Free Republic

It's about 40 minutes to his second hour. Says if Romney loses Michigan, no one gets 50% of delegates. Says Jeb Bush will be in the room when McConnell/Christie team is picked ...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie kept his vow to veto a bill allowing same-sex marriage Friday as he sent it back to the legislature, reiterating that the voters should decide if they want a societal change as significant as allowing gay marriage. The Republican governor vetoed the bill, titled Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act, which the N.J. Assembly passed Thursday, three days after its passage in the state Senate. "I am adhering to what I've said since this bill was first introduced – an issue of this magnitude and importance, which requires a constitutional amendment, should be left to...

GOVERNOR WRONG TO HAVE FLAG LOWERED TO HALF STAFF FOR CELEBRITIES NJLawman.com-Police and Law Enforcement News Thursday, February 16, 2012 Yesterday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered all New Jersey State and American flags to be lowered to half staff on Saturday in honor of Entertainer Whitney Houston who passed away this week. Last year, the governor did the same for Clarence Clemmons, the saxophone player for the E Street Band. In January, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett ordered the state flag to half staff for three days in honor of Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno when he passed. We...

Whitmore Publishing Company has agreed to publish “Color the Green Movement Blue: A Remedy for Environmental Health.” The book tells of how a few anglers and hunters united fellow outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen to throw two animal rights politicians out of office for creating legislation that would have banned freshwater fishing and hunting in New Jersey. It is a David and Goliath like chronicle, a couple of guileless sportsmen relying on a seat-of-the-pants undertaking, and only three months’ time, to come up with the strategy, finances, and wherewithal to unseat two savvy, well-financed, animal rights legislators. The author, and cofounder of...

(AP) TRENTON, N.J. - Gov. Chris Christie has followed through on his promise to reject a bill allowing same-sex marriage in New Jersey by quickly vetoing the measure Friday. The veto came a day after the state Assembly passed the bill. The state Senate had passed it on Monday. Christie, a Republican who opposes same-sex marriage, had vowed "very swift action" once the bill reached his desk. In returning the bill to the Legislature, Christie reaffirmed his view that voters should decide whether to change the definition of marriage in New Jersey. His veto also proposed creating an ombudsman to...

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie has followed through on his promise to reject a bill allowing same-sex marriage in New Jersey by quickly vetoing the measure Friday and renewing his call for a ballot question to decide the issue. The veto came a day after the state Assembly passed the bill. The state Senate had passed it on Monday. Christie, a Republican who opposes same-sex marriage, had vowed "very swift action" once the measure reached his desk. In returning the bill to the Legislature, Christie reaffirmed his view that voters should decide whether to change the definition of...

Manasquan, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- According to the State of New Jersey, one must show a “justifiable need” to be granted a concealed carry permit to carry a handgun. In this author’s opinion, the defense of my life and the lives of my family and other loved ones is my “justifiable need”. Poor, Average and Unconnected Need Not Apply Amazingly enough in the State of New Jersey there is a polar opposite view. The way the judges and politicians see it, my life is not important enough to defend against a criminal in a threatening situation. However, the judges and politicians see...

11-Year-Old Girl Killed in NJ School Bus Crash The dump truck had the right of way, police say. An elementary school student died, and several of her classmates were hurt, when a school bus and dump truck collided in Chesterfield, N.J. Thursday morning, according to authorities. The violent crash happened at Bordentown-Chesterfield Road (County Route 528) and Old York Road in Chesterfield, N.J. a little before 8:20 a.m., according to authorities. The school bus was driving students to Chesterfield Elementary School. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ There was a total of 25 children on the bus, Kindergarten-age through...

Flags will be lowered in New Jersey Saturday, the day of Whitney Houston’s funeral. But a Marine mom in Arlington says it’s an honor Houston doesn’t deserve. When Phyllis McGeath heard Gov. Chris Christie had ordered flags lowered to half-staff for Houston, she said she felt a pain deep inside her. “I was hurt and offended. Disappointed. Saddened,” she said. “I felt like the honor that was given to my son was tarnished.” McGeath had three sons who were active duty Marines. Her oldest, Philip, was killed by a suicide bomber just four weeks ago in Afghanistan. He was 25....

