Prima Facie this might seem like a monumental shift in policy, especially given the effort and political capital that the administration and its useful idiots spent in defending the reading of Miranda rights to the Christmas Bomber, Abdulmutallab.

Do you think it’s likely that this administration will deny Miranda rights to muslim terrorists whose existence they even refuse to acknowledge

In response  to the criticism  that the reading of Miranda rights probably cost us a great deal of information that Abdulmutallab could have provided, Obama sent out his minions with talking points at the ready and one by one they fell  on their swords defending the decision to immediately  Mirandize the terrorists:

Holder Well after cowering and hiding under Napolitano’s skirt, Holder finally came out and told us that it was he  who made the decision to immediately  Mirandaize  Abdullhklaboom and that he thought it was the appropriate decision.

Axelrod “We have not lost anything as a result of how this case has been handled”

Gibbs “FBI interrogators had gotten “all they could get” from Abdulmutallab in their brief session.”

Napolitano of course decided that she should once again be shown as the biggest  fool  and made the all encompassing comment  “the system worked”

Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said yesterday that the FBI’s actions were “totally appropriate.

So one has to wonder why exactly is it that Eric “you are racial cowards” Holder has decided to completely throw out all that spent political capital. Why did Obama decide to once again throw his supporters under the proverbial and lately so ubiquitous  bus and  flip on the  decision to Mirandize terrorists as soon as possible.

Many pundits went on many news shows and many radio hosts went on the air to speculate that the reason for the flip is that the administration might be aware of imminent terrorist attacks brewing.

Sure that may be but we have to ask ourselves  is this administration so stupid and so cavalier with the safety of American citizens that they didn’t think terrorist attacks to be imminent prior to the Times Square attack? If so Obnama and Holder  must be the only people on the planet who thought that.

As far back as February the administration’s own hand picked CIA chief , the often over matched Leon Panetta,   warned of exactly the type of attack that occurred at New York City’s Times Square “an attack is imminent and maintains Al Qaeda will use recruits that are said to have “low or clean profiles.”"

Panetta’s testimony was supported by then FBI Director, Robert Mueller, acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

The question once again is why is Holder only now flipping on his position to immediately Mirandaize terrorist suspects.

The answer is as sad as it is dangerous. You see Holder is not changing his mind in anticipation of what Al Qaida or the Taliban or any other foreign terrorist might do! Hell we have straight from Rahm Emanuel that this administration welcomes a crisis and I am convinced that they would love nothing more than to use a terrorist attack to institute Marshall Law.  So no the flip on Miranda is not done in anticipation of what the terrorists are about to do.

The flip on denying Miranda rights is done in anticipation of what Holder and Axelrod and Emanuel and Obama are about to do!

To this date, this  administration refuses to call a msulim who screamed Allah Akbar while killing American soldiers on US soil on the biggest  Army post in the world a “terrorist .”  Do you really think that they have any interest in denying the likes of him  the Miranda rights?

Just yesterday Holder refused to state  that  radical Islam might maybe perhaps even in a round about way have any effect or influence on the radical islamist terrorists.

An of course he won’t admit that radical Islam is the driving force behind terrorism.  How can he, when In fact Eric Holder’s own law  firm, represented Gitmo terrorists. How can Holder  he condemn radical islam when he himself appointed 9 justice department officials   ( 9 that we think we know off there may well be a lot more) which had volunteered to represent terrorists.

One that we do know off is of course Neal Kumar  Katyal who volunteered to represent Osama Bin Laden’s very own driver.  Neal Kumar Katyak is currently employed by you and me as Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States

On the other hand, please keep in mind that for the first time ever in American history, this administration has placed the majority of the US population on terror watch lists.

Do you think it’s more likely that this administration  is inclined to deny  Miranda rights to muslim terrorists whose existence they even refuse to acknowledge and whom they volunteered to defend  or are they more likely to deny Miranda rights to those that they’ve  already included  on terrorist watch lists?

Let me remind you who exactly is on those lists: Veterans, Christians, Second Amendment proponents,  Right to  Life proponents, people who may have had their  home foreclosed, people whom may disagree with Obama.

Yes folks the list is  you. The reason that Obama and Holder have decided to flip on administering Miranda rights is becasue they are planning on doing just that, not to mulsim terrorists but to you!

Now its absolutely important to understand that even the 120 million doses that were initially ordered are a complete farce!   To put that number in perspective, France a country with about five times less population than the US ordered 30% more vaccines than it has people. To match them the Obvama administration would have had to order upwards of 420 million vaccines. They ordered 120 million and will get only 40 million at best. Is this not neglect of duty? Isn’t  the government’s first priority and duty  to protect its people?

This vital announcement that a ridiculously low number of vaccines received will be available received the same national press coverage usually reserved for local newspaper stories about lost and found pets. Did anyone  expect  anything else from  the Obama state organs formerly known as the MSM ?

The reason given for the 60% reduction in the number of doses available is “delays in manufacturing and packaging“

What? Packaging? PACKAGING!!! How many of the 80 million or so vaccine shortfall  will not be available due to packaging? How many of the 90,000 fatalities that the White House predicts will fall victim to the Swine Flu will do so because of “PACKAGING!”  Is this some sort of demented sick joke or is is this the Obama administration desperately  seeking a made to order Rahm Emanuel crisis?

This White House gives almost half a trillion dollars of our money to organizations run by left wing hoodlums and they can’t spare a penny to ensure that the “packaging” of flu shots is not an issue?

If that’s not bad enough the mid September dateline for availability of the vaccine is up in smoke. Dr. Thomas Frierden Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry stated that the vaccines won’t be available until early October. My guess is that you shouldn’t hold your breath.

On the other hand its worth noting that Britain and France already received their first batches of vaccines this past week and Australia on Friday! I am not sure how many doses made it to Marta’s Vineyard but rest assure that the important people and their families will get the vaccines. After all who the heck are you?

