Author: James

The New Jersey GOP’s Secret Senate Race Weapon
By Peter Roff

Democrats – and most Republicans – expect that the party will keep the seat held on and off since the 1980s by the late New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg in the upcoming special election. GOP Gov. Chris Christie certain seems to believe it which is probably why, having determined the law required him to schedule a quick election, he picked a Wednesday in October – giving the special election a $24 million price tag – just two weeks before he must face the voters in his regularly scheduled bid for a second term.

If he hadn’t, Christie might have been on the ballot at a time when the Senate race was energizing Democrats to turn out, making his expected path to an easy win as bumpy as the north end of the Jersey Turnpike.

All that’s fine with former Bogota, N.J. Mayor Steve Lonegan, the former leader of the New Jersey chapter of Americans for Prosperity and the GOP’s best chance to win a Senate race since Jeff Bell ousted incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Clifford Case in the 1978 primary.

[See a collection of political cartoons on Congress.]

Despite losing the GOP primary to Christie four years ago Lonegan is a force to be reckoned with. Legally blind, he was for 12 years the mayor of Bogota, which gave Barack Obama better than 65 percent of the vote in the last election. For 11 of those years Lonegan also had working control of the city council, which allowed him to author and pass tax cutting measures, reduce the size of government, and put into place a law requiring any city budget that increased spending by more than the rate of inflation to be ratified by a vote of the people in this overwhelmingly Democrat community.

Lonegan has compiled an impressive political resume, leading two successful statewide campaigns against big spending ballot measures – which is a nice contrast with his opponent in the GOP primary, Dr. Alieta Eck, whose experience in politics seems not to go much beyond this speech to the extremist John Birch Society. Lonegan’s network is formidable, turning in 7,000 signatures to get on the ballot in just about 36 hours when only 1,000 were required – an indication that his political base, inspired by his Chris Christie-style plain speaking, is highly energized and ready to go.

https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/peter-roff/2013/06/21/steve-lonegan-could-score-a-surprise-victory-in-the-new-jersey-senate-race

Ridgewood Reorg , photo by Boyd Loving

Resident upset by ‘mean-spirited’ behavior of  Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck

Councilman Riche deserves an official retraction of accusations

Friday, June 21, 2013
The Ridgewood News

To the Editor:

During three meetings of the Village Council on May 22, June 5 and June 12, a colorful assortment of adjectives was used by members of the public to describe the behavior of Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck, and the events surrounding their public treatment of fellow councilman Thomas Riche.

Descriptions included: despicable, flogging, besmirched, disgraceful, embarrassing, shameful, witch hunt and others. I have been heartened to see citizens turning out in great numbers at Village Council meetings to express their disgust with the mean-spirited behavior of these three elected officials.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/212439471_Letter__Resident_upset_by_behavior.html#sthash.NohBc6iL.dpuf

Readers take issue with “Hauck’s ‘character’ letter in the Ridgewood News

There was an interesting letter in The Ridgewood News on June 21. The letter was entitled: “Hauck’s ‘character’ overrides her past work with Valley.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/212438891_Letter__Hauck_s__character__overrides_her_past_work_with_Valley.html

Although letter writer John G. Hartnett identified himself as Councilwoman Hauck’s neighbor, he failed to disclose that he is also the long time rector of St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, thus the spiritual leader of Ms. Hauck’s own church.

Is it just me, or was the Reverend’s failure to disclose more than “I’m a neighbor” a deliberate omission of fact? And, was the Reverend’s letter solicited or unsolicited?

The letter immediately following this one was certainly more to the point. When your next door neighbor finally speaks out about a matter that has been on people’s minds for God knows how long, and then does not fully disclose who he really is, you really have to wonder. On the other hand,it’s a lot like Valley…tell only part of the story.

Facebook glitch exposes info of 6M users
Brett Molina, USA TODAY 5:39 p.m. EDT June 21, 2013

Facebook says a glitch may have exposed portions of the personal contact information, such as email addresses or phone numbers, of roughly 6 million users.

In a statement posted Friday, the social network says the bug is tied to uploading contact lists or address books, which are used in creating friend recommendations.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/06/21/facebook-bug-personal-info/2447547/

Suprise ,Suprise , Ridgewood school district may hire more administrators
Friday June 21, 2013, 11:18 AM
BY  LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News

The district is seeking two new administrators for next year who, if hired, would join Ridgewood in addition to the director of technology already being sought.

Incoming extraordinary state aid will determine whether the still-unspecified new positions are ultimately filled, but educators believe Ridgewood will likely receive enough aid to justify the new positions.

Whatever the result, even the move to look for new administrators in Ridgewood is significant. The district had to reduce its administrative staff several years ago after losing its anticipated state aid, so the search is a move toward the reinstallation of past positions. Many other districts have administrative ratios better than Ridgewood’s, according to state data.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/212485931_Ridgewood_school_district_may_hire_more_administrat

Valley Rendering by Z. Putnins and C. Benson

Valley Hospital puts up marker at height of proposed new building
Friday, June 21, 2013
BY  BARBARA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
The Record

RIDGEWOOD — An orange marker was erected on top of The Valley Hospital to represent the height one of the new buildings will reach if a proposed expansion plan is approved, in response to requests by residents and Planning Board members who are concerned by the size of the project.

