Pallone Statement on Dallas Shootings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2016



WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) made the following statement on the shooting that killed five police officers and wounded several others and a civilian in Dallas.

“I am shocked and appalled at the violence that took place in Dallas last night. Police officers in Dallas and throughout the country put their lives on line for us every day and as President Obama said, they too deserve to be able to go home to their families.

“I know that we as a country are feeling a great deal of pain about incidents that have taken place in recent days. But we cannot allow these tragic deaths to drive us further apart. We must work to come together to prevent the killing of innocent people – regardless of their skin color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or job. In the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King, ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.’

"I hope that we will now take the example of both the protesters in Dallas and around the country who expressed their frustrations peacefully, and the law enforcement in Dallas, who showed extraordinary bravery and courage, to move our country forward towards justice."

To Form a More Perfect Union

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the strongest, most comprehensive legislation enacted to bring racial, ethnic, and sexual equality to schools, voting booths, and businesses. The most notable provision of the law was the requirement that businesses serving the public, called public accommodations, must be desegregated. Almost everyone in our country recognizes the importance of that law, and few would seek to reverse its effect on American society. 

Fifty years ago, as a teenager, I was fortunate to work as a messenger page in the Senate when the Civil Right Act was passed, and I listened intently and closely as the bill was debated in the chamber. It gave me a chance to reflect on one of the central questions of our country. I recall opponents, mostly southern segregationists, some of them quite eloquent, arguing that the public accommodations provision was un-American, unconstitutional, and an infringement of individual rights. Since 1875, the Supreme Court had maintained, and most people had not questioned, that owners of businesses serving the public could run those businesses as they pleased. The inn was the province of the innkeeper. The bus was the property of the bus company. The proprietors went into business to offer the services they wanted to offer to the people they chose to serve. With the landmark Civil Rights law, the argument that won decisively in Congress was that it was the segregationist attitude that was un-American and probably unconstitutional. The prerogatives of the individual proprietors of public accommodations, even if they were very local and not interstate businesses, were secondary to the public good. This was hugely important. In our on-going effort to form a more perfect union of diverse states and diverse peoples, the public good must be observed, and public accommodations cannot discriminate against any ordinary citizens in good standing, even against the personal preferences of the owners. Although many remnants of our country's racist past remain to be overcome, it is remarkable that the Civil Rights Law is thoroughly integrated into our jurisprudence and our lives. It was, I think, a powerful reaffirmation of how and why we pulled together as a country. We are stronger, fairer, and more ethical as a result. However, that was not clear to everyone at the time of the 1964 debate.

In light of last week's decisions from the Supreme Court, I wonder if soon it will be recognized that, for example, the public good is served when any and all women have complete healthcare coverage and are not denied by the personal preferences of a business owner, and when workers are given equal standing to bargain collectively with business owners. It certainly could be argued, and has been argued, that business proprietors can run their businesses as they chose. The Public Accommodations Act is one strong example that the public good, at least sometimes, trumps. 

Visiting the Capitol

Last week, I attended a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda commemorating Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr. There the sculptured bust of Rev. King faced directly across from the statue of Abraham Lincoln. Nearby is a statue of Rosa Parks, sitting as she famously sat on the Montgomery bus. The collection of art and sculpture at the Capitol represents notable events and individuals from American history, and includes statues of two distinguished New Jerseyans: Richard Stockton and Philip Kearny. Stockton was notable as a Declaration of Independence signer, and a fresco in the Capitol Rotunda depicts that moment on June 28, 1776, when the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Second Constitutional Congress. Philip Kearny had a rich military career, serving as a brigadier general with the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War, and lost his life at the Battle of Chantilly, Virginia, in 1862. A portion of the Frieze of American History, also in the Rotunda, pays tribute in "Peace at the End of the Civil War."

The Capitol reminds us of the rich history of this great nation, and it is this history that should continue to guide us as we continue our endless journey to form a more perfect union.

You can learn more about the art and architecture of the Capitol here. You can also learn more about the history at the United States Capitol Historical Society’s website. However, the Capitol is best experienced in person with a guided tour. My office can assist with booking tours of the White House, Capitol Building, and other D.C. sites, and you can schedule a tour by visiting my website. I recommend the Capitol tour most of all....

Syria

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Once again, we find ourselves on the verge of military conflict with a foreign nation.

