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Thursday, October 31, 2019
A Sham In Secret - And Sensationalized Nonsense!
Is Trump's Rumble Formula Wearing Thin?
From See Jersey Blog By Matt Rooney (reprinted with permission);
It happened 45 years ago today, Save Jerseyans – October 30, 1974 – when a then-record world audience was captivated by a legendary sporting event remembered as ‘The Rumble in the Jungle.’ Underdog Muhammad Ali knocked out World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire during Round 8 of their boxing match. It’s still considered one of (if not THE) greatest bouts in history
The Ali-Foreman match is most remembered not for the result but Ali’s even-more-legendary sparring tactic introduced during the match, one which has since entered into our common vernacular: the rope-a-dope. I sincerely wish President Trump – who has a long history with the sport – would use it from time to time.
Trump is “a puncher.” One of the finest. No one punches quite like him in the American political arena at least on the “Right” side of the aisle. You call him a fraud? He shoots back that you’re a bigger fraud, and a liar, and ugly, too. Can it be traced back to Trump’s childhood? Or something he learned in the rough-and-tumble New York real estate world? Or decades as a tabloid celebrity? Who knows. Who cares? It’s irrelevant. The point is that that’s how the President wages war: he punches you 10-times for hitting him once.
And yes, generally, it’s a refreshing change of pace after years of the McCain-Romney-Jeb Bush brand of Republicans. The old guard, for all their virtues as human beings, never seemed to punch the Democrats with the same ferocity which they employed when raining hay-makers on fellow Republican/conservatives who violate our culture’s arbitrary, biased rules of political engagement (e.g. “Republicans are supposed to lead with apologies.”).
But the Trump punching strategy isn’t perfect. It arguably caries a fatal flaw: fatigue.
The entire point of the rope-a-dope is to let one’s opponent swing wildly and lose steam. Then? When they’re huffing, puffing, and ready to blow over? You help them get there… with your own well-rested fist. That’s precisely how Ali got the best of Foreman in their famous encounter.
This President never stops punching. Even when it makes sound strategic sense. For example: his opponents swung wildly with Russiagate. Made crazy claims untethered to fact. Made a big deal out of nothing. They ultimately had nothing to show the American public after months of screaming ‘the sky is falling.’ They wore themselves out and lost that battle on the points. But what did the Trumpster do? He continued talking and tweeting about Russiagate, endlessly, and then put the screws to Ukraine over Biden the Younger.
Do I think he committed an impeachable offense? Nah.
Do I think he committed political malpractice? Probably.
There’s mounting evidence that while the man himself remains an indefatigable political combatant, Trump’s 2016 suburban supporters are tired. His numbers with this crucial subset of his coalition are slipping (here and here). It’s not that they suddenly love the Democrat options. It’s more simple than that: they don’t pay very close attention, and to the casual observer there’s a clear causation with ramped-up discord within the public discourse and Trump’s presidency. You and I know it’s more complicated than all that. Your average persuadable voter isn’t looking that deeply. The causation seems clear enough.
Trump could turn it around. He knows how to get’em in the ring! The Democrats are (still) unhinged by him and his tactics and are losing their shit on a daily basis. Their off-putting obsession with Trump is eclipsed only by their 2020 presidential field’s seismic shift to the Left. Democrat leaders are worried about 2020. It looks like House Democrats know they over-reached with their ‘impeachment in the darkness’ approach.
Barring some huge ‘smoking gun’ not yet in evidence? Trump wins a priorities contrast moving forward: the Dems want to focus on transgender bathroom rights and international conspiracy theories; I’m focused on jobs and protecting your kids from the socialist nutjobs.
He CAN and might lose a punching battle. His electoral “middle” might wear out quicker than the other side’s.
I’m not expecting President Trump to suddenly start floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. I would hope he’s capable of at least a little self reflection; a slight but significant tactical adjustment could solidify his title as the all-time heavyweight champion of U.S. presidential politics.
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Wednesday, October 30, 2019
It's Not That We Don't Like Halloween, BUT . . .
Yes, it's REALLY scary!
We're talking about the emergence of Halloween as America's biggest phenomenon.
Yes, Halloween!
Which means that, pretty soon when those garish, pop-up Halloween costume stores finally close, we'll breath a sigh of relief.
We'll also be glad that we won't have to witness the sight of idiotic grownups dressed for Halloween in ridiculous costumes. Grownups have helped to ruin Halloween.
Repeat after us: Halloween is for children. Real children!
Did you dress in costume as a child and trick or treat? Fine! That's enough. Okay?
Halloween was never, ever meant to be a schlock fest. Nor was it meant to be an adult drunk fest.
There is so much Halloween 'junk' for sale in the stores and so much Halloween stuff adorning homes that the trend is truly scary. When Halloween begins to rival Christmas as a holiday, you know we've got a problem. And it is rivaling Christmas.