The first batch of swine flu vaccine has arrived in Britain. The Government confirmed today it had received about 200,000 doses from drug company Baxter. Source

Paris – France received its first batch of newly developed swine flu vaccine on Thursday, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said, without specifying the type of vaccine or the precise number of doses….
She would not say who supplied the vaccines, but confirmed that France had placed an order with US pharmaceutical firm Baxter, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Britain and Swiss group Novartis. Source

If you are worried about Ayers and other left wing terrorists and agitators, don’t they too probably got theirs already trough various community organizer channels, just like in the communist nations they hope to emulate.

At a time when  W.H.O. officials the swine flu “spreads four times faster than other viruses”  and are urging that “All governments must prepare for the worst.”  our own government is too busy stealing your money to promote socialism, is too busy trying top pass laws to stop you from accessing the internet at crucial times, is busy putting law abiding Christians and veterans on terrorist watch lists and is busy setting up the premise that whites should not get as many flu shots as minorities.

The W.H.O. further added that he most important thing in the battle against the virus was “political leadership.”! Aint that just grand! Can someone send a memo to Obama at Marxist Marta’s Vineyard?

Plot and Acting

All right I won’t go into the plot.  We all know the plot.  A few quick  thoughts on the acting; I’m still not a fan of Michael Gambon’s Dumbledore and I’m still a big fan of Alan Rickman as Snape.

Jim Broadbent. What can I say, no surprise there at all.  He does a great job as Professor Horace Slughorn. It’s truly a pleasure to watch an accomplished master work. What was a surprise and a pleasant one at that was Tom Felton.  Draco Mallfoy grew up and became an actor! This guy can act.  Certainly a lot better than any other Sixth Year Hogwarts students. If the whole Voldemort’s apprentice thing doesn’t work out, Draco can go to the Diagon Alley playhouse and have a career. Helena Bonham Carter looked like she had a really good time playing Bellatrix Lestrange and I had a really good time watching her do it.   The rest of the cast was competent, but no one else really stood out.

Directing

I wasn’t all that impressed with David Yates‘  directing  in the previous Harry Potter – Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoneix – and I am even more dissatisfied with this one. Yates takes absolutely no chances and the movie suffers because of it.  I know it’s a multi-Gazzillion Dollar Franchise and you don’t want to blow up the movie by taking chances and I know that J.K Rowling and the studio probably has snipers trained on him at all times so as not to deviate form the formula, but that’s the thing. This formula didn’t work! The movie is little more than a not very exciting action adventure flick without all that much of either.  Gone is the mystery of earlier movies.  Gone is the flow of earlier movies.  And gone is the magic. The director chose to highlight parts of the book that I think weren’t all that important and chose to completely ignore other parts that I thought should have been featured. I don’t know why the connection that Harry developed with the  half Blood Prince via  the latter’s book was completely ignored. After all, that’s the movie and the title of the movie right? Because of that omission, it was really awkward when Harry was reluctant to part with the book. As the movie presented it, there was no reason for Harry not to chuck it aside without a thought.

The director, and whomever else was involved, decided to spend more time on the comedic aspect of teen love.  But I have to tell you – it fell flat. The only ones who were laughing in the theater were very young kids.  Most of those scenes and story lines  could have been condensed to develop the actual story line of the Half Blood Prince.  Oh well.

All in all not a bad movie, but when your budget is limitless, when you have such a great story to work with,  and a built-in audience, why not take a chance? Why not  make a great movie? I don’t know if any future Harry Potter films will ever capture the magic of the earlier ones, but this one is really really far from it.

So far, this one just edged out Order of the Phoenix  as my least favorite of the Harry Potter movies. OK so now go and see it and have a wonderfull time!

First the mass protests were suppressed by force, then came the mass arrests.

Three weeks after Iran’s disputed presidential election, scores – possibly hundreds – of opposition supporters and prominent reformists remain in prison.

Their families have had little or no information about their fate.

Most are too worried to speak to the press now. They describe a climate of terror in Tehran.

But I met one woman at her university here in England who wanted to tell me what had happened to her husband. She only asked me not to use their real names.

They don’t let my husband call me. They don’t let me know what his future will be. This is torture. Zahra Wife of detained opposition protester

Ali, as I will call him, is an opposition activist who worked for the presidential candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, at the elections. He was arrested in Tehran two weeks ago, and disappeared.

“It was just a terrible moment. I could not stop crying,” Zahra told me.

“I just thought, why should he be in jail? What was wrong with what we did in Tehran? It was the basic right of all Iranians to take part in the election and we did the same.”

Solitary confinement

For nine days, Zahra had no idea where he had been taken. Then he was able to make a brief call to his brother, saying only that he was in prison, in solitary confinement.

He has been denied access to a lawyer and to his family. Zahra has no way of knowing how he is being treated.

“They don’t let my husband call me. They don’t let me know what his future will be. This is torture,” Zahra said, her eyes defiantly lined in green, the colour of Iran’s reformist opposition.

But her main concern is that Ali – and the other detainees – are being pressured into signing false confessions which could have serious consequences.

There is concern about the health of detainee Saeed Hajjarian

Last week, state TV broadcast what it said were the confessions of demonstrators.

Their faces obscured, men and women claimed that the protests last month were part of a violent, Western-backed plot to topple Iran’s government.

A senior cleric has now announced that other detainees, staff at the British Embassy in Iran, have admitted they were planning a “Velvet Revolution”.

“Many of the detainees, especially the higher-ranking leaders of the opposition, are coming under a great deal of pressure to make false confessions which we fear may be used in show trials in the future,” says Tom Porteous, London director of Human Rights Watch.

“There are very long interrogation sessions. We have heard that detainees are being beaten up. There are real grounds for concern about their treatment.”

He calls the scale of the clampdown unprecedented.

There is particular concern about the health of one detainee, Saeed Hajjarian, who has been severely disabled since an attempt on his life in 2000.

Iran’s chief of police announced this week that just over 1,000 people were arrested in total during the post-election unrest, but said that “most” had been released.

They were creating terror in the hearts of anyone who voted for Mousavi Husband of Mousavi supporter

There are no official statistics, and reports from Iran say the arrests continue.