NJ Gov Strongly Defends Lowering Flags For Houston BETH DeFALCO Gov. Chris Christie strongly defended his decision to have flags lowered to half-staff on Saturday for Whitney Houston, saying he rejects criticism that she "forfeited the good things that she did" because of her struggles with substance abuse. "What I would say to everybody is there but for the grace of God go I," he said. The Republican governor said his office has been receiving emails and other messages disparaging Houston and attacking his decision to have flags flown at half-staff at state government buildings Saturday, the day of her...

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced Tuesday that he plans to order flags on public buildings to fly at half-staff on the day of Whitney Houston's funeral to honor the songstress and Jersey native. "Whitney Houston was an important part of the cultural fabric of this state," Christie said during a press release Tuesday. Christie also said the pop legend belongs in the same category as Frank Sinatra, Count Basie and Bruce Springsteen. He said he will sign the order later in the week after Houston's family makes a final decision regarding time and place of the funeral. A Newark...

Whitney Houston will be laid to rest after a private, invitation-only funeral at her childhood New Jersey church, instead of a public memorial at a Newark arena. The 18,000-seat Prudential Center had been planned as a setting for a public memorial, but the family decided overnight to keep services private, a source confirmed to NBC New York on Tuesday. "Whitney has shared her entire life with the public. This is her final farewell. Let her family share that time with her," said Carolyn Whigham, owner of the funeral home handling the arrangements. The private funeral will be held Saturday at...

In a move that supporters called a civil rights milestone, New Jersey's state Senate on Monday passed a bill to recognize same-sex marriages, marking the first time state lawmakers officially endorsed the idea -- despite the promise of a veto by Gov. Chris Christie. Monday's vote was 24-16 in favor of the bill, a major swing from January 2010, when the Senate rejected it 20-14. "It means the world isn't changing, it means the world has already changed," Steven Goldstein, chairman of the gay rights group Garden State Equality said after the vote. "So wake up and smell the equality."...

n his New York Times bestselling book, Throw Them All Out, Breitbart editor Peter Schweizer revealed how members of Congress enrich themselves and their relatives using earmarks and insider information. Now, the Washington Post, following in Schweizer’s footsteps, has conducted a study that found 16 members of Congress have used their power of the purse to benefit companies, colleges, and community groups tied to their relatives. *snip* Among those cited in the Washington Post report were the following (below):

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After a five-year battle with bureaucracy, a former U.S. Marine finally got New York City to admit on Thursday that he is male and agree to reissue the birth certificate that incorrectly stated otherwise. David Hassan, a bearded Iraq War veteran, was born in Manhattan's Lenox Hill Hospital 29 years ago. There was never a reason to doubt he was a boy. But it was only in 2003 that it came to Hassan's attention that the hospital had deemed him to be female on his birth certificate, his lawyer said. Hassan was not bothered by the...

In an address recently delivered to an AIPAC audience in New York, New Jersey governor Chris Christie articulated a responsible view of America’s role in the world, stressing the importance of us standing by our friends and taking action against our adversaries. “America should stand by its friends and its democratic allies, even, and sometimes especially, when it’s unpopular to do so,” Christie said, outlining his foreign policy vision. “And you know I know, that it may not be fashionable in some of the chancelleries, the foreign ministries, and salons around the world to talk about why America stands with...

Manasquan, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- The New Jersey Appellate Division decided two cases this week in support of fair treatment for those who received mental health care, but who no longer suffer from such disabilities in such a manner that would handicap them in the safe handling of firearms. The law firm of Evan F. Nappen, Attorney at Law PC of Eatontown, New Jersey, (www.evannappen.com) represented both of these appellants. Both cases were partially funded by the NRA’s Civil Rights Defense Fund. IN RE M.L., PETITIONER FOR EXPUNGEMENT Two years ago, M.L., a retired law enforcement officer with over 25 years of...

