - The former accountant for a series of real-estate partnerships controlled by Charles Kushner was arrested today on conspiracy, tax fraud and obstruction of justice charges, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced. Marci Plotkin, 56, of North Caldwell, was charged in a 31-count Indictment, unsealed with her arrest, alleging one count of conspiracy to impede and impair the function of the IRS, 24 counts of assisting in the preparation of false partnership tax returns, four counts of subscribing to false...

Charles Kushner, the political benefactor of former Gov. James E. McGreevey and a real estate magnate who was sentenced to two years in prison for tax, campaign and witness retaliation offenses, has been permanently barred from practicing law in New Jersey. .........the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered Kushner's name stricken from the roster of lawyers..........New Jersey is one of a handful of states in which disbarment is forever. "There's not even a procedure to apply to be reinstated after you're disbarred......In New Jersey, the court says what it means and means what it says." .....Kushner had been licensed to practice...

Charles Kushner and his wife, Seryl, flanked by his lawyers Benjamin Brafman, left, and Alfred DeCotiis, arriving at the federal courthouse in Newark before Mr. Kushner's sentencing hearing yesterday. Photo/Dith Pran/The New York Times. NEWARK, March 4 - Charles Kushner, a multimillionaire real estate executive, philanthropist and one of the top Democratic donors in the country, was sentenced on Friday to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations. Mr. Kushner, 50, built a construction business begun by his father into a private real estate empire...

NEWARK, N.J. - Charles B. Kushner, a powerful real estate developer and major benefactor to Democrats, was sentenced Friday to two years in federal prison for campaign finance violations and retaliating against a witness - his sister's husband - by having him seduced by a prostitute.

Charles Kushner Charles Kushner, former chairman of Kushner Companies, a real estate and apartment owning/managing company in northern New Jersey and the Northeast, was sentenced on 3/4 to twenty-four months in prison and fined $40,000. He had been free on $5 million bail. Kushner, a major fundraiser for Democrats, pleaded guilty in August to giving false statements to the FEC regarding $385,000 in political contributions he made from real estate partnerships without the permission of other partners, falsifying tax forms (16 counts), improperly listing $1 million in charitable contributions as business expenses, and shaving funds several hundred thousand dollars...

Realty firm positions itself in anticipation of exec's imprisonment Sunday, January 16, 2005 BY GEORGE E. JORDAN Star-Ledger Staff Alan Hammer, acting chairman of Kushner Cos., said the real estate venture is selling some of its apartments simply because it is a good time to sell. The sale of an unspecified number of apartments, the backbone of the Kushner empire, with estimated assets of $3 billion, comes as the company has quietly sold off other pieces of its real estate portfolio and shut down some of its fledgling enterprises.

Charles Kushner, the largest single campaign contributor to Gov. James E. McGreevey, has been temporarily suspended from the practice of law based on his guilty pleas last month to federal charges of cheating on his taxes, hiding illegal campaign contributions and retaliating against a witness. Though known primarily as a wealthy real estate developer and political contributor, Kushner has been licensed to practice law in New Jersey since 1980, according to the order of the New Jersey Supreme Court temporarily suspending him. Kushner also sponsored the work permit for the former McGreevey aide Golan Cipel, the Israeli national whose threats...

TRENTON — A fund-raiser for New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey pleaded guilty yesterday to charges he solicited $40,000 in cash and campaign donations as part of a shakedown scheme in which the governor has been implicated. David D'Amiano, 44, entered his plea to two fraud charges 10 weeks after being charged with extortion, bribery and other offenses in an indictment that also said an unidentified state official used the code word "Machiavelli" to show that political officials were helping. McGreevey acknowledged he is the state official referred to. But he insisted he did nothing wrong, and said the mention of...

Golan Cipel was only a plaything. It was developer Charles Kushner who speeded his passage through the swamps of New Jersey patronage politics—till Kushner was brought down in his own spectacular sex scandal. Less than 24 hours after New Jersey developer Charles Kushner pleaded guilty to retaliating against a federal witness and filing both false tax returns and false campaign-finance reports, the would-be political kingmaker was in his office on Columbia Turnpike in Florham Park. Shamed, humiliated, and facing at least a year and a half in jail, he was discussing his predicament with defense attorney Ben Brafman, marveling at...

