"Supersized Republican Governor" Gets Animated

"Big Luv for Big Guv" on NMA World Edition -

What Are Your Baseball Predictions for This Year?

OK, it's mid-February, and that can only mean one thing.

For us long-suffering fans, still nursing our hangovers from Jets and Eagles playoff losses, and the Giants' flameout (depending on what part of NJ you live in), the only real cure is knowing that the Boys of Summer have reported to Spring Training and opening day of our National Pastime is just over a month away.

So, what are your predictions for the 2011 season?

No, I'm not asking who will win the World Series; everyone knows that will be the Fightin' Phils. What I'm asking is, what Phan misbehavior can we look forward to this year?

The 2010 season is a tough act to follow, with Vomit Guy (a/k/a "Pukemon"), Taser Kid, and Copy-cat Would-be Taser Guy (who never got tasered) leading the pack.

But, Pick's Place has high hopes for this season, so here are some predictions:

1.) On opening day, former catcher Darren Daulton attempts to deliver the game ball through out-of-the-body astral travel from his home in Florida, but arrives without the ball, which was lost in transit. Angry fans storm the field but fail to reach the virtual Dauton before he beams himself back to Florida.

2.) On the first Dollar Dog Day,  the game is delayed by rain. Former PA Governor Ed Rendell, scheduled to throw out the first pitch, calls the Phillies "a bunch of wussies" for rain-delaying the game. Once the tarp is removed and Fast Eddie takes to the mound, angry fans pelt him with dollar dogs.

3.) On "Cliff Lee Appreciation Day". the Phillies unwisely hand out Cliff Lee bobble-heads to fans on the way into the stadium. By the 7th inning, as Lee is being pounded by the Atlanta Braves, angry fans plaster the outfield with bobble-heads. The outfielders are forced to wear helmets.

4.) On a positive note, the Phillies give Christina Aguilera a second chance to get the National Anthem right.

What are YOUR predictions for this season?

The Sound of Silence in Trenton

A Republican governor is elected in a traditionally "blue" state on the platform of restoring fiscal sanity. Upon taking office, he declares war on the public unions, including the teachers' union, firefighters, police. He scapegoats public sector workers and attempts to turn public opinion against the state workers, because, after all, their outrageously bloated salaries, benefits, and pensions are to blame for the state's fiscal woes.

Outraged, teachers, police, firefighters, and other public workers storm the State Capital by the tens of thousands, protesting the governor's attempts to balance the state budget on the backs of public sector workers.

The whole world is watching! Why is the Liberal Media not in Trenton covering this?

Because it's not happening in Trenton, it's happening in Madison, WI. Unlike their brothers and sisters in NJ, the state unions in Wisconsin decided not to wait. Perhaps they looked east and saw what happens when you have a governor run amok, storming the state, and now the country, ramrodding his anti middle class agenda and getting fawning coverage by the press while he's at it, and the people do nothing. The story in Wisconsin is fluid and it remains to be seen how this will play out. However, I'm certain there will be no "Scott Walker for President" movements anytime soon.

Barbara Keshishian, are you listening?
Hetty Rosenstein, are you listening?

The people of Wisconsin took a lesson from the complacency in New Jersey and decided to fight back now.

It's time the people of New Jersey take a lesson from Wisconsin.

Have You Written to Your Elected Officials Lately?

Have You Written to Your Elected Officials Lately? I have.

Recently I wrote to the triumvirate who represent  my Legislative District, #4: Senator Fred Madden (D), Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D), Assemblyman Domenick DiCicco Jr (R), along with Washington Twp Mayor Matthew Lyons (D). The subject was the growing number of once-thriving, now vacant, retail properties in the Township (which will be a topic for a future blog).

I received two responses: one from Mayor Lyons, who suggested that I attend the next planning meeting . The other was from Assemblyman DiCicco, the sole Republican Legislator in my District, who expressed that he shared my concerns, and included the usual Republican boilerplate about making NJ more business-friendly. I believe he was sincere. I am disappointed by the silence form the two Democrats who represent my District, especially Mr. Moriarty, who is a Township resident and former mayor. At least Mr. DiCicco had the decency to respond. Perhaps he is the only one who realizes that he is up for re-election this year, and re-election is not a given. 

I also wrote to the Governors office, one sentence:
"When can we expect the Governor to unveil his 2012 budget proposal?"

Here is the robo-response I received, which included a self-congratulatory link to a YouTube video from the recent Union City town hall:

Dear Friend:
As we continue our push for fiscal sanity, meaningful education reform and a lasting fix to our broken pension and benefits system, we've launched a website to detail the reforms and track our progress.  You can find it here:
http://www.state.nj.us/governor/reformagenda
As we continue to hold open town hall forums up and down the state, I'll do my best to share them with you.  Here's a clip from our latest town hall in Union City last week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg19I46IDuM

Best wishes.
Sincerely,
Governor Chris Christie

My response was:

That's not what I asked.
I asked:
"When can we expect the Governor to unveil his 2012 budget proposal?"
 - JRP

I'll keep you posted.

State of the Union, a "Sputnik Moment"? I don't think so

I'll give the President a B+ for delivery, and a B for content. The President laid out some bold ideas about infrastructure and education, but in my opinion failed to hammer home enough the job-creating effects of things like high-speed rail and clean energy.

