Free Republic

SNIPPET: “In about less than a week, India will mark the first anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks. After the US’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s Chicago breakthrough, now Italy has achieved some headway in the investigations relating to last year’s terror events(26/11). The Italian police have arrested, after almost a year long monitoring and surveillance, two Pakistani nationals (Father and Son duo) from Brescia city who are accused of sending funds from their money transfer agency and providing the logistical support to Pakistani terrorists. The suspects Mohammad Yaqub Janjua and Aamer Yaqub Janjua, owners of the Madina Trading telephone...

Senators have to find a balance between voting their conscience and voting as their constituents would like. If senators vote their conscience too heavily, constituents tend to get angry. When this happens, constituents may ask for a recall of their U.S. Senator. (The 5 steps are listed in detail) -- The 18 states allowing for recall are as follows: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

Dobbs Won't Rule Out Senate BidNovember 17, 2009 9:28 AM Former CNN pundit Lou Dobbs could be contemplating a run for public office in his native NJ, he told Bill O'Reilly 11/17. In Dobbs' first interview since abruptly leaving his television show last week, he refused to rule out the idea of running for Senate. "A lot of things are on my mind. I'm not going to be coy about this," Dobbs said, when asked if he was considering a bid. "I can guarantee you 100 percent -- I'm going to remain in the -- in the public arena. These...

STATEWIDE -- In what could become the highest profile game of political musical chairs in the state, Democratic sources claim they are considering replacing U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg with outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine. It would work like this: Corzine would resign prior to January, when Republican Christopher Christie takes over as governor. A Corzine resignation would allow state Sen. President Richard Codey to serve as acting governor. Then Lautenberg would retire from the U.S. Senate, leaving Codey to name Corzine to fill the seat until a special election. This is similar to a move made when Corzine resigned the senate...

TRENTON -- A N.J. gun law needs exceptions for various groups — including retailers who will only be able to buy one handgun a month from suppliers — members of a task force reviewing the legislation said today. The law, intended to restrict the flow of weapons to criminals, has riled gun advocates who say it penalizes law-abiding citizens like target shooters and collectors. The task force’s central proposal would make it easier for gun store owners to stock their shelves while still limiting customers to buying one handgun every 30 days. "As it stands now, retailers would be prohibited...

In his election-night acceptance speech, New Jersey Gov.-elect Chris Christie aimed straight at the Garden State's entrenched political class, vowing to "turn Trenton on its head." As his victory suggests, many residents would welcome such dramatic reform. He has the opportunity to harness popular anger with the previous administration and make real reforms. Christie inherits a state that's in arguably the worst financial condition in its 233- year history. Last year's $7 billion shortfall, closed with stimulus dollars and tax hikes, has resurfaced at an even larger $8 billion for 2010. Residents face crippling property taxes (an average of $7,000...

EDISON -- A veteran Edison police officer was placed on probation for one year today for shoplifting about $42 in merchandise from a local supermarket where he was working as a security guard.  David Yanvary, 55, who served more than 27 years on the township police force, must also forfeit his employment and is permanently barred from holding a public job or law enforcement position in New Jersey.   Yanvary was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Frederick De Vesa in New Brunswick who told him "it is a very unfortunate thing that brings us here."  "Our courts expect a police officer...

WHARTON -- An undocumented Honduran immigrant, whose bail became the subject of a New Jersey Supreme Court case earlier this year, pleaded guilty today to sexually-assaulting a 8-year-old girl.   Manuel Fajardo-Santos, 31, admitted today to sexually assaulting his girlfriend's younger sister in Wharton on Aug. 24, 2008 after returning home from a party. Superior Court Judge John Dangler set sentencing for Jan. 29.Under a plea arrangement, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office will seek a sentence of seven years in state prison, with a minimum 85-percent parole ineligible, while public defender Michael Fletcher will argue for a five-year sentence.   A detainer...

HAMMONTON -- Jack Tomasello has not slept well in months, not since the summer’s torrential rains swept through his sprawling Hammonton vineyard. In its wake, the rains left behind acres of grapes now cloaked in deadly fungus. Desperate to salvage the crops, Tomasello, who runs the state’s largest winery with his brother, has risen at daybreak each morning to inspect and spray fungicide on the 70 acres of Cabernet, Riesling and Chardonnay grapes. Even so, with just a few weeks left in the harvest, the winery will most likely reap less than half of last year’s 215 tons, when weather...

