September 04, 2004
He's Still Heeeeere.
Well, here it is September 4th, and we awakened to find that Governor McGreevey did not do the right thing a pre-midnight exit, stage left. Of course that means we will have him around until November 15th, after which time our governor will be Richard Codey, who, while serving as governor, will retain his post as president of the state senate. Can anybody say, “separation of powers?” It’s required by the New Jersey Constitution, and frankly, I am surprised that this suit did not raise this issue.
Roberto of DynamoBuzz thinks that November 15th will come and Governor McGreevey will decide to take back his “resignation” and stay for the remainder of his term. Fausta of The Bad Hair Blog agrees. Would I be surprised if Governor McGreevey pulls a switcheroo?
Nothing oozing from the Jersey Political Swamp would surprise me.
September 03, 2004
At Home With John and Teresa.
Teresa: “John, dammit! Quit sitting around here moping about those nasty swift boat guys beating you up. When are you going to get off your ass and do something about it? Why don’t you sue that O’Neill guy? We’ve got a lots of lawyers.”
John:
Teresa: “Jesus Christ, John. You’re acting like a big baby. You can’t just sit there and hope they stop!”
John:
Teresa: “So?”
John:
Teresa: “Listen here, sonny boy, you’re making ME look bad now, and I am not going to put up with it.”
John:
Teresa: “Dammit, why don’t you just get all your military records and use them to prove, for once and for all, that those swift boat guys are nothing but big, fat liars?”
John:
Teresa: “What do I have to do? Cut your allowance?”
John: “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
September 02, 2004
Jay Allen - Hero.
2004.08.29 00:56:43 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:00:30 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:03:27 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:17:23 203.69.159.73 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: (diet|penis)[\w\-_.]*(pills|enlargement)[\w\-_.]*\.[a-z]{2,}
2004.08.29 01:19:23 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:20:18 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:20:57 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:32:30 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:35:30 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:42:58 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:49:38 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:52:15 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 01:58:19 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
2004.08.29 02:04:40 61.30.47.22 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: glucophagepharmacy.com
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2004.08.29 02:23:13 211.46.75.189 MT-Blacklist comment denial on Parkway Rest Stop: i-dish-network.org
What you see above is a snippet from my Activity Log showing that MT Blacklist is zapping comment spam before it ever appears on the site. MT Blacklist is the product of the mind of Jay Allen, who ought to be given the blogger equivalent of a Nobel Prize.
Thanks, Mr. Allen.
Fort Holabird Info Request.
In a comment to this 2003 post about Fort Holabird (which most people won’t bump into), a reader makes the following request. Perhaps someone can help.
My dad attended the agent handlers course at Fort Holabird in the late 1950s, in fact during the 1958 NY Giants- Baltimore Colts world championship. He returned for refresher training prior to going to Viet Nam in 1966. Does anyone remember him, his name was Norman J. Melody? Does anyone have any photos of Fort Holabird?In fact, there are two similar requests for information there. Please take a peek to see if you can provide some of the requested information.
Thanks much.
A Word from the Principal.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Winslow School Kindergarten orientation. As some of you know, Mrs. Brenda Green, who has been teaching Kindergarten here at Winslow for thirty-five years, has retired. I'd like to introduce you to her replacement.
Via Attu
September 01, 2004
Do You Recognize this Man?
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Of course you know him. It is Ludwig van Beethoven, even though it looks nothing like the paintings you may have seen of him. It is but one of a collection of Death Masks that appear here. Death masks, as the name suggests, are plaster casts made from the face of a deceased person. Unlike portraits or statues, in which the artist or sculptor might tone down the less attractive attributes of the subject (who quite often was paying the artist), death masks are a “true portrait” of a person at the time of death.
Some of them are quite amazing.
Via The Presurfer
What? No Resume?
TigerHawk and The Bad Hair Blog have details on the rumor that, after the governor FINALLY leaves office on November 15th, Richard Codey, his unelected replacement, will appoint Mr. McGreevey to a position in the Stem Cell Institute, possibly as its head.
Codey hasn’t even taken office yet and already it looks like it will business as usual in the Trenton Political Swamp. I guess that’s the “smooth transition.” McGreevey talked about.
