Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, Neptune High School, January 9, 2015. . Paul Goldfinger photo. ©
Memorial service in the Great Auditorium, May, 2013. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©
In 2014, police across the country received accelerated criticism when the Ferguson, Missouri situation erupted last August. There were riots there at that time and again in November 2014.
On january 9, 2015 there was a police appreciation event at Neptune High School. We reported on that assembly and we discussed how the press and some of the public across the US had been turning on the police. A number of speakers at the Neptune event mentioned the issues, and we quoted them. Here is a link to that article or you can read it below.:
BF report on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day Jan 9, 2015.
Subsequently there were further Ferguson eruptions in March, 2015 after the ruling by the Justice Department. The AP reported that: “The Justice Department won’t prosecute a Ferguson, Missouri police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old, but in a scathing report faulted the city and its law enforcement for racial bias.”
This is the gist of that Ferguson PD report: “In March 2015, the U.S. Justice Department announced that they had determined that the Ferguson PD had engaged in misconduct against the citizenry of Ferguson, by discriminating against African-Americans and applying racial stereotypes, in a “pattern or practice of unlawful conduct.”
Next Tuesday, May 19, 2015, the 31st Annual New Jersey Law Enforcement Memorial Service will take place in the Great Auditorium. It may or may not be appropriate to mention these issues at the service, but we will see if any of the speakers do, especially the Governor.
Will he say anything on Tuesday to defend the police who always place themselves in harm’s way to protect the public? Because of the current assault on our police, the danger to those who serve with honor has increased. This year five New Jersey heroes who died in the line of duty will be remembered at the service.
All members of the law enforcement community, family, friends , the press, and the public at large are welcome and greatly encouraged to attend. No RSVP is required. It begins at 11:00 am.
JOSH GROBAN from Les Miserables
New Kid–this is getting old. You are correct that there has been no evidence to directly link the Gov. to Bridgegate. But I heard him speak on TV after that closure of the GW Bridge and he reassured everyone that they were doing a traffic study. He was a US Attorney; what happened to his truth detector skills? He would need them as President.
In addition, he was not directly involved, but his top staff was. Don’t we have “the buck stops here” in New Jersey? And shouldn’t he be accountable for the kind of people he surrounds himself with?
As the editor, this topic is now over; I imagine most people have made up their minds about Bridgegate. Paul
From all that I have read, after 15 months of intensive investigation there is no evidence connecting Christie to having any knowledge of Bridgegate beforehand. Perhaps you know something they don’t.
New Kid: Actually I deleted that reference, but it stuck in the Facebook version of my article. Why don’t you read BF on the actual website Blogfinger.net to find the final edited version.
However, Christie showed no political courage when he failed to come to Ocean Grove during our FEMA problems or even to visit our beachfront when he was at the Great Auditorium for the Memorial Service in 2013. He portrays himself as a courageous, no-nonsense governor, so his political courage is still an issue, and his lack of in-person involvement in the Grove along with that GW Bridge situation will effect my vote.—Paul
In my opinion, when a law enforcement person leaves their house, the lyrics of this song ‘Bring him home’ are the emotions their family and friends must feel…Beautiful song…
Governor Christie is and always has been a strong supporter of law enforcement. He is a leader in this regard and will always have their backs.
If it is appropriate, I am confident he will address the current trust and respect issues between police and their communities. For you to conflate this topic with him not not coming to OG during our FEMA problems is unfair and irrelevant. I think it is about time you get over that.
Music Critic: The music on Blogfinger rarely directly relates to the post subject matter. Sometimes it is about the feelings, the mood, the musical connectivity, or just some words that resonate. Or there may be some oblique editorial references in the music.
You may not find any related meaning in this song, but others might. We all react to music differently, and sometimes music can trigger a memory or an emotion. Or others might just enjoy the song or Josh Groban’s singing. But you can be sure that I find something there and thus the choice.
If you really find the music to be obnoxious or incomprehensible at any level, then just turn off your audio. —Paul
No one made a comment so since you went to the trouble of posting this. What does the French revolution against the oppressive military of the times in France have to do with the US Police Force? It is a nice song by Josh Grobin but the song, the lyrics, the emotion has nothing to do with the police in this country.