The state’s activist judiciary has forced taxpayers to finance unprecedented educational and housing regimes.Squelching rumors this past fall of a presidential run, New Jersey governor Chris Christie observed that he had lots more to do to fix a “broken” state. He wasn’t kidding: though already the nation’s most heavily taxed state, New Jersey can balance its budget only by ignoring billions of dollars in employee pension liabilities and by slashing aid to struggling local governments. Christie has pushed through reforms that cut spending and cap property-tax increases. But he has only begun to grapple with an institution that bears much...

The hypocrisy of opponents of school choice schemes has never been a big secret. But rarely has that quality been so brazenly exhibited as by Vincent Giordano, the head of the New Jersey Education Association, in a recent interview on New Jersey public television. When asked why he opposes giving poor parents the same opportunity to take their kids out of failing public schools and into successful private or religious institutions the wealthy have, the teachers union boss, who makes more than half a million in salary and other compensation, replied: "Life's not always fair." Giordano, who has been a major antagonist of New...

NEWARK — A second evacuation in less than 15 hours of a Rutgers-Newark residential hall is underway, as the FBI and local agencies follow up on a report of possible explosives inside University Square first investigated by local authorities Tuesday night, a university spokeswoman said... (snip) FBI became involved after determining that “a potential hazardous substance should be further investigated,” she said. Paxton said she did not have any information on the nature of the substance, which is presumably in a dorm room of a man arrested last night on several charges. Elan (Ely) Haba, a 19-year-old from North Caldwell...

According to philly.com columnist Kevin Riordan, DyAnn DiSalvo is an unobservant, self-absorbed children’s book author and illustrator living in Merchantville, New Jersey (“a quaint Camden County borough of about 3,800, Merchantville is best known for Victorian architecture”). Actually, Riordan doesn’t describe her as unobservant and self-absorbed. That’s just the obvious conclusion drawn from reading of her outrage at looking up one day recently and noticing that her small town just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia now sports a gun store. And that it’s been there for over a year. Which means that something must be done about this. Now....

A Newark man died after a tussle with a former high school wrestler he tried to rob early Saturday, NBC New York has learned. Law-enforcement sources told NBC New York that 30-year-old Gian Davis approached two men near Bloomfield Avenue at about 1:15 a.m. and asked for change. When the men said "no," he then asked to borrow a cell phone, grabbed it and tried to run off with it, sources said. One of the men lunged to get the phone back and Davis put him in a headlock, according to sources. Then, sources say the other man, a former...

BERNARDSVILLE, N.J. – A northern New Jersey educator accused of secretly videotaping teenage boys in the shower at a Catholic high school for nearly three years has quit his administrative job with a public school district. Somerset Hills Regional School District Superintendent Peter Miller said Patrick Lott's resignation was accepted Thursday during a special board of education meeting. The 54-year-old Lott was an assistant principal at the Bernardsville Middle School. But he had been placed on an unpaid leave of absence after being arrested last December. His resignation took effect on Jan. 27. Somerset County prosecutors say Lott videotaped students...

Three Republicans, including an Englewood rabbi, are seeking the GOP nomination to run in the new 9th Congressional District. The three are vying for a chance to compete against Rep. Steve Rothman or Rep. Bill Pascrell, both Democrats, are engaged in a primary fight for the redrawn 9th District. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a talk show host and author of books including “Kosher Jesus” and “Kosher Sex,” told Bergen’s Republican Organization he wants to be the nominee, according to a report on politickernj.com. The congressional run is Boteach’s first bid for public office. Boteach and Rothman, a former Englewood mayor, were...

Trenton, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- After a massive outcry from the Second Amendment community against A588 (backdoor ammo ban) and A1013 (defacing firearms – unintended consequences), the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee “held” A588 and amended A1013 in response to gun owner concerns. The effect of holding A588 is to send it back to the drawing board for further review and amendment, and this legislation that would have opened the door to a sweeping ammunition ban will not advance in its present form. The amendments to A1013 are still under review, but it is very apparent from the actions of the...

