ALL IS NOT BLACK OR WHITE

This could be of interest to those who bigots who profess and promote either racial or religious hatred. (News article from JTA.)

" More than 150 Reform Jewish rabbis are marching with the NAACP from the Deep South to the U.S. capital to promote social justice.
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis are participating in the NAACP’s Journey for Justice, an 860-mile march from Selma, Alabama, to Washington, D.C.

The march, which started Aug. 1 and ends Sept. 15, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Organizers from the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, said they aim to bring attention to issues like economic inequality, education reform, criminal justice reform and voting rights in each of the five states they visit on the march.

Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, senior rabbi of the Washington Hebrew Congregation, was at the start of the 40-day march in Selma, the site of historic civil rights marches led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 that spurred passage of the Voting Rights Act. He said he was inspired to become involved by his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee, and the pain he saw caused by the Jim Crow segregation laws.

When the marchers arrive in Washington at the close of the Jewish New Year, they will be welcomed, on behalf of the Reform movement, into Lustig’s congregation for an interfaith service, teach-in and rally.

“We believe in equality. We believe that every human being is made in the image of God. We believe that America is a country where there should be justice for all,” he said.

Rabbi Denise Eger, president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and Rabbi Seth Limmer of the Chicago Sinai Congregation, joined Lustig in Selma. Each took turns carrying the Torah scroll that will make the entire journey.

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center, the Union for Reform Judaism’s Washington, D.C., office, said in a statement, “Just as Reform Jews who marched 50 years ago in Selma and throughout the civil rights movement understood that racism and racial inequality undermine the social fabric of our communities, we know it is still true today.”

He added, “Acting in accordance with our values as a Movement and a people, these clergy and lay leaders are called upon to live our Jewish values by marching with our historic partner to protect the rights of all citizens.”

Locally; Rabbi Abraham of Temple Sholom which was founded in Plainfield in 1912 and is now located in Scotch Plains,will participate in that March. Each Rabbi will have a segment of the march assigned to them.
Rabbi Abraham will be going to Greenville, NC to carry a Torah  in America's Journey For Justice. He will be begin travel to NC on 8/19 to join the state rally on 8/20. He will march on 8/21

COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT

Too nice a weekend to write a blog. I did overlook two contentious Ordinances  up for first reading; Once again Administration is trying to create the position of "Manager of Motors  and to set a salary range.

While I believe that this is a good and sensible move,but in view of the Council's previous comments and non action  there probably is little chance of this being placed on next Monday's agenda. Of course politics being politics except where Trump is involved anything can happen.

The tenor of many of the comments by a few of the Councilors  last time seemed to be  for whom Mapp was making a job. That was enough to result in no action.

However, I will call your attention to Alan Goldstein's comments on Bernice's blog today about the lack of support material on line. and/or study to justify the  position. This subject never came up the last time. Logically it sounds like a positive move but typical administration vague statements are not enough to justify.

WEEKEND POTPOURRI

Yes the Dog Days of August are with us, and blog writing as well as reading assumes the role of a secondary interest for all. There are still subjects that deserve comments and/or opinions which will be addressed PRN (when as needed).

First there will be a Council Agenda Fixing Meeting Monday the 10th. A preliminary glance at the meeting’s agenda shows only a few questionable controversial proposed resolutions that will require reading the support material.

Two Ordinances for first reading deal with the proposed South Ave Development; one is for a PILOT agreement, the other to vacate old South Ave. Since the Planning Board has yet to approve the project with various variances, are these Ordinances premature?

Thursday night was the first of the Republican Candidates' “Debates”. Aside from the fact that Carly Fiorino, a member of the second string group, clearly outshone all the others there was no winner. I think that of the chosen 10, Rand Paul was a loser. Trump of course did nothing to endear himself to me and may have tarnished his unexplainable appeal.

The format and nature of these so called Debates do not conform to any of these definitions of the term “debate”: “a formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward” (Oxford Dictionary). Merriam-Webster defines the term as: “a: the formal discussion of a motion before a deliberative body according to the rules of parliamentary procedure by a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides.”

In these debates and this one in particular the moderator (Facilitator) rarely asked the same question to more than one candidate and at best and rarely at that, to only three. In this format questions can be loaded for the candidates benefit, and occasionally prepared to bate as was the case with some for Trump. The moderator can slant the debate to promote one individual or destroy another. There is no opportunity to compare the views of various candidates.

I also felt that a disproportional number of questions were put to Walker, Bush, and Trump. Some seemed aimed to promote Walker, and perhaps Ohio’s Governor, Kasich, the local boy. Kasich did well, but I liked Carson’s relaxed demeanor and sense of humor that was lacking in the other nine.

