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Congress slow to authorize ISIS fight

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JUNE 28, 2015, 10:19 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2015, 10:21 PM
BY HERB JACKSON
RECORD COLUMNIST  |
THE RECORD

Swept into power by Tea Party-inspired crowds demanding stricter adherence to the Constitution, the Republican-controlled Congress has decided not to exercise one of the powers clearly given to the legislative branch by the Founding Fathers: the power to declare war.

Even when there is overwhelming support, resolutions authorizing military force are never simple, as members know they are making choices that history will prove to be right or wrong. Debates can last days, as nearly every lawmaker gets his or her say before voting.

But in the case of the battle against the group known as the Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL, congressional leaders seem to be content to let President Obama operate without a specific authorization.

Opinion appears divided, with some in Congress wanting a more aggressive response than Obama has provided to date, and others wanting to see a clear endgame before endorsing an extension of what has already been nearly 14 years of war in Iraq.

So far, the push for Congress to debate these questions, however, has come from a minority that includes strict adherents to the Constitution, like Republican Rep. Scott Garrett, and lawmakers who regret their votes to invade Iraq more than a decade ago, like Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/jackson-congress-slow-to-authorize-isis-fight-1.1364841

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The age of inactivity: How laziness is killing us

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NICK KNIGHT
Friday 26 June 2015

Two thousand years ago, Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine hit the nail on the head. He said, that if we all had “the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health”. Bingo.

Obviously then, being a species of great intellect, over the next two millennia we took on his sensible advice, integrating exercise into our daily life and cashing in on the rewards for our bodies and minds. Hmm, maybe we didn’t quite all get that memo. Instead something else happened and physical inactivity grew into the fourth largest global killer in the world (according to the World Health Organisation), with some claiming it takes more lives than smoking, diabetes and obesity combined.

Yes, physical inactivity has its price tags. It is linked to the development of chronic health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia and cancer. It can make us feel bad about ourselves, guilty and frustrated, appeased only with the ever alluring reward of inactivity – comfort, rest and stress-free. Our creaking NHS too gets a bill that would make anyone wince reaching for their wallet – somewhere between £8 and £20 billion per year through both the direct and indirect healthcare costs including that on the economy. Ouch.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-age-of-inactivity-how-laziness-is-killing-us-10347541.html

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Just another editorial on the TTF that fails to address where all the money went

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TTF crisis hurts more than roads and bridges

Editors note : once again another editorial that failed to address :
 
1- what happened to the presidents stimulus money ?
2- where has the TTF money been spent?
3- why does road work cost so much in New Jersey
4- why haven’t we audited the TTF ?
5- we already have enormous revenues from tolls and taxes how is it being spent?
 
answer any of these questions and you may get some public support for “solutions”June 28, 2015We were disappointed to learn earlier this month that, despite overwhelming opposition from riders and public officials, NJ Transit will be proceeding with the planned fare hikes and service cuts it proposed earlier this year.The action is unavoidable, says NJ Transit, because the agency has a $56 million budget gap; to close it, fares will jump 9 percent, on average, and rail and bus routes will be cut back.This is bad news for commuters, no doubt about it, but it’s bad news for business owners, too. Earlier this month, NJ.com published a report on the median property values along NJ Transit rail lines, and unsurprisingly, people are willing to pay quite a price to live near access to employment hubs such as Newark, Morristown, New Brunswick, Princeton and others. That gives companies incentive to locate in these areas, which gives developers incentive to make investments in these towns, which in turn brings more businesses — especially smaller ones — and powers downtown revitalization. Towns such as Summit and Montclair would be a much tougher sell for commuters if they lacked reliable rail transportation.This is just another example of New Jersey’s poor transportation planning coming home to roost. The depleted Transportation Trust Fund, starved by an insufficient gas tax, has made major rail investment an afterthought. Raising fares is only going to push more cars on the road at rush hour, exacerbating what many consider to be the Garden State’s worst problem, and will harm investment in rail towns by developers and businesses. No one likes a tax hike, but a small increase in the gas tax is preferable to another big transit fare hike. It would be nice if legislators wised up and ensured this is the last increase for the foreseeable future.

Part of the reason we’re here is poor policy. No public transit agency is going to break even, much less turn a profit, but NJ Transit has often been a victim of not getting what it needs from the state, combined with its own share of dunderheaded decisions, such as rail car storage during Sandy. The state must take a hard look at the impact rail service has on municipalities when it thinks about funding infrastructure upgrades or new station construction. And that goes for bus and light rail projects, too — the tremendous impact of the Hudson-Bergen light rail line on property values was long ago demonstrated. Given that the only new jobs being talked about in New Jersey are at casinos or megamalls, professionals are likely to need reliable access to New York to find the work they want — and they’re paying for that privilege.

https://www.njbiz.com/article/20150628/NJBIZ01/306299994/editorial-ttf-crisis-hurts-more-than-roads-and-bridges

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Proposed Change to ICANN Domain Anonymity Rule Worries Privacy Advocates

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by Dennis Fisher

A proposed change to the way that registrars treat the private contact details for domain owners could make it easier for anyone to get information on people who use proxy services.