Some people, like the wife of another Iranian I spoke to here in the UK, were set free after several degrading days in custody. The man asked me not to use their names.

His wife was arrested along with several friends at a silent street protest in Tehran to demand a re-run of the controversial election. Now in London, she has told her husband what happened.

“They had nine to 12 people in the same cell for five days. There was no proper light, no bathroom, no proper food.

“The entire thing has been humiliation: intimidating and terrifying them so when they come out they will not take part in any demonstrations,” he told me, describing his wife as still traumatised by her experience.

It is thought that scores of Mousavi supporters remain in jail

“She told me they gave them papers to sign and they had to give a commitment they would not go to more demos. They asked everyone, who did you vote for?

“They were creating terror in the hearts of anyone who voted for Mousavi,” the man said.

He is convinced the more prominent detainees – still in prison – will be dealt with far more harshly than his wife.

“They won’t be released soon. Something very bad has happened, the authorities didn’t expect this. And now they’re taking revenge on these people. They are going to be tough,” he said.

That is what Zahra is afraid of. The prosecutor in charge of investigating the unrest is a known hardliner; last week, a senior cleric called for leading protesters accused of violent protest to face the death penalty.

“I hope they don’t accuse people of very serious accusations and then execute them. But in such a situation anything is possible. They will do anything to keep power,” Zahra told me.

“The only way we have at this point is just to wait. And this wait is unbearable.” Source

Terminator Salvation is the single most action packed movie I have seen in the past six months. I am talking non-stop-take-a-breath-when-you-can-and-hold-on-to-your-popcorn action because the director takes you for a ride that you won’t soon forget.  And you know what?  I for one couldn’t get enough of it. The chase  scenes are a rarity in action movies. They are “smart” and they are logical and they hold enough surprises to keep you interested. We are not talking about mindless car chases here.  Oh no.  We are talking about the prodigy child of a marriage  between the best of Star Wars and the best of  Transformers (if there was such a thing as the best of Transformers).  And just as you think you can relax, hold on, popcorn breath, ’cause McG ain’t done with you and you don’t want to be done with either.  When you hire McG to direct action movies  you will get chase scenes, and compared to the ones in Terminator, Charlie’s Angels seemed like slow motion play dough that got left out in the summer sun. I know he did Coyote Ugly. So what? Are you gonna the be the one to throw the first stone? He is also doing T5 – in development- and I can’t wait because the man can do action movies! Am I saying that the movie is perfect? Far from it. There is some loss of focus and there are some superfluous scenes with Moon Bloodgood’s character Blair Williams but its nothing major what is a bit more troubling is some of the acting.

Acting

Oh maaaaaannnn. I’m not gonna win too many friends with this. I might not even speak to myself for a while either, but I have to call ‘em like I see ‘em.  Christian Bale! I am a big fan, or at least I was, but I have to tell you that he is beginning to wear just a little bit thin.  Sure he does a good job as John Connor…buuuuttt, what more did he bring to the role? What extra dimension does he bring to the character? Truth be told I couldn’t tell if he was John Connor, or Bruce Wayne or Quinn Abercromby. In this movie, Christian Bale is two dimensional and predictable and quite frankly a bit boring.  McG is not known for bringing out command performances from his actors and this is no exception. The good acting in this move, and there was some, was, I suspect, individual efforts on the part of the actors.  (I can’t help but wonder what DiCaprio would have done with this role)

The first stand out is  Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright. The story goes that casting was looking for someone able to stand up to Christian Bale.   Ha! What they found is someone able to upstage him. That is exactly what Sam Worthington does.  The guy has to play a role that is supposed to be devoid of emotion and yet manages to steal the movie.

The second acting gem, albeit a very small role, is actually no surprise at all. Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter playing  Dr. Serena Kogan manages, in a few seconds, to show us why she is one of the best actresses in  Hollywood. I can count on one hand the number of other actresses who I think are in her league.   I am not aware of many that can do what she did in just a few seconds of film.  I really wish she had been given more time, but then they’d have to call the movie something else.

Plot

I won’t give away too much, but skip the blue font if you don’t know and don’t want to know.

The machines are kicking our butts and what’s left of the human armies is desperately trying to find an edge to turn the tide. John Connor, not yet the leader of the resistance, is tasked with implementing a Hail Mary plan to end the war in one fell swoop.  In this mix enter Marcus Wright as a half human-half machine contraption that no one knows what to make of  or do with. There aren’t many plot twists, but who goes to a see a Terminator movie for the plot?

Social Commentary

A high speed low drag celebration of the eternal human spirit. A tighten your seat-belt lesson in tenacity and determination against overwhelming odds.  A movie about loyalty and sacrifice. Gotta love it.

Of course, you should go see it, but you probably did!

Camden is a nightmare. As I gather material for the “most dangerous cities” pages I come across some pretty nasty places and some pretty nasty scum bag politicians. I have to tell you that I haven’t found anything, in America, to match Camden. Sunk deep in many decades of liberal democrat politics this relatively small city has probably more corruption per capita than any other in the nation.

Camden Violent Crime Rate per Capita:
Murder		Forcible Rape		Robbery		Aggravated Assault		All Violent Crime
National	Local	National	Local	National	Local	National	Local	National	Local
Is 6.69 times the National Average		Is 1.92 times the National Average		Is 4.88 times the National Average		Is 3.35 times the National Average		Is 4.02 times the National Average

The reason that, unlike our other Dangerous City Posts , the mayor is not headlining the Camden page, is because she is actually second in command in the city of Camden. The defacto leader of Camden is a so called Chief Operating Officer, appointed by NJ Governor John Corzine not elected by the people of Camden.