As we wrote not very long ago in the Philadelphia Daily News:
Halloween is now so big that Americans spend almost as much on this faux-holiday as they do on Christmas. And Halloween is now the third largest party occasion, after New Year's and The Super Bowl. More candy is sold on Halloween than on Valentine's Day and people will actually send each other 28 million Halloween cards.
I don’t know about you but I’m not longing to receive a Halloween card from anyone. And it’s been decades since I’ve been out trick or treating.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for children enjoying the day dressed as ghosts, goblins and super-heroes and I’m happy to greet them. . . .For children Halloween is a way of gently dealing with fright and fear while having some old-fashioned fun.
But grownups seem to have forgotten this and they’ve now set about stealing Halloween from the kids. Today, huge numbers of adults celebrate Halloween and at least half of them spend more than $100 each doing so. To me there’s nothing more awkward than a grownup trying to trick, astound, frighten or repulse somebody by wearing a Halloween costume. Most costumed adults look just plain dumb. Let’s face it, many of these people don’t need costumes to begin with and some of them are downright frightening no matter what time of the year it is.
But people will find countless ways to make fools of themselves and so the costume stores now start appearing in early August. When I see some costumed lackey trying to wave me into one of those huge, tacky Halloween stores I run in the opposite direction.
Still, I’m starting to feel like I’m the only one not costumed for Halloween. Even dogs have gotten into the act. Where did this dreadful trend start? Who was it that first thought: “Hey, let’s strip our beagle of whatever bit of doggy dignity it may have had by forcing it to wear a tiara and a tutu.” Dogs in costume look totally bewildered, and rightfully so. Dressing them up and parading them around on Halloween is just this side of cruel.
In fact, the whole Halloween situation is out of proportion. Haunted houses are a good example. Isn’t the world frightening enough without paying to visit a haunted house or participating in some other type of contrived horror? Why would you spend your money this way?
And why would you decorate your house in orange lights? When you think of it, orange is a pretty garish color to begin with. It should be used sparingly, if at all. Its time on the scene should be mercifully limited. But now we’re awash in a virtual sea of orange from mid September onward. Ugh!
To me, natural, seasonal adornments are fine. But now driving through suburbia I’m assaulted by Halloween lawn decorations included animated witches, skeletons and ghouls. And the strangest custom of all involves people who put tombstones on their front lawn. Think about it: Why would you turn your front lawn into a cemetery? Why would you welcome death itself to your door?
I pose this question because when you think about it Halloween is all about death. Its ancient origins are said to lie in Celtic traditions observing the night when the Celts believed the dead returned to earth. With the coming of Christianity, this festival was turned into Halloween – the eve of All Saints and All Souls days. But the observance is still rooted in death.
When an observance that celebrates death begins to rival Christmas as one of our biggest holidays we’ve got a problem. My solution: put a few pumpkins out, sip some cider, enjoy the fall foliage and let the dead rest in peace.
Click here to see lots more from the Dan Cirucci Blog!
We're talking about the emergence of Halloween as America's biggest phenomenon. Yes, Halloween!
Which means that, pretty soon when those garish, pop-up Halloween costume stores finally close, we'll breath a sigh of relief.
We'll also be glad that we won't have to witness the sight of idiotic grownups dressed for Halloween in ridiculous costumes. Grownups have helped to ruin Halloween.
Repeat after us: Halloween is for children. Real children!
Did you dress in costume as a child and trick or treat? Fine! That's enough. Okay?
Halloween was never, ever meant to be a schlock fest. Nor was it meant to be an adult drunk fest.
There is so much Halloween 'junk' for sale in the stores and so much Halloween stuff adorning homes that the trend is truly scary. When Halloween begins to rival Christmas as a holiday, you know we've got a problem. And it is rivaling Christmas.
As we wrote not very long ago in the Philadelphia Daily News:
Halloween is now so big that Americans spend almost as much on this faux-holiday as they do on Christmas. And Halloween is now the third largest party occasion, after New Year's and The Super Bowl. More candy is sold on Halloween than on Valentine's Day and people will actually send each other 28 million Halloween cards.
I don’t know about you but I’m not longing to receive a Halloween card from anyone. And it’s been decades since I’ve been out trick or treating.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for children enjoying the day dressed as ghosts, goblins and super-heroes and I’m happy to greet them. . . .For children Halloween is a way of gently dealing with fright and fear while having some old-fashioned fun.
But grownups seem to have forgotten this and they’ve now set about stealing Halloween from the kids. Today, huge numbers of adults celebrate Halloween and at least half of them spend more than $100 each doing so. To me there’s nothing more awkward than a grownup trying to trick, astound, frighten or repulse somebody by wearing a Halloween costume. Most costumed adults look just plain dumb. Let’s face it, many of these people don’t need costumes to begin with and some of them are downright frightening no matter what time of the year it is.