Congressman Rush Holt

We have many reasons to feel outrage and repulsion at events underway in Syria. Many believe, and
the United Nations is now working to confirm, that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons against the Syrian people. Secretary Kerry was right to say that “the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity.”

The world must respond to these atrocities in Syria with a full understanding of the facts and with the full involvement of the international community and the United States Congress. In particular, we must reject the foolish idea that America should take military action before there is good international understanding of the facts. We remember the errors of Iraq. America should be the exemplar of good international behavior. We cannot be the unilateral enforcer of good behavior.

Together with 115 members of Congress – including 98 Republicans and 17 Democrats – I wrote President Obama this week to urge him to seek Congressional authorization prior to the use of military force in Syria. Our constitution obliges him to do so, and Congress stands ready to convene at his request to weigh the wisdom of any such military strike.

How Will Health Reform Affect Your Small Business?

Do you have questions about what health reform means for your small business? Would you like to know more about tax credits that could help you provide health insurance for your employees?

If so, please join my Small Business Health Insurance Options Program (SHOP) Workshop at 9 a.m. on Monday, September 30th at the East Brunswick Public Library, 2 Jean Walling Civic Center Drive in East Brunswick. Further details and information on how to RSVP are available online.

50 Years Later

On Wednesday, I joined tens of thousands of others at the Lincoln Memorial to recognize the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Today the march is remembered best for the speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., who gave the call for universal civil rights its most powerful and urgent expression. Another of that day’s speakers was John Lewis, then the 23-year-old chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Community and now a longtime member of Congress. In his remarks yesterday, Rep. Lewis told what happened at the end of that famous day:

“After the ceremony was over, President Kennedy [who had been leery of the march] invited us back down to the White House. He met us, standing in the door of the Oval Office, and he was beaming like a proud father. As he shook the hands of each one of us, he said, you did a good job, you did a good job. And he said to Dr. King, you had a dream.

“Fifty years later we can ride anywhere we want to ride, we can stay where we want to stay. Those signs that said ‘white’ and ‘colored’ are gone, and you won't see them anymore except in a museum, in a book, on a video.

“But there are still invisible signs buried in the hearts in humankind that form a gulf between us. Too many of us still believe our differences define us instead of the divine spark that runs through all of human creation.

“The scars and stains of racism still remain deeply embedded in American society, whether it is stop and frisk in New York or injustice in the Trayvon Martin case in Florida; the mass incarceration of millions of Americans; immigrants hiding in fear in the shadow of our society; unemployment, homelessness, poverty, hunger, or the renewed struggle for voting rights.

“So I say to each of us today, we must never, ever give up. We must never, ever give in. We must keep the faith and keep our eyes on the prize.”

John Lewis, who remains a passionate activist, non-violent to his core, is a hero to many of us still today.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

If a Few More Walked...

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

It was one of those great cosmic coincidences that, on Monday, our first black president took his oath of office on a day set aside to honor one of America’s greatest black leaders.

Much has been said about the ties that bind together Barack Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr.: not only their race and their soaring oratory, but also their fervent pursuit of seemingly impossible change, and their belief that the arc of our moral universe – however long – bends toward justice.

As then-Senator Barack Obama said when he spoke from the pulpit of Dr. King’s church, Ebenezer Baptist in Atlanta, in early 2008:

“What Dr. King understood is that if just one person chose to walk instead of ride the bus, those walls of oppression would not be moved. But maybe if a few more walked, the foundation might start to shake.

“If a few more women were willing to do what Rosa Parks had done, maybe the cracks would start to show. If teenagers took freedom rides from North to South, maybe a few bricks would come loose. Maybe if white folks marched because they had come to understand that their freedom too was at stake in the impending battle, the wall would begin to sway. 

“And if enough Americans were awakened to the injustice; if they joined together, North and South, rich and poor, Christian and Jew, then perhaps that wall would come tumbling down, and justice would flow like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that people working together can accomplish far more than any of us can achieve alone. He believed in the willingness of all Americans, even those in a position of privilege, to open their eyes to the unconscionable wrong happening around them if they are challenged to do so – especially, and most effectively, by non-violent action. This belief, somewhat counter to normal intuition, produced results because of basic human decency.

Forty Years After Roe v. Wade

Forty years ago this Tuesday, the Supreme Court affirmed the dignity and independence of each American woman in Roe v. Wade. The result of that landmark decision was an understanding that our Constitution guaranteed decisions about a woman’s own body should be left up to that woman, in consultation with her doctor, her family, and her religion – not the federal government.