“The chief operating officer position was created in the Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act of 2002, which gave the state control over Camden in exchange for $175 million in redevelopment funds. Under the law, the COO is charged with managing city government and services. The position carries basically the same duties as the mayor, including hiring, firing, budgeting and proposing legislation. The COO also can veto decisions by City Council and other municipal boards.” Source

Judge Theodore Z Davis ( D) Appointed Chief Operating Officer, Camden NJ

The Current Chief Operating Officer is Judge Theodore X Davis. Judge Davis, a Democrat, wields more power in Camden than an any mayor ever did. Well maybe

Theodore Z Davis

I should probably exclude former mayor Milton Milan whose ties with the mob and other criminal organizations probably gave him more power than Judge Davis. N

o matter the city is now run by an appointed individual who does not answer to the people of the city. Oddly enough, Davis was once appointed to the Election La

w Enforcement Commission in June, 2004 and reappointed in 2005. The irony is lost on no one.

In 1986 The Honorable Theodore Z. Davis was named chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court Task Force on Minority Concerns, the first task force of its kind in the United States. Under Judge Davis’ leadership, the task force completed an examination of racial and ethnic biases in the New Jersey Judiciary over a six-year period. The final report of the task force was published in 1992.

Judge Davis was appointed a Superior Court judge in 1981 and named presiding judge of the Chancery Division-General Equity in 1991. He retired from the bench in 2003.

Judge Theodore Z. Davis is a current member of the law firm of Cozen O’Connor.

In January of 2007 Theodore Z. Davis was appointed interim Chief Operating Officer of the City of Camden by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. He replaced former Camden Mayor Melvin “Randy” Primas, who resigned. (Note, prior to his resignation the Mayor held the COO position not that of Mayor)

Melvin “Randy” Primas ,( D) , Former Appointed Chief Operating Officer, Camden NJ

Rare Pic of Melvin "Randy" Primas, seated at left

“It turns out Camden got a $1 million unexplained extra appropriation with Sen. Wayne Bryant ( see bellow) casting the deciding vote. Part of the extra money went to Bryant’s law firm as legal fees according to Alan Guenther, investigative reporter for the Courier-Post. Camden has spent about $300,000 on legal fees paid to four law firms, including Bryant’s. Randy Primas, former Camden mayor and associate of Bryant, was named Camden’s chief operating officer. He says the money is being used as a reserve. “By anybody’s definition, this is a slush fund,” says Assemblyman Kevin O’Toole. Gov. Corzine’s office says there will be an investigation. Let me save them the effort: If Camden needs an overseer, and it does, make it someone without connections to the county Democratic machine. ” Source

“The exact scope of a wide-ranging state probe of public universities remains murky, but it has opened a window into the connections between politics and state institutions of higher education.And that connection is particularly evident with the universities’ all-powerful boards of trustees, which approve borrowing, negotiate contracts, award promotions, set tuition rates, and even pick a school’s president… One former trustee whose business intersected with board action was Melvin R. “Randy” Primas Jr., an ex-mayor of Camden appointed to the Rowan board in 1993 by former Gov. Jim Florio, a Democrat… In 2001, Commerce Capital was part of a three-member team led by Morgan Stanley Dean Witter that was collectively paid $407,862 to underwrite $70 million in bonds for Rowan, records supplied by the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority (EFA) show.

Commerce Capital also was paid $114,287 in 2002 on a no-bid basis to underwrite about $15 million in additional bonds for various capital projects.The board approved the financing in April 2002 with Primas present, according to board meeting minutes. The underwriting contracts, however, were arranged separately by the EFA and awarded later. Primas stepped down from his job with Commerce Capital Markets in September 2002 when he was named chief operating officer for Camden but said at the time that he was retaining stock in the company.In all, Commerce Capital Markets has been paid at least $792,938 between 2001 and present for various bond work for Rowan through the EFA, state records show.Primas said he had no knowledge that his own company would be chosen for the bond work. He said other managers handled the university business. “I don’t particularly see a conflict,” Primas said, given that the EFA picked Commerce for the work.Between 1998 and 2002, at a time when he served on the board, Primas also was a managing director at Commerce Capital Markets Inc.“ Source

Its amusing in a cynical ironic sort of way to see what the NJ Boys and Girls Club still says about Randy Primas

Wayne Bryant Democrat Camden NJ

State Senator Wayne Bryant Democrat Camden

For the more than 20 years as a New Jersey legislator, state Sen. Wayne Bryant was credited with steering millions of dollars to South Jersey, reinvigorating the City of Camden. On March 29, Bryant, the former chairman of the powerful Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, was indicted on 13 corruption-related counts. He has pleaded not guilty.

Chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. On or about September 25, 2006, defendant BRYANT resigned from the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, but maintained his position as a State Senator and continued to hold positions on other committees.

3. As a State Senator, defendant WAYNE R. BRYANT’s official duties included, but were not limited to, (a) proposing, drafting and voting on legislation, including budget appropriations and other initiatives related to state spending;

Camden Ordered To Surrender Bryant Records

CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS News) ― State investigators reportedly want to review city records of a $1.2 billion Camden redevelopment plan and special aid given the city as part of an investigation into the work of a state senator recently slammed in a federal report that said he had a no-show job. The subpoena asks the documents be delivered to a state grand jury in Trenton on Oct. 11.
It follows a Courier-Post report on Saturday that said Bryant, as chairman of a joint legislative budget committee, cast the deciding vote in 2005 to send an extra, unexplained $1 million in special aid to Camden. The newspaper reported that some of that money was later used at the redevelopment agency’s request to pay several law firms, including Bryant’s, for work related to a redevelopment plan.

Wayne Bryant found guilty of bribery

TRENTON – Former State Sen. Wayne R. Bryant, once one of the most powerful politicians in New Jersey, was convicted yesterday on 12 counts of selling his influence for personal gain…

Following the verdict, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie called Bryant’s conduct “the most reprehensible” and “disgusting” he had seen. “Wayne Bryant is a disgrace, and [he] is now a federal felon headed for prison, which is where he belongs,” he said. “It is an absolute abomination that Wayne Bryant ever held a position of authority and prominence.” Bryant’s conviction also could resonate loudly in the halls of power. His lawyers argued that not only were his actions legal, but they were common – the way politics gets done in New Jersey. Source

Bryant’s sentencing on bribery, pension fraud charges delayed

The sentencing for former state Sen. Wayne Bryant has been postponed indefinitely, officials said.

