Sunday, January 12, 2014

We are a nation, not a corporation of states.

The United States of America has some incredible symbols. A strong nation. An inclusive nation. It is all there in the Bald Eagle and the flag with thirteen original colonies in the red and white stripes and the blue field of 50 states.

They are symbols of pride and loyalty.

When one considers the hostility of the Republican Party against the federal government, one has to wonder why they bothered in the first place, but, then there was a Civil War wasn't there?

The Union won that war and it was settled. Destroying the federal government won't reverse history, it will compromise the nation's security.

States Rights are allowed and to speak to that are fifty separate state flags and emblems of their identity and history. The federal government works best in areas of common ground between states with uniform definition of purpose. There is only one human physiology when it comes to health and human services and there is only one type of air breathed as protected by the Clean Air Act of the EPA's jurisdiction. 

There is one federal treasury to consolidate a brain trust to solve the nation's problems. The federal government as realized by the Executive Branch's Cabinet relieves the burden on states to solve the same problem fifty times. When it comes to the energy the country requires for it's economy there is one Department of Energy to set standards and explore resources and solutions. Consolidation of assets to solve problems and bring equitable standing to every state is a benevolent function of the federal government.

Consolidated assets can bring equity to all children in every state when distribution for education and health is necessary. Demands by the federal government to meet educational standards is further assurance of equitable educational opportunity and building life skills. 

The State Department seeks to build good will, while the Defense Department protects the country's sovereignty.

Do I actually have to go on about this?

Secession has been a political strategy for eons in the USA. Does it have to continue? Some of the old world USA is simply stupid and this secession mess is one of those stupid traditions that does cause actual divisiveness.

The future won't be built on secession, it will be built on function. No state stands alone in its function. Heck, if Louisiana actually left the union, it would go bankrupt the next day. And forget about Mississippi, there would be refugees in Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas within minutes.

The Republican Brand is bizarre and carries no real brevity in the future of this country. The extremist zealots are outdated and unworkable.

There should be a law whereby the federal government is required to have a vision statement for the next generation of Americans as they come of age. That would be about 20 years worth of vision. It would direct the path of the country into favoring generational growth and return the idea that every generation of Americans does better than the one before it.

I find the politics of the USA hideous and ridiculous. It is not based in reality and promotes misdirection of the country. The most remarkable example today is the new Chinese Ambassador that was once a Senator and the corruption affiliated with that and the Trans Pacific Partnership. It expands on the 2005 Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement. The economic interests of the USA lie with the domestic development of it's economy and not the outsourcing of it. We have an entire generation waiting to work and become a part of this country and it's future. What does the federal government think it is achieving with this misdirected policy change?

Like I said, "Bizarre."

Adopting a State is not a simple process.

The process of becoming a state of the United States of America actually begins with the a territory and the desire of its people for Statehood. It requires adopting the laws of the USA before it becomes a state. So, the state legislature is the governing body in this process.

The federal government is the last legislative body to become a part of the process in accepting the territory's desire for Statehood. The federal legislature requires a convention of the proposed state to elect their representatives. That convention has occurred as quickly as ten days and as many as 60 days.

There have been few exceptions to that process. California was created as a state without any recognition of territories. West Virginia objected to the slave trade and was admitted by the federal government as a state separate from the confederate Virginia. Vermont was actually an autonomous republic before proposing statehood.

So, if any changes were to be proposed regarding the creation or annexation of states, it has to begin with the people and the legislature.

Secession is unconstitutional. The case before the Supreme Court was "Texas v. White" (click here).

The only method of separating from the United States of America is through a civil war or the consent of the other states.
Republicans want to destroy what already exists without recognition of equal representation of all the people. They confuse religion and state. They seek to make a homogeneous society rather than diverse as if one answer is the only answer for the entire of 300 million people. Efficiency of government is based in a corporate structure rather than a social one.
Democrats want to build on what already exists seeking justice be it economic or social. They are willing to see a problem for what it is and seek solutions. Diversity trumps all view. They see us as a nation and not just a bunch of states.