It was supposed to be a gag, but disgraced real estate mogul Charles Kushner was not amused when a bag of dirt arrived at his Florham Park offices on Thursday. Employees called the police and the Morris County Sheriff's Office bomb squad when the little brown box, about the size of a small alarm clock, was delivered. Inside was a novelty prank -- a small bag of potting soil marked "DirtBag," and accompanied by a "Certificus Dirtbagium" designating Kushner as a "detestable dirt bag." "It was a joke. We want to put a smile on people's faces," said Brian Haggerty,...

(Touro's) board members include politically connected developer Charles Kushner, and other prominent New Jersey developers and businessmen.......and plans to build a medical school in Livingston and enlisted former Sen. Robert Torricelli as its consultant on that project........ Golan Cipel was helping Touro with its medical school plans, and now federal investigators have made Touro part of their probe into the sex-and-blackmail scandal that last week all but ended the political career of Gov. James E. McGreevey. The FBI is reviewing allegations that Cipel's attorneys asked McGreevey's administration to help fast-track the Manhattan-based college's application to open what would be the...

BACKSTORY DATE February 07, 2003 The accountant who claimed last year that real estate magnate Charles Kushner improperly diverted millions of dollars for personal and political use charges in a new lawsuit that Kushner vowed "to ruin" his life after learning of the allegations. Robert Yontef said Kushner made the promise last June, after Yontef began cooperating with Kushner's brother and partner, Murray Kushner, in a fierce feud over the family's holdings. Yontef also claimed that Kushner improperly used money from his companies to build a $115,000 Jewish ritual bath in Livingston, to pay a $125,000 speaking fee for former...

A top gubernatorial donor who is accused of having a prostitute seduce a government witness is to plead guilty Wednesday, a federal official said. The plea by Charles Kushner is to be taken at 11 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark, an aide to the judge said Tuesday. The court calendar did not specify what charge or charges were involved, the aide said. A federal official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the hearing would be for a guilty plea. Messages seeking comment from Kushner lawyer Benjamin Brafman were not immediately returned. Greg Reinert, a spokesman...

NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey's top donor, will plead guilty today to fund-raising hanky-panky and hiring high-priced hookers to blackmail federal witnesses against him — including his own brother-in-law.....(and) will plead guilty to ......witness retaliation, tax evasion and violating election laws — in return for a sentence of 18 months to 2 years behind bars......Had he gone to trial, Kushner faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in the slammer and a $250,000 fine. --SNIP-- On July 13, Kushner was indicted on charges of hiring prostitutes to try to seduce two witnesses who were cooperating in a federal probe of whether...

Official: Kushner To Plead Guilty Charles Kushner Is Gov. McGreevey's Top Donor Aug 17, 2004 4:14 pm US/EasternTRENTON (AP) A top gubernatorial donor who is accused of having a prostitute seduce a government witness is to plead guilty Wednesday, a federal official said. The plea by Charles Kushner is to be taken at 11 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark, an aide to the judge said Tuesday. The court calendar did not specify what charge or charges were involved, the aide said. A federal official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the hearing would be for...

Inquiry Said to Be Focusing On Plan for Touro CollegeBy DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI and JOSEPH BERGERPublished: August 17, 2004 RENTON, Aug. 16 - The federal investigation into Gov. James E. McGreevey's accusation that a former aide tried to extort him by threatening to reveal their extramarital affair is now focusing on a strange, last-minute offer to keep the matter secret if the governor agreed to approve a plan for a new medical school in New Jersey, according to three people involved in the inquiry.Just 10 minutes before Mr. McGreevey was scheduled to announce his resignation last Thursday, a member of his...

... Obviously, being gay today isn't something that a politician need apologize for or be ashamed of. What's shameful is the way Mr. McGreevey is manipulating the political calendar. If there's a need to leave office at all, there's a need to leave immediately. Delaying the Governor's resignation until November 15 is nothing short of a Democratic trifecta: The party avoids a special election to replace Mr. McGreevey in the fall; it guarantees that another Democrat -- Senate President Richard Codey -- serves out Mr. McGreevey's term; and it uses its incumbent status to grease the wheels for U.S. Senator...

The Governor's SecretPublished: August 13, 2004 ooner or later, it was bound to happen: a major elected official's calling a press conference to tell constituents that he or she is gay. Yesterday, New Jersey's governor, James McGreevey, described his coming to grips with his sexual orientation with uncommon grace and dignity, offering an extraordinary glimpse into the private torment that can accompany a public life lived in the closet. "My truth is that I am a gay American,'' he said. If that had been the beginning and the end of the story, we would be celebrating Mr. McGreevey's candor, not...

