Welcome Home, Governor

Dear Governor Christie:

Welcome home. I hope you enjoyed your trip to Florida. I am planning a vacation in the Caribbean myself next month and am looking forward to escaping the winter for a week. I break with my cohorts in the left-wing blogosphere in that I do not begrudge you and your family a vacation. I'm a dad myself and understand the importance of keeping a promise to your kids. Having said that, I am troubled by your characteristically arrogant behavior upon your return, specifically:

Your refusal to take any responsibility for the poor response to the blizzard:
"If someone is snowed into their house, that’s not our responsibility"

Your pathological inability to tell the truth, here is just one example:
"Christie said there were no reports of storm-related deaths"

Your callous disregard for human life:
"We did not have any significant loss of life"

In case you missed it, Governor, a 59-year-old Brick Township man died of a heart attack while he was attempting to walk home after his car was stuck in the snow while he was on his way home from work. This man's death may not be of any significance to you, Governor, but a family lost a father and husband. Did you attend this man's funeral, or extend any condolences to his family?

As for the snow clean-up: An "A" for effort and a "B" for results? I don't think so. My part of the state, Washington Twp, Gloucester County, was not as hard-hit as the rest of the state, but when I went to visit my recently  widowed, 79 year old father in Lakewood, I was appalled by the horrendous conditions of I-195, the Garden State Parkway, and Route 70, as well as the local roads.

I am sorry to see that 2011 is already an Annus horribilis for you, only four days in. As tempting as  it may be, at this time I will refrain from any Schadenfreude, as you are still my Governor, whether I like it or not.

I hope you have learned something from this experience, but somehow, based on your past and current behavior, I doubt it.

Respectfully,

Jeffrey R. Pickens
Washington Twp, NJ

Reasons To Like January

As much as I hate winter and cold weather, I still like January. Why?

• The end of "Holiday". Hey, I like Christmas as much as anybody, but after having it shoved down my throat from mid-October on, I'm over it by December 26, and ready to stick a fork in it by January 1.
• The NFL playoffs!
• New Years Day is a great day to just sit around doing nothing, or something you like, if you're lucky enough to have the day off. Today, I cooked a pork loin on my Weber smoker.
• The NFL playoffs! 
• The new year gives us a sense of a clean slate, time to think of new things to do (or old things to stop doing). Don't torture yourself with New Years resolutions. Just take a mental inventory and re-group.

Did I mention the NFL playoffs?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Tuesday Night Football - The Politics of Snow Removal

"Vince Lombardi would be spinning in his grave", said Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell, in an on-air rant about the NFL's decision to postpone the Vikings/Eagles game, scheduled for Sunday night, to Tuesday. Rendell and Fox-29's John Bolaris even went at it about the actual number of inches of snow (paging Dr. Freud) that actually fell on and around Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Eagles.

Here in the Mid-Atlantic states, a major snowstorm is almost always a no-win situation for local government and their limited resources. Places like Buffalo experience storms like this on a regular basis and are able to justify ample snow-removal capabilities in their budgets. In places like the Philadelphia area, it is impossible to predict, on a winter-by-winter basis, what the snow removal needs will be, so they do their best when budgeting for snow emergencies.

On Sunday morning, after careful review of all the meteorology available to him, Mayor Michael Nutter urged the NFL to postpone the game. NFL diehards immediately cried "wimp!", but the Mayor's decision, in this writer's opinion, has merit. Imagine the outcry if the full force of Philly's snow removal efforts was focused on getting ready for a football game, while the neighborhoods were neglected, snowed in, and residents were unable to get out of their homes.

It would not only have been necessary to clear all the snow from the parking lots and surrounding roads, but every flake would have had to be removed from the inside of the stadium. Did we really need another spectacle of snowball-throwing Eagles fans on national TV?

Here in New Jersey, such a decision did not need to be made, as the Jets and Giants were both away on Sunday. NJ State Senate President and acting NJ Governor Stephen Sweeney, who is currently holding the position after the Governor and Lt Governor both got out of  Dodge for simultaneous vacations, called a state of emergency in NJ due to the blizzard.