????????????? I couldn't find the words that sums this up. ????????????

California 2011 Redistricting (click here)

I have my own opinion of the entire concept, but, arbitrarily dividing California into Republican districts to optimize their electoral college is not the way to do it.

I have sincerely not studied this idea and really have no idea whether this would be good or bad, but, still, it's easy to identify at least one of the major points of debate within Draper's plan, which is turning Silicon Valley into it's own state, stretching from the Sierra Mountains to the shores of the Bay Area. That is simply bizarre. It isolates an economy that took a severe downturn during the 'dot.com bubble.' With a state this diverse the impact was handled and the people of that region were able to recover with help. 


Jefferson, (George Washington has a state and the nation's capital named for him, I like President Jefferson but what about all the Presidents. Besides the choice of Jefferson makes me wonder what really is in mind of "Six Californias.")


In 1801 Jefferson negotiated with a moderate Federalist representative from Delaware, James Asheton Bayard II,  and with Maryland representative, Samuel Smith, to secure Bayard's support in breaking the electoral college deadlock.
On February 17, 1801, after thirty-six ballots, the House elected Jefferson President and Burr Vice President. Jefferson owed his election victory to the South's inflated number of Electors, which counted slaves under the three-fifths compromise.

This map illustrates the actual, legal counties of California. The colors indicate the different economic sectors of the state. The regions are somewhat specialized and creates a state with diversity, but, structured. If these districts were to break up into states, they would be very vulnerable to economic ruin rather than survival.

As a rule, the wealthier coastal communities contribute a great deal to the state's treasury. California operates well as a single state. The geography somewhat dictates the economy, so basically California needs to be left alone.

In 'The Six Californias' the state name is very arbitrary and quite frankly boring. Let me see if I can remember the complex names, North California, South California, East California and West California (I wonder if that means there is the return of the gold rush?).

Give me a break. This 'idea' is about dissolving any Democratic influence with all those people living within one state's boundaries. This is nothing about the people, their needs, their best interest or the opportunity for ten more Senators in the USA federal government.

So, let me see if I get this right. Ten new Senators will show up in the US Senate only to dissolve the federal government anyway.

Right. 

Buoy, buoy, buoy.

The 2009 settlement with 150 tribes in the USA helps define land use, but, will the reverence for natural preservation continue?

Navajo activist Klee Benally chains himself to an excavator on the San Francisco Peaks, which he and 13 tribes consider sacred.

The Paris auction (click here) of 27 sacred American-Indian items earlier this month marks just the latest in a series of conflicts between what tribes consider sacred and what western cultures think is fair game in the marketplace.

Earlier this year, Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, said "To see the art market driving this kind of behavior, it's not just distressful to the Hopi people, it's a hurt that I don't believe people can really understand."

The auction wasn't the first such sale and probably won't be the last. The Hopi Tribe with the help of a Survival International attorney have tried to stop the last two Paris auctions. But so far they haven't been successful....

The reason this occurred was because the tribal land had not been purchased yet for 'fractional interests' of specific tribes named in the fund distribution by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The settlement reached in 2009 was:

ELOUISE PEPION COBELL, et al.,Plaintiffs

vs.

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary of the Interior, et al., Defendants

Case No. 1:96CV01285-JR


Class Action Settlement Agreement

...1. Accounting/Trust Administration Fund. “Accounting/Trust Administration Fund” shall mean the $1,412,000,000.00 that Defendants shall pay into a Settlement Account held in the trust department of a Qualified Bank (as hereinafter defined) selected by Plaintiffs and approved by the Court, as well as any interest or investment income earned before distribution. The $1,412,000,000.00 payment represents the maximum total amount that Defendants are required to pay to settle Historical Accounting Claims, Funds Administration Claims, and Land Administration Claims....

