Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr. wants the state Attorney General to investigate the possible violation of Steve Lonegan’s first amendment rights. Lonegan, a former Bogota Mayor and possible 2009 candidate for Governor, was arrested on Sunday outside Middle Township High School where Gov. Jon Corzine was holding a town meeting.
“The right to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances is the foundation of our democracy. This right is clearly established in both the United States and New Jersey constitutions and it has been upheld by centuries of case law,” said Kean, whose great-great-great-great-grandfather was a member of the Continental Congress. “The citizens’ ability to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed freedoms must be rigorously protected. Attorney General Milgram as the State of New Jersey’s highest law enforcement official has a responsibility to investigate this matter.”
State Sen. Gerald Cardinale has asked U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to investigate whether Lonegan’s arrest was an “improper use of police powers to stamp out opposition.”
“I am deeply disturbed by the arrest of Mayor Steve Lonegan during Governor Corzine’s town hall meeting Saturday. Even more troublesome are the published statements and video tape that seem to indicate that Corzine’s people conspired with local police to shut down the peaceful protest outside of the high school,” said Cardinale. “I am also concerned at statements by a Corzine Administration spokeswoman that give the impression that the Governor doesn’t care that first amendment rights were being violated during his town hall meeting and that some of his staff might have been involved. Who does he think he is – Joe Stalin?”
“The right to freedom of speech is the cornerstone of liberty in the Republic. The Legislature and the United States Attorney must make every effort to protect it and to investigate those instances where it is denied to the people,” Cardinale said. “Not since A.G. Peter Harvey threatened Senator Bob Martin in the wee hours of the morning have we seen so flagrant an abuse of police powers in New Jersey. Harvey got away with it, Corzine must not.”
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Shocking!
Of course, he had nothing to say about that when Bob Flisser was arrested for standing on a pulbic sidewalk with a sign in Flemington.
Kean only speaks up for his own, suggesting he may think that only his own deserve protection.
Or that he is just trying to keep a non-story alive for another day.
Wow!!
I am impressed. A Republican in the NJ Senate exuding some leadership. Good job Senator, of course a few shots at the monetization plan would have been nice.
Now pass that club over to the NJ Assembly Republicans let them take a whack at Gov Marx (Groucho or Carl ).
Then hopefully Mr. Wilson will grow some stones and go after the administration too.
Do not let up. Don't stop until the administration is beat to the ground.
Trespass
It has been reported in numerous news sources that Steve Lonegan and Seth Grossman were charged with trespass. Trespass is often used to prevent wrongful acts on property; but this was a forum they were invited to attend by the government. The material signs/fliers were relevant to the forum and there was no incite of protest behavior.
Kean and Lonegan
Hopefully, this is the first step toward unity among New Jersey Republicans.
Ronald Reagan actually DID amnesty. I think he would be in one of Mitt's negative commercials! - Rudy Giuliani
Is this the best the Republicans can do?
Give me a break. This is the best that the Republican party can do in this state? No wonder the party is a joke!
"The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything."
--Theodore Roosevelt--
Pandering to the Conservatives
this is Kean Jr trying to pander to the Conservatives in the GOP caucus. That's it.
Kean Jr has absolutely no interest in whether or not Lonegan's rights were violated. Let Lonegan mount his own defense.
The A.G. does not serve at the pleasure of the Senate Minority Leader. He shouldn't be ordering anyone, anywhere.
Lonegan
should be arrested just for the bad hairpiece. It says something about him...
That's pretty weak, Mr.
That's pretty weak, Mr. Dem.
The A.G. doesn't serve at the pleasure of the Senate Minority Leader? Well, the United States A.G., Mike Mukasey, doesn't serve at the pleasure of Congressmen either. So what?
Should Mukasey ignore Pascrell or Pallone on the federal monitors issue- or anytime they want him to investigate inner city crime or voter intimidation? Please.
Facial hair
wow, its amazing what a difference a little facial hair makes.
Maybe we may see some Kean fist fights in the near future
Steve Lonegan went to this forum
With the expressed intent to get arrested folks. He isn't sitting at lunch counters dodging crazed dogs, pepper spray or billy clubs. My goodness. he went to get arrested and he did. And for what? to protect "our" freedoms? PULEAZE! he wanted to protect his right to keep this news going about some toll hike. There was study that put Jersey dead last in terms of its offerings to children in our state and we care about this kooky man. What a sad state.
Corzine's the Kooky One.
Only a kook would think that raising tolls 50 percent plus every four years is a good idea.
Investigate Lonegan
and Kid Kean getting sucked right into Senor Steve's publicity stunt. Investigat the "freedom of speech" violation, sure, right after the attorney general disposes with the Bogota "profiling" case involving Esteban's other amigos.
I agree with Count Al
This is so silly.
Oh Please
I only hope that Kean takes a page from SL's hyberbolic book and hastens his inevitable decline into political obscurity.
Give me a break...
Does the new Minority Leader really think this is a good use of the AGs time? Considering the AG is supposed to be looking into (among other things) political corruption, which the Senator claims is a big priority for him, I would think he would want that office's time freed up. THIS is what you want that office to work on? That is tax payer dollars well spent, isn't it? If Lonegan feels his rights were violated, believe me, he'll be the first person to ask for an investigation/sue/scream and yell and get press attention. Junior obviously doesn't have enough actual work to do.