Back to the Eagles - Interesting that they are scheduled to play the Vikings, a team from a city well-prepared to deal with snow emergencies, except when the roof collapses on their domed stadium. The Birds managed to clinch the NFC East title anyway, thanks to the Giants' horrific loss to Green Bay Sunday. 

And so, after more than a bit of griping, Eagles fans will head to the Linc or tune in to NBC-TV Tuesday night to enjoy the game, with visions of an NFC Conference title once again dancing in their heads. And life will go on.

Go Ahead, Senator Sweeney, Make My Day

Talk about "below the fold".

On Christmas Day, 1:00pm, when most people were not reading the Star Ledger or NJ.com, came the news that Governor Chris Christie and Lt Governor Kim Guadagno are both taking vacation out of state, leaving Senate President Stephen Sweeney as acting governor while both are away. Maybe I missed something, but wasn't the position of Lt. Governor created to provide for continuity in the NJ Executive branch while the Governor was unavailable to discharge his duties? How do they get away with leaving the state at the same time?

While we know that the Governor will be in Disney World in Florida with his family, it has not been released (not to this writer, at least) where Lt Gov. Guadagno will be, other than that she will be out of state. Perhaps she will be in Disney World with the governor, standing behind him, gazing longingly, Nancy-Reagan-like, while Christie hob-nobs with Mickey and watches his kids enjoy the rides.

According to the Star Ledger:
"Theoretically, Sweeney could sign legislation Christie hasn’t acted on or even file nominations Christie would never dream of filing. Sweeney could even re-nominate former state Supreme Court Justice John Wallace Jr. to the bench, whose pass-over by Christie in favor of attorney Anne Patterson angered Sweeney. But he won’t."

Says Sweeney:
“I wouldn’t do that to him. The guy is going on vacation with his family, and I’m not going to ruin it by creating mischief. The governor’s office is something that people shouldn’t think is a toy. It’s a serious responsibility.”

It speaks volumes that the governor has left the State government in hands of Sweeney, with full confidence that there will be no "mischief", where "mischief" may be defined as reinstating Justice John Wallace, or signing the "Back To Work NJ" and the anti-bullying bills.

While we're on the subject of missed opportunities, since this is a time when teachers, and many others, have the week off, this would have been the ideal time for the governor to defer his vacation and hold some "Town Hall" meetings at a time when his audience would include members of his constituency who typically cannot attend such meetings on normal weekdays. After all, if his "Reform" is so urgent, why leave the state now? Certainly a Disney vacation can wait until the next school break in the spring.

So, how about it, Senator Sweeney? You're right, the governor's office is a serious responsibility. So how about some mischief? .

One More Time From Mister White Christmas....

before we retire him until next year....

"The Spirit of Christmas", featuring the Mabel Beaton Marionettes

CLICK HERE for an update on 2011 airing

This vintage Christmas special, featuring marionette performances of "A Visit From St Nicholas" and the story of the Nativity, has been shown in TV every year since 1950.

As a public service, Pick's Place is providing the show times for "The Spirit of Christmas":

The Mabel Beaton Marionettes perform " 'Twas The Night Before Christmas" and "The Christmas Story" 
Where: WHYY Channel 12

When: Friday, December 24  —  5:30am & 7:30pm

You can now see these vintage shows on YouTube, or DVR them, but there's no substitute for catching them in real time on regular TV (for me, at least).

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night"

From the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department....

Comes news that NJ Governor Chris Christie has compared the New Jersey Education Association to Alabama Governor George Wallace attempting to block the entrance to the University of Alabama to prevent integration of the school.

"Southern Strategy", anyone?

For my comment calling this "sending an obvious dog whistle to his potential Southern constituents for when he runs for President in 2012", I was called a simpleton and a dumbass. I guess I should wear these two labels as a badges of honor?

It's My Christmas, and I'll Cry If I Want To

So, the Republicans in the Senate are terrified that they may have to work up to and including Christmas, to settle some unresolved legislation, including ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), and the $1.1 trillion omnibus funding resolution, that the Democrats want to complete before the end of the lame duck session.

According to Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ):
“It is impossible to do all of the things that the majority leader laid out without doing — frankly, without disrespecting the institution and without disrespecting one of the two holiest of holidays for Christians and the families of all of the Senate, not just the senators themselves but all of the staff.”