TOTOWA — Little Sisters of the Poor, a Roman Catholic order of women, cares for 110 needy seniors living at a home in the borough, and to keep the home running, its 14 nuns go into the community each day to ask the public for donations.  This small order was thrust into the spotlight this month when Pope Benedict XVI canonized its founder, Jeanne Jugan, on Oct. 11 at the Vatican. Thousands of Little Sisters of the Poor from more than 200 homes around the world, along with residents and volunteers, made a pilgrimage to Rome last weekend for the...

Every fall, the Red Mill Museum here hosts a haunted house. But this year’s "Asylum of Terror," has angered mental health advocates who said the theme perpetuates ugly stereotypes. The show, which ends today, warns visitors of hopeless, mindless and deranged patients lurking in dark corners ready to lunge. "Dementia, paranoia, violent sociopathic behaviors, physical abnormalities and deformities ... these are but a few of the afflictions that torment the wretched souls imprisoned within the walls of the Asylum," reads an advertisement for the haunted house. It continues: "In 1942, the doors of the asylum and the grounds were abruptly...

Please... I don't know where this type of thing is supposed to go, but if it is wrong, mods plz move it. My 6 week old grandson in in the PICU unit in Cambridge hospital. I don't have a lot of time right now, as I am dashing around... I promise to post more when time allows.. but for now, please, I need prayers sent up for Jack. Thank you!

The Rev. Pawel Franciszek Szurek is taking his message of Christian empowerment from the pulpit to the airwaves with a new show, "Change Your Attitude … Change Your Life," debuting this morning at 9 on New York-based The Apple 970 AM, a 50,000-watt conservative-talk radio station. Szurek — born in Krakow, Poland, and pastor for two years at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Clifton — never dreamed he'd rise to the level of The Apple. Szurek recently became an instant hit at a radio gig on WMTR 1250 AM by offering messages of spiritual strength, despite, he says, an...

A good port or Madeira. A special Sancerre or a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. For the past 15 years, the customers of Wine Ventures in Tenafly have known to count on its proprietor, Craig McManus, for a friendly chat and some wine expertise. What they may not know is that wine is just McManus' day job. By night, he chases spirits. He communicates with the dead. He looks for ghosts. He conjures up the late relatives of people he's just met. He ignores those who call this ridiculous. Instead, he took a phenomenon that initially "freaked me out" and spun it into a...

In Ohio, citizens marched to the polls on Tuesday and voted to allow gambling casinos in the state. This was obviously a message to President Obama that independent voters are not happy with the way the health care bill is going. Really, I don’t see how else you can interpret it. Ohioans were looking forward to the lower insurance costs that would come with a robust public option, and if the president can’t deliver, they’re planning to pay their future medical bills with their winnings at the roulette wheel. Also, people here in Cincinnati rejected a proposal that would have...

A New Jersey appeals court has concluded that Americans have no Second Amendment right to buy a handgun. In a case decided last week, the superior court upheld a state law saying that nobody may possess "any handgun" without obtaining law enforcement approval and permission in advance. That outcome might seem like something of a surprise, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year in the D.C. v. Heller case that the Second Amendment guarantees "the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation." But New Jersey Appellate Division Judge Stephen Skillman wrote on behalf of...

The news was official earlier than anyone expected: Chris Christie won the race for governor in New Jersey.On Election Day, we heard of eyewitness reports that convicted felons were going door-to-door in Morris Township in an effort to get out the vote for the Democrats. And we heard of automated phone calls for independent candidate Chris Daggett that were paid for by the Democrats. There was also a huge rise in absentee ballots, and allegations that ACORN workers had collected absentee ballots at East Orange General Hospital.One guy even showed up yesterday at his polling precinct to find that someone...

US Republicans score big in off-year electionsAFP November 4, 2009, 1:06 pm NEW YORK (AFP) - US Republicans won two governors' seats in off-year elections that dealt a stinging blow to President Barack Obama and his Democrats exactly 12 months after they swept into power. In New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie pulled off an upset to defeat Jon Corzine, the incumbent governor in the heavily Democratic state, by a margin of 55-44, according to preliminary results. And in the first Republican victory of the night in Virginia, Bob McDonnell took back the governor's mansion from the Democrats by defeating Creigh...