The square mesh atop poles was erected Wednesday morning at 94 feet high, representing the height of one of the proposed buildings with rooftop mechanicals, said Megan Fraser, a hospital vice-president.

Residents remained skeptical, saying an orange square doesn’t really help them visualize how a building that high will look in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

“It’s in the center of the building and the one they’re proposing will sit closer to the school property line,” said Lorraine Reynolds. “You can’t judge what a 94-feet-high massive bulk building will look like based on a stick.”

Jonathan Drill, an attorney for Valley, told the Planning Board the hospital had set up the marker at one of two meetings the village held on the issue this week. “We put this up because that’s what you asked for,” he said.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/212442701_Valley_Hospital_puts_up_marker_at_height_of_proposed_new_building_shows_height_of_proposal.html#sthash.bGldeTj3.dpuf

Mike Zegen of Ridgewood is on HBO’s hit show Girls
Friday, June 21, 2013
BY  LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News

If people who watch television or go to the movies haven’t heard of Ridgewood High School (RHS) graduate Mike Zegen already, it’s likely just a matter of time.

They may have seen him but just don’t know it yet.

Zegen, a former RHS New Player who entered the Ridgewood school system in fifth grade and whose parents still live in the village, is the newest cast member of the hit HBO show “Girls.”

“All my scenes so far have been with [show creator and star] Lena [Dunham], and she’s wonderful,” he said about two weeks into the shooting of Girls’ third season. “She’s just so down to earth … You couldn’t ask for a better boss.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/television/212439311_Mike_Zegen_of_Ridgewood_is_on_HBO_s_hit_show_Girls.html#sthash.EeKWC348.dpuf

Revealed: the top secret rules that allow NSA to use US data without a warrant

Fisa court submissions show broad scope of procedures governing NSA’s surveillance of Americans’ communication

Top secret documents submitted to the court that oversees surveillance by US intelligence agencies show the judges have signed off on broad orders which allow the NSA to make use of information “inadvertently” collected from domestic US communications without a warrant.

The Guardian is publishing in full two documents submitted to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (known as the Fisa court), signed by Attorney General Eric Holder and stamped 29 July 2009. They detail the procedures the NSA is required to follow to target “non-US persons” under its foreign intelligence powers and what the agency does to minimize data collected on US citizens and residents in the course of that surveillance.

The documents show that even under authorities governing the collection of foreign intelligence from foreign targets, US communications can still be collected, retained and used.

The procedures cover only part of the NSA’s surveillance of domestic US communications. The bulk collection of domestic call records, as first revealed by the Guardian earlier this month, takes place under rolling court orders issued on the basis of a legal interpretation of a different authority, section 215 of the Patriot Act.

https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/20/fisa-court-nsa-without-warrant

State Department unclassifies first official photos from aftermath of Benghazi

‘Allah-u-Akbar’: State Department unclassifies first official photos from aftermath of Benghazi attack, including jihadi graffiti left behind

By David Martosko In Washington

PUBLISHED: 16:39 EST, 20 June 2013 | UPDATED: 23:13 EST, 20 June 2013

A set of seven stunning photographs emerged Thursday, showing the first official glimpse of the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2012 terror attack on the U.S. Consulate Special Mission Compound in Benghazi, Libya that left US. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead.

The grainy, scanned pictures, released by the advocacy group Judicial Watch, were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request lodged with the U.S. Department of State. They are the first images of the Benghazi attack released by the State Department.

Three of them show Arabic-language spray paint graffiti. According to translations provided to MailOnline by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, they likely read ‘Thrones of HamzaIn’; ‘Allah-u Akbar’; and ‘Unity of ranks.’ The group’s translator emphasized that his analysis was preliminary.

‘Allah-u-Akbar’ is a familiar rallying cry among Islamist radicals, meaning ‘God is great.’

Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2345440/Allah-u-Akbar-State-Department-unclassifies-releases-official-photos-aftermath-2012-Benghazi-attack-including-jihadi-graffiti-left-behind.html#ixzz2Wqujm17n

Steve Lonegan calls for “full and complete audit of IRS practices concerning the deliberate targeting of existing conservative public policy organizations.”
June 20,2013

BOGOTA – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mayor Steve Lonegan urged Cory Booker and other candidates to join him in signing a letter calling on the Inspector General for Tax Administration to conduct a “full and complete audit of IRS practices concerning the deliberate targeting of existing conservative public policy organizations.”

Sponsored by the Free Congress Foundation and the Leadership Institute, the letter cites examples of the IRS’s deliberate targeting of existing conservative groups at the same time at which the IRS was targeting newly established conservative organizations.

“The IRS’s targeting of conservative organizations – both existing and newly formed groups – is an outrageous assault on Americans’ constitutional right to political free speech,” Mayor Lonegan said. “Regardless of one’s political affiliation, we should all be opposed to government agencies targeting people based on their political beliefs. I hope Cory Booker and his colleagues will join me in signing this important letter.”