Democrat Menendez broke federal law. Star-Ledger asks Republican to quit race.

It's a severe case of payback for daring to ask a question. 

A day after the Senate Ethics Committee's "severe admonishment" of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Steve Lonegan, a conservative Republican congressional candidate in CD05 wrote to the Star-Ledger editorial board and asked when they might comment on the Senate Ethics Committee's action against Menendez. 

"The Senate Ethics Committee said Thursday that Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, who avoided conviction in a federal corruption trial last year, violated federal law and Senate rules in accepting unreported gifts from a friend and political ally." (Washington Post, April 26, 2018) 

It's now been five days, and the Star-Ledger has yet to comment on Senator Menendez.  Instead of making a statement about the corrupt Democrat , Star-Ledger editor Tom Moran quickly scratched around for a Republican to attack.  It's called deflection. 

Moran claimed that a 12-year-old unfounded allegation from a former Democrat candidate for mayor in Lonegan's hometown, long known as crank, and noted for his serial accusations of officials in Bergen County, amounted to  a "gay slur" even though the man alleging the slur isn't gay.  Despite there being no proof to the allegation, when Lonegan asked about Menendez, Moran replied in writing to Lonegan: 

"We are also writing about the accusation against you making a gay slur, as you know.  We believe that's grounds for you to step down from the race." 

Unfortunately, for the Star-Ledger, while editor Moran was writing these lines, a New Jersey court was confirming that the accuser Moran based his attack on had no veracity at all.  The case was dismissed.  When this was pointed out to Moran, he published anyway. 

It is no surprise to those who have been following Moran that the Star-Ledger editor doesn't believe in fairness or due process.  After all, in another Star-Ledger editorial (from 2013) Moran labeled the Constitution as a “source of our woes” and suggested that President Obama or a future President Clinton be given the power to appoint 10 senators and 50 congressmen to serve “at large”.  

This is the same Star-Ledger editor who accused Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose of being a pro-terrorist crazy in 2013.  Assemblywoman McHose is the daughter of John McCann's campaign co-chair, Virginia Littell, the former State GOP Chair. 

Five days on and still no word from the Star-Ledger demanding that corrupt Democrat Bob Menendez step down from the U.S. Senate.  Maybe they will never comment?  

You can read the Ethics Committee's full statement here:

https://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=49C12C75-7A26-4FE6-B070-19FCEF4D7532

Tucker Carlson: Our culture could use some modesty

A wonderful exchange between Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Jay Parini, a professor, author, and poet.  Given the circumstances, they make the salutary point that "we all proceed on insufficient knowledge" and conclude that what is lacking in current political discourse is "modesty" and that we need to "teach modesty" and "inculcate a spirit of modesty" as a corrective.

Meanwhile back at the blog run by Freeholder George Graham and his cohort...

https://www.facebook.com/whowhatwherewhen/videos/10208392022592286/

Yes, this is one of the folks from Mark D. Quick's four-man rally on February 25th and he is... yes, urinating on the campaign literature of Freeholder Graham's political opponents.  Nice. 

Last week they were burning literature.  This week, they are pissing on it.  This is the world that Graham has made.

We all should know the Graham story by now.  A local yokel Democrat political consultant gets pushed out of Hudson County by the bigger fish.  Does odd jobs for some of the politically-connected construction firms out that way.   Moves on the Sussex County market.  Says he's in the "paper business" and a few local businesses get taped and screwed.  Gets elected in Stanhope as a Democrat, switches to Republican, back to Democrat to vote for Barack or Hillary, then to Republican again. 

Takes over the Sussex County League of Municipalities (which almost immediately experiences "financial irregularities"), one of nature's "ham and eggers" so he needs to play underhanded, he lies and spreads over-the-top rumors in an attempt to push out incumbent Republican political consultant in order to get his business, when that fails, becomes a candidate and wins a Freeholder seat, promptly turns on those who helped him and destroys them (just ask Freeholder Dennis Mudrick). 

As a Freeholder, he is always on the lookout for a dime.  Gets others to pay his bills, fund his campaigns.  Suckers, he calls them.  He participates in every vote to make the solar project worse and then, turns on the board, points the finger, and blames them.  Wrecks any attempt to rationally work a way out of the solar mess by heavily politicizing the issue BUT he does elect his cronies and takes control over the Board.  Promptly hires NYC leftist and forces out long-time, local Republican.  Hires politically-connected NYC law firm to handle solar review -- which goes from a money recovery operation to a therapy session costing half a million dollars.  Gives a no-bid contract to the very lawyers he said were to blame for the solar mess. 

Moves on to state politics.  Sows seeds of discontent between District 24 legislators.  Targets Gail Phoebus, the unstable one, and gets her to spread outrageous rumors about BOTH her running mates and their families.  Horrible, low as dirt stuff they spread, but hey, this is George.  He is there to undo every attempt at reconciliation.  Meanwhile, he is using his political consulting business to cash in.  Claims to be working in other races around the state, claims to be working for a gubernatorial campaign... is he working for some of the firms that do business in Sussex County?  We would need a more detailed ethics filing to find out. 

This is who is running your county government.

This is why Sussex County needs an Ethics Committee.