The actual settlement can be read at the words "Cobell Settlement Agreement" at the link below. So, if your wondering why the National Debt has gotten out of control quickly, it is because settlements like these have been achieved. These settlements were delayed by previous administrations that didn't want to take responsibility for an increasing debt that would effect political dogma.

The Secretary of the Interior (click here) established the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (Buy-Back Program) to implement the land consolidation provisions of the Cobell Settlement Agreement. The Settlement provided for a $1.9 billion Trust Land Consolidation Fund (Fund) to consolidate fractional land interests across Indian Country....

...There are approximately 150 unique reservations that have fractional interests. Tribal leadership, participation, and facilitation are crucial to the success of the Program. The Department of the Interior looks forward to working cooperatively with tribal leaders and individual landowners to reduce the number of fractional interests through voluntary land sales.

This settlement should not add to the 'interest' on the debt, because, the payments are structured over time through the general fund. 

There is no reducing this settlement and there is every indication, at this point, the monies will be used well; unless; sacred ground is a theme and not a sincere respect for it's history and continuation of the culture.



By: 
Gale Courey Toensing

4/2/13
The struggle (click here) to save the Muscogee Creek Nation’s sacred Hickory Ground in Alabama has crossed the country, gaining support from indigenous activists in the Southwest who are also struggling to preserve their holy places.
Wayland Gray, Mike Harjo and Mike Deo, Muscogee Creek Nation citizens from Oklahoma, drove for 16 hours to reach to Phoenix, Arizona, where they held a rally to stop the Poarch Band of Creek Indians from continuing to construct a $246 million casino expansion on Hickory Ground in Wetumpka, Alabama. The Poarch Band has already excavated 57 setsof Muscogee Creek ancestors’ remains as part of the casino expansion project....

2004 Congressional Districts of California. Is it divide and conquer?

By Jarrett Bellini, CNN
updated 4:11 PM EST
Sun December 22, 2013 

...His major argument (click here) is that, currently, California isn't represented properly in Washington -- that two senators simply cannot speak for the massive population of the entire state....






The dye is already cast. Social change and diversity will be a national reality.

Monday, October 8, 2012

...Thirty-two percent of the 37 large companies polled (click here) by the National Business Group on Health in 2010 offered transgender health benefits, says Helen Darling, the organization's CEO -- up from 27 percent in a similar survey conducted in 2007, she adds. Of the companies that offered the benefits in 2010, 14 percent included coverage for sex-reassignment surgery and 5 percent said they planned to cover it in the following year, she says.
Companies that offer transgender benefits include American Express, Wells Fargo & Co., Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.
Financial-services firms and technology companies based on the East and West Coasts are pioneers in this area, says Darling, just as they were when domestic partner benefits were still a new concept.
"Coverages that are kind of unusual tend to start out in places like California and New York City and then spread out from there," says Darling.
What's driving this trend? Darling says it's a combination of society's growing awareness and acceptance of transgendered people coupled with employee affinity groups that are petitioning their companies to offer these benefits. Outside groups such as the HRC are also drawing attention to the issue, she says.
However, the trend does face roadblocks -- one of them being cost, says Darling....

As of 2012, California carries 37.3 percent of the USA economy.

Published: Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014 - 10:18 am
Some segments (click here) of California’s economic recovery have been characterized as tenuous, but export trade has been blasting along like a runaway train in recent months.
California businesses shipped merchandise valued at $15.22 billion in November, a robust 14.2 percent surge over $13.33 billion in November 2012, according to an analysis of Tuesday’s U.S. Commerce Department figures by Beacon Economics, a consulting firm with offices in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. By comparison, U.S. merchandise exports rose by 5.9 percent over the same period.
The state’s November 2012 figures were slightly depressed by a labor action at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – the International Longshore and Warehouse Union strike shut down 10 of 14 container terminals at the two ports for four days....
The PLANS the Republican Party have are not about democracy, although they expect to achieve them through democratic principles.