At this writing, close to midnight on Election we have a good Idea of the results. The GOP has taken over the state houses in Virginia and New Jersey and they have seen major gains in those states legislatures. Mike Bloomberg was reelected by a whisker and in NY 23 Doug Hoffman has lost to Bill Owens. The talking-heads heads have been talking all night and quite frankly very few of them have it right. To be honest very little of this election was about President Obama, but in the end there will be implications for the POTUS.

8:28 PM - Internal exit polls showing very good signs for Christie in NJ, most importantly Christie is running very strong independents. With indies breaking overwhelmingly for Christie, it could spell trouble for Democrat Corzine. It stands to note that the Democrats have a very strong coalition, so the sway of indie voters may not influence the as strong as it did in Virginia. However, CNN exit polls suggest that most voters - 38 percent - "said the quality they were looking for most in a candidate was the ability to bring change and most of them said they had...

UPDATED: It's been confirmed that "voter intimidation" claim in #NY23 is a #fail. http://bit.ly/2fFg1L 13 minutes ago from TweetDeck Turnout in Virginia said to be about 45%. #vagov #73wire about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck 73Wire Update: Voter intimidation in NY23? http://bit.ly/OJzYn #73wire about 1 hour ago from twitterfeed 73Wire Update: EXCLUSIVE: Hoffman Plattsburgh Precinct Worker’s Tires Slashed http://bit.ly/2QBrRP #73wire about 1 hour ago from twitterfeed

President Barack Obama's political clout was on the line Tuesday as Virginia and New Jersey chose governors in contests that could serve as warning signs for Democrats about the public's mood heading into an important midterm election year.

A sign of hope? Recent events suggest that things may (and I stress may) be looking up. Despite the endorsement of the Democratic candidate by Scozzafava in NY 23, Conservative candidate Hoffman currently leads in Sienna College polling by 5 percentage points, with undecideds doubling from 9% to 18%. In Virginia, the Republican candidate Bob McDonnell holds a commanding lead of 12% on his Democratic rival in a poll by the Richmond Times-Dispatch poll, with suggestions that his candidacy has coat-tails. Even the liberal bastion of New Jersey is in play, with Republican Christie leading Corzine by two points, with...

The governor’s race in New Jersey is a referendum on the failed fiscal policies of the state’s current governor. New Jersey suffers under the highest tax burden in the nation – a burden which has caused many New Jerseyans to leave their home state for better economic prospects elsewhere. Chris Christie is dedicated to ending the reckless spending, the tax hikes, and the corruption that has plagued New Jersey for far too long. A vote for Chris Christie as the next governor of New Jersey will help to lead this great state – “The Crossroads of the Revolution” – back...

Pundits have thoughts what today’s elections really mean. But I think the following is the best take. The election results in NJ and VA mean that if Corzine gets defeated, the Republicans win a Governor’s seat. If McDonald in VA wins, the Republicans have another seat. And regardless who wins in NY-23, the outlay in the House of Representatives won’t change much one way or the other. Pelosi will still be in full control of that house. The elections also mean that Republicans can be joyful for a day or two, thinking that things will change in their lives due...

Polls can measure many things, but one thing they have a hard time getting at is intensity: Yes, people will tell a pollster whom they prefer in a campaign, but do they feel so strongly about their choice that they'll actually go out to vote? Only elections can answer the intensity question, which is the most important factor in Tuesday's off-year governor's elections in New Jersey and Virginia and, increasingly, a special election in a New York congressional district. Intensity, as much as outcomes, may provide the best insight into national trends heading into the much more meaningful election in...

One or more wins would give the Republicans a jolt and a reason to rally in the coming months. Victories certainly would help with grass-roots fundraising and candidate recruiting. And they might just be enough to reinvigorate a party that controlled the White House and Congress through much of this decade, only to lose power in back-to-back national elections. Viewed from the other side, a GOP sweep would be a setback for Democrats. It could be viewed as a negative measure of President Obama's standing and could signal trouble ahead as he seeks to get moderate Democratic lawmakers behind his...