Bryant, who was convicted on 12 counts of bribery and pension fraud on Nov. 18, was to be sentenced in federal court Friday. But the sentencing was put off March 9 pending post-trial motions, according to court records. It is up to U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to set a new date, said U.S. Attorney spokesman Gregory Reinert.

Bryant’s attorney, Carl D. Poplar, filed a motion seeking acquittal or a new trial on Dec. 31, according to court papers. Poplar, who argued in his motion that the evidence against Bryant was “insufficient to sustain a conviction,” could not be reached Monday. The sentencing for former state Sen. Wayne Bryant has been postponed indefinitely, officials said. Source

Gwendolyn A. Faison, (D) Mayor Camden NJ

The Honorable Gwendolyn A Faison Democrat

Gwendolyn A. Faison, a native of Clinton, North Carolina and has been a resident of the City of Camden for over 50 years. She is a graduate of Sampson High School and has studied at Shaw, Temple, and Rutgers Universities. She was first elected to Camden City Council in the early 1980′s and retired in 1995 after serving 12 years. Mrs. Faison was re-elected to Camden City Council in 1997 and served as Council President until she was appointed Mayor in December, 2000. She was elected Mayor of the City of Camden on May 8, 2001 and re-elected as Mayor for another four (4) year term in 2005.

In her vision of rebirth for the City of Camden, Mrs. Faison, an active member of the Economic Development Board, and her focus is on healthcare, housing, public safety and economic development as priorities in her governmental stewardship.

Mayor under the gun for bodyguard’s salary

In a city marred by political scandal and poverty, Mayor Gwendolyn Faison
has upset some officials by authorizing nearly $27,000 in overtime pay over ten months to
the police detective who serves as her bodyguard. Source

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Previous Mayor and former Community Organizer, Democrat, Milton Milan

A federal judge today sentenced former Mayor Milton Milan to seven years and three months in federal prison for bribery, racketeering and money laundering while in office, saying that Mr. Milan had made his troubled city a laughingstock.

Mr. Milan, who has been in prison since his conviction in December, apologized in court to the citizens of Camden ”for using very poor judgment.”… on grounds that Mr. Milan’s corruption was extensive and had undermined faith in government — elements that the sentencing rules say may weigh against a convict at sentencing….

”The citizens of this city have their problems, but they did not deserve to be made the laughingstock of urban America,” Judge Pisano said as he prepared to pass sentence. ”You made them that, and you helped make it so they will have their government taken away from them.”

Mr. Milan, 38, was convicted on 14 corruption charges, including accepting bribes from organized crime figures, money laundering and insurance fraud. He persuaded city contractors to install air-conditioning and new windows at his home in exchange for a promise to speed up city payments to them… he staged a break-in at his own construction business, stole a computer, reported the loss to his insurers and then sold the machine, which was broken by then, to a young City Hall intern, a college student, for far more than it was worth.

For the more than 20 years as a New Jersey legislator, state Sen. Wayne Bryant was credited with steering millions of dollars to South Jersey, reinvigorating the City of Camden. On March 29, Bryant, the former chairman of the powerful Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, was indicted on 13 corruption-related counts. He has pleaded not guilty. The Inquirer takes a look at the controversy and allegations surrounding Bryant in this special topic

Arron Thompson
Former mayor Errichetti

Camden Chief of Police

Chief Edward Hargis,

July 20, 2008

The city of Camden police chief has resigned after less than seven months on the job, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, leaving control of the department an open question as police grapple with the sixth leadership change in as many years.

Chief Edward Hargis, 44, who was given credit for stabilizing a department with low morale and a complicated bureaucratic structure, told officials he was retiring to pursue a job in the private sector.

Portsmouth Names Edward G. Hargis as Police Chief January 5, 2009

City Manager Kenneth Chandler appointed Edward G. Hargis, 45, of Camden, NJ as the new Police Chief in Portsmouth.

Chief Hargis is an 18 year veteran of the Camden, NJ Police Department with 22 years total as a police officer.

Chief Hargis was also on the “short list” for the Port St Lucie Police Department in Florida.

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Camden City Councilman Ali Sloan El )(center) finished 20 moths on fed hoosegow

Camden City Councilman Ali Sloan El

Former Camden City Councilman Ali Sloan El said yesterday that he took a $10,000 cash bribe from a minority contractor during an FBI sting in Atlantic City in 2003.

“I’m guilty,” Sloan El said in an interview at the Elgin Diner, where he agreed to answer questions raised by reporters from The Inquirer and the Courier-Post. “I’m not going to waste the government’s money with a trial. I want to move on.”

He said he is prepared to be charged, although his attorney said Sloan El “is not in imminent danger of being indicted.”

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said he could neither confirm nor deny the existence of any investigation. The FBI did not return a phone call for comment.

Sloan El quit City Council last month, saying he had married and moved from his district. Yesterday, he said he … Source

Corrupt Camden Pol Sloan El has a plan to head the Democratic Party

Sloan El, who is barred from elected office, says he hopes to head Camden’s Democratic Party within three years.

And you know what? I bet he actually does. And noone will think that anything is wrong with that. Source

Camden County Jailer Indicted

Timothy Naylor, 28, who is currently suspended without pay from his job as a Camden County corrections officer, is the other man indicted.The district attorney’s office also sought a sexual assault charge against Naylor after a 19-year-old woman at the party claimed she was raped at the party. The grand jury found insufficient evidence to indict him on any sex charge. Naylor has worked at the Camden County jail since May 2005.The alcohol charge carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison. Maldonado could receive up to five years in prison for violating his oath. Source

http://www.worst-city.com/Camden-NJ-100-worst-cities-to-live-America-World-US-city.htm

Congressional Representation

Democrat Robert Ernest "Rob" Andrews

Camden County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected at-large for staggered three-year terms by the residents of the county.^[30] As of 2008^[update], Camden County’s Freeholders are Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. (Collingswood, term ends December 31, 2008), Freeholder Deputy Director Edward McDonnell (Pennsauken Township, 2010), Riletta L. Cream (Camden, 2008), Rodney A. Greco (Gloucester Township, 2009), Jeffrey L. Nash (Cherry Hill Township, 2009), Joseph Ripa (Voorhees Township, 2009) and Carmen Rodriguez (Merchantville, 2010).