The potential change comes in the form of a document from a working group of the Generic Names Supporting Organization at ICANN, the group that oversees Internet names and numbers. The working group is considering a number of changes to the way that privacy and proxy services operate, are accredited, and handle requests for registrant details from various organizations.

Proxy services are used by individuals and organizations to register domains without disclosing their personal contact details. The services allow registrants who operate sites with sensitive or controversial content, politically motivated content, or who don’t want their details published for various reasons to protect themselves. These services will disclose contact details under some circumstances, such as at the request of a law-enforcement agency. But the ICANN working group is looking at the question of whether commercial sites should be allowed to use these services.

– See more at: https://threatpost.com/proposed-change-to-icann-domain-anonymity-rule-worries-privacy-advocates/113445#sthash.Q59uQE4z.dpuf

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Councilwomen Gwenn Hauck : “Its our job to speak for all citizens”

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Its our job to speak for all citizens. Misinformation and vitriol should not be used to intimidate council members. The way this blog attacks only Paul, Albert and myself, and never any of the others, illustrates the hypocrisy of your accusations. Why can’t we all work together to try to serve Ridgewood, instead of attacking people you disagree with?

Gwenn Hauck
[email protected]
108.161.184.122
Submitted on 2015/06/27 at 9:14 am

Councilwoman Hauck: And the fact Chris Harris of The Record bases his articles entirely on what is spoon fed to him by Paul, and never checks nor obtains quotes from any other elected officials, isn’t a form of hypocrisy in and of itself? Your faction controls The Record and the opposing faction controls this blog. Suck it up and get used to it honey.

Your track record indicates that you most certainly do not speak for all citizens. Most citizens were in favor of installing sidewalks on Clinton Avenue. You sided with a small minority. Most citizens disapproved of the Garber Square project. You went ahead with it anyway. Give it a rest. We are onto your method of operation.

So it’s okay for Hauck and the 2 other nitwits to attack Knudsen publicly, but when someone returns the favor, she says we should all work together? Talk about a hypocrite.

Ms. Hauck :From the standpoint of a very long time council observer, you have done little, if anything, to foster the idea you “speak for all citizens.” You backed (and no doubt continue to do so) a non-tax paying entity that is currently suing the town that it made it’s money in. Garber Square and Clinton Ave, very bad jokes, not to mention an insult to the intelligence of most people that reside here.
The primary reason you are intentionally confusing being “attacked” with criticism is simply because you are paying more attention to your personal agenda of keeping your friends happy, and NOT “speak(ing) for all citizens.

Gwen, ARE YOU FOR REAL???? You spew vitriol agains your colleagues whenever it occurs to you. We have seen you attack, belittle, malign Bernadette Walsh, Tom Riche, John Ward, Mike Sedon, Susan Knudsen. You are as nasty as nasty can be. You always attack people you disagree with. What a hypocrite you are. Do you think anyone believes your ridiculous posting? have another drink, honey, and take a nap.

Disagree. She was pulled in as a pawn and a pawn she shall stay. She has lost any vestige of self-respect by sucking up to those monsters, even attacking Mike and Susan along the way. The pre-council Gwenn, who has shown herself to be far less sweet than her blond looks, bland demeanor, and expensive clothes are meant to imply, might have thought such things, but probably wouldn’t have said them aloud in public. Weak-minded people who live for the approval of others are easily swayed to do bad things when in the wrong company, flattered by low-minded manipulators who need a stooge for their “majority vote.”

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Reader Calls full day kindergarten gross overreach for the state to mandate

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Everything that the council is doing affects our schools

Schools are the largest part of our tax bill – that is a fact. That does not mean that the schools are not accountable.

It will be a gross overreach for the state to mandate full day kindergarten. I am starting to agree with Rick Perry that we need to abolish the Department of Education. Government is best which governs least.

Many parents actually enjoy spending the AM/PM with their children. We had activites and time with friends when the kids were in kindergarten. My kids did very well in elementary school, high school and college. Your kids will not go to Harvard because they had full day kindergarten.

NYC has preschool and middle school after care programs. The need for these programs in a city is not the same as for programs in Ridgewood. In the city the schools are the place where many students receive two meals a day and get health screening. Working parents do not have the time for homework and reading to the kids. Children need the time in school as a social safety net.