We witnessed the tampering with the vote. That tampering was even condoned by the corruption in the Supreme Court. So, we have a problem. We are losing our democracy through very anticipated plans of assault.

When Democrats think about government, they think about equality and sustainability.

When Republicans think about government, it is about control for profits, extreme capitalism and destruction of the social fabric woven by time as the country grows.

There are two alternatives and each party represents each one. The USA becomes more difficult to live in and autonomy is the law of the land, hence, arms laws that are too liberal. All that is about reducing government and literally turning the USA back into the Wild West with a Techno tilt.

Or.

The USA comes together as a people and seek common ground when necessary to build a sustainable democracy with limits on dangers, including weapons. The definition of sustainable has to include environmental laws. There has to be a sincere separation of government and the private sector as we have witnessed the unregulated access of companies like Carlyle that have completely compromised the national security of the USA. There has to be a return to public and private. I don't see computers being the answer to that divide either. As far as I am concerned, government needs to return to paper pushers and real hands on files. It is actually the deconstruction of the 'techno government' structure. The internet is about social and business ventures, government doesn't belong there anymore, except, for consumer issues and educational directives.

The internet has become too dangerous, that includes weapon systems and military communications. Reducing the government need for 'the web' means greater opportunity for private sector business.

The extreme dire of the plans of the Republicans are to scary to ignore.

JAN. 11, 2014
He had a plan: (click here) an 88-page playbook for the 2010 campaign, with detailed, district-by-district budgets and precise voter turnout targets. He had candidates: doctors, lawyers and small-business owners, most of them political novices recruited with an eye toward the anti-establishment fervor roiling the country. 

What Mr. Hubbard did not have was enough money. Alabama law barred corporations, deep-pocketed natural allies for state Republicans, from giving more than $500 to candidates and parties — a limit that did not apply to the state’s unions.

So began a nationwide quest for cash that would take Mr. Hubbard, plan in hand, to the Republican Parties in states like Florida and Ohio, to a wealthy Texan who was one of the country’s biggest Republican givers and to a Washington organization that would provide checks from dozens of out-of-state corporations, among them Exxon Mobil, Google, Facebook and Altria.

Exploiting a loophole in the state law and a network of political action committees in Alabama and Washington, Mr. Hubbard shuffled hundreds of thousands of out-of-state dollars into the Republican organization in Alabama, vastly outraising the state Democratic Party. On Election Day, Republicans won majorities in both the State Senate and House of Representatives for the first time since Reconstruction — and Alabama joined the rapidly growing fraternity of states where government is controlled by a single political party, now the largest it has been in more than half a century...

In a changing world that has no time to waste, will annexation of boarder states be appropriate?

As of 2012:

Virginia was established in 1788.

Virginia's GDP is 2.95 of the national economy.

West Virginia is one of two American states formed during the American Civil War (1861–1865), along with Nevada, and is the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state.


West Virginia was established in 1863.

West Virginia's GDP is 0.46 of the national economy.


COAL MINING IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, VIRGINIA (click here)

Nearly 300 years ago, French Huguenots wishing to escape religious persecution made their homes on an 8 million year old coalfield that would help shape not only the history of Chesterfield County, but also that of the New World.
The first commercially mined coal in this country came from Midlothian, where the fossil fuel is believed to have been discovered near the Huguenot settlement on the James River about 1701. It was dug for local and domestic use for several years before it was first commercially mined in the 1730s. William Byrd II, who purchased 344 acres of land over the coalfield noted in a 1709 diary entry that "the coaler found the coal mine very good and sufficient to furnish several generations."
By the end of the Revolutionary War, coal mined in Chesterfield was being shipped to Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Thomas Jefferson noted the mines in operation in his "Notes on Virginia" and said the coal produced there was of excellent quality. He also ordered coal from the Black Heath Mine in Midlothian for use in the White House....

Fundamental differences that have existed through time.

Republicans and Democrats have fundamental differences. It is a chronic problem that will resolve whether one party or the other wants it. 

