A small group of malcontents force their way onto the Ocean Grove beach on Sunday morning Aug. 27, 2023. Fox News Photo.
Today, October 19, 2023, the Coaster has published a Michael Badger (OGCMA) “statement regarding a DEP ruling.”
The CMA had filed a suit seeking an injunction that would allow them to continue their Sunday beach closure rules.
Badger’s “statement” refers to the NJDEP’s wanting to rush a conclusion regarding the beach closure situation. Evidently the DEP stated that they planned to “file a motion to intervene in this matter within 60 days.” The CMA wants time to adjudicate their suit.
The NJ Attorney General said that his office “is ready to step in.” What does that quote mean? Coaster—did you ask?
Michael Badger says that the DEP is trying to interfere with the CMA’s suit asking for “injunctive relief.” Badger says that he was promised a meeting with the NJDEP today–Oct. 19.
He says that the NJDEP’s latest order is creating an unnecessary rush to judgment since the beaches are now open until May 2024.
Are you all sufficiently confused yet? After all, this should be a simple matter but it is becoming more complicated.
And the Coaster article and the CMA bring us even more to fret about:
Coastercians say, “This summer, weekly protests popped up.” But the truth is that these “protests” did not merely “pop up.” They were far from spontaneous and were in fact a series of planned and recurrent angry events where a small group of people related to Neptune United broke through the Sunday barrier each Sunday and defied the CMA’s beach regulations.
Clearly these rude interlopers were protesting, but they denied that what they were doing were protests. They said that they were merely claiming their rights.
Coastericans also say, “The confrontation between the public and the OGCMA escalated in August when an unknown person contacted the NJDEP…”
An “unknown person?” Do any of you doubt who lodged a complaint with the DEP?
And, “the public” is at war with the CMA? Bull****!
Here is a quote from Neptune United, “Neptune United would again like to thank the NJDEP for listening to the concerns of the community and protecting the rights of the public.” What pompous crap!
Badger’s statement today is complicated. Read the mish-mash for yourself in the Coaster, an “award winning weekly.”
But I will share one paragraph from the Badger press release which is again posted on the Coaster front page:
“The association has continuously defended its tradition, stating that the the closure for a few hours is a chance for people to appreciate the ocean without a beach full of people and less restrictive than other private and municipal beaches in the area.”
Does this argument trump the law of the land? And this is not all of the Badger arguments which have appeared in the press lately. He should assemble all his assertions and then send them to Blogfinger to post in order to lend coherence to his concerns.
And Fox News screws it up altogether:
“The State of New Jersey has taken further legal action against the Jersey Shore town of Ocean Grove.
“The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) served a Notice of Violation to the Christian Seaside Community on Sept. 14 for its policy of closing its beach on 15 seasonal Sundays for a few hours on those mornings.”&
Blogfinger: Once again the media confuses the OGCMA with the town of Ocean Grove.
And finally, politics has crept under the door and into the debate. This quote from a reader was published in Fox News on-line:
“This is simple to understand. It doesn’t matter if the beach is owned by the state, the town, or the federal government. The bottom line is the left leaning politicians don’t care about the beach; they only care about the Christians trying to close the beach. If the beach was being closed by BLM in remembrance of George Floyd, then it wouldn’t be a problem.”
Blogfinger: The above opinion is interesting because we at Blogfinger have been looking for an explanation as to why the group of Grovers who initiated this tempest in a teapot would be so vociferous in their big-mouthed protests regarding a relatively small matter.
The truth appears to be that Neptune United and its followers are a group with a political agenda that transcends Sunday morning beach time. Perhaps that is why they would force their way past the CMA’s Sunday beach rules while the vast majority of Grovers pay little attention and spend Sunday mornings with bagels and cream cheese, sleeping late, relaxing on the porch, reading the Sunday Times, going to church, riding bikes, or walking the boards enjoying the summer breezes?
Michael Badger believes that anti-Christian attitudes are the real engine propelling this confused and unnecessary mess. Could he be correct?
Internet graphic. Unknown source.
Seals and Crofts:
Very well said…
If Neptune United had a political agenda, they would be suing Neptune for its illegal zoning practices which are clearly founded in bigotry to harm the residents of OG for the financial benefit of other Neptune residents.
The Neptune Planner just submitted a re-examination of the Master Plan that continues to violate both State and Federal laws and are in contempt of many court rulings. The re-examination deliberately violates RSIS State requirements, violates state requirements for legal definitions for uses in OG.
Violates equal protections demanding all 99 year leased lots must be zoned the same throughput all of OG to prevent discrimination.
Violates the certification requirement demanded by the courts when any nonconforming use in OG needs a permit; and it violates the requirement of State law and court rulings that a legal lot size requirement must exist for OG, which Neptune refuses to establish.
If Neptune United was truly interested in protecting OG it would be suing Neptune for each of these violations which violates the civil rights of every OG resident.
Instead it is nothing but a sham organization promoting its singular hatred of the OGCMA.
Kevin Chambers