Sussex Dems' poor timing: Anti-Trump rally in Newton the day before a terrorist attack?

Do you remember Kate & Gina?  Those two Democrats who ran for the Legislature as part of Phil Murphy's team.  Well they've been in the news again.

On Saturday evening, the day before running mate Gina Trish would rally on Newton Green in favor of a "no-questions-asked" travel policy for countries that even the United Nations says are infected by violent Islamic extremism, the insiders who compose the "executive board" of the Sussex County Democrat Committee (SCDC) named Kate Matteson as their executive director.  Not the entire county committee, mind you, just the insiders on the executive board.  So they're "democratic" in name only... what's new about that?

The boss of the little politburo that runs the SCDC -- Leslie Huhn -- worked herself up into her usual lather and issued a statement about the "vicious attacks" Matteson had to endure from those mean Republicans.  Leslie won't tell you this, but she voted Republican until a legislator happened to forget her name.  It pissed her off to no end.  Out of spite, she ran against the woman and spit all kinds of bile at her.  And so began Leslie's career in politics.  Yep, she's in it for all the right reasons... pride, with a dollop of hate thrown in. 

Hey, it's all personal for some people, but before you go throwing around words like "vicious" -- maybe you should think back to how your committee and your state committeeperson, and your candidates, tried to destroy the reputation of a family and its business and the livelihoods of its employees.  Nobody did that to Dr. Matteson.  Nobody called the school to complain about you, Leslie.  Nobody called Centenary College to complain about Gina Trish.

You see, it is all a question of perceived entitlement.  Kate, Gina, and Leslie all believe that they are entitled to take any position they want and to trash anybody they want to trash, and nobody is supposed to fight back.  And when somebody does, these Democrats become outraged.  They say it's not fair.  They call for a time out, put on their pussy cat hats and go to the Green and protest how unfair the world is and how against them it all is.

Gina Trish has every right to front a rally on Newton Green in favor of a "no-questions-asked" travel policy for countries that are infected by violent Islamic extremism, but when -- the very next day -- someone from one of those countries infected by Islamic extremism attempts to blow up Americans commuting to work in New York City... somebody else has the right to bring it up and say, "Hey Gina, hey Sussex County Democrats, what the hell are you thinking!"  Free speech works both ways.  If you want to be in politics, you are going to need to grow up and get used to it.

If you are going to condemn "hate" and say you support "respectful discourse," then you cannot have your photo taken vandalizing the free speech of someone who disagrees with you.  Tearing up their posters, throwing them on the ground, stomping on them, shoveling snow on them... these are not respectful acts.  In fact, these are the well documented antics of the National Socialists.  Why don't you just burn the words that you disagree with!  Do it up if it makes you feel better, but don't confuse yourself with a "democrat" when you do.  Democracy requires goodwill, patience, and -- most of all -- humility.  All of which seems in short supply.

And finally.  We all remember the good time Kate and Gina and Leslie had calling Parker and Jill Space names because they happened to attend a Hank Williams Jr. concert and were photographed next to the band's banner which (oh heaven forbid!) features what used to be called "a rebel flag."  Well... you just spent the day before a terrorist attack protesting for weaker laws to combat terrorism.  If you want to call someone a "racist" over a band's banner, be prepared to be called at the very least an "enabler of terrorism."  It works both ways.

Should a letter now go out to every board member and donor to Centenary College demanding the same of them that was demanded of the customers of Space Farms?  Or do we treat each other like neighbors who just happen to have different points of view?

It is time for Kate, Gina, and Leslie to look into their hearts and acknowledge that it is they who behaved very badly and that it was only in response to their bad behavior that they felt any heat at all.  Only in response to their bad behavior.

Going forward, they have the opportunity to behave like human beings instead of entitled ideologues.  For the good of the community, we suggest that they take the opportunity.

Democrats turned vigil into Anti-Trump rally

Several individuals who attended the "anti-hate" vigil at Newton Green in Sussex County on Sunday have contacted us to complain that it was over-politicized by those who ran it.  The vigil was run by Action Together Sussex County, an off-shoot of the leftwing Women's March organization.

According to the New Jersey Herald, the rally organizers included blatantly political groups like NJ 11th for Change, a political action committee opposed to Republican Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen; Wind of the Spirit, a group that conducts demonstrations in support of illegal aliens; and LGBTQ advocacy organizations.  The vigil also attracted a number of Democrat Party political campaign committees, which were all announced at the rally.  Republicans were not.

