News
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
In an August 31, 2016 ruling, Burlington County Assignment Judge Ronald E. Bookbinder denied Burlington County's and the New Jersey Police Benevolent Association's (PBA) bid to reverse his previous decision calling for disclosure of a redacted list of Internal Affairs complaints against corrections officers at the Burlington County Correctional and Detention Facility.
In his ruling in John Paff v. Burlington County, et al., Docket No. BUR-L-36-15, Bookbinder wrote that disclosure of the list, with the names of the officers redacted, will help me to "research the frequency and nature of complaints brought against Burlington County Corrections Officers" without jeopardizing "the privacy interests and potential safety concerns of the officers named on the list."
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
On June 13, 2016, the Township of Stafford (Ocean County) agreed to pay $34,000 to a man who claimed that Mayor John Spodofora used "the Stafford Police as his personal agents" to retaliate against him for publicly criticizing Spodofora for "stolen valor" (i.e. exaggeration of military service).
In his lawsuit, Earl Galloway, a retired Navy Master Chief, said that after he created a spoof Facebook page called "Spodophony" which contained "accurate information to correct [Spodofora's] exaggerations and fabrications" regarding his service in the Vietnam conflict, Spodofora filed an identify theft charge against him, attempted to block Galloway's membership into the Stafford GOP club and publicly accused him of "hacking into [Spodofora's] child's computer and stealing files."
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Press Releases
New Jersey Libertarian Party
PO Box 56
Tennent, NJ 07763-0056
njlp.org
Contact: Jim Tosone – Vice Chair NJLP
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On August 15, the Democrats and Republicans Will Stack The Deck Yet Again
Tennent, NJ, August 8, 2016 – If there’s one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on, it’s that your only choice should be between Democrats and Republicans. They have used their control of the election laws to cement their many advantages in place. Taxpayers fund their closed primaries and subsidize their nominating conventions. Their candidates are automatically placed on the November ballot. Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party and its members fund their state and national nominating conventions. The Party must by law spend its own time and money to collect signatures on petitions to get its nominated candidates included on the November ballot.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
On July 12, 2016, I published "Sparta school board confidentially paid $50,000 to settle former custodian's wrongful termination lawsuit." I distributed a link to the article to area media (which resulted in Eric Obernauer of the New Jersey Herald publishing "Sparta school board settles suit with former custodian" on July 14, 2016) as well as to the lawsuit plaintiff's attorney.
Today, I received the following e-mail from the attorney who represented the former school custodian in the wrongful termination lawsuit:
Mr. Paff:
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- Written by: Michael Chazukow
- Category: Letters to Editor
Published in Suburban Trends, June 30, 2016
Dear Editor,
Over 80 percent of the town has not voted for town council yet, but 12.5 percent of the vote is enough to guarantee that one of these men will sit on the town council next year. This is because there are two seats available on the town council and these men will only face one opponent in the general election: Me.
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- Written by: Mark Richards
- Category: Letters to Editor
Published in Suburban Trends, June 26, 2016
Dear Editor:
Will people in the journalism field such as your writer Holly Stewart ever take a consistent stand on behalf of individual liberty and the Bill of Rights? If her op-ed of June 15th is any clue, I guess the answer would be no. It almost seems that the politicians and the media mouthpieces look forward to mass shootings to crank up the "gun control is needed more now than ever" machine.
The sad events in Orlando, Fla., are reported to create the idea that if you’re supportive of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community you must be anti-gun and if you’re for the Second Amendment than you must be a "hate-filled homophobe." This is how the media frames the debate; alternative viewpoints generally get ignored.
For example did you know that there is a pro-gun group in the LGBT community known as The Pink Pistols (pinkpistols.org)?
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Press Releases
New Jersey Libertarian Party
PO Box 56
Tennent, NJ 07763-0056
njlp.org
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tennent, NJ, June 19, 2016 – The NJLP Summer General Membership Meeting will be on Saturday July 9th at 3:30 PM in Cream Ridge, NJ. The picnic will start around 4:30 PM. At the picnic, Michael Graves (formerly of the Misfits) will perform a solo set and the band Pool of Thorns will play.