Smooth, indeed.
August 31, 2004
And the Pissing Contest Continues.
The day after Golan Cipel announced, through counsel, that he would not sue Governor McGreevey for sexual harassment, Cipel stated, "I have no doubt that I would have won a civil case against the governor." Still insisting on the righteousness of Cipel’s claim (and Cipel’s heterosexuality), one of Cipel’s attorneys talked of Cipel’s responding “forcefully and assertively” to fend off the governor’s most recent sexual advances.
The governor’s camp, not surprisingly, dismissed Cipel’s and his attorney’s statements. In fact, one of the governor’s most ardent supporters, state senator Raymond Lesniak, went so far as to say, "I challenged Lowy [Cipel’s attorney] repeatedly, through the press, to file a suit. I wanted to take Cipel's deposition under oath."**
Enough, already with the ridiculous posturing. We see this pathetic soap opera for what it is.
The real issue that remains on the table is the governor’s steadfast refusal to leave office before September 3rd. His leaving prior to that date would permit the citizens of this state to elect the person who will be the chief executive of the state through November 2005. Imagine the nerve of us actually wanting a say in who governs the state?
** Don’t make me laugh. First, Mr. Lesniak a state senator, most certainly would not represent Governor McGreevey in such a suit and therefore would not take Cipel’s deposition “under oath,” [They’re always taken under oath.]. And, second, if I were the client, I would not want Mr. Lesniak to take a deposition, even in a rear-end hit case.
August 30, 2004
Garden Staters Dixie Bound.
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All this talk of endless alcohol consumption, world-class
Not only will my guitar be coming with me, but I will also be accompanied by one (and possibly even two) of the oft-mentioned Usual Suspects.
From what I have read here and here, I see that we will not be the only Yankees in attendance. It looks like we have the possible makings of a Yankee invasion, and we all know how things turned out the last time that happened.
I think we had better avoid wearing blue.
No Suit, After All.
Today we learned that Golan Cipel, Governor McGreevey’s alleged former boyfriend, has announced through his attorney that he will not file the sexual harassment lawsuit that had been threatened and which presumably played a part in Governor McGreevey’s decision to resign. Frankly, I am not surprised that Cipel, who claimed to be heterosexual, decided not to go down that long and nasty road.
I am, however, curious to see what happens with the federal investigation of the Governor’s claim of extortion. My guess is that it will die on the vine, as it quite possibly should, because this entire mess appears to be little more than a pissing contest between former lovers.
Meanwhile, the Governor remains in office, and there are no signs that he has any plans to leave before September 3rd, the date after which we lose our right to elect a governor to serve for the next fourteen months.
…and the beat goes on.
August 29, 2004
McGreevey at the Bakery.
Baker: “May I help you, sir?”
McGreevey: “Great day for reading Plutarch, no?”
Baker: “Excuse me?”
McGreevey: “Plutarch, great stuff there.”
Baker: “Sir, there are people in line. May I help you?”
McGreevey: “Oh, yeah. I’d like a loaf of rye bread, please.”
Baker: “Large or small?”
McGreevey: “Speaking of large and small, how about that Jonathan Swift? He sure had the large and small thing wired.”
Baker: "Huh?"
McGreevey: “I’d like a large loaf, please.”
Baker: “Seeds or seedless?”
McGreevey: “Seeds….seedy….reminds me of Upton Sinclair. He wrote about some pretty seedy stuff there in Chicago.”
Baker: “What? Sir, you’re holding up the line. Seeds or seedless?”
McGreevey: “Seedless, please.”
Baker: “Sliced or whole?”
McGreevey: “Ahhh. Slice….Slice of life. Reminds me of Proust and his Remembrance of Things Past.”
Person in line: “Hey, buddy. We don’t have all day here.”
McGreevey: “Sliced, please.”
Baker: (hands over the bread) “Here you are, sir. That’ll be $2.99.”
McGreevey: (takes the bread and pays with exact change) Thanks. I’m heading home to catch up on my Thomas Aquinas. Have a nice day.” (leaves the shop)
Person in line: “Did he say something about Pluto?”
Update: It would appear that some non-Jersey folks who may not be familiar with the depth of the political swamp in this state might need a hint.