I wonder if Lonegan still
I wonder if Lonegan still thinks he's a "lap dog" now.
Kudos to Kean Jr. for sticking up for Lonegan, despite the history. A pretty big step forward if I say so myself.
While I will grant you that
While I will grant you that Lonegan was trying to stage a political stunt, isn't that beside the point? Sure there are dozens of pressing problems in the state, but you would think that on a blog for political junkies there would be a little more support for the principle of freedom of speech- especially political speech.
Let's face it, NJ is a state with political machines from both parties. It can be very unpleasant being the little guy trying to put up signs or pass out flyers when you're going against the machine. Think of Cory Booker having the police show up when he's just trying to knock on doors in "Street Fight."
There might not be anything to this particular situation with Lonegan, but the underlying issue- whether police were called in to stop what looks on the surface to have been a lawful and peaceful political protest- isn't trivial to me.
This is how the Dem's work
This is how the NJ Democrat party works. They don't want free speech. When The Torch is under investigation, the party replaces him on the ballot so the public gets no choice. When McGreevey resigns, Codey steps in and the public gets no choice. When Corzine decides to buy an election, no on opposed him so, once again, the public gets no choice.
In NJ, the Dem party is a socialist party where dissent is not permitted and the people have no right to choose their leaders.
Warped reasoning for a mom in law
The bill of rights is not about crumbs to the children.
If Parents were not overtaxed, their employers overregulated and if the politicians took less money, we just might have some left over for our children.
Earth to mom in law. The problem is jack booted government thugs and not political gadflys like Lonegan
JoeSchilp
Yes the NJ Dem Party is a socialist party with no room for decent. Congrats you've finally hit the nail on the head.
1) Corzine may have funded his own campaign but so did Doug Forrester and neither candidate could out spend his opponent. Days before the election DF was withing 5% and statistically tied. HE lost handidly because he had a poor ground game, Corzine picked up votes in DF's backyard and GWB was president.
2) McGreevy resigned and Coded assumed the office as it was stimpulated in the NJ Constitutition.
3) FL replaced BT so people would have a choice, and would not have vote for an empty place on the ballot or DF.
4) Have you not seen the political in fighting in the NJ Dems since JC became governor? Havent you noticed the power struggle between Codey, COrzine, and Roberts?
SJBlue
1) Forrester funded his campaign, true, but had to win a primary before taking on Corzine. The GOP chose its candidate. Corzine ran basically unopposed in the Dem primary, leaving no choice. That's the NJ Democratic party.
2) McGreevey resigned but waited to vacate the office for months so that Codey would assume the governorship leaving the people with no choice again.
3) Lautenberg replaced the Torch after the primary, leaving registered Dem's with no choice but to elect an appointed candidate, not one chosen in the primary.
4) Infighting? Power struggle? Puh-leeeeeeze. 50,000 people added to the state payroll since the Dem's took over Drumthwacket 6 years ago. The only thing they fight over is just how much more money to tax and spend.
Basic unalienable rights.
The sad truth is, if it wasn't Steve Lonegan, it would never have been reported. (well, maybe nowadays with Youtube and all).
Point is this. There are many that claim these basic unalienable rights are irrelevant or unimportant. I truly disagree. The recent influx of Republicans into the party in New Jersey and the nation as a whole, are all Freedom Loving and Liberty Guarding Ron Paul Republicans.
Many are young in age (18-30), have knowledge of how to use both technology and the internet to protect themselves, and are no longer willing to yield to either Neo-Conservative Republicans or Tax, Spend, Borrow, Tax, Spend Democrats.
Whats funny is this, if you compare the principal values between Democrats and Neo-Con Republicans, they both run along very similar lines, with the only difference being who stands to profit. In the case of the Democrats, its government, as for Neo-Con Republicans, its large corporations.
For anyone who thinks these issues are not important, the day your rights are violated, you'll instantly think differently. Its a shame that we in New Jersey are so disconnected in terms of what our government does, and then we all wonder why we are the laughing stock of the East Coast.
Expect things to change however in the next decade. The Ron Paul Republican movement is growing daily. The next generation of voters who will assume responsibility of the Republican Party will refocus back to the core principals, and surely then the question becomes Do you want to be taxed to death and be part of a nanny state, or do you desire liberty and freedom?
Then we'll be able to beat back the Democrats singlehandedly.
Just how long are the Neo Cons willing to let the average citizen suffer for their own selfish agendas while the Democrats beat the pants off the party repeatedly in the process?
J. Douglas Fisher
Check Out: http://www.murraysabrin.com
I wonder if he asked daddy first
You just know that Kean Jr. asked Kean Sr. before he asked for an investigation by the AG. That's how wimpy the republican party is in New Jersey. It has only been 2 years, but is Brett Schundler or Douglas Forrester still alive? The only one with a set of stones in this state right now is Steve Lonegan!
"The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything."
--Theodore Roosevelt--
Civil rights are never silly!
Too many good men and woman have died over the history of this country to have an idiot like you say that the civil rights of any one person are silly.
"The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything."
--Theodore Roosevelt--
(No subject)