I paused my career to be home with my kids and never regretted it. If working parents need babysitting then they should hire someone. My taxes should not go to support someone’s child care needs. Maybe dad/mom can work from home or with flex time. You will never look back and say that you wished that you spent more time at work.

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Parking garage interest gauged in Ridgewood

parking

JUNE 29, 2015    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — When it meets on July 15, the Village Council could move to add a non-binding referendum to November’s ballot, gauging public support for the financing of a parking garage downtown.

For well over a year, Ridgewood officials have been implementing various measures aimed at providing additional parking throughout the central business district.

Business leaders agree with the council that constructing a garage on Hudson Street would lure more dollars to the village.

Last week, Ridgewood’s council reviewed a draft resolution regarding the non-binding ballot question; a final version of the resolution will be prepared in time for the council’s July 8 meeting, with a vote likely a week later.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/parking-garage-interest-gauged-1.1364987

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Ex-CIA head: I fear Iran ‘has the upper hand’ in nuclear talks

Death-to-America

By Mark Hensch – 06/28/15 09:56 AM EDT

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden said on Sunday that he worries Iran has more momentum than the U.S. heading into final talks over Tehran’s nuclear arms research.

“I would actually fear that the Iranians have the upper hand right now,” Hayden told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace.

“I would hope this is not the final round of talks,” he added.

Hayden argued on Sunday that the proposed deal does not do enough for preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“We get them out of the penalty box for their nuclear activities,” Hayden said.

“Then they’re free and empowered to do all their other activities in the region,” he added.

A senior U.S. official told reporters that negotiators will push back a self-imposed June 30th deadline.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/246386-ex-cia-head-i-fear-iran-has-the-upper-hand-in-nuclear-talks

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A Republican lawmaker on the House Homeland Security Committee on Sunday blasted the idea that white supremacists could be more dangerous than Muslim extremists.

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GOP rep: White supremacist threat overstated

By Timothy Cama

A Republican lawmaker on the House Homeland Security Committee on Sunday blasted the idea that white supremacists could be more dangerous than Muslim extremists.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said he totally “disregarded” a New York Times report, based on findings from the New America Foundation, that white supremacists, anti-government extremists and others have killed nearly twice as many people as radical Muslims since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“Every murder is horrible,” King said in ABC’s “This Week.” “There is no comparison between these white supremacists and an internationally coordinated movement which, if the attacks were not stopped, we could have thousands and thousands of deaths.”

things the NY Times recently missed :

2015.06.27 (Maiduguri, Nigeria) – Two female suicide bombers murder three people at a leprosy hospital.
2015.06.26 (Mosul, Iraq) – A physician is dragged from his hospital and executed by religious radicals.
2015.06.26 (Ain al-Arab, Syria) – Children are among eighteen more victims found after an Islamic State rampage.
2015.06.26 (Sousse, Tunisia) – Two Islamists massacre thirty-nine innocents with machine-guns at a beach resort popular with foreign tourists.
2015.06.26 (Kobani, Syria) – Over one-hundred more civilians are butchered when the Islamic State overrun a Kurdish town and go ‘house to house’.
2015.06.26 (Kuwait City, Kuwait) – Sunni radicals stage a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque, calling it the ‘temple of the rejectionists’ and leave over two dozen dead.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/246400-gop-chairman-white-supremacist-threaten-overstated

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Strains on mass transit will get even worse as population in metro area grows, experts say

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BY NOLAN HICKS , DAN RIVOLI

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, June 28, 2015, 2:23 AM

All aboard for more mass transit misery.

New projections show the New York region’s population should reach 20.5 million people by 2020, further taxing the region’s already overcrowded and cash-strapped subway, bus and train systems.

The projections — calculated by the mapping service ESRI for The Associated Press — estimate the region is growing at a clip of almost 100,000 people annually. Long Island, Westchester County and much of northern New Jersey are included in the metro area.

The importance of these systems can’t be overstated: 31% of metro area commuters use transit to get to work, the U.S. Census estimates.

As the region’s population booms, the strains on mass transit are increasingly evident.

Overcrowding was the single biggest cause of delays on the New York subway system during the last year, MTA stats show. Ridership has also grown on NJ Transit and the PATH trains.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/growing-population-transit-worse-experts-article-1.2273743

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Car hits Utility Pole on North Walnut ,driver unhurt

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Photos Courtesy of Boyd Loving via Facebook

Car hits Utility Pole on North Walnut ,driver unhurt
June 27,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the  Ridgewood Police issued one (1) summons in connection with the crash of a Chevy Sonic into a utility pole near 139 North Walnut Street shortly after 4:30 PM on Saturday, 6/27. The vehicle’s female driver was uninjured in the crash.
A flatbed tow truck was summoned to remove the car from the scene. There were no reported disruptions in utility services as a result of the mishap. The minor fluid spill associated with the incident did not require FD response.
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Road Rage Assault on Ridgewood Jogger

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Photos Courtesy of Boyd Loving via Facebook

Road Rage Assault on Ridgewood Jogger
June 26,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A 41-year old female from Ridgewood was assaulted while jogging on Friday .The alleged assault took place after the jogger yelled at the vehicle the driver of a Subaru Forester  exited the vehicle .The jogger claims she yelled when the Subaru almost ran her over.