There is now a generation of women who do not remember the time before Roe v. Wade, a time when men assumed they could say what women could and could not do about their personal, private health care and reproduction.

We still have a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, over the past 40 years, there have been numerous legislative attempts to deny this right to women and even to treat women who exercise control over their own bodies as criminals. We have to make sure that we defend also Title X, maternal and child health care programs, public access to reproductive health care, and that we reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

But we must remember the time before Roe v. Wade and what is at stake.

Deadline Extended for Disaster Assistance Applications

If you are planning to register for FEMA disaster assistance or for a Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan to support your recovery from Hurricane Sandy, you should know that the deadline for submitting your application has been extended to March 1, 2013.

To begin the disaster relief process, first register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585 (TTY). Then, to apply for a SBA disaster loan, complete the online application at DisasterLoan.SBA.gov.

You can apply for disaster assistance before settling with your insurance company, so there’s no need to wait. Applying by the deadline can avoid a shortfall in rebuilding money if you discover later that you are uninsured. There is no obligation to accept an SBA disaster home loan, and you may become eligible for additional FEMA grants if you are not approved for a loan.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

President Obama's Video Message for the 2013 Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Service

Today marks not only President Obama's 2nd Inauguration Day, it's also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

President Obama recorded this message earlier, which pays tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his commitment to service.

It's Your Town - Newsletter Volume 4, Issue 2-1/17/12

Here is another edition of the It's Your Town newsletter, it covers the January 17th, 2012 Middletown Township Committee meeting. As readers of the blog know from listening to audio clips posted last week, this meeting was very eventful.

A a late notice stating that the Township will not open the Swim & Tennis Club this year was posted to the Township's website on Friday 13th, heading into the long Martin Luther King 3-day holiday weekend and apparently, from the sentiment of the members present at the meeting, they weren't informed previously of the dire financial situation of the Swim Club, over two dozen people voiced their concerns to the Township Committee.

There were a few Swim Club members who questioned the expenses incurred by the Township on behalf of the Middletown Arts Center (MAC) in relation to those incurred to operate the Swim Club. They were told by Mayor Fiore and Township Attorney Brian Nelson, that the MAC was on the way towards profitability and that the utility expenses were down dramatically to only $30 to $40K per year! Attached to the newsletter are the actual figures for the past five years so you can determine for yourself what is accurate.

Regardless, when the Club closes, all Middletown residents will be responsible for repaying the original bond used to purchase the Club instead of the member fees stated in the Pool Club ordinance.

Read this edition of the newsletter ....Here

And if you would like to listen to the companion audio clips from the meeting, I have them below

Committee comments #1

Committee comments #2

What about the kids?

Tom Wilkens comments



As always, if you wish to subscribe to the newsletter and receive in your inbox send a request to itsourtown@yahoo.com

Martin Luther King and Middletown Human Rights

It is sad that at a time when we are remembering the civil rights efforts of Martin Luther King the Middletown Township Committee has taken steps to dissolving the Middletown Human Rights Commission (MHRC).

At the 2012 reorganization meeting the Middletown township committee added no members to the MHRC, which had only six members of a required eleven. Instead, the committee actually removed two, leaving only four!

Mayor Fiore commented that there are vacancies because he knows of no one interested in MHRC appointment. That is untrue; I know of at least one man, Jim, who applied a year ago and never had any response. He assumes that they checked his voter registration and threw out his application when they saw he was a Democrat. A former MHRC member commented two years ago, as a reason for not seeking reappointment, "There have been township people who have expressed interest in joining the MHRC and who many months ago have even submitted to the Township Committee a form expressing their interest. Yet the Township Committee still has not done anything to fill any of the many vacancies."

Almost none of our members were appointed because they had specifically applied for the MHRC. They were put on as neighbors of a mayor or from a general talent bank application. Often they did not even know what the MHRC was about when they came to us as new appointees.

The mayor's comment that many people have left MHRC is also not true. In 2011 just one member left, due to serious family illness and another in December 2009 out of frustration with the township committee, In a letter to them he noted, "The MHRC is the oldest human rights commission in the state of NJ. If done properly, it can have a significant positive impact on the quality of life in Middletown, yet because of the attitude and inaction of the Township Committee, I feel that I have been wasting my time being a member of the MHRC. The Middletown Township Committee doesn't seem to care about the existence of the MHRC."