Why?

Because as population grows, providing we survive the Climate Crisis, there will be more need for cities to develop plans for their citizens that work to provide services and not simply dump government responsibility of any citizen's well being on churches. This country is a democracy, not a plutocracy or a theocracy.

While moderates were a part of the real face of his country, today the Republican agenda has become so extreme that it is not a feasible solution for the country. What works in states, does not work for the federal government. The answer by Republicans has been to destroy the sovereign federal government, basically treason, and return powers to the states.

Democrats seek to solve problems for the citizens rather than dumping those problems in the laps of individuals to either perish or thrive. As the population of the USA grows, the demand for solving problems will become more intense. The issue of land use alone will require a demand for federal authority to preserve forests and farmland. 

Either we are a country or we are not.
It's Sunday Night

It isn't necessary to fight and die.

What the people of Libya and Iraq don't appreciate, is that if there is to be a East and West Libya and three separate provinces in Iraq; there doesn't have to be war.

Why kill people when so many have suffered for so long?

Even with all it's current problems, there is now a South Sudan, isn't there?

Tripoli cannot fire on independent tankers. That is a declaration of war on the flagship country.

If Tripoli wants to stop tankers into Eastern Libya it has to be recognized as the sovereign authority of Libya and ASK cooperating countries to end the practice. Tripoli is looking like a menace right now. That is not appropriate. It is down right dangerous unless Tripoli wants more bombs dropping on them.

Sinking tankers loaded partially or fully with oil is bad environmental practice and can cause severe problems with fisheries, ie: Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana, USA.

TRIPOLI/LONDON Reuters
January 8, 2014

A heavily armed autonomy group (click here) in eastern Libya said Jan. 7 it would invite foreign companies to buy oil from seized ports and protect arriving tankers, challenging Tripoli which has promised to use force to stop them. 

The announcement came just hours after Libya’s defence ministry said it would destroy any tankers loading oil from eastern ports in the Cyrenaica region which are under control of the armed protesters.


The escalation adds to chaos as the weak Tripoli government struggles to rein in armed groups that helped oust Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but kept their guns to demand power and a bigger share of the country’s oil wealth. 

The conflict is hurting oil revenues, which fund the OPEC nation’s government and the import of wheat and other crucial food. The government has warned it will be unable to pay public salaries if the standoff continues, risking more turmoil....

Transferring Syrian Chemical Weapons to USA Custody.


What about Augusta Bay Port Facility? Possible? It is away from the populated areas of Italy. No matter it happens, it is going to disrupt ship traffic.

By Steve Scherer
Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:33pm IST


* Chemical agents must be transferred from Danish to American ship
* Regional opposition growing; port to be named Thursday


There would have to be suspension of any fishing during the time of the transfers to insure SECURITY is maintained. I remind about small vessels and the USS Cole.

Italy, has a strong tourism industry as well, so there is going to be impacts regardless of where it happens. Perhaps NATO can compensate those effected by these temporary interruptions.

21JAN13: Augusta Bay, Sicily (click here)

Last week we stopped in Augusta Bay, Sicily for a few days.  We were set to pull into Naples, Italy and then the night before pulling in the port visit was changed to Sicily.  I had signed up for the Rome tour departing from Naples so I was disappointed in the change.

I spent 12 days in Naples, Italy during a deployment back in 1999, spanning Christmas and the Y2K New Year.  The Navy didn't want ships out to sea during the Y2K rollover so we got 12 days in port.  That is unheard of these days....

            

There are sincerely no excuses for lack information to citizens.


There is an aspect to the Fort Lee traffic study that hasn't been discussed yet. "Was there political pressure from donors on the members of the Christi administration that resulted in the lane closure without going through proper channels and protocols?"

The first step to carrying out such a lane closure when it comes to educating commuters would be establishing signs to tell commuters it was going to occur. Such a sign would result in commuters seeking other routes before the closure would begin. It would also result in complaints to prevent the lane closure.