Christie calls critic 'numb-nuts' By: MJ Lee January 30, 2012 05:28 PM EST It’s open war in New Jersey, where Gov. Chris Christie ripped a pro-gay marriage state assemblyman as “numb-nuts” on Monday in response to the state lawmaker’s suggestion that the governor would have supported pro-segregation leaders. “You have numb nuts like Reed Gusciora who put out a statement comparing me to George Wallace and Lester Maddox. Now, come on guys, at some point, you’ve got to able to call BS on those kind of press releases,” Christie said, according to a video posted on the New Jersey Star-Ledger’s...

Constitutional Work Around: New Jersey Legislators Move To Ban Ammunition Mac Slavo January 30th, 2012 While the second amendment protects our right to bear arms, some anti-gun advocates think they may have found a loophole. This afternoon the New Jersey Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee is set to consider two bills (Assembly Bill 588 and Assembly Bill 1013) that would essentially ban all handgun ammunition in the state, as well as some (or potentially all) rifle ammunition.Sponsored by Assemblyman L. Grace Spencer (D-29), A588 is cleverly disguised as police safety legislation aimed at armor piercing ammunition (which is already...

A588 would enable the Attorney General to ban handgun and rifle ammunition by executive fiat. Trenton, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- Common hunting, target, and self-defense ammunition would be subject to ban under A588, along with BB’s, airgun pellets, and plastic airsoft pellets! Additional legislation being considered (A1013) could land gun owners in jail for refinished or damaged firearms that might be deemed “defaced” On Monday, January 30 at 2:00 p.m. the New Jersey Assembly Law & Public Safety Committee is scheduled to consider A588, legislation that would enable the Attorney General to ban all handgun and most rifle ammunition if he unilaterally...

Maybe they should cut a deal: Gov. Chris Christie can put gay marriage to a popular vote, as long as Democrats can do the same with the millionaires tax, the Port Authority toll hikes and the governor's personal use of state helicopters. The governor's plan is not serious. It is a political dodge. He is trying to provide a safe haven to shelter his obedient Republican legislators. The idea is they could safely vote against gay marriage, saying they only want the people to decide. Imagine how different American history would be if this rule by referendums had carried the...

Manasquan, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- Freedom rest on our shoulders — let’s stand proud and defend it together”‘ says three term NRA Board member Scott Bach. “If all we have left to muster is sheer force of will and bold intention, we will always find a way to defend freedom – always.” These words embody the spirit of a tenacious Second Amendment activist, who has devoted more than a decade to defending gun rights both nationally and on the “front lines” of the Northwest – where politicians who control government are hostile to firearms freedoms. As president of the Association of New...

Close call may reveal home invader-favoring ‘loophole’ in Garden State’s ‘castle doctrine’ law I gave a partial recount of my speech to the Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots of Central Montgomery County as a supplement to my January 9 Gun Rights Examiner column. One of the pleasant experiences of the evening I mentioned: I’d also like to give a quick shout out to Sandy Berardi of Gun For Hire Radio. He had a table set up to cover the event and I spent a fun hour that went by all too quickly with him and with Kevin Fialkowski of RedEye Defensive...

"TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie moved to diversify the state’s all-white Supreme Court on Monday by proposing two firsts: the nominations of an openly gay black man and a Korean-born law enforcer to fill two vacancies. Christie announced the nominations at a Statehouse news conference attended by both nominees and their families. If confirmed, Bruce A. Harris would become New Jersey’s first openly gay justice, and Phillip H. Kwon would become its first Asian representative and the first person born outside the United States to be sworn in."

Manahawkin, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- On Wednesday January 4, 2012, Rick Gutman the attorney for the New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) filed an appeal with the NJ Appellate division in its lawsuit against the NJ Division of State Police. This case revolves around the state’s refusal to allow lawful New Jersey residents reasonable access to documents which directly impact the processing of their applications for Firearms Identification Cards and Handgun Purchase Permits. After receiving numerous complaints from applicants who were subjected to extended delays, intrusive forms and other requirements that clearly go beyond what is allowed by law, the NJ2AS took...