Some food will be provided, but please consider bringing your favorite dish to share. Gas grills and tubs of ice with cold soft drinks will be provided along with snacks and picnic utensils. Extra lawn chairs would help. There is a hot tub on the premises and room to set up tents for those who want to stay late. A $10 donation to help cover our costs is encouraged.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Press Releases
New Jersey Libertarian Party
PO Box 56
Tennent, NJ 07763-0056
njlp.org
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tennent, NJ, June 17, 2016 – Dissatisfaction with the two major political parties and their candidates is at an all-time high. Voters are looking for candidates they can vote for, not just against. Fortunately for them, a record number of Libertarian Party candidates will be on the ballot in New Jersey in November.
It begins with our Presidential ticket: former governors Gary Johnson (President) and Bill Weld (Vice President), who will be on the ballot in all fifty states. They are beginning to appear in the national polls and are working to be in the Presidential Debates this fall. CNN will be devoting a live Town Hall meeting to them on June 22 at 9PM.
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- Written by: NJ Libertarian News
- Category: Latest News
Michale Graves, best known as the lead singer of the punk rock band The Misfits from 1995 until late 2000 is scheduled to play a few songs at our upcoming picnic. Michale answered a set of questions posed to him by the NJ Libertarian News.
How did you come to identify as a Libertarian?
I'm actually registered as an independent. I am pro human, pro constitution, pro liberty, pro-family and for America and our traditions and customs that make us American. Whatever category that puts me in is what I am. "I’ve sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against all forms of tyranny over the mind of man."
What are some of the biggest misconceptions about Libertarians you've experienced?
I find that Libertarians in some instances are seen as and portrayed as whack job preppers who are hostile to the rule of law and order and pose a danger to society. Conspiratorial crazies who cling to their bibles and guns.
There is a stereotype that most musicians are leftists. Have you found this to be true and if so, why do you think this is?
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- Written by: Mark Richards
- Category: Letters to Editor
Published in The Record, June 6, 2016
Regarding "Libertarians could hurt candidate, but whom?" (Other Views, June 1):
The Op-Ed article by Bloomberg News Columnist Albert Hunt stated "there probably wouldn't be much support for Libertarians among Latinos and African-Americans…"
What a patronizing and misguided statement. Is Hunt suggesting that individual liberty has no appeal to minority voters? Racial and ethnic minorities have to deal with government interference in their lives on a daily basis just like everyone else and perhaps more so.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Press Releases
New Jersey Libertarian Party
PO Box 56
Tennent, NJ 07763-0056
njlp.org
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Trenton, NJ, June 2, 2016 - If there's one thing that the Democrats and Republicans agree on, it's that your only choice on Election Day should be between Democrats and Republicans. That's why the New Jersey Legislature has stacked the election law deck to make it as difficult as possible for an established, growing party like the New Jersey Libertarian Party compete for your vote.
The candidates selected by the Democratic and Republican parties for any office are automatically placed on the ballot. In contrast, the Libertarian Party must meet a 10% vote threshold to qualify for ballot access. (The median vote threshold in the U.S. is 2%). The last third party to meet the 10% vote threshold was over 100 years ago. As a result, the Libertarian Party must devote time and resources to collecting signatures on petitions to get our candidates on the ballot. Once we've collected the required number of signatures (in fact, we collect more), the two major parties then engage in frivolous court challenges in an attempt to prevent you from having a third choice.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Press Releases
New Jersey Libertarian Party
PO Box 56
Tennent, NJ 07763-0056
njlp.org
Contact: Patrick McKnight –
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Popularity of Libertarian Party Explodes
Tennent, NJ, May 9, 2016 – Libertarian Party Membership Growing Dramatically
In Bergen County, NJ, market share of voter registrations declined for both Democrats and Republicans, while voters registering as Libertarian has increased by 41% in the last 12 months.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
On April 4, 2016, Clinton attorney Walter M. Luers filed a Denial of Access complaint with the Government Records Council (GRC) on behalf of a local on-line newspaper reporter who was told that she needed to pay "$1.80 for copying fees" before Cape May City Clerk Louise Cummiskey would scan twenty-six pages of public records into an electronic file and e-mail it to her.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
For years, I have been trying to get state level enforcement of a provision in the Local Public Contracts Law that requires local governments to publish in the local newspaper the dollar amounts of the profession services contracts that it awards without competitive bidding. Such notification is clearly required by state statute but many local governments simply ignore the requirement.