The sign above, which is electronic, can result in immediate changes in understanding the traffic flow by people traveling those roads. Whether or not that technology was available at Fort Lee is unknown to me.

The other question is; would previous notice inhibit the study or alter the information? That dynamic would have to prove not to cause a public safety issue before it would be carried out.

If a sign like the one above had been established, or one that was printed and properly placed; (proper placement is a study unto itself to be sure the sign would not cause dangers to the visual field of commuters - it seems silly, expense and superfluous until the unintended consequences actually happen and there are consequences that occur that might result in accidents, injuries and possibly death) there would be an enhanced understanding in that cooperation by commuters to find different routes. It could be the Fort Lee entrance at the toll plaza is a preferred route, but, may be somewhat unnecessary.

In closing two lanes instead of one at a time is also very short sighted. This actually is a big deal because these lanes are onto a major highway and exactly at the toll plaza. If one seriously looks at the three lane entrance, I am confident the toll plaza accommodating those lanes probably have some traffic back up every week day. I don't know that, but, it seems logical when vehicles have to stop to pay tolls. In reality, there are many reasons to conduct such a study including what traffic back up, because of the toll plaza, might cause a public safety issue in Fort Lee. But, there is no doubt it was inappropriately done and almost as though complaints by the public and/or the Port Authority would prohibit it from happening. It appears, if this is a legitimate traffic study, it was conducted somewhat ruthlessly and treating others as enemies rather than allies. The way it was conducted is really unfortunate. 

If public notice results in no study, then the pubic spoke. Live with it. Private industry aspirations cannot simply assault the public interest and objections for the sake of wealth. This is a country based in democracy and respect of citizens, not one bowing to the Plutocrats. I am afraid, at this point, the method used for this study has created more opposition by the public and not greater acceptance.


The very FIRST study in order to conduct this well, is to look at the entire regional highway structure and how it might be burdened in some areas and not in others. Then with that understanding construct a study that recommends alternative routes for the safety and expediency of the public where ever possible. This is intricate, but, not difficult.


And be ready for the hubris by the public. That public hubris might be based in sincere problems and concerns. The skills of political figures come into play to bring in public opinion and resolve problems. If the problems can't be resolved then the public is correct. Just that simple. Don't treat the public as an enemy, they are not. 

This type of imposition on the public may be common in some states with large land and/or water geographical borders, however, that is not the case with New Jersey. Every change in such a state is magnified. Changes in these states are incremental and not abrupt. In no way should 'the state' ever assume it is okay to cause harm to citizens to achieve an end.

There is no need to add additional transportation infrastructure for oil. Freight trains need a review of safety issues.

There is no need for any more gas drilling.

...Natural gas futures plunged 21 cents, or 5 percent, to $4.01 per 1,000 cubic feet. Natural gas last closed below $4 on Dec. 4....

The USA has oil and natural gas in abundance as long as exports are prohibited. There is no reason to allow export as the USA has it's own demand and the price is still producing a profit and SUBSIDIES for companies. To add infrastructure to any oil supply in the USA only serves greed and siphoning of monies from USA Consumers, when that spending is needed in the economy and not in the pockets of oil barons.

January 9, 2013
NEW YORK — The price of oil (click here) closed at the lowest level in eight months Thursday as traders worried about bulging supplies of crude oil and falling demand for gasoline.
Meanwhile, natural gas prices fell by 5 percent on forecasts for warmer than normal weather in the coming weeks.
Benchmark U.S. oil for February delivery fell 67 cents to close at $91.66 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price did rise back above $92 in electronic trading after the close, perhaps piggybacking on a move by U.S. stocks into positive territory.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Energy Department said supplies of gasoline rose by 6.2 million barrels last week, a jump of nearly 3 percent. Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill, said the data indicated that demand for gasoline was the lowest in a year. At the same time, U.S. production of crude oil is the highest in more than 25 years, and supplies "are near the upper limit of the average range for this time of year," the Energy Department said....

