By Jackie White

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ — From the moment you entered the basement of Saint Agnes School you could actually feel the warmth of the Christmas spirit and hear children’s laughter coming from every part of the room. This was the First Annual St. Agnes School Bazaar held on Saturday, December 4 th. It ran from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M. and was run by the P.T.A. of Saint Agnes.

With Kathy & Ken Falls dressed as Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus, in attendance, allowing pictures to be taken with them., a lot of parents bought their cameras, a lot of babies saw, some of them for the first time, Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Tables lined the basement of the school. The P.T.A. had a evergreen sale and there were vendors selling their wares. There were crafters selling Christmas articles as well as the opportunity to “decorate your own” Christmas Hats. That’s the table where you could find most of the youngsters and most of the laughter came from there.

They had a “Secret Auction” with one-of-a kind articles according to grade level, under the direction of the school’s art teacher, Susan O’Keefe, who did a great job in directing the art work with each class.

Pre-k students, painted and decorated a rocking chair. They had lots of fun doing that project. 1 st graders made Christmas ornaments. 2 nd grade made lamp shades which were very colorful and neat. 3 rd grade painted a set of wine glasses - those will make a great gift. 4 th grade students painted bird houses - a great gift for folks that like to feed birds. 5 th grade painted a lovely fire place screen - a work of art that would look great in front of any fireplace. 6 th grade crafted a huge basket of cheer which parents donated, 7 th grade crushed plates, glasses and stones, which were glued on an umbrella stand - a very creative gift. And last but not least, the 8 th grade which was separated into two groups, boys and girls, decoupaged two older style steamer trunks. It was done very professionally. These children worked very hard at their projects.

One of the highlights of this auction was a “Gingerbread House Contest”, which was opened to any family. Everything on the house must be edible, it could be of any shape or size, and of course must be submitted on a cardboard, wooden or plastic base. The winning house would be judged on originality, creativity, construction, use of materials and an overall appeal. Judging this contest was the Mayor of Atlantic Highlands and his wife, Peter & Louise Donoghue, Father Bob Tynski, Pastor of Saint Agnes, and Nancy Ciasca, owner of Atlantic Artisans.

Winner’s were 1st place, The McDonnell Family, 2 nd Place The Vaccaro Family, 3 rd Place, The McCulloch Family, Participate Certificates were also given out to: The Plumstead Family, and the Ford Family. They were all “yummy” looking and I bet were eaten just as soon as they arrived at home.

The “Christmas Shop” had tables lined with inexpensive gifts for the whole family. This sale runs around the holidays at the school, giving the opportunity to the classes to buy presents for their family, presents that are within a child’s budget. This writer bought a bag full, they are great “socking stuffers”.

“Finding unique gifts and bathe in the warmth of the holiday spirit, enjoying a day at Saint Agnes Christmas bazaar “, stated the flyer, this event took 21/2 months to put together, and was a success in large part because of the sister team work of Therese Omelanski, and Jen Plumstead, co-chairmen, who worked so hard on making the bazaar a success!

Their mission was “for families to have a good time, together”, stated Omelanski. Plumstead noted they were seeking an, “ enjoyable fun-filled family day”, and together they stated they wanted to, “raise money for the P.T.A.”

Several volunteers contributed in making the event a successful one.

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FREEHOLD,NJ — Monmouth County Sheriff Joseph W. Oxley proudly announced the graduation of three new sheriff’s officers, Belinda Lee Lucatorto, Alexander Torres and Sean R. O’Neill, who graduated from the Monmouth County Police Academy, Freehold, on Wednesday, December 8th.

Sheriff Oxley congratulated the three new officers and commended them, and their families, to their commitment to law enforcement and public safety. “I am very proud to have these three new Sheriff’s Officers join the ranks of our nationally accredited Law Enforcement Division” said Sheriff Oxley. “With the extensive training they have received at the Police Academy, I am confident each will do their part in keeping Monmouth County a safer place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Sheriff's Officers Sean O'Neill, Alexander Torres and Belinda Lucatorto at Police Academy graduation.