Dr. King said, "Darkness cannot drive our darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Sincerely,
Carolyn Schwebel
Ex-chair, MHRC

Rush Holt: Libraries Offer 21st Century Skills

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's Newsletter

Yesterday, I joined the nation’s top library official, Susan Hildreth of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), to visit public and school libraries in Monroe, East Brunswick, and Princeton.

America’s libraries are more widely used today than at any other point in history, with more than three quarters of Americans having visited a library in the last year. Yet these are trying times for libraries.

Even as libraries have lost funding from towns, counties, and states, they have experienced a surge in demand due to the millions of Americans looking for jobs and finding them using library services. In fact, an IMLS survey found that 30 million Americans used a library to address career and employment needs in 2009. The demand is not just for computers, but also for qualified librarians who can offer guidance on how to set-up an e-mail account, use resume formats, and file an online job application or unemployment claim.

As Director Hildreth and I saw in our visits, New Jersey libraries are working hard. In Congress I have introduced the Workforce Investments through Local Libraries (WILL) Act to integrate libraries into our job training efforts. My bill has been endorsed by the American Library Association, and I am very hopeful that it will be passed into law as Congress works to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act later this year.

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

At a time when inequality runs rampant and when so many across America are seeking work, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of equality, social justice, and economic opportunity resonates still after half a century. As Dr. King said in 1961:

“I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream—a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality. That is the dream.”

Earned Income Tax Credit Offers Support to Working Families

One of America’s most important anti-poverty programs is also among the least recognized: the Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. In 2010 alone, the EITC lifted 5.4 million people, including 3 million children, above the poverty line.

The EITC is a refundable tax credit – that is, when the size of the credit exceeds the amount of taxes owed, a taxpayer receives the excess as a refund. It originated in the 1970s as a compromise between Democrats and Republicans who had differing views about the best way to fight poverty. Democrats had long supported lifting families out of poverty through the enactment of a strong minimum wage; Republicans had long argued that a high minimum wage would lead employers to hire fewer people.

The EITC provided financial support to working families, as Democrats desired, while avoiding any wage distortions in the labor market that Republicans feared. Presidents from both political parties have embraced and expanded the EITC for more than three decades.

Yet this tradition of bipartisan support has fractured in recent years. Republicans have increasingly attacked as “lucky duckies” the low-income families whose tax burdens are greatly reduced or eliminated by the EITC. Meanwhile, as the minimum wage has stagnated and our economy has faltered, the EITC has been forced to bear more and more of the burden of combating poverty – yet its increased importance has not been matched by increases in the tax credit’s size. Congress and the states should do more to support working families.

The IRS offers further details about the EITC, and a tool to help determine whether you are eligible, on its website.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Mtown News Flash 1-13-12

Municipal Offices Closed Mon, January 16
Municipal offices are closed on Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Traffic Advisory – Middletown Lincroft Road Closure Jan 18-19
Middletown-Lincroft Rd will be closed between Sunnyside Rd. and West Front St. on Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Follow posted detour or plan alternate route.

Free Rabies Clinic for Dogs
Saturday, January 21
The Middletown Health Department will hold a free rabies clinic for dogs on Saturday, January 21^st at the Belford Engine Fire Company located at 739 Main St., Belford, NJ 07718. The clinic will run from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. All dog licenses must be renewed by January 31, 2012 as late fees start as of February 1^st. Residents can obtain a license during the clinic if they have not done so yet. For more information, please contact Animal Control at 732-615-2097.

Police Report Armed Robbery at Quick Stop Convenience Store
On January 12, 2012 at approximately 10:00pm police responded to an armed robbery at the Quick Stop Convenience Store located at #58 Leonard Avenue in the Leonardo section of Middletown. Police say a male subject approximately 6’00 tall, 175 pounds, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, a black mask and blue surgical gloves entered the store and approached the cashier. The suspect pulled a knife out of his clothing and demanded money. The suspect then fled the store and was last seen running towards Kunkel Park and the Henry Hudson Trail. Police request anyone with information contact the Middletown Police Department at (732) 615-2100 or Detective Laurence Schachtel at (732) 615-2062.

Christmas Tree Collection Continues
Residents with private garbage collection: Click here for schedule.

Residents within the garbage district: Put trees curbside the second day of any collection week.