RELATED STORY Kushner, state prosecutors had deal months before settlement with feds (below) Governor McGreevey has sought to distance himself from the legal woes of his top donor, Charles Kushner, who's accused of using hookers to hinder the federal investigation into his campaign giving. But that effort is complicated by the fact that the governor and Kushner both relied on the same lawyer for advice on the very contributions at the center of the government's probe - thousands of dollars made in the name of Kushner's business partners without their consent. Attorney Paul P. Josephson served as the treasurer and...

August 4, 2004 -- New Jersey real-estate mogul Charles Kushner wants to cop a plea on charges he hired a high-priced call girl to have a motel tryst with a witness against him, and videotaped the steamy session, a court document reveals. Kushner, a top fund-raiser for New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, waived his right to a speedy trial because of ongoing talks between federal prosecutors and the defense team, the document says. "Plea negotiations are currently in progress and both the U.S. and defendant desire additional time to enter the plea in court, which would thereby render trial of...

(1010 WINS) (Atlantic City, NJ) Gov. James E. McGreevey took office as a straight-arrow former prosecutor bent on putting an end to the corruption for which New Jersey was notorious. But lately, one associate after another has been engulfed in scandal, with allegations of prostitutes and payoffs, code words and sweetheart deals. So far, McGreevey's name has come up in an alleged extortion plot. But he has not been charged, and he has denied any wrongdoing and accused New Jersey's chief federal prosecutor -- a Republican mentioned as a possible candidate for governor -- of trying to smear him for...

Top Dem fund-raiser charged with trying to block federal probe The Associated Press 7/13/2004, 12:40 p.m. ET NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged Gov. James E. McGreevey's top fund-raiser with hiring a prostitute to try to thwart a federal probe, authorities said Tuesday. Real estate developer Charles Kushner hired a New York City call girl to have sex with a witness in the investigation, had the sex act videotaped and sent the witness' wife a copy of the tape, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said. Kushner, 50, of Livingston, is charged with conspiracy, obstructing a federal investigation and...

<p>July 14, 2004 -- The top fund-raiser for New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey hired a New York City prostitute to seduce a key witness in a federal fraud case — and then sent a steamy videotape of the encounter to the witness' wife, prosecutors said yesterday. In a scenario right out of a pulp crime novel, real-estate developer Charles Kushner — who was aware he was being pursued by the feds for tax fraud and illegal campaign contributions — personally offered the hooker up to $10,000 to do the dirty deed on tape with the witness, U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said.</p>

<p>The accountant who claimed last year that real estate magnate Charles Kushner improperly diverted millions of dollars for personal and political use charges in a new lawsuit that Kushner vowed "to ruin" his life after learning of the allegations.</p> <p>Robert Yontef said Kushner made the promise last June, after Yontef began cooperating with Kushner's brother and partner, Murray Kushner, in a fierce feud over the family's holdings.</p>

<p>Even as Gov. James E. McGreevey publicly stood by Charles Kushner yesterday, people close to the governor were quietly urging the embattled developer to surrender his bid to become chairman of the Port Authority, three sources familiar with the talks said yesterday.</p>

Pledge to yield $113,000 is largest from a politician U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine and a national Democratic fund-raising committee he runs are giving up $113,000 in campaign contributions received over the years from real estate developer Charles Kushner, party officials said yesterday. Kushner was arrested Tuesday by federal agents on charges of obstructing a federal investigation into his finances and campaign contributions. Prosecutors accuse him of hiring prostitutes to have sex with two government witnesses, and say he sent a secretly recorded videotape of an encounter between a prostitute and one of the witnesses -- identified by sources as Kushner's...

Kushner allegedly interfered with probe NEWARK The man, described by his well-tanned attorney as "one of the great philanthropists of this century," had no belt, no tie. But Charlie Kushner, the multimillion-dollar real estate mogul who became Governor McGreevey's top campaign contributor, definitely had leg irons and handcuffs as he shuffled into a federal courtroom Tuesday and came face to face with a problem that no amount of cash may erase. During the past two years, The Record has printed major investigative articles about fund-raising conflicts involving both Charles Kushner and Commerce Bank. For background on Tuesday's events, check: Paying...