Sheriff’s Officer Belinda Lee Lucatorto, a Long Branch resident, holds an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from CUNY, Staten Island, and is a graduate of the Monmouth County Police Academy Special I program. She served as a special officer and dispatcher for the Little Silver Police Department.

Sheriff’s Officer Alexander Torres, a Matawan resident, proudly served his country in the military, recently completing active duty with the United States Navy. He received his honorable discharge from the Navy on June 1 of this year.

Sheriff’s Officer Sean R. O’Neill, who resides in Hazlet, has served as a Monmouth County Corrections Officer since October, 2001. He previously served as a dispatcher and auxiliary for the Hazlet Police Department.

All three officers received twenty weeks of intensive training as members of the 68th Recruit Class at the Monmouth County Police Academy. “With diligence and dedication on your part, and the support of your families and friends, you have successfully completed your training and attained your certification as law enforcement officers,” said Sheriff Oxley. “I welcome you as you join the ranks of the nationally accredited Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office as certified law enforcement officers.”

For additional information, call the Sheriff’s Office at 732-308-2976 or visit our website at www.sheriffoxley.com.

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MIDDLETOWN, NJ —This holiday season the Middletown PBA 124 is collecting toys for children and items requested by U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq.

Toys will be donated to Middletown Helps It’s Own, the Rainbow Foundation, and the Women’s Resource Center. Items for soldiers will be donated to the Windmill Fast Food Restaurants and sent to the men and women serving in Iraq as part of the 6^th Motor Battalion, Marine Corps Unit. Items requested by the soldiers  personal and dental hygiene items, sunblock, throat lozenges, hand held games, writing materials, hard candies and gum, batteries.          

Donations can be dropped off at the Middletown Police Headquarters or given to any PBA member. For details please contact Cpl. Keith Macdonald at (732) 615-2136.

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KEANSBURG, NJ — Signups for the 2005 Season of Keansburg Baseball and Softball will be at the Collin's Fieldhouse for players 5 to 16 years old. Sign up dates are Fridays, January 7,14,21,28, February 4 and 11 from 7 - 9 pm and Saturdays, January 8,15,22,29, February 5 and 12 from 10 am to 2 pm.

January and February monthly meetings will also be at the Collin's fieldhouse, first Tuesday of the month.

Please note that these will be the ONLY sign up dates.

If you have any questions regarding KBS call John Hila at 732-787-1642.

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HIGHLANDS, NJ — The Brotherhood of U.S.Army Veterans Association is proud to announce that it will be hosting a "Welcome Dinner Dance" for Military Service members who have recently returned home to Highlands, NJ from combat duty in Iraq and Afganistan. 

The event will take place on January 29th, 2005 at the Hofbrauhaus located in Atlantic Highlands ,NJ. Attendance is by ticket sales only. Tickets to the Dinner Dance are $35.00 per person ($40.00 at the door) and can be obtained by calling 732-539-3093 or by sending a check or money order to..."Brotherhood of U S Army Veterans Assoc.,  P O Box 410, Navesink,NJ. 07752   You will receive your tickets by return mail upon receiving payment. 

Time - 6 pm. Cocktail Hour(Cash Bar), Dinner at 7 pm.  Presentations will commence following Dinner.

Music by "The Eddie Z Band ".  For more information, please visit the website at http://www.brotherhood-usava.org/

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WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The National Council of Negro Women (Umoja-Nia Chapter) of Monmouth University will host its annual Kwanzaa Celebration event on December 9, 2004 at 7:30 PM in Anacon Hall of the student center.  The event is free and open to the public.  For more information, call 732-263-5507. 

Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from December 26^th thru January 1^st  and was started by Dr. Maulana Karenga. This year, NCNW is proud to present special guest Michelle Washington Wilson (alumnus of Monmouth University) who will be speaking on Kwanzaa and presenting the Libation Ceremony. There are seven principles in Kwanzaa which are focused on throughout the holiday for each of the seven days: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). Additionally, the members of NCNW will be presenting a brief play, “A Kwanzaa Carol” in interpretation of each of the seven principles as portrayed through various African-American figures in history.

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KEYPORT, NJ — Keyport Mayor and Freeholder candidate John Merla says that reform hasn't come far enough, fast enough in Monmouth County.