Bob Krause should make a run for US Senator.

January 11, 2014
Author Dave Bradley
Bob Krause, (click here) announced candidate for the Democratic nomination for US Senate in 2016, today said that Senator Charles Grassley showed misplaced priorities, when he voted today against the extension of Unemployment Compensation benefits. “Grassley happily spent $24+ billion to shut down the government, but would not pay $6.4 billion to extend unemployment benefits to the insured unemployed that are seeking work,” said Krause.
“Many people say they like Grassley because he does have an “Iowa folksy” gift, but that does not mean that his votes are right for the needs of America,” added Krause.
Krause pointed to the 200,000 veterans across the US that are hurt by this loss of extended unemployment benefits. “In fact,” said Krause, “veterans are 15% of the extended unemployment benefit eligibility pool. Post 9-11 veterans are hit especially hard, and have a 10 percent unemployment rate nationally.
“I predict that there will be an upsurge in homeless veterans and others if this extension is not passed. If that does happen, I hope that you contact Senator Grassley and tell him of the consequences of his vote,” stated Krause....

Zealots beware.

It is reasonable to believe a traffic study to eliminate two on ramps at the toll plaza to open up two direct lanes would facilitate traffic movement. whether it was done well or within protocol is another issue. 

Bill Baroni, a Christie Port Authority appointee, explains on Nov. 25 why the traffic entrances were closed onto the George Washington Bridge in September. The closures were exposed last week as political payback.




...“For the governor (click here) to say that the first time he learned about this was the morning of Jan. 8 really strains credibility,” he told The News.

“It’s just hard to believe that no one said to him earlier, ‘Hey, there’s this problem and we’re trying to resolve it.’”

Asked whether the Republican governor could be impeached if he’s exposed as a liar, Wisniewski called it “ a possibility.”...

In order to determine if hubris was the common culture between the members of the Kristi administration, other e-mails about different topics would have to be examined as well. This is post election. I think Democrats need to think it through.

Impeachment may be a defensible position and it would put Democrats in a very vulnerable position.

It is reasonable to believe that the "First Day of School" would maximize the traffic flow to give a picture of the impact of closing two lanes. The closure would extend beyond one day because drivers would begin to seek a faster route across the bridge than the Fort Lee entrance ramps. When drivers seek alternate routes to the bridge it may be that Fort Lee only needs one lane. 

I do not believe this was well done, especially that the Mayor had no clue about the lane closures.

Was this mischief? Depends on the protocol required in New Jersey and whether it was circumvented. There may be crimes committed and 'in that' lies the outcome to this event. There obviously is civil suits that can proceed in that the public was not well served and the outcomes to this event caused harm.


January 12,2013

...The demands for Christie's resignation (click here) break out somewhat along party lines with 75 percent of Democrats polled saying it's likely the governor knew ahead of time that the lanes were to be closed against 34 percent of Republicans and 46 percent of unaffiliated voters who share that view.
But the despite the near deafening media din created by the scandal, which erupted in September after two of three local lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge were diverted for use by highway traffic, burying commuters coming from Fort Lee and other surrounding municipalities in traffic jams that lasted as long as four hours, Christie's approval ratings remain solid....


According to the survey, 55 percent of likely voters hold a favorable opinion of Christie, against 44 percent who view him unfavorably....

Governor Chris Christie leaves a meeting with the mayor of Fort Lee. 1/9/14 (John O'Boyle/The Star-Ledger)
12 January 2014
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As hundreds of thousands of residents (click here) faced a third day without water because of a chemical spill in a local river, a water company executive said Saturday that it could be days before it is safe for them to drink tap water again.
A state official also said thousands of gallons more of the chemical had leaked into the Elk River than was initially believed.
Jeff McIntyre, president of West Virginia American Water, said that officials had set up four labs to test the amount of chemical in the water, but that it might take days to provide enough samples to determine whether the water was safe....