Skylands Tea Party president Doug Amedeo took to Facebook over the weekend to trash the Pro-Life movement's top priority for 2017 -- the passage of landmark 20/20 "pain- sensitive" legislation. This legislation is the work of the 20/20 Project, which was started by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese as an ecumenical movement embracing members representing many religious denominations. Last October, hundreds of Pro-Life activists gathered at the 20/20 Vision Conference in Scotch Plains for a day of prayer, planning, and workshops.
The goal of the 20/20 Project is to pass legislation to address the scientific fact that unborn babies are pain-sensitive at 20 weeks. Every other country on earth recognizes this fact except North Korea, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada, and the Netherlands. Senator Steve Oroho is the prime sponsor of legislation in the State Senate, while Assemblyman Parker Space is sponsoring companion legislation in the State Assembly. Similar legislation has been passed in 14 states and 2017 has been designated as the year of the big push to bring our laws into line with the rest of the civilized world.
According to Amedeo, this legislation is a "dead on arrival bill" that "accomplishes no good" and is only useful as a "photo opportunity." Does this tea partier even sound Pro-Life?
Having only recently become involved in political action, we don't expect people like NYC lawyer Doug Amedeo or public employee Bill Hayden to know what other people have been doing for decades. We don't expect them to know that Steve Oroho and his family were marching for Life since the 1980's. Or that Steve and Rita Oroho have spent countless hours volunteering for Pro-Life causes and serving on the boards of Pro-Life organizations? As a legislator, Senator Steve Oroho has a perfect Pro-Life voting record. Everybody in Trenton knows the negotiating prowess of Senator Oroho -- and as the prime sponsor of the Pro-Life movement's 20/20 "pain-sensitive" legislation he is the leader in getting the number one Pro-Life priority through the Democrat-controlled Legislature.
What a nasty little man Doug Amedeo must be. He shows up on the scene yesterday, a Johnny-come-lately -- and today he's make shitty little comments about the Pro-Life movement's top priority legislation being "dead on arrival."
And we all know what Amedeo is up to. He personally hates Steve Oroho and his family, so anything Senator Oroho does is bad. With self-styled "conservatives" like Amedeo, who needs liberals?
A lot of people are working very hard on 20/20 and we don't need naysayers to pour cold water on their efforts just to score points against Senator Oroho. We don't remember Amedeo and Hayden showing up to the 20/20 conference to help -- so what gives them the standing to tell us what will pass and what won't?
Sorry, but when is the last time anybody has even seen any of these people in Trenton? Are they recognizable figures at committee hearings? Do they ever testify on behalf of good legislation or against bad? Who are these idiots with their know-nothing prognostications? Oh, we anointed ourselves with the name "tea party," so therefore that makes us something? Like hell it does!
These are the same wannabe political bosses who believe that they should determine the relationships of others. They believe that every elected official should come to them and that they should get to choose who they hire and fire. And maybe get a little finder's fee in the process perhaps?
But what about their relationships? Who is watching who they associate with?
Some lawyers associate with people who are literally covered in the blood of their victims. Why should that be alright?
The president of the Skylands Tea Party represented "feeder funds" connected with Bernie Madoff. Remember him?
Bernard Lawrence "Bernie" Madoff (born April 29, 1938) is an American fraudster and a former stockbroker, investment advisor, and financier. He is the former non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock market, and the admitted operator of a Ponzi scheme that is considered the largest financial fraud in U.S. history... On March 12, 2009, Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 federal felonies and admitted to turning his wealth management business into a massive Ponzi scheme. The Madoff investment scandal defrauded thousands of investors of billions of dollars. Madoff said he began the Ponzi scheme in the early 1990s. However, federal investigators believe the fraud began as early as the mid-1980s and may have begun as far back as the 1970s. Those charged with recovering the missing money believe the investment operation may never have been legitimate. The amount missing from client accounts, including fabricated gains, was almost $65 billion. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) trustee estimated actual losses to investors of $18 billion. On June 29, 2009, Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum allowed.
Now we are not sure, but we think that most voters probably know who Bernie Madoff is. Maybe not.
Perhaps what voters are really longing for is to have a cosmopolitan, New York City lawyer as their self-styled "boss" and prognosticator?
We doubt it.
Sussex County Watchdog