"In The Asbury Park Press edition of Monday, December 6th, in a story titled 'Race for open seat narrowing quickly,' outgoing Freeholder Director Harry Larrison says that, next year, a freeholder will be selected from Western Monmouth County," Mayor Merla said. "My question is, despite his many years of great service to this county, who is he to decide where a freeholder is going to come from, or who they will be?"

Mayor Merla said that, if freeholders are supposed to come from a certain area, then that will be incorporated into the form of government for the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, which is a measure that he supports. However, when it comes to one freeholder, whoever that may be, deciding who will hold office and who will not, he sees this practice as less than democratic and not reflective of American ideals.

"There are no kings or queens in this country, the Founding Fathers settled that question a long time ago," Mayor Merla said. "The way we do things on this side of the Atlantic is one person, one vote."

Mayor Merla, the co-founder and co-chairman of Monmouth County GOP For Change, said that the Republican reform group, which ousted former GOP Chairman Bill Dowd in June, was organized to bring true reform to county Republicans and not what is in place right now.

"Monmouth GOP For Change" removed Chairman Dowd from office because he dared to believe that his opinion was more important than the opinion of the vast number of Republicans in this county. "Election to 'leadership' does not mean sovereignty in the United States," Mayor Merla said.

"The Republican Party is not the property of one person or small group of people, it is the property of a group of like-minded county residents who believe in democracy and a better tomorrow."Mayor Merla railed at the hubris some party leaders have on display in attempting to "anoint" successors to freeholder positions based on factors that do not include qualifications to hold office, previous achievements or work that has been tendered in creating good government.

"It took 18 years for this party to get rid of the biggest proponent for the Good Old Boy system in this county (Dowd) last June. It will not take the county Republican Party that long to get rid of whoever is left that believes democracy is not a good way to do government," Mayor Merla concluded.

For more information about the campaign, go to: www.merlaforfreeholder.com, or call Chairman Wall at (908) 461-3400.

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RED BANK , NJ — The Count Basie Theatre is pleased to announce that Barry Haber has been hired to assume the position of Development Director. Barry brings 20 years of fundraising experience to the job. He will take the leadership role in helping the theater enhance its current fund raising programs.

In addition to working on the annual gala held in May, and golf outing, Barry’s goals include formalizing a planned giving program, developing new strategies for the theatre’s Take Your Seat Campaign and membership program, and increasing corporate financial support. Also on the agenda for the theatre’s development department is the institution of a women & philanthropy program and a major gift program.

Prior to joining the Count Basie, Mr. Haber was the executive director of the Capital Health System Foundation in Trenton, NJ, overseeing the daily operations of the foundation’s annual fundraising programs. Mr. Haber is a member of the New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals and a former officer of the chapter.

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LINCROFT, NJ — Winter is a great time to visit a county park and reconnect with nature. With over 13,000 acres of permanently preserved open space, the Monmouth County Park System is a winter wonderland. So join Jack Frost for some cold weather fun by bundling up and heading out for a walk on one of the Park System trails. Walking is a terrific form of exercise that helps reduce stress and keep the holiday pounds at bay. It’s also the perfect opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the season - freshly fallen snow under foot, blue-sky overhead, and birds flitting around.

Be sure to bring binoculars since many different bird species can be found in the parks even in the coldest months. Ducks, Canada geese, and even a pair of bald eagles can be spotted at the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell. Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch and Fisherman’s Cove in Manasquan boast waterfowl and seabirds such gulls and loons. Birdwatchers in Thompson Park, Lincroft, might see falcons, hawks, and vultures. Other birds such as sparrows, finches, woodpeckers, and owls also call the parks home.

For those who prefer a camera lens to binoculars, the county parks offer an amazing array of photographic opportunities. Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel, and Historic Walnford, Upper Freehold, are a shutterbug’s dream. These historic sites preserve Monmouth County’s past with restored buildings and equipment as well as artifacts from everyday life. The rockery and parterre in Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown are also popular with amateur photographers.