Fearing a potentially devastating Democratic loss, the highly controversial Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) group and its affiliated organizations are gearing up to tip the scales and re-elect embattled incumbent in the hard-fought New Jersey gubernatorial race, sources tell Newsmax. "Acorn is heavily involved in Gov. Jon Corzine's get-out-the-vote operation, but is maintaining a low profile at the insistence of the Corzine campaign," Matthew Vadum, senior editor of the conservative Capitol Research Center think tank, tells Newsmax. "If Corzine manages to win reelection, he doesn't want the victory tainted by his close association with Acorn." Wall Street...

After Jon Corzine appeared to pull back into the race for his re-election to the governor’s chair in New Jersey, Barack Obama poured on the support to help push him over the top. According to the final PPP poll in New Jersey, it didn’t work. Corzine has fallen off the pace and now trails outside the margin of error in the Garden State, with Chris Christie pulling away in the final week: Chris Christie leads Jon Corzine 47-41 in PPP’s final poll of the New Jersey Governor’s race, with Chris Daggett at 11%. Corzine had pulled to within a point...

Ford Motor Co. will haul out piles of arsenic-laced soil found in Ringwood State Park, ending a four-year battle over the source of the waste. The company failed to prove the cancer-causing element was a naturally occurring remnant of mining in the remote mountain in Ringwood, rather than a byproduct of the paint sludge it dumped decades ago. As a result, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is demanding Ford remove the contamination as part of its Superfund cleanup. Plastic tarps now cover several hockey-rink size swaths of the toxic-laden soil. Federal officials say the arsenic isn’t leaching and has not...

Is There Late Movement to Republican Christie in NJ? Or is the World Series Affecting Who Pollsters Reach? On Election Eve in New Jersey, with a New York City team and a Philadelphia team in the World Series, Republican Chris Christie may have slight late momentum in his bid to unseat incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine, according to a SurveyUSA tracking poll conducted for WABC-TV. The candidates remain today within the theoretical margin of sampling error, as they have been in each of SurveyUSA's 5 tracking NJ polls. At the wire, Christie 45%, Corzine 42%. Interviews were conducted Friday 10/30/09 through...

<p>Under a steel-gray sky, workers waded through the swirling mosaic of red, pink, and yellow cranberries at a Burlington County bog last week as wide-eyed onlookers snapped photos. A year’s worth of labor had come down to this moment, when the Lee family and its helpers, filled with excitement and a sense of urgency, began the autumn harvest ritual.</p>

In the see-saw New Jersey Governor's race, Republican challenger Christopher Christie has 42 percent to Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's 40 points, with 12 percent for independent candidate Christopher Daggett, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Six percent remain undecided. This compares to a 43 - 38 percent Gov. Corzine lead, with 13 percent for Daggett, in an October 28 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University. Among Daggett supporters, 38 percent say they might change their mind: 39 percent say Corzine is their second choice, while 29 percent say Christie is number two. Only 10 percent of Christie...

DAYTON — After her best childhood friend died from breast cancer, Ruth Deddens began researching the causes of the dreaded disease. The Oakwood woman’s investigation eventually led her to Angela Lanfranchi, a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey and president of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute. Deddens, active in the “40 Days for Life” movement, decided to bring Lanfranchi to town as part of this year’s local pro-life campaign. Lanfranchi — who insists there are proven links between breast cancer, abortion and birth control pills — was the featured speaker at...

Addressing a crowded room at the local Elks Lodge, not far from one of North Jersey’s ubiquitous shopping malls, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie paints a bleak portrait of his home state. New Jersey is “careening towards bankruptcy,” says the former U.S. attorney. “People and jobs” are fleeing “in droves,” mainly because of stifling levels of taxation. The Garden State is “no longer competitive,” and “businesses are voting with their feet.” Is Christie overstating things? After all, blessed with felicitous geography and a highly educated work force, New Jersey remains the most densely populated state in the Union, and also...

Sarah Palin surely is shaking things up, isn't she? Earlier today she used Facebook to call out Chris Daggett on his false claim that she had called for him to drop out of the New Jersey gubernatorial race. So, to the good people of New Jersey, please know that Daggett’s claims are false. I’ve never even suggested he should drop out of the race. But, come to think of it… Chris Daggett admits she's correct. George Stephanopolous of ABC News reports: A Daggett spokesman acknowledges that Daggett’s claim on MSNBC was incorrect. “She never contacted us asking us to drop...

CAMDEN, N.J. — In a final campaign swing on behalf of the only governor seeking re-election this fall, President Barack Obama on Sunday pitched Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's bid as a key component for the White House to make good on its political promises. "He's one of the best partners I have in the White House. We work together," Obama said. "We know our work is far from over."