One final weekend note; Once again a single holdout prevented the death penalty for a person whose actions deserve3it. This was the result in the trial of Holmes the Aurora Colorado theater killer of 12 and permanent disability of others. So he is in prison for life but that is not the eye for eye that those who suffered from this dastardly act deserved.

BUMMER x 2

The hour is late and I will write more sometime  in the morning, but Thursday night was a bummer!

There was to be two "highlights" to the Planning Board meeting; the South Ave project and my reason for going the plan  for rezoning the Muhlenberg Campus. Unfortunate the legal notice published lacked  either the words "condemnation or non-condemnation" in describing the reason for the proposed  zoning change to the property. That made the legal notice illegal therefore the hearing has to be rescheduled.

I came home to listen to the "?debate?".  TV has a good soporific effect and I must have dozed when Chrisite was asked a question. In fact I only heard him addressed once before the closing remarks. My impression was that the  "moderators" had favorites and focused on about four of the ten for most of the two hours.

I did record the broadcast and after I review the "tape" will then make a comment.

THURSDAY AUG.6

Slept most of Tuesday afternoon and eve,  and Wednesday morning after my visit to Surgicare. That was the only bad problem.

Today the Planning Board meeting is more important than two Republican debates; the second string @ 5 on Fox and the  chosen 10 @ 8. Both can be "taped" for later viewing.

In the meantime for today two more ofr JAMA's art.

Nassau Garden by Winslow

NO BLOG

Date at Surgccare this am;no blog today and probably tomorrow.

OF INTEREST

There are several items of interest that command my attention and result in “blogs”; Plainfield, Iran, and the 2016 Presidential campaign.

It is obvious that the “Iran deal” is of paramount interest, but at present we still have until the end of September before Congress will take action and the President will veto or ignore. Never the less there is enough every day in the media to merit frequent discussion.

Plainfield and of course the goings-ons of the Council and Administration which is the major one is dependent on the moment.  The next Council meeting is the 10^th of this month

However, there is a Planning Board meeting this Thursday “to determine whether Block 13, Lot 38.03 on the City Tax Map Sheets 74 and 79 (1252-1354 Randolph Road, 1241-1323 Moffett Avenue) qualifies as an Area in Need of Redevelopment pursuant to the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-1 et. seq..” That is to determine the fate of the Muhlenberg site.

August 6 is also the night of the first Republican debate among the selected 10. Fortunately that can be recorded for later viewing. Earlier the unfortunate 7 will have their chance but not in prime time.

The “debates” are a chance for those who are relatively unknown by the public to gain exposure and perhaps become viable candidates.

The Ledger continues its war against Christie. On Saturday its first page headline was “Christie super PAC skirts law, critic says”

The article notes that:” Some of the $11M it raised came from those with state contracts, “an abuse” of pay-to-play rules, former GOP senator contends”.

America Leads a super PAC promoting Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential campaign, in raising $11 million so far this year, relied in part on donations from people or companies that have lucrative contracts with the state or are interested in doing business with New Jersey, records show.

“The donations, while not illegal, helped the fundraising efforts of the super PAC America”.

BIG DEAL! Sunday’ New York Times reports that over 400 million dollars  has already been raised Super PACs supporting candidates in both parties. There is a list 30 separate donations of over a million dollars to Super PACs supporting other Candidates. The biggest are one  for $11.3 mil and $10.0 mil for Cruz who also has two more of $5mil.Others PACs receiving multiple contributions of  over 1 million those include supporting Bush that  have a total of , Perry, Rubio, Paul, Graham, Trump, Walker and Huckabee. Our Governor is a piker, the largest the Ledger list for him is $500,000.00.

Although the law allows a maximum of $2700.00 individual contribution to a candidate there is no limits on what can be given to the ‘Super PACS’ which have as a result of the “Citizens United decision”*  have increasingly assumed the core campaign costs of advertising, polling and travel as long as it can be claimed that the candidate is not directing the operation.  

Yes, New Jersey’s pay-to-play laws would have prohibited some of the donations, which are being used to pay for television ads in New Hampshire and nationwide on Fox News, from being donated to Christie during his two campaigns for governor.

Although Bill Schluter, a former Republican state senator who helped write the state’s pay-to-play laws said “It’s certainly not ethical and it goes against all standards of fair campaign contributions,” “It doesn’t follow the spirit of the pay-to-play law. It’s just an abuse.” the PAC supporting Christie is legal and the Ledger is nit-picking.

The issues should be if Christie is a viable candidate, and if nominated would he make a good President. I am not sure about either, but that is for the people to decide; the Ledger is acting as if it were a Super PAC without incurring any propaganda expenses.

* In its 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court opened the campaign spending floodgates. The justices' ruling said political spending is protected under the First Amendment, meaning corporations and unions could spend unlimited amounts of money on political activities, as long as it was done independently of a party or candidate.