Last year, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson had some advice for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie: “Find some way to lose weight.” It is advice Robinson gave in his Washington Post column and later on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” His argument was Christie needed to use his weight loss to set an example for a country fighting a so-called obesity epidemic. But Christie wasn’t receptive to Robinson’s criticism. On Wednesday’s broadcast of “Morning Joe,” Christie spoke about an interview he conducted with Oprah Winfrey, where he was open about his weight struggle. However, he also criticized Robinson for being ignorant about...

The Second Amendment Foundation and Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs will appeal a federal judge's ruling Friday that "the Second Amendment does not include a general right to carry handguns outside the home." Federal Judge William H. Walls, a Clinton appointee, dismissed a case filed by both organizations challenging New Jersey's handgun carry laws, which have all but eliminated the right to self-defense with a firearm outside the home. "The Second Amendment Foundation and ANJRPC are prepared to take this case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where SAF has already won a landmark case...

renton, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- Last Tuesday, the first day of the 215th session of the New Jersey Legislature, Assembly Bill 857 was introduced. Introduced by Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose (R-24), A 857 would repeal New Jersey’s law which allows residents to purchase only one handgun per month. Current law states, “A dealer shall not knowingly deliver more than one handgun to any person within any 30-day period.” Supporters of gun rationing claim that this law is needed to prevent criminals from buying large quantities of handguns for illegal resale. The following are three reasons why gun rationing should be repealed: 1....

BELLEVUE, Wash., Jan. 13, 2012 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation and Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs will appeal a federal judge's ruling Friday that "the Second Amendment does not include a general right to carry handguns outside the home." Federal Judge William H. Walls, a Clinton appointee, dismissed a case filed by both organizations challenging New Jersey's handgun carry laws, which have all but eliminated the right to self-defense with a firearm outside the home. "The Second Amendment Foundation and ANJRPC are prepared to take this case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court,...

A New Jersey school teacher accused of writing anti-gay comments on Facebook is stirring a new pot on free speech rights versus her possible termination. Tenure charges were formally filed against high school English teacher Viki Knox, 50, last month after she was placed on leave in September for words her school board argues to be potentially harmful to their students. 'Why parade your unnatural immoral behaviors before the rest of us?' a Facebook user with her name wrote calling homosexuality 'a perverted spirit,' 'sin,' and which 'breeds like cancer,' according to NJ.com.

Ten States That Cannot Pay Their Bills Posted: January 11, 2012 at 6:59 amMichael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale, Ashley C. Allen 10. New Hampshire > 2011 budget shortfall as a % of general fund: 27.2% > 2011 budget shortfall: $365 million > 2012 projected budget shortfall: 18.4% (8th largest) > GDP change (2006 – 2010): +7.5% (11th smallest increase) > Median home value change (2006 – 2010): -4% (12th largest decline) New Hampshire is often considered to have weathered the recession better than most states. It has one of the strongest economies in the country in many respects. Its...

“N.J. Gas Station Workers Cheated Out of Pay to Get $1M in Back Wages.” That was a headline in the New Jersey Star-Ledger. It's a classic tale of big, bad business trying to stick it to the little guy. And this time, the little guy prevailed with help of crack law enforcement. But is that really the story? Maybe. But maybe not. What we know is that in 2011 the Department of Labor found that scores of gas station owners in the Garden State (where self-service is outlawed to protect gas station attendant jobs) failed to comply properly with the...

Montana farmers have filed a class action suit against former New Jersey governor Jon Corzine, charging that the failed financial firm run by Corzine stole millions from their accounts to pay off its spiraling debts, and that Corzine's "single-minded obsession" with making MF Global a big player on Wall Street led to the firm's collapse. MF Global's clients included 38,000 wheat farmers, cattle ranchers and others who "hedged" their crop prices by placing millions in MF Global accounts. Those accounts were supposed to be "segregated and secure," according to the federal suit, meaning MF Global could not draw on those...