In early 2015, I was heartened by the Department of Community Affairs' initial decision to adopt a rule, in response to the New Jersey Libertarian Party's (NJLP) Petition for Rulemaking, that would enforce the dollar amount disclosure requirement. Unfortunately, the Division let the rule proposal expire. The NJLP still holds on to hope and has filed another, similar Petition for Rulemaking on March 16, 2016.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
In her April 29, 2016 response to the Government Records Council (GRC), Assistant City Attorney Lori E. Caughman admitted that the Trenton Police Department failed to prepare two types of mandatory public reports that summarize complaints received and adjudicated by the department's Internal Affairs Unit.
Caughman's filing was in response to my Denial of Access Complaint which was filed on March 31, 2016 by attorney CJ Griffin of Hackensack. The complaint shows that on October 21, 2015, I had requested several types of reports that the Attorney General's Internal Affairs Guidelines require police departments to prepare and make available to the public. Among the reports I requested were the reports required by "Requirement 10" on p 44 of the Guidelines:
Each agency must release reports to the public summarizing the allegations received and the investigations concluded for that period. In addition, the agency shall periodically release a brief synopsis of all complaints where a fine or suspension of 10 days or more was assessed to an agency member.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Press Releases
New Jersey Libertarian Party
PO Box 56
Tennent, NJ 07763-0056
njlp.org
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Trenton, NJ, April 26, 2016: The NJ Libertarian Party demands Governor Christie immediately commute the sentences of prisoners whose only offense involved non-violent drug offenses. At a time where the NJ State Budget must be cut, we cannot afford to imprison people who have not harmed anyone.
According to the State Department of Corrections there are 2,360 inmates being held for non-violent drug offenses. Another 664 prisoners are being held for "violations against public policy." At an average cost of $54,865 per prisoner, these prisoners are held at annual cost of over $165 million or over $450,000 per day. New Jersey already has the highest debt burden in America at $52,300 per taxpayer.
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- Written by: Mark Richards
- Category: Letters to Editor
Published in Suburban Trends, April 11, 2016
In your paper's "Our View" editorial on April 3, you quote Benjamin Franklin at the end of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, in which he stated when asked what kind of government had been formed he replied "A Republic, if you can keep it." The problem with your quote is in the question that was asked of Franklin; the question was not whether we had a republic or a monarchy but rather whether or not we had a republic or a democracy.
No doubt it was an innocent oversight by your editorial staff but many times the question is misquoted on purpose so that the resistance to democracy by the founders is hidden from the American people.
It wasn't just Benjamin Franklin who warned against the dangers of democracy (which is unbridled majority rule with no restraints on government power; whatever the mob wants it gets).
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- Written by: Mark Richards
- Category: Letters to Editor
Published in The Record, April 20, 2016
Dear Editor:
Regarding "Kerry's visit to Hiroshima" (The Record Your Views, April 16, Bob Nesoff):
As a Libertarian defender of individual rights on all issues, I'm not a big defender of President Obama (any more than I was of George W. Bush). Democrats and Republicans both follow the establishment line on foreign policy, which is never-ending global intervention.
However, the recent visit of Secretary of State John Kerry to Hiroshima has come under fire by some, including a recent letter to the editor.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Press Releases
New Jersey Libertarian Party
PO Box 56
Tennent, NJ 07763-0056
njlp.org
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Jim Tosone – Vice Chair NJLP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On 420 Day, the New Jersey Libertarian Party Calls For Full Re-Legalization of Marijuana
Tennent, NJ, April 20, 2016 – April 20 (aka 420) has become a counterculture holiday in North America, where people gather to consume cannabis and advocate for its re-legalization. While it took America a mere 12 years to recognize the futility of alcohol prohibition, marijuana prohibition is 75 years old and counting. Fortunately, because it has become increasingly clear that the harmful effects of the war on marijuana are far greater than any harm from marijuana itself, a majority of Americans now favor re-legalization. As people see that the dire predictions about the dangers of re-legalization have failed to materialize in the states where it is now legal, it is only a matter of time before this failed experiment is relegated to the dustbin of history.