Who stands with you? Republican Chris Christie opposes a womans right to choose. Democrat Jon Corzines fought to protect it. Republican Christie stands with the NRA and opposes banning armor piercing rifles. Jon Corzines a leader in the fight against the gun lobby.

NJ’s Governor’s Race: Candidate Plays Loose With Facts? Today at 9:43am Despite what candidate Chris Daggett is claiming, I have never contacted him or his campaign. I have never asked him to drop out of the NJ Governor’s race. Now, if a politician is going to play loose with facts like this, the electorate needs to know it. So, to the good people of New Jersey, please know that Daggett’s claims are false. I’ve never even suggested he should drop out of the race. But, come to think of it… - Sarah Palin

Despite what candidate Chris Daggett is claiming, I have never contacted him or his campaign. I have never asked him to drop out of the NJ Governor’s race. Now, if a politician is going to play loose with facts like this, the electorate needs to know it

Reporting from Hoboken, N.J. - Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, climbed on a stage here the other night and hailed his state's political history at a rally for Jon Corzine, the embattled Democratic governor running for reelection. "New Jersey," Booker shouted to supporters in the upscale sushi bar, "is a state of impossible dreams." Until recently, that described Corzine's likely odds at the ballot box Tuesday. But the unpopular governor's race against Christopher Christie, the Republican challenger, has tightened to a dead heat after months of relentless negative campaigning by both sides. Political analysts say Corzine, 62, now may...

British General John Burgoyne must have been bitterly disappointed one day in July 1777 in the upper Hudson Valley — the day his army, hot in pursuit of the Americans they had just driven from Fort Ticonderoga, ran into a lake that wasn’t supposed to exist.  This part of upstate New York had already been thoroughly explored and mapped, yet the Redcoats, confident of speedily overtaking and finishing off the American force, suddenly found themselves blocked by a brand-new body of water where dry forest and field was supposed to provide swift passage. The British must have soon ascertained, as...

WABC TV in New York carried a story about one of Jon Corzine's close aides ( I missed the name) being arrested. He was stopped for talking on cell phone and the police found 15 viles of drugs. Anyone know anything more. Of course this is being smothered. This is not even on WABC TV's web site hmmmmmmmmmm

A few months ago, needing to cut my monthly budget way down, I examined every place where I could cut. One of the things I noticed was how much money I was spending on a liberal newspaper that was continuing to jack its price while constantly shrinking in size and increasing in content from other news agencies (i.e., less NJ news, which is the reason I bought it in the first place). So I quit the Star-Ledger cold turkey. Other than the comics and the weekly food sections, I discovered that I don't miss it. On Sundays, an acquaintance is...

Wow, Obamacare supporters ARRESTED! Trust me. Had this happened at a Tea Party protest you never would have heard the end of it. But remember, this is the liberal media and they philosophically aligned with the protesters. Here’s how the New jersey Ledger Star covered the incident:

Vote in Our Poll: Who Will Win in New Jersey?

<p>A New Jersey appeals court has concluded that Americans have no Second Amendment right to buy a handgun.</p> <p>In a case decided last week, the superior court upheld a state law saying that nobody may possess "any handgun" without obtaining law enforcement approval and permission in advance.</p>

TRENTON, N.J. - The Republican in New Jersey's race for governor wants the incumbent to eat his words over the challenger's heft. says Gov. Jon Corzine should quit hinting at his weight with unflattering ads and "Man up and say I'm fat." Christie also told radio personality Don Imus he'll be "a big, fat winner" on Election Day. "I'm pretty fat," Christie deadpanned on Imus's New York-based radio show Thursday morning. Asked by Imus, he joked he weighed 550 pounds.

These days, as he pleads with New Jersey voters for a second term as governor, even moments of satisfaction in Jon S. Corzine’s world seem to extract their small humiliations. In early September, for instance, on the day that President Obama delivered his heralded (and controversial) televised pep talk to public-school students, Corzine traveled to Camden, one of the country’s poorest cities, his government-issue black S.U.V. weaving through a postapocalyptic landscape of overgrown fields and shuttered row houses. The neighborhood was celebrating the opening of the sparkling new H. B. Wilson Elementary School, one of 45 new schools that Corzine’s...