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has entered into conciliation agreements with Charles Kushner, a New Jersey-based real estate developer, and 40 partnership entities he controls. The agreements settle an investigation stemming from over $500,000 in contributions that the partnerships made without obtaining the agreement of the individual partners to whom the contributions were attributed. The contributions were made between December 5, 1997 and August 17, 2000 for the 1999-2000 election cycle. Recipients of these contributions included 13 candidate committees, one party committee and one PAC. The conciliation agreement with the Kushner Respondents resulted in a civil penalty of $508,900. The...

FEC levels one of largest fines against NJ developer Wednesday June 30, 2004 By DONNA DE LA CRUZ Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) The Federal Election Commission on Wednesday leveled one of its largest fines ever against a New Jersey developer for contributing money to political candidates in the names of his partnerships when he did not have the authority to do so. Charles Kushner, a major Democratic Party donor, agreed to pay FEC $508,900, said FEC spokesman George Smaragdis. The FEC investigation focused on $540,900 contributed to various political candidates and committees between Dec. 5, 1997 and Aug. 17,...

<p>TRENTON -- Wealthy developer Charles Kushner twice amended his financial disclosure statement last week to clarify his relationship with NorCrown Bank, trying but failing to quell demands for him to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.</p> <p>At one point last week, Kushner's lawyer said his client owned nearly 100 percent of the bank, which would make hundreds of thousands of dollars in political donations he has made illegal. The lawyer retracted that, but critics say Kushner still isn't forthcoming in ethics disclosures.</p>

The hooker hired by New Jersey real-estate tycoon Charles Kushner to carry out the steamy videotaped seduction of a key tax-fraud witness against him is cooperating with federal authorities, The Post has learned. The blond bombshell agreed to testify against Kushner after she was given two options — cooperate or face arrest, according to sources familiar with the case. Kushner, 50, was arrested Tuesday on charges he set up and taped the compromising motel-room sex romp in a bid to intimidate the witness — his brother-in-law William Schulder, who had worked for Kushner, according to a criminal complaint filed in...

"Not New York, Not Pennsylvania, Proud to Be New Jersey". For those of you who don't know, that is the slogan of our state's talk radio station, NJ 101.5. However, it is getting a bit difficult to hold your head high these days as a proud son or daughter of the Garden State. In fact, the news coming out our statehouse and senator's offices is getting downright embarrassing. As a state we are living right up to the stereotypes that the rest of the nation has of us. I think the handwriting was on the wall when the democrats pulled...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Real estate developer and political fund-raiser Charles Kushner of Livingston, New Jersey, was charged by federal prosecutors Tuesday with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and interstate promotion of prostitution.The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie for New Jersey.In February 2003, Christie's office began investigating Kushner for alleged violation of federal tax and fraud statutes and for purported violation of federal campaign contribution laws.According to the indictment, two of the cooperating witnesses in the investigation -- a married couple described as close relatives of Kushner -- provided information against him to federal investigators.The indictment alleges...

<p>New Jersey fund-raiser charged Prosecutors say developer tried to block federal probe NEW YORK (CNN) -- Real estate developer and political fund-raiser Charles Kushner of Livingston, New Jersey, was charged by federal prosecutors Tuesday with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and interstate promotion of prostitution. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie for New Jersey. In February 2003, Christie's office began investigating Kushner for alleged violation of federal tax and fraud statutes and for purported violation of federal campaign contribution laws. According to the indictment, two of the cooperating witnesses in the investigation -- a married couple described as close relatives of Kushner -- provided information against him to federal investigators.</p>

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Federal prosecutors have charged Gov. James E. McGreevey's top fund-raiser with hiring a prostitute to try to thwart a federal probe, authorities said Tuesday. Real estate developer Charles Kushner hired a New York City call girl to have sex with a witness in the investigation, had the sex act videotaped and sent the witness' wife a copy of the tape, U.S. attorney Christopher J. Christie said. Kushner, 50, is charged with conspiracy, obstructing a federal investigation and promoting interstate prostitution, Christie said. Kushner was under criminal investigation for possible tax fraud and illegal campaign contributions,...

Main Menu Visit McGreeveySucks.com Armed with a jaw bone of an ass, Samson defeats the Philistines. Intellectual PredatorShines the Light of Reason on New Jersey Politics Get A FREE Bumper Sticker!

<p>MJ: When was the last time that a belief in the system paid off?</p> <p>TK: It was the day they got that ******* Ten Commandments monument out of Alabama. I found that thrilling. With all the blows that the Bush administration has delivered to the separation of church and state -- we have a president who can't stop talking about his relationship to Jesus while he gleefully murders thousands of people -- it turns out that we still kind of get it.</p>