Friday, September 07, 2007

The Jersey Swamp Gurgles, and Spits Up...

Red Jersey:

“NJ better start constructing some new prisons, because the old ones are going to get over- crowded with all of these Democrats going to jail.”

Our Hero, U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie:

"I thought I could no longer be surprised by a combination of brazenness, arrogance and stupidity, but the people elected in this state continue to defy description," Christie said at a late-afternoon news conference, warning other politicians: "We will continue to gather you in corrupt bunches and send you to jail."

The New York Times (you need to get about halfway in to learn the, ahem, party affiliation of those who did the perp walk today...methinks a Republican ident would have been in the lede):

Federal agents used a phony insurance brokerage as part of a sting operation that resulted in the arrests of 11 public officials in New Jersey this morning, including two state assemblymen and the mayor of Passaic.

The statement said that several members of the Pleasantville School Board took thousands of dollars in bribes from the cooperating witnesses, and that they referred the undercover agents to public officials in other parts of the state who would also be willing to take the payments.

As part of the sweep this morning, federal agents arrested Mayor Samuel Rivera of Passaic; Assemblyman Mims Hackett Jr., a prominent Democrat who is also the mayor of Orange; and Assemblyman Alfred E. Steele, a Democrat from Paterson who is also the Passaic County Undersheriff.
Federal agents also arrested five current or former Pleasantville school board members, two Passaic city council members and the chief of staff to the president of the Newark City Council, prosecutors said.


Now this is just cartoonishly pathetic:

The officials took bribes ranging from $1,500 to $17,500. In most cases, prosecutors say, they tried to keep in touch with the undercover witnesses in order to continue receiving the bribes.

“Moving forward, I have other friends in other municipalities, and I am all for getting my feet wet as well,” Jonathan Soto, a Passaic city councilman, told a confidential witness, according to a complaint. “I am very appreciative that, you know, you guys have counted me as part of the team.”


Wow. What can one add to that statement?

Not me. I'll simply refer you back to Christopher Christie's quote at the top....

5 comments:

Erica said...

I really don't know what to say anymore. One almost feels that they should offer their condolences.

The JerseyNut said...

You're right, there's very little to say. I almost didn't post on it; despite the fact that the haul was 100% Democrats, there was no way to glorify in this mess. It's a sad, ugly spectacle, and I didn't feel like playing the mud.

But the absolute chutzpah of some of these guys was simply not to be believed. Trying to "keep in touch with the undercover witnesses in order to continue receiving the bribes"? My G-D!

So it is posted for the record. I may even follow up a bit - why do I feel there is some Stooge-esque behavior by these 11 clowns that has yet to be revealed...?

Erica said...

I don't have anything even remotely resembling an answer for what sounds like a rhetorical question.

To be honest, all I really know about New Jersey is what I read about here and at Jimbo's, and I guess, between what the two of you post, and what I read about in the papers, I'm left with more questions than what I started out with, chief among them being, what is it about New Jersey that makes it this nationwide joke?

This is not one of my good-humored digs, but rather an honest query...what gives with New Jersey? Given how the cards have always fallen, why do people constantly vote Democrat, if all they're doing is putting now-proven crooks and liars in office, who will inevitably scumbag their respective constituencies?

Do you think this is a wake-up call for the people, or will the corruption and lunacy continue? It's all quite sad, really. These people who are your mayors, assembly members, and representatives...they appear to collectively have zero conscience.

[/naïve]

Anonymous said...

I have not seen anything on this yet, have you seen this?
Hollywood is making a movie on the story of Mims Hackett, and they put up an archived 60 minutes peice on Mims being framed:

"Thirty years ago, the Government set-up Mims Hackett for attempted murder and kidnapping.He was convicted and sent to prison, because he ran for political office.
30 Years later; the Government is still after him!? You decide. "

This is getting good....
Check it here: http://www.MoroFilms.com

NJFilmFan

Anonymous said...

Jews should never be criticized. They're only trying to do what history and heritage tell them.

And it means nothing that in just the past four years 1,865 Jews have been charged with various crimes on Wall Street.

There's nothing existential about it.
They're doing it for Aipac.