Source

U.S. Examines Housing Funds In Camden 1989

Federal investigators are examining whether government officials in Camden County, N.J., skimmed Federal housing money and used it for personal and political expenditures

http://www.camdennewjersey.org/new_updates_page_for_camdennewjersey_org.htm

After last week’s false start with the somewhat disappointing ” Wolverine” , the summer season got right back on track today with Star Trek. Hold on to your seats because the on screen action grabs you and takes you for a warp-speed spin giving you barely moments to catch your breath. Is it formula? Not nearly as much as you’d expect and besides its supposed to be! This is big bold unabashed unapologetic huge budget blockbuster movie making at its best.

Directing and Writing

J.J. Abrams feature movie directing resume isn’t long but man is it ever action packed. His previous big budget movie was Mission Impossible III. Any director that can keep an audience looking at Tom Cruise for two hours deserves another chance and Mr. Abrams got it with Star Trek. It was a gamble that has paid off. The directing is perfect for this type of movie. The camera angles complemented the special effects, the pace was spot on and the top notch cast was expertly , directed. No doubt “traditionalists” will compare this movie to the iconic “Wrath of Khan” but it will be to the detriment of the later. This one is better except maybe in one or two ways. The writers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman did a very nice job but the movie does lack that one memorable line to rival Montalban’s Ahab-esque, immortal “from Hell’s heart I stab at thee”. (“To the last, I grapple with thee; from hell‘s heart, I stab at thee; for hate’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee.”) The other thing that is lacking may or may not be a shortfall depending on your taste. Rarely has the screen seen such a dramatic clash of characters played by such exceedingly dramatic actors as William Shatner’s Captain Kirk and Ricardo Montalban’s Khan.I believe that we won’t see their like again for a long time to come. This movie lacks that dynamic but I suspect that not everyone will miss it, truth be told I sort of did.

Acting

Like everyone else I was very curious to see how Chris Pine would fill William Shatner’s shoes. He filled them very well and, naturally, with significantly less overacting. The biggest surprise is Carl Urban’s Leonard McCoy. Urban gives the character a more rounded, more edgy and more of a three dimensional feel than that made famous by his predecessor. This new rendition is as comfortable in the “sick bay ” as away from it, and that works out just fine. The most controversial of the new generation will probably be Zachary Quinto‘s portrayal of a young Mr. Spock. This more youthful version is also somewhat more emotional and conflicted. I thought the performance to be very appropriate given the plot but don’t be surprised if this turns into an all out Trekie cat fight between the traditionalists and the noobs.

Plot

I’ll give away as little as possible but if you don’t want to spoil the surprise skip the blue.

A good part of the movie is a biography of Captain Kirk literally from birth to his first Star Ship command. Truth be told this was big gap in the Star Trek saga that has been now properly filled. We are also treated to a much shorter version of Mr. Spock’s life story up to and including his not so peaceful acquaintance with James Tiberius Kirk. The unanticipated sub plots that ensue form this keeps us guessing and adds yet another dimension to the movie. I am not used to that in a Star Trek sequel it certainly is a pleasant surprise and one of the reasons why I say that I give this movie an edge over “Khan.”

The movie also introduces us to the twenty something version of the rest of the Enterprise”s crew and how they ended up on the fateful ship. There is also a very surprising romance interest which the purists might deride but, logically speaking, I can’t find fault with it.

The main story line is that a mad Romulan, Eric Bana is hell bent on destroying the Federation or at least a few chosen planets. Stopping him falls on the shoulders of the young cadets manning the Enterprise. I know, I know cadets were called int o battle once before . As the cadets are the future most storied crew ever to serve on a Star Ship, the Romulan gets his pointy ears boxed but good.

Social Comentary

A heroic tale of self sacrifice, friendship, loyalty, love and duty and honor. Yes its all that, and isn’t that great!

I’ll go see it again next week, with the wife this time, and I imangine that many of you just might go see it more than once too.

Cast

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy Eric Bana Bruce Greenwood

Karl Urban Zoe Saldana Simon Pegg John Cho Anton Yelchin

Ben Cross Winona Ryder Chris Hemsworth Jennifer Morrison

Rachel Nichols

Come on you knew that I just had to do this

As an occasional X Men movies fan, and who isn’t I couldn’t pass up the occasion to see the new X-Men movie, X-men Origins : Wolverine. The reason I didn’t write anything on it until now is because I really didn’t have much to say on this. A big part of that has to do with the fact that not much happend in just about two thirds of the movie and what did happen was as predictable as Monday and about as exciting.

Directing

The man most responsible  for this disappointment is director Gavin Hood. Not a new comer , Mr. Hood isn’t exactly a money in the bank type of director either, far from it. The movie is well under two hours, and about two thirds of that is set up. The most interesting part about he first half of the movie is the spectacular Canadian Rocky mountains scenery and that’s about it. The problem with devoting that much time to setting something up is that when the money shot finally arrives whatever portion of your audience is still awake expects a doozey. ( Has anyone else used that word in the past thirty years?). Wolverine never delivers the goods. If you’ve seen Hood’s prior work, what was that one called again, oh yeah “America Bad, Islamists Good” or some other such typical Hollywood rubbish – actually it was “Rendition” then you know what to expect. The pace of Wolverine is somewhat similar to Rendition but as there is only a limited amount of  America bashing in “Wolverine” MrHood was apparently not all that  passionate about it and it shows. The one hour and forty-whatever minute long flick went by like an eight hour Monday work day in late November. Writing? Yeah well, did they have any writers on this one? Messers David Benioff (screenplay) and Skip Woods (screenplay), charged with filling almost two hours of movie with a story worth at at best half an hour, decided to rely on cinematography rather than plot or dialogs. Like I said I really liked the scenery but if you are going to make a Rocky Mountains documentary let me know ahead of time. I pay for my own tickets you know and there are two of us. ( Not to mention having to justify to my wonderful wife why I dragged her out to see this after she put a long hard day at work) OK so that’s it,  the directing  and the writing were fittingly matched.