What could have been a genuinely non-partisan event -- or even a bi-partisan one along the lines of the "breakfast at the diner" conducted by Democrat Congressman Josh Gottheimer and Republican State Senator Steve Oroho -- turned instead into an anti-Trump gathering, with a speech made against the President and signs in support of the NFL players who are disrespecting the American flag during the playing of the National Anthem.

 A recent poll shows that a majority of Americans support President Trump over the NFL players, with 91% of Republicans, 60% of Independents, and 43% of Democrats saying players should not kneel in protest during the National Anthem.   The controversy has also sparked a backlash by NFL fans:

 http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/09/27/nfl-fans-burning-tickets-jerseys-merchandise-over-national-anthem-protests videos?nmsrc=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=scoop&utm_medium=email

The controversy prompted Taya Kyle, the widow of legendary Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, to issue a bold challenge to the NFL via Facebook on Tuesday in response to the National Anthem protests sweeping the league.  In common with other NFL fans, Ms. Kyle is tired of seeing the NFL focus on “division and anger” instead of the message of unity that it once represented.  She is calling on the NFL to make a real difference in America and urging its players to “get off your knees” to get it done.  Here is her statement:

Dear NFL,

You were doing your part to bring people together and heal the world. That's really how healing works. We heal by loving each other and leading by example; showing people what is possible when we love each other just as we are and not only recognize our differences but celebrate them and look at how we can use them together to make us jointly better than our separate parts. You were doing your part celebrating each other based on skills, talent and a joint vision without regard to color and religion.

You were doing your part and we were doing ours. We showed up cheering and groaning together to [sic] as one. We talked in the concession lines and commiserated and celebrated our team together. Did it ever occur to you that you and we were already a mix of backgrounds, races and religions? We were already living the dream you want, right in front of you.

Your desire to focus on division and anger has shattered what many people loved most about the sport. Football was really a metaphor for our ideal world –different backgrounds, talents, and histories actually made us one big team with one big goal - to do well, to win, TOGETHER.

You are asking us to abandon what we loved about togetherness and make choices of division. Will we stand with you? Will we stand with our flag? What does it mean? What does it mean if we buy a ticket or NFL gear? What does it mean if we don't? It is the polar opposite of the easy togetherness we once loved in football.

It was simple – we loved you and you loved us – with all of our races, religions and different backgrounds. Simplicity in a crazy world was pretty awesome.

You dear NFL, have taken that. You have lost me here.

If you ever want to get off your knees and get to work on building bridges, let me know. I have found screaming about the problems in service marriages or even standing in silence in front of them, hasn't healed even one of them. On the other hand, funding the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, building a team and rolling up my sleeves to get in the trenches during my “off time” -volunteering there outside of my paying jobs - has proven to make real change.

You have a lot of strong guys, I am sure in the off season a lot of them could build some pretty big bridges if they care enough to do the hard work. That would involve getting off their knees and getting to work though. I can do it while I raise two kids as their only parent and work through the greatest pain of my life, let's see if they can do it for the issues they say they care so much about.

Go Longhorns and Sic 'Em …

Sincerely,

Taya

Sussex Democrats use vigil to attack opponent

Last month, dozens of Sussex County residents met on the Green in Newton to hold a vigil in support of efforts to end opiate addiction.  Most were there for an honest, solemn purpose.  Some were there to get dirt on their neighbors.

It is no secret that Kate Matteson wants Parker Space's job.  She wants it bad enough to try to damage his business.  She wants it bad enough to try to turn a solemn vigil into a political sting operation.  While everyone else was praying to end the community's curse of opiate addiction, Matteson was trying to screw somebody over.

In a Politico column published yesterday, Democrat candidate Matteson admitted that her operatives used the vigil to try to lure her opponent into a conversation, tape it, and then use it as a kind of blackmail.  Perhaps the goal is to force Assemblyman Space out of office, much as the Left has attempted to force President Trump out of office?  This would represent a direct challenge to democracy and the will of the voters because Assemblyman Space is one of the highest vote-getters in the Legislature of either party. 

The question is this:  What kind of person would use a vigil for this purpose?  The vigil was to be a non-political gathering of concerned residents.  Who would authorize such an action?  Who would attempt to sell it to the media?