But people will find countless ways to make fools of themselves and so the costume stores now start appearing in early August. When I see some costumed lackey trying to wave me into one of those huge, tacky Halloween stores I run in the opposite direction.
Still, I’m starting to feel like I’m the only one not costumed for Halloween. Even dogs have gotten into the act. Where did this dreadful trend start? Who was it that first thought: “Hey, let’s strip our beagle of whatever bit of doggy dignity it may have had by forcing it to wear a tiara and a tutu.” Dogs in costume look totally bewildered, and rightfully so. Dressing them up and parading them around on Halloween is just this side of cruel.
In fact, the whole Halloween situation is out of proportion. Haunted houses are a good example. Isn’t the world frightening enough without paying to visit a haunted house or participating in some other type of contrived horror? Why would you spend your money this way?
And why would you decorate your house in orange lights? When you think of it, orange is a pretty garish color to begin with. It should be used sparingly, if at all. Its time on the scene should be mercifully limited. But now we’re awash in a virtual sea of orange from mid September onward. Ugh!
To me, natural, seasonal adornments are fine. But now driving through suburbia I’m assaulted by Halloween lawn decorations included animated witches, skeletons and ghouls. And the strangest custom of all involves people who put tombstones on their front lawn. Think about it: Why would you turn your front lawn into a cemetery? Why would you welcome death itself to your door?
I pose this question because when you think about it Halloween is all about death. Its ancient origins are said to lie in Celtic traditions observing the night when the Celts believed the dead returned to earth. With the coming of Christianity, this festival was turned into Halloween – the eve of All Saints and All Souls days. But the observance is still rooted in death.
When an observance that celebrates death begins to rival Christmas as one of our biggest holidays we’ve got a problem. My solution: put a few pumpkins out, sip some cider, enjoy the fall foliage and let the dead rest in peace.
Click here to see lots more from the Dan Cirucci Blog!
We Don't Wish That Kind Of Death On ANY Dog!
"He did like a dog."This was how President Trump described the death of the notorious terrorist monster, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Now, some of our canine-loving friends feel that the President insulted dogs.
They feel hurt and angry because they insist: "Dogs don't die that way!"
If you're a dog lover, we can understand this. We get it.
But the phrase he died like a dog is just an expression -- it's an idiom that's been around a long time. It's from the French saying crever comme un chien and it really means to die in an undignified manner, or due to neglect. And sadly, many dogs have diesdthat way and still do die that way -- especially in less-developed parts of the world.
So we ask our dog-loving friends to please try to understand. President Trump meant no harm in using the expression -- one that is almost as common as "You dirty dog!"
Remember that the President went out of his way to praise the dogs that went after Baghdadi and the hero-dog who chased him to the end of a dead-end tunnel where he met his fate. Repeat after us: President Trump has nothing against dogs. America loves dogs!
ZOA Blasts Sanders: 'Hateful, Outrageous'
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has condemned Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (D–VT) for declaring that current US military defense aid to Israel should be reduced and give the money instead to Hamas’ Gaza.
Addressing the extremist anti-Israel organization J Street, Senator Sanders stated, “My solution is, to Israel, if you want military aid you’re going to have to fundamentally change your relationship to the people of Gaza … I would use the leverage of $3.8 billion [the annual amount earmarked for Israel under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel concluded by President Barack Obama]. It is a lot of money, and we cannot give it carte blanche to the Israeli government, or for that matter, to any government at all. We have a right to demand respect for human rights and democracy. I would say that some of the $3.8 billion should go right now to humanitarian aid in Gaza. My proposal in terms of Israeli-Palestinian efforts is not a radical proposal … All it says is that we need an even-hand proposal for both people. What is going on in Gaza right now, for example, is absolutely inhumane. It is unacceptable. It is unsustainable.”
Sanders also attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing that, “It is not anti-Semitism to say that the Netanyahu government has been racist, that’s a fact.” Senator Sanders did not condemn the pro-terror, anti-peace statements and deeds of Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Hamas regime in Gaza, such as they’re paying Arabs to murder Jews beyond, noting that both suffered from “corruption.” “It is not only Netanyahu’s government that has been a problem; let’s recognize there has been corruption in terms of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority” (Jackson Richman, ‘Sanders says portion of Israel’s military aid should go “right now” to Gaza,’ Jewish News Syndicate, October 28, 2019).
“Senator Sanders’ outrageous and false statements about Israel show him to be either hateful toward the Jewish State, supportive of terrorist regimes, or utterly biased or completely ignorant of the realities of the Arab Islamic war against Israel.”