Residents can also bring trees to the Recycling Center, 52 Kanes Lane, free of charge. Call Recycling at 732-615-2008 for more information.

Seasonal Job Expo Coming Feb 4
Middletown’s 2012 Seasonal Job Expo will be held on Saturday, Feb 4^th from 10 a.m. to noon at the Senior Center, 900 Leonardville Road, Leonardo, NJ 07737. The township is seeking summer recreation supervisors, counselors and leaders, lifeguards, camp counselors, sports camp instructors and park maintenance workers. Seasonal employees must be 16 years old for recreation programs and 18 years old for Public Works and Park Maintenance positions. Employment runs from May through September and varies depending on the seasonal program. The salary range is $7.25 to $15 per hour depending on the position and experience. Call 732-615-2260 for more information. Download application

Winter Recreation
Poricy Park January & February Camps and Programs
www.poricypark.org

Middletown Arts Center Winter Classes and Programs
www.middletownarts.org

Middletown Senior Center
Special Events

Recreation facilities
Download the 2012 Permit Application

NJPP Monday Minute 1/17/11: To make real the promises of democracy...

Today, the nation pauses to honor the life and work of a true American hero, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Because Dr. King practiced the non-violence that he preached when he protested poverty and injustice, his ideas carry a special resonance for many of us today. We will hear Dr. King's best-known line, "I have a dream" many times today, and we will gladly rejoice in those words and be uplifted by their aspiration.

We at NJPP would like to invite you to be inspired even further by spending 15 minutes listening to Dr. King’s "I Have a Dream" speech in its entirety, as it was delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. more than 47 years ago.

APP Editorial: Beck's rally not about honor

The following editorial is from today's edition of the Asbury Park Press. A simple Amen is all that needs to be said.

It's hard to guess exactly what Glenn Beck is thinking today in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, on the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King's historic "I Have A Dream" speech.

Is his "Restoration of Honor" rally a way to honor America's military, or is it rather, as Beck originally put it, a matter of "reclaiming the civil rights movement" — which begs the question: From whom does he intend to take it back, and whom would he like to see get it?

There is no shortage of angry, doughy, white guys in this country who feel shortchanged and cheated and, rather than looking in the mirror, prefer to blame every failure and setback in their lives on those with more melanin than their own pasty selves.

Beck may be a fool — a man who believes that President Barack Obama has a deep-seated hatred of white people, a man who, 30 years late, hears Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" and can't tell the difference between a patriotic protest song and anti-American propaganda, a man who never met a conspiracy theory he didn't like — but he's not stupid. He's got red meat to hand out to the crowds.

But most Americans know he's a clown. What Beck carries in his heart is no dream. It's a nightmare.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Where is America’s voice?

RiseUp Founder & Publisher: Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D. has another poignant and thoughtful publisher's note in this weeks edition of her publication.

For the 45 anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech she asks "Where is Americas' Voice?".

Hopefully last night's speech by Barack Obama may have answered her question.

" Where is America’s voice? At critical points in the history of this country, it has, more often than not been resoundingly clear. But, today, it is garbled at best.

While one or more leaders may help define America’s voice, clarify it, and epitomize it with their actions, the voice itself goes beyond a personality or the vocalization of precepts and principles and specific initiatives. The presence and power of America’s voice characterizes ages, codifies eras, creates the culture, and more often than not, foretells the nature of a future society.

We have only to recall a few critical periods in America’s history and the personalities that led us through them—from the Declaration of Independence to the end of the Cold War — to be poignantly, and sometimes painfully, reminded of the great void that exists today.

Where is America’s voice? And if you are able to hear some muffled musings, what is it saying? Are you clear about where we are headed domestically or globally?

Through the work and words of the founding fathers and the framers of the Constitution — John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and others — America gained its voice and its course through the end of the eighteenth century was clear.

Throughout the nineteenth century, America’s voice defined the periods from the establishment of the institution of slavery to the Civil War that ended it; the Jim Crow era that began after that war and lingered into the twentieth century until the Civil Rights Movement that fought to end it.

During these various and disparate epoch-making times America’s voice was — for better or worse — represented by Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Strom Thurmond, Lester Maddox, George Wallace, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., among others.

In between those times, World War I was fought to make the world safe for democracy. That was followed by what has been dubbed as the Gilded Age where the rich got richer, the poor poorer. America roared in the twenties, crashed economically in the early thirties, and joined the world to defeat fascism in the forties. And we lived and breathed the Cold War and its remnants for the next nearly fifty years.