Acting

Cuddly no?

Hugh Jackman, is actor that you can rely upon to deliver exactly the kind of performance that you expect as long as the role doesn’t exceed his range. Now I am not saying that Mr Jackman can’t do an Oscar worthy performance, I have no idea if he can or not, all I am just saying is that I haven’t seen it; maybe someday we will. Yes he is almost wolverine but I have to tell you all the while I am watching this movie I was thinking that this role would be so cool for Christian Bale or Karl Urban. I have no idea how a director could make Mr Jackman bring out the beast in Wolverine- just in case no one told him here is a hint. Mr. Jackman seems to be a rarity in Hollywood, a genuinely nice guy, and that’s great.  In a movie full of other X-Men and X-gals his niceness doesn’t really interfere with the role but in a movie about Wolverine the missing edge is sadly evident.

The cast is rounded out by Liev Schreiber as Wolverine’s brother “Sabertooth”, Danny Huston as the evil mastermind Col. Stryker and Lynn Collins. No complains here they all do a very mice job in what are mostly two dimensional roles.

Plot

Please skip the blue font if you don’t want to know the plot

There isn’t much of that plot thing  going on here. Wolverine and his older brother have some super powers, and they end up on the the run.  As they get older they enroll in the military and fight in all the wars from WWI to Vietnam and some special action in Africa. Wolverine , he doesn’t yet go by that name, gets tired of fighting and retires to Canada to set up house with Kayla Silverfox played by Lynn Collins ( who can blame him?) Evil Col. Stryker won’t leave him alone and makes certain things happen in order to convince Wolverine to allow himself to be given a new “adamatium” bonded skeleton. There is a plot twist there and I won’t spoil it. Stryker ,trying to develop a super mutant, rounds up a whole bunch of other mutants to study and find out how to transfer their powers to his new mutant project, Weapon 11. Wolverine rescues the mutants that Stryker is hoarding in his dungeon/lab and kills Weapon 11. That’s it, I told you that it didn’t need almost two hours.

The film would be a good TV movie but it wasn’t worth the $12 ticket price.

This movie is made for those who love and appreciate fine acting, and yeah it is like fine wine, and in many cases it does get better with age. The acting is so great in fact that you begin to be thankful for the sub-par directing, makes the great acting performances seem to last longer, and maybe even forgive the awkward screen adaptation.

Directing

As I was watching the movie I had the impression that Gregor Jordan’s directing seemed distracted or maybe even overwhelmed by the project and by having the opportunity to work with a tremendous roster of some of the most experienced actors in Hollywood, and some really talented younger ones as well. As I learned later that’s not really the case but its rather a matter of Mr. Jordan trying desperatly to piece together what surely was a ridiculous screen adaptation.

The pace of this movie is really, well , it’s not easy to characterize. Jordan does have quite a few really brilliant moments when his hands-off approach, merciful lack of quirky camera angles and letting the pros do their thing truly creates movie magic, but that’s also the problem with the movie. It’s more of a collection of great scenes lacking a strong directorial hand to knit them together and to keep the movie on pace. The format of the screen play itself – seemingly unrelated story lines weaving in and out of each other’s existence – is really a minefield for a directors. Gregor Jordan does avoid blowing up the movie on any of those mines but he navigates trough that mine field at a pace that is in contrast with the fast and furious lives of the characters.

Since we are on the subject of the screenplay, it is an adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis’ novel by the same name. Mr. Ellis collaborated on adapting his novel into a big screen script with newcomer Nicholas Jarecki and hence the problem. I wasn’t there so I don’t know what happened, but I suspect that, like all writers, Ellis jealously guarded the adaptation to be as faithful to the novel as possible, Mr. Jarecki didn’t have the pull or knowledge to correct him, and the end result is a train wreck of a script that landed in the director’s lap.

Acting

You are sitting there watching the movie wondering why they didn’t at least allow a good editor to fix this movie and then you realize, there is some really top notch acting going on hereh, I think I’ll stay.

The performances of Billy Bob Thorton and Kim Basinger as estranged husband and wife rival any put on celluloid anytime, anywhere by anyone. Billy Bob Thorton shows exactly why he is arguably the most accomplished actor in Hollywood today. Kim Basinger rises to the challenge and gives us her best performance since LA Confidential and, for my money, I have to tell you that I think she bettered it.

My favorite scene in the movie is a duet with Billy Bob Thorton and Winona Ryder, as his mistress, stealing a rendezvous in the ladies room of an LA Restaurant as the former’s family is waiting at a table in the dining room. It’s a short scene in a relatively minor role, but I have never seen Winona Ryder do better. Ms. Ryder recaptures the sparkle of the troubled teen from Girl Interrupted, subdued by the years gone by and the daily grind of the successful career woman of the early eighties. In that scene, dialogue seems almost superfluous and we are transported back in time to the glory days of Hollywood. Seriously, it’s really that good.

It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that Brad Renfro ‘s portrayal of “wrong side of town” Jack, the doorman is the best that I’ve seen him do and at the very least it rivals that of Thorton or anyone else in the movie. ( The morons who wrote that “we don’t know if he is acting or he was just being himself” should borrow a few bucks and go rent some shame) Alas this was his last rolle as he passed away last year of a drug overdose. Hollywood and us will miss him and we will be deprived of seeing a talented actor.

Plot

Here’s the rub, apparently somewhere in the three year long write and rewrite of this movie there was a vampire plot and some other such supernatural nonsense that the director edited out. This does however create a pretty big and confusing gap and a couple of minor ones as well. A young boy is kidnapped and sold as would be hors d’ouvers for the un-dead beasts. The thing is that without knowing that there are vampires lurking about the audience doesn’t really know what to fully make of this subplot.