It was reported the victim did not require any medical attention. The jogger reportedly snapped a cell phone photo of the assailant. Ridgewood PD is now investigating.
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Ridgewood shows solidarity with Charleston

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file photo Boyd Loving

JUNE 25, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2015, 3:13 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

“You are proof that darkness will lose!” shouted the Rev. Mack Brandon during a joyous, gospel-infused musical interlude. It was the kind of cathartic moment necessary to offset the pain felt by citizens everywhere following a national tragedy that hit too close to home.

“In the midst of our pain we sing, in the midst of our pain we pray,” Brandon said later, characterizing the evening as a sober moment. “In the midst of our pain we speak to each other.”

Balancing the relief of healing and the sorrow of tragedy was at the center of a community prayer gathering at the Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church in Ridgewood on Sunday. Congregants and clergy of all races and faiths packed the church to call for peace and harmony after nine people were killed at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. on June 17.

As Mayor Paul Aronsohn welcomed the community members to the church, he asked the people to unite as one and chart a new path, using the tragedy as a wake-up call to treat one another as equals.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/ridgewood-shows-solidarity-with-charleston-1.1363305

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America’s post-Constitutional culture

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By William Smith

Published June 26, 2015
FoxNews.com

Conservatives seem stunned that the U.S. Supreme Court ignored the plain language of the ObamaCare statute and upheld the legality of the premium subsidies that will flow indefinitely as the nation’s newest entitlement. Their surprise is similar to the shock they express every time the GOP congressional leadership passes a pork-laden spending resolution that lasts through the end of the fiscal year, essentially denying budget hawks the opportunity to trim federal spending.

This march of federal spending is an entirely predictable outcome.  As foreseen by Tocqueville in 1835, America has developed a post-constitutional culture in which citizens are transformed from independent citizens into weak dependents, fully reliant upon the dispensations and “protections” of government.  The Supreme Court and the Congress are now largely infirm, fatally weakened by the growth of an Executive branch that provides ever-expanding dispensations and “protections.”   The entitlement state has killed the separation of powers.

The fundamental goal of the Constitution’s authors was to ensure liberty; by separating the different powers of government they barred one branch of government from having all the tools to dominate the body politic.  As James Madison wrote in Federalist #47:  “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands…may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”  Over the last 100 years, with the growth in the federal government, the Executive branch has accumulated powers so vast that Madison’s admonition has been reduced to an interesting historical artifact.

Justice Roberts’ opinion in King v. Burwell confirms Tocqueville’s prediction.  He writes that the Court must uphold the statute because, to do otherwise, “would destabilize the individual insurance market”.  In other words, federal benefits must flow no matter what the law actually says. In a feat of verbal gymnastics that would make a German philosopher blush, Roberts explains over many paragraphs that the language of the law is “ambiguous” when it is actually quite plain and simple.  For the Court’s majority, it appears, protecting the flow of premium subsidies is what really matters, not the law.  Roberts’ opinion claimed fidelity to the congressional statute when, in fact, he was simply protecting the political reputation of the Court by avoiding an assault on the entitlement culture.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/06/26/americas-post-constitutional-culture.html

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Chief Justice Roberts: Why Not Polygamy Too?

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By Pete Kasperowics, Jun. 26, 2015, Washington Examiner

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts argued in his dissent in Friday’s same-sex marriage case that by saying gay marriages are constitutional, the Court may be heading down the road toward legalizing polygamy.

Roberts was one of four dissenters in the case, and argued that the Court’s majority opinion goes too far in prescribing law in an area that had been left to the states. He also said it raises significant questions, including whether states have a right to define marriage as being between two people.

“Although the majority randomly inserts the adjective ‘two’ in various places, it offers no reason at all why the two-person element of the core definition of marriage may be preserved while the man-woman element may not,” Roberts wrote. “Indeed, from the standpoint of history and tradition, a leap from opposite-sex marriage to same-sex marriage is much greater than one from a two-person union to plural unions, which have deep roots in some cultures around the world.”

“If the majority is willing to take the big leap, it is hard to see how it can say no to the shorter one,” he wrote.

More: www.washingtonexaminer.com