We all know these seminal historical events and the leaders that brought us through them: Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

During any of these periods, America’s voice was very discernible if not always strong. The times seem more definable, the voice clearer, even while we lived them.

Where is America’s voice today? Where are the political and philosophical giants that represent us?

With the current war on terrorism, one might say that America’s voice is still one that proclaims democracy and individual freedom as paramount at home and abroad. But that voice seems muffled by all the static and noise that has emerged around the reasons for the preemptive strike against Iraq.

Where is America’s voice? What is it saying to us here at home? What is the message conveyed abroad?

As Dr. King stepped to the podium to give his “I Have a Dream” speech, he was introduced to the crowd gathered along the reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial as the “moral leader” of our nation. After the speech, commentators called him the “voice of America’s conscience.” He was for that seminal period in America’s history.

There is no one leader — no one person — that today can be called the voice of America’s conscience.

More importantly, who are the leaders that will help America find its voice? It is not just left to the historians. We can shape it if we dare. Or we can sit idly by, and watch as we stumble into the future."

 To check out this past weeks edition of RiseUp magazine and read the feature article about Martin Luther King Jr., click on the headline

The spinning at MoreMonmouthMusings has made me dizzy

I haven’t commented on the spin job being performed by Art Gallagher over at his bog MoreMonmouthMusings lately, other than to comment on the meeting of the Middletown Human Rights Commission last week and what the outcome of that meeting was in relationship to Art’s blog and his controversial use of the “N” word, because quite frankly it has made me dizzy.

The many posts and comments to his blog over the past 2 weeks have done nothing, in my opinion, to foster a better understanding of race. All that it has succeeded in doing so far is to feed Art’s own self important and grandiose impressions of his own self worth and has caused others unnecessary distress. In his attempt to discredit Jesse Jackson for saying he wanted to cut off Barack Obama’s N***** Nuts, he brought the scorn and condemnation of others onto himself.

When critics spoke out against his clumsy attempts at discussing race he has lashed out at them by calling them names or by trying to downplay their concerns because after all, he did his research, as his many postings of on the history of slavery has shown.

It is interesting to note that of Art Gallagher’s supporters the only ones to come forward and show their support are two 20 something year old conservative republicans, James Hogan and Eric Sedler, Hogan being a failed candidate for Frank Pallone’s seat in the 6th congressional district and Sedler who is the Chairman of the Monmouth County Young Republicans (whose only knowledge of race relations is what they learned in the history books), and an anonymous right wing blogger, who doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude, guts or courage to write under his real name. He uses the moniker of Barry Goldwater and is responsible for the trash that is posted on the Voice of Reason. Why hasn’t anyone else come out to lend their voice to Art’s crusade? Probably because they know that no possible good can come of it.

One other of Art’s alleged supporters, a mysterious person called Dwayne, left a very level headed and intelligent comment on the MoreMonmouthMusings blog in response to the post “What does the N-Word mean?” I will admit it was thought provoking.

As it turns out, this Dwayne seems to be none other than Dwayne Harris, the Atlantic Highlands Township Clerk, who has made it quite clear with a letter to the Editor of the Courier, in the printed edition of this week’s paper, that he is no supporter of Art Gallagher or his blog MoreMonmouthMusings.

I also do not see the point or relevance in trying to bring into the conversation controversial Rap or Hip-Hop lyrics other than an attempt to inflame the situation. To make light of or to dismiss Barack Obama’s condemnation of these lyrics as simply a ploy because he is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is disingenuous, others including the NAACP have spoken out against these types of lyrics.

I also can not believe that Art, until a few days ago never read the full text of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech before even starting this conversation. How can anyone talk about race and not ever have read King's landmark speech? 

As we all know by now, the MHRC has denounce Art’s method of introducing a discussion on race by printing controversial statements that included the “N” word, which has lead Mr. Gallagher to now seek out the Middletown Township Committee and Mayor Scharfenberger at tonight’s workshop meeting.

If anyone is truly upset with either, Art Gallagher, the Middletown Human Rights Commission or Middletown’s Mayor Scharfenberger, then I suggest you show up at Town Hall tonight and make your voices heard on this subject. I am sure that it will be one hell of a show and well worth the price of admission.

Tune in tomorrow for the outcome because I am sure that the spin will make everyone nauseous.