That the bat-boys and gals were tossed out of the movie is probably a very good thing. Do we really need a “Lost Boys Sequel?” That the rest of the movie wasn’t massaged better to integrate the rest of the stories is not. What is left is a collection of short stories some of which have more to do with each other and some of which don’t.

I suppose that in that way the movie sort of resembles real life and it’s not lost on anyone that the director might have intentionally done that, but if you are going to make an avante guard movie warn me ahead of time. If not, then try hard to not make the movie as disjointed as real life.  We get enough of that for free. There is no plot – just sex, debauchery, some regret,  a little redemption, a generational tug-of-war, lots of drugs, a bit of death, and life goes on.

Oh yeah and the movie probably has a record number of Wayfarers per inch of celluloid, but weren’t they great?

Social Commentary.

Is this Hollywood begging for forgiveness?

Along with the acting, this is the other reason to go see this movie – the life of a powerful Hollywood executive, his family, their friends and associates is shown in all its glory and all its misery. From the glitz of a paparazzi flanked red carpet fund raiser, to habitual multi-partner sex, to drugs, and finally to the misery and pain of AIDS – the movie wraps it all up and puts in on display for you to see. (The reviews from other critics are evidence that freaks really don’t like mirrors.) The lives of young people that have everything except moral compasses  handed to them on platinum platters, quickly dissolve into  meaningless abhorrent drifts of debauchery interrupted by occasional bouts of reflection and the inevitable scream of agony that that fleeting moment of lucidity brings. Somewhere in all of this a clumsy awkward doorman with dreams of movie stardom is trying to find a way to get inside what, from his vantage point, seems to be the circle of happiness. That he never gets in and that he’ll never know how lucky he was is just another of the great subplots of this movie. What he does get to do is to provide the symbolic redemption for all those involved.

Graham, played very well by Jon Foster is the heir apparent to his father’s entertainment fortune, and, as such, is the prototypical and timeless poor little rich boy. In yet another great scene, his friend (and sometimes lover and sometimes lover of his girlfriend and sometimes lover of his mother – you get the picture right?) asks why someone who has everything is complaining.  Graham’s response is the movie and is the summary of the human condition from Cain to 1980′s Hollywood and forevermore, “I just need someone to tell me what’s right and wrong.”

Oh yeah, you think Hollywood will ever forgive a movie that brings forth a statement like that?

If you can stand the sex and drugs scenes, go see the movie. It has a lot of merit (even if does seemingly lack a plot) and great acting.

OK so this is what you do: first you count your blessings; then you go to see this movie; and then count your blessings again.

After the theatrical disappointments that Hollywood put out in the past few weeks, this movie is just what the doctor ordered. “17 Again” is a great feel good movie; the kind that has audiences cheering and clapping in the theater (teenagers to boot) It is well acted, well written and well directed. Did I mention the writing? You will be laughing a lot and out loud. Great job. The movie’s writer, Jason Filardi, managed to do something that up to now may have been considered nary impossible; teach tanagers morality and life lessons without being boring or tedious. Bravo!

Directing

Veteran director Burr Steers needs no introduction. While some directors might let down their guard when directing a “light comedy,” Mr. Steers has too much self-respect and so much passion for making movies that he devotes his full talents to anything he does, be it ground breakers such as “Reservoir Dogs” or the era-defining “Last Days of Disco” (or for that matter, the instant classic “17 Again”). The movie could have so easily slipped into a boring corny formula vehicle for Zack Efron – that it didn’t is a credit to Mr Steers.

Acting

Another mark of a great director is his ability to impart his vision to his actors. Burr Steers does just that and the movies all-star cast responds as true professionals.

Zack Efron has had a very busy young career, most notably with the hugely popular “High School Musical” movies and a long list of appearances on TV shows. He is the star of the movie and the the built-in teen magnet that the producers are counting on to bring in the core audience. His acting credentials will be further enhanced by his performance in this movie.

The supporting cast, drawn from actors with a lot of television acting experience, is equally talented and equally professional . Thomas Lennon as Ned Gold, Zack Efron’s sidekick and best friend, is perhaps one of the most underrated comedic actors of our time. It may seem silly to say that an actor with such a resume is still undiscovered, but I feel that given the right vehicles he can possibly rival great comedians such as Jim Carrrey, sans the overacting.

The rest of the cast includes Sterling Knight as Michael O”Donnell’s (Zack Effron) son , Michelle Trachtenberg as his daughter and Matthew Perry as the thirty-eight year old O’Donnell. And, of course, what good would a “high school movie” be without a bevy of beauties, including Allison Miller as a young would be Mrs. O’Donnell, Katherina Graham , Tiya Sircar , Melora Hardin and Melissa Ordway?

The Plot

I try to give away as little as possible but if you don’t want to know the plot, just skip the blue font.

Thirty seven year old ex-high school, jock Michael O’Donnell is experiencing one heck of the wrong kind of a mid-life crisis. His kids don’t want to know him. His wife wants a divorce, and he is being passed over for a job promotion in favor of a really long pair of legs attached to the company’s newest bimbo. Seeking some respite from this reality, he heads to his former high school’s trophy case to reminisce about his golden days – a habit which seemingly helped create his current crisis. As a high school star he was heading for a collegiate basketball scholarship when life throws him curve ball in the form a pregnant girlfriend. Michael chooses marriage and raising a family over basketball stardom and, as the years pass and life grinds down to what he views as insurmountable disappointments, he regrets more and more his decision. At this crucial point an angelical janitor offers him a second chance to be “17 again” and see if he would make the same choices.

Social Commentary

I am flabbergasted that Hollywood made such a movie. There is so much to like in it and so many reasons to support it that I am certain that I will miss quite a lot. For starters the movie’s basic premise is that choosing life and a family over death and possible material riches is much more rewarding and fulfilling even if at times we don’t recognize it. From there, other subjects that Hollywood usually belittles such as abstinence, self-respect and fidelity are treated with the attention and importance that they deserve. And it works! Again – there were teenagers cheering and clapping throughout the movie in the very urban theater where I went to see it.

Please go see this movie!

17 Again Oficial Site