Democrat Senate candidate Jennifer Hamilton dismissed the whole affair as a personal clash between Matteson and Space, telling Politico that she believed it was about "Parker Space venting his frustration about what he perceived as an attack on his family business.  And that was the premise of the conversation. That was the build-up to that moment.  I don’t feel I need to be brought into peoples’ personal disagreements or battles with one another in terms of their personality conflicts. I think it’s clear from what we’ve seen in our local media that there is conflict between the two of them [Space and Matteson]."

As it turns out, the recording is not a very professional one and contains a number of garbled voices.  It is unclear if Assemblyman Space's is even among the voices present on the tape, while another voice (a woman's voice) apparently agrees with a negative assessment made of candidate Matteson, and still another voice repeats the phrase "elitist one-percenter" when referring to Democrat Matteson, the well-to-do-spouse of a wealthy doctor.

In the article, Matteson, who only began voting in 2016, actually tries to compare Assemblyman Space to President Trump -- fiercely attacking both in the process.  She may have only started voting last year, but she seems determined to make up for it with an extra dose of venom.

This isn't the first time candidate Matteson has used a solemn occasion for political purposes.  On September 11th, she and her running mate, Gina Trish, attended their first 9/11 observance and promptly turned it into a campaign photo opportunity.  It was rather disgusting and occasioned the remarks of many present for its gross lack of class.  Candidate Matteson might be upper class when it comes to having money, but she lacks it when it comes to manners.

Democrats rally with wiccan symbol on flag

The flag carried by Sussex County Democrats at a recent rally in Newton Green suggests that these seven religious entities have equal standing and should be recognized as cultural equals in America.  Taken together, it is a stunning vision of what some believe the "new" America should be:

First comes the Islamic crescent, on the ascent. 

Second, is the eastern symbol of peace.

Third, represents gender equality.

Fourth, is the Star of David.

Fifth, is the Wiccan symbol.  The pagan worship of Satan.

Sixth, is the Ying and Yang of Chinese Philosophy.

Seventh, is the Christian Cross.

Curiously, with all the debate going on about flags and "evil" it is interesting to note that the 12th principle of the 13 principles of Wicca deals with the rejection of "the concept of absolute evil."

A little too quick on the draw there, Bill Hayden

There are conspirators within the Skylands Tea Party group that are allowing Freeholder George Graham to use the group's email list, mailing list, meetings, even the group's name, in order to conduct a political campaign.  This is in direct conflict with the organization's tax status and places the group in jeopardy, but these conspirators don't care about the Tea Party or its mission -- they care about George Graham.

When Freeholder Graham launched a vicious attack on the wife of a candidate for Assembly, photo-shopping the cancer-survivor's face in a very unflattering way, the Tea Party's own Bill Hayden had the attack posted to his Facebook page before the email even hit.  Either Hayden is clairvoyant or he is in on the deal.

Then there was this disgusting display.  Yep.  Hayden again.

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

The fellow behind the urinating video above was one of the four people who attended Mark D. Quick's "rally" on Newton Green on February 25th.  Bill Hayden was another.

And it was Bill Hayden who snapped this picture of George Graham's nemesis, Bill Winkler (aka Wee Willy Winkler, Philly Bill Winkler, The Old Fat Quaker, The Fonz, Gail's Sweetheart, and so on) and Sussex County activist Harvey Roseff on Newton Green back in the autumn:

Wait a minute!  Why does Winkler get so many nicknames and Graham none?  Gail Phoebus and Kim Seelagy had one for George:  "Walk of Shame."  They gave him it after he got up to no good (in their words) down in A.C. at some League confab.  But "Walk of Shame" is too long, don't you think?  He needs something shorter and career-related, like "Freeloader."  Perfect!  Freeloader George Graham!

But we digress.  The photo Bill Hayden snapped above ended up in the rather vulgar post below:

So... it must be Bill Hayden again.  Unless Hayden gave the photo to George Graham and an elected member of the Sussex County Freeholder Board was up at night, in front of his computer, photo-shopping the heads of other Republicans onto vaginas?  Yeah, that sounds about right...

Something is wrong with George Graham.

On Tuesday night there was 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.

Given what we've seen from the likes of Quick and Graham, maybe just teaching how not to be nuts would go a long way.