How many recesses and breaks does Congress get, including practically the entire month of August? Certainly more than people in these professions, many of whom must work, not only Christmas, but other holidays as well:

• Members of the military, especially those stationed overseas
• Police, firefighters, EMTs - yes, those same ones who came to the World Trade Center site to help and were told by our own Christie Whitman that the air was safe, and are now being denied health benefits for illnesses contracted from breathing the "safe" air.
• Health workers: doctors, nurses, orderlies, maintenance crews. Hospitals have no days off.
• Pilots, flights attendants, air traffic controllers, other airport crew members (how many are flying members of Congress home for Christmas?)
• Food service workers, cooks, waitstaff, caterers (how many are working on Christmas to feed members of Congress who can afford paid help for their holiday meals?)
• Workers at 24/7 convenience stores, who help us out when we forgot to pick up a container of egg nog or whipped cream for our desserts.
• Workers at 24/7 gas stations, who, here in New Jersey, stand out in the cold because we don't pump our own gas.

Are there more? You bet. Let's not forget members of the press, who are charged with keeping these public servants honest.

If these pious Senators are so concerned about their holy holiday, especially one whose motto includes "Peace On Earth, Good Will Towards Men", why can't they take the time to work out a peace treaty before Christmas?

Stop whining and get to work.

Sunday Night: Are You Ready For Some Softball?

You would not know it from the 60 Minutes website, but thanks to my friends at Blue Jersey I learned that Governor Chris Christie will be featured tonight. When I went to the site to check for information, there was nothing there about an appearance by the Governor of NJ. The featured preview was a story called "The Gift of Endless Memory" (interesting juxtaposition).

The good news is, ever since the "Heidi Bowl" (for those of us old enough to remember), we do not have to worry about the Steelers/Jets game being cut-off in favor of 60 Minutes while the Jets are in the throes of yet another nail-biting comeback. However if you're not quick enough on the channel changer after the game you may catch an unwanted glimpse of the bloviations of the Great Reformer of NJ, repeating the same platitudes in response to whatever softballs are lobbed his way. (Who would be best to interview Christie: Anderson Cooper? Katie Couric? I wonder if he can answer a hard-hitting question like "What do you read"?).

As an apprentice contributor to Blue Jersey, I am on self-appointed Christie-watch, so I will be watching, and taking notes. CBS News is good at timely posting of transcripts so anyone who cannot watch (or bear to watch) can read all about it the next day.

So, what do you think? Will this be the usual hagiographic puff-piece that the Governor has become accustomed to, or will our interviewer hit him with some real questions, other than his fandom of Bruce Springsteen and his "YouTube moments"?

I am not optimistic but I hope 60 Minutes surprises me and proves me wrong. After all, I'm still going through Boardwalk Empire Withdrawal.
 

Who Are You Riding For?

Now, before the Grammar Police jumps all over me, the title of this post is the motto of the American Cancer Society Bikeathon, coming next year on Sunday, June 10, 2011. Once again, I've signed up to ride the 66 miles and will be hitting up my friends and family for donations sometime in the future.

As you know, from time to time I write for iReport, CNN's place for citizen journalists. As iReporters, we can write about anything we want. We can also respond to assignments posted by the CNN staff. Coincidentally, a new assignment called "Your questions about cancer" came up at the same time I was signing up for next year's ride. The assignment was to post a question to oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

My question was, "What does the American Cancer Society do with the money raised by such events as the bikeathon?".

Apparently, CNN liked my question, as evidenced by the little red "CNN iReport" badge the stamp on the upper left side of the photo, which in this case is a still from my video question. So much so, that, when you go to the "Assignment" page, there is my mug, on the main page. Unfortunately the screen grab and facial expression make me look like I'm suffering from severe intestinal distress, but there I am.

So, look for me soon on CNN.com when the Dr. Mukherjee segment is aired, or posted. Of course I'll tip you off when I find out when.

As for the title question, "Who are you riding for?", the answer, sadly, is too many to name. Friends, relatives, coworkers, many lost to this disease, many who have fought and survived, and many who are still fighting. You know who you are, and this is for you.