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein and Chairman Mark Levenson, Esq. said, “Senator Sanders’ outrageous and false statements about Israel show him to be either hateful toward the Jewish State, supportive of terrorist regimes, or utterly biased or completely ignorant of the realities of the Arab Islamic war against Israel.
“Senator Sanders should know that the US benefits mightily from the military assistance it provides Israel and that almost all of it is spent in the US. Almost invariably, Israel improves American weapons systems and shares its innovations with the US, which also amounts to a major source of revenue for the US defense industry.
“Israel’s improving systems and consequent military cooperation and intelligence-sharing has been of enormous value to the US, which, unlike the situation with some other US allies, has never had to deploy a single serviceman or woman to defend it.
“Senator Sanders also seems ignorant of the fact that US military aid to Israel is an essential component in preserving the US commitment to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge, which in turn has prevented large-scale wars.
“Yet Senator Sanders seems willing to increase the prospect of war by harming Israel’s military capabilities. He also seems to care nothing –– or know nothing –– of the fact that years of the highest per capita aid in the world for the PA for the last two and half decades has gone into building up terrorist groups and importing illegal weaponry. Thousands of Israelis have been killed and maimed by Palestinian Arab terrorists abetted, funded or otherwise supported or protected by Abbas’ PA and Hamas.
“Senator Sanders also believes that Israel is somehow in the wrong when it comes to Gaza. Israel withdrew unilaterally from every square inch of Gaza in 2005, removing every last living and dead Israel from the territory, only to face the take-over of the territory by the jihadist Hamas terrorist group and 25,000 missile attacks, construction of terror tunnels for the purpose of launching mass-casualty terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, and other forms of unprovoked terrorism in return, not to mention three major Gaza wars.
“Instead of acknowledging that Israel has sought peace with Gaza, Senator Sanders pretends Israel is in the wrong and that the suffering in Gaza is a result of Israeli rather than Hamas policy and foreshadows that he would penalize Israel were he to become president.
“Whatever else this is, this is certainly not even-handedness.
“Senator Sanders shows no interest, or even knowledge, of what happens inside Hamas-controlled Gaza, a territory in which Palestinian Arab children are relentlessly inculcated with hatred and incited to murder Jews as a supreme national and religious duty. Senator Sanders says nothing of this –– but accuses the Netanyahu government of racism!
“Israel has offered statehood to the Palestinians three times in the last 19 years only to be rejected. Abbas has refused to negotiate for the last ten years. Israel is not only a democracy for all its citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish, but has for years taken in Syrian refugees and extended medical care to Palestinian Arabs from the PA, despite being under no obligation to do so. Gays from the PA have successfully sought refuge and safety in Israel, the one country in the region that doesn’t persecute or kill them. This is racism?
“Senator Sanders deserves the strongest condemnation from all who value morality and truth and the US-Israel relationship for his inexcusable and dangerous bias and ignorance, and possibly even hatred of the Jewish State, as well as his support for the terrorist regimes of Abbas and Hamas.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that Sanders has hired two bitterly anti-Semitic Israelophobic staffers to his campaign including the hateful bigot Linda Sarsour. And no wonder the two biggest Israelophobic anti-Semites in Congress Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) have endorsed Sanders for President.”
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
ANOTHER Wawa? Abutting A Legendary Neighborhood?
I oppose the plan to build another Wawa with gas station in the Barclay Farm Shopping center. This shopping center is in the Barclay neighborhood — with some 30 homes right next to it along the back and sides.
We missed an opportunity last year with the Master Plan revision. I am running for Mayor and if I am elected, my first priority will be to do a review of our zoning code with an eye towards updating it to reflect our values of care for the environment, human health, and safety.
We don’t need new gas stations in our town and a 30 foot buffer from homes is not adequate, not by a long shot. We know the impacts on the environment, human health, quality of life, and property values, and we must not allow more residents and neighborhoods to be adversely impacted by our outdated zoning code and the permissive interpretations of the code frequently made by our zoning and planning boards in granting variance after variance. If elected Mayor, I will appoint qualified residents to these boards — not the politically connected.
Homeowners who live next to the Wawas with gas stations on Haddonfield Road are already experiencing diminished quality of life. And when they want to sell their homes, they will see diminished property value, which hurts not just them but their neighborhood.
'The World Is Now A Much Safer Place'
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Monday, October 28, 2019
The Hero Dog The Whole Country Is Talking About
THIS is the hero dog all America is talking about.
This is the dog that chased the evil Baghdadi all the way down to a dead-end tunnel where the terrorist monster blew himself up.
The dog reportedly sustained sever injuries but is expected to survive.
This dog is part of the special ops K-9 unit -- a group that is just as elite as the Army special ops themselves. The dog is a true warrior.
Due to such overwhelming interest and support, President Trump declassified this phot of the dog for release though the name of the dog remains classified, for now.
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