The problem is, when you have an opposition party that does not believe in science, and a Congress that is bought and paid for by the oil companies, how can you expect to get any of these measure through?

The "Sputnik moment" analogy was false. The space race was largely about political ideology; proving we were better than the Commies. Who's our opposition here? China? With the space race, there was a measurable, specific destination - the moon - and a definition of success - getting there.

How will we define success in today's "Sputnik moment"?

I was disappointed to hear only a passing mention of the wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan, the usual platitudes about supporting the troops and disabling al Qaeda, and beginning to bring the troops home in July. Why wait?

Finally, a word cloud, featuring the prominence and non-prominence of words used in the speech. Draw your own conclusions.

Welcome to the State of the Union - Have a seat!

How stupid/naive are the Democrats? a.) Very b.) Extremely c.) Quite a bit d.) All of the above.

As you know by now, much ado is being made about the Democrats and Republicans sitting amongst each other rather than separately. Some Democrats are absolutely giddy about the prospect of sitting next to their Republican colleagues. Will this usher in a new spirit of bipartisanship? Don't bet on it.

When will they ever learn that the Republicans are not interested in working with the Democrats on anything? As soon as the President is finished with his speech, by tomorrow the Republicans will be getting back to work on their agenda, beginning with attempting to chip away at Roe v Wade and further restrict reproductive rights. Economic recovery can wait, because the economy is working quite well for the real Republican base, thank you.

What about jobs? How about removing the word "bipartisanship" from the vocabulary and replacing it with "jobs"? The President and his Democratic cohorts in Congress can take a lesson from the Republicans, and name every bill they introduce "The Job-Creating {insert name of bill here}".

It's about JOBS, Mr. President. Not "stimulus", not "bipartisanship", not a new spirit of cooperation and national unity.

Jobs. That's what we need.

and Life Goes On

Now that the football season is over, the NFL officiating team having handed victory to the Pissburgh Steelers, I have zero interest in the Super Bowl other than to wish the Packers well. And for all you Michael Vick haters out there, I hope you are happy that a serial rapist will be playing in the Super Bowl.

On to other things:

• Vacation next week
• Getting ready for the 2011 BBQ season
• Educate America about Chris Christie
• Keep writing

And look forward to the summer!

Football Today!

Two great games today, Packers/Bears in the NFC and Jets/Steelers in the AFC.

 

I'm neutral in the Packers/Bears game. It's a rivalry as old as the NFL itself and will be a great game no matter what.

But of course there is no question who I will be rooting for in the other game!

No room at the inn for the Westboro Baptist Church

My blood pressure would shoot up off the charts any time I heard about the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) protesting at a funeral. They started at funerals of soldiers killed in the line of duty, but have now branched out to others, like Elizabeth Edwards and Christina Green (although they were gracious enough to avoid the nine-year-old girl's funeral in exchange for air time on Phoenix and Toronto radio, how nice). I swore that if they ever set foot in New Jersey I would be there.

Unfortunately I got the opportunity, when 23 year old Benjamin Moore of Bordentown, NJ, was killed by an IED in Afghanistan on January 12. The WBC announced they would be there. I decided I would be there too. I learned through a Facebook Group that people were planning on surrounding the area in order to shield the grieving family from the "God Hates Fags" protesters.

When I arrived in Bordentown at around 7:00am, Farnsworth Ave was relatively quiet. I asked a police officer what he knew about the possible appearance of the WBC. He told me there was a designated spot for them and "they would be dealt with accordingly".

I parked my car and joined a small gathering of people at the corner of Farnsworth and Crosswicks St, all there for the same reason. A woman walked by and passed out American flags, provided by an anonymous donor.

Later I walked over to the church where a large crowd had gathered and lined up along Farnsworth: police, firefighters, military, veterans, and civilians. By that time every road surrounding the church had been cordoned off and there was no sign of the WBC people. The people I spoke with mentioned that the WBC had tried to check into some local hotels but were turned away. I also heard that they were at the firehouse. I walked around the area to see if I could find them, but could not. By 10:00 I got back in my car and drove around the surrounding area, past the firehouse, and still saw none of them.

It was apparent by then that the outpouring of support from the community, including people from all over the state, had succeeded in keeping the WBC away. I learned when I got home that the WBC arrived, saw their designated area, didn't like it, and left. They then headed for the cemetery, didn't like their designated area there either, and left for good. Most of us never saw them. I did not get the photo op I had hoped for, but this time I was not at all disappointed.

This time, the Westboro Baptist Church picked the wrong state to mess with. Law enforcement and firefighters from all over the state, veterans and active military, and ordinary folks like me had all played a part in keeping these monsters away. Bordentown's fallen soldier had the dignified send-off he deserved. May he rest in peace.

There were no incidents, other than the swift departure of the Westboro Baptist Church. Good riddance.

Let it not be forgot, that once there was a spot......

With the death Sargent Shriver earlier this week, and Ted Sorensen this past October, that's about it for Camelot (if it ever really existed).

It was fifty years ago today that John F. Kennedy gave his stirring Inaugural Address. I was three years old at the time so of course I do not remember watching it live, but I've seen it so many times I feel like I was there. The words still stir today.

Note to President Obama: the Torch has been passed to you; please do something with it!