While nearly three months after the MF Global bankruptcy nobody still has any idea where the billion + in commingled client money has gone, nor why Corzine is still out and about walking freely, the former CEO of both Goldman, MF Global and New Jersey is rumored to be looking for office space at 40 Wall. Reports the WSJ:

The Republican minority leader in New Jersey's Assembly, Alex DeCroce, died late Monday night as a lame duck session of the legislature was just ending. DeCroce, 75, had served in the Assembly for 22 years, representing a large part of Morris County, and had led the Republican minority for the past eight years. "It was awful," said fellow legislator Jon Bramnick (R-Union) in describing the scene at the statehouse. Bramnick, who serves as conference leader for the Assembly Republicans, told NBC New York that DeCroce had described a pain in his left arm about an hour earlier and said he...

A federal magistrate judge nominated to the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals is being blocked by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), in a little-known use of senatorial courtesy that could kill the appointment. The move, which has effectively derailed the nomination of U.S. Magistrate Patty Shwartz to the Third Circuit, marks the first time a judicial appointee of President Obama has been held up by a senator from his own party.

When a Democratic president nominates a federal judge from a state with two Democratic senators — and the Senate itself is controlled by Democrats — a speedy confirmation hearing typically follows. But in an unusual case of intraparty defiance, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey is holding up President Obama’s nomination of a judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the only time a Democrat has tried to block one of Mr. Obama’s judicial nominees. Mr. Menendez would not comment. But the nominee, Patty Shwartz, has been in a relationship for more than two decades...

TRENTON — In a surprise decision today, a state Superior Court judge tossed out the election of Assemblywoman-Elect Gabriela Mosquera and vacated her seat because she did not live in her legislative district for one year before her election, as required by the state constitution. “Because Respondent Gabriela M. Mosquera had not been a resident for one year before her election of the district for which she has been elected to the General Assembly… she was not eligible for that office at the time of the election,” Judge George Leone wrote in his ruling, which was issued tonight. Nevertheless, Leone...

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Chairman of the Congressional Constitution Caucus, issued the following statement today condemning the unconstitutional recess appointment by President Obama of Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): “President Obama is abdicating his oath and duty to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States by making an unconstitutional recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the newly created CFPB. If it weren’t for his track record of trampling the Constitution to suit his political needs, I would say this announcement came as a surprise. Unfortunately, this is...

The former Hoboken police lieutenant who was fired after 2007's Hoboken SWAT team scandal and an angry airport incident is continuing the fight to get his job back. Angelo Andriani will appear before an Office of Administrative Law judge several more times within the next few months. Andriani was fired after he carried a badge during his suspension for two trips to Louisiana when he was photographed pretending to be a Ku Klux Klan member, posing with bare-breasted women at Mardi Gras, letting Hooters girls hold his weapons and more.

Manahawkin, New Jersey --(Ammoland.com)- The New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) has recorded its first substantial victory in Operation Establish Compliance with the reversal of Egg Harbor Township’s policy of requiring the signing of an unlimited release of information and liability waiver as a condition of processing firearms permit applications. Operation Establish Compliance is the ongoing effort to force Municipal Police Departments to issue firearms permits in accordance with the law. NJ2AS was only days away from filing a lawsuit challenging the additional form when Drew Parker, who serves on the Egg Harbor Township Zoning Board and is a member...

WASHINGTON — Two out-of-state doctors who traveled to Maryland to perform late-term abortions have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder under the state’s viable fetus law, authorities said. Dr. Steven Brigham, of Voorhees, N.J., was taken into custody Wednesday night and is being held in the Camden County jail, according to police in Elkton, Md. Authorities also arrested Dr. Nicola Riley in Salt Lake City and she is in jail in Utah. Each is awaiting an extradition hearing. The two doctors were indicted by a grand jury after a 16-month investigation, police said. The investigation began in...