Deep Cut Gardens, the Park System’s site dedicated to the home gardener, is great to visit any time of year. During the winter, visitors can see the expanded collection of cactus and other succulent plants in the display greenhouse. In February and early March, the display greenhouse will be full of color when the orchids bloom. While at Deep Cut Gardens, be sure to visit the horticultural library with over 4,000 books, magazines, and videos related to gardening.

So shake off the doldrums of winter and enjoy the season in a county park. For more information about winter activities, call the Park System at (732) 842-4000. For persons with hearing impairment, the TDD machine number is 711.

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PASTOR'S CORNER By Rev. Dr. George Hancock-Stefan Central Baptist Church Atlantic Highlands, NJ cbcbeacon@aol.com

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WORDS OF FULFILLMENT

The Apostle Paul writes: In the fullness of time God sent forth His Son to be born of a woman under the law. (Gal. 4:4). The Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark and Luke used the words fulfill, fulfilled, and fulfillment in describing the time of Christ’s birth. His birth from a virgin, Bethlehem as the place of his birth, the escape to Egypt, the settling in Nazareth, the birth and the ministry of his cousin John, the beginning of Christ’s ministry – all of these are actions and places God has meticulously fulfilled in the birth and the life of His Son Jesus Christ.

The first sermon that Jesus gave after the wilderness temptation was in his boyhood town of Nazareth. As he returned the scroll to the synagogue attendant he said: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Over 1000 promises have been counted in the Scripture. These are pledges by God. The pledges that God has made have all been fulfilled in the life of His Son Jesus Christ and in the lives of all the people that trusted Him.

Jesus proclaimed, “Come unto me all you that are weary and heaven laden and I will give you rest.” Later he says “All who have come to me, I will in no way cast out. If you come to Jesus, he has assured us that we will be with Him forever.”

In Luke 21:25-28 Jesus is talking about His Second Coming. His First Coming was seen and became an occasion of joy and celebration. The Second Coming will be preceded by cataclysmic events. However, while for the world these happenings will produce fear, anguish and perplexity, Jesus tells his followers, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” This will be the fulfillment of God’s promise.

Because I see how God has fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament in the New Testament and because I have experienced in my life the fulfillment of His promises, I am confident that all the future promises of God will be fulfilled. Thus, together with all the redeemed, I pray, Come Lord Jesus! Your people are waiting for your return!

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BODY POLITIC by Jack Archibald, Atlantic Highlands  Councilman

View past articles jack@ahherald.com

DEMOCRACY'S TIME HAS COME IN AFGHANISTAN

A significant moment in democracy occurred this week, and almost nobody noticed. In an event that got less coverage from our national media than the Scott Peterson trial, Afghanistan installed their first elected President. Less than three years after the ouster of the Taliban, democracy has put its foot down in the Middle East.

While there are still parts of Afghanistan that need to be converted, the majority of the country is now practicing democracy. This is a country where not so long ago, women were not permitted to go to school, where historic sites were destroyed to promote the radical Islamic agenda, and where warlords dominated the countryside. To be sure, the mountainous region is not fully under control, but everyone knows that Bin-Laden and his associates will eventually be found.

The accomplishment of the past three years needs to be measured. The Soviet Union was mired in Afghanistan for over ten years and they could never control the country. Pessimists predicted a long struggle for the United States and its allies in Afghanistan, yet we liberated them within six months and now they have formed a democracy. While the news media focuses on the bloodshed in Iraq, each day that passes brings us a step closer to January 30- when Iraqis can go to the polls and experience democracy for the first time in many years.

Nation building is a difficult business and the success in Afghanistan should not be overlooked. Many Afghans, including President Karzai are putting their lives on the line, which is their price for freedom. The model of freedom may not be perfect in Iraq, and it may take years to stabilize that country. Or it could be that the insurgents know that democracy is on its way and once the majority of Iraqis taste freedom that their time is up as well.

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AT LARGE by Woody Zimmerman woody@ahherald.com

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THE VALUES CHASE (Part I)
(First of two articles)

Pundits and politicians – primarily Democrats – have been worrying over “values” since voters shocked them by reelecting George W. Bush with a margin of 3.5 million votes. The values thing arose because some exit polls indicated that large numbers of voters might have voted for “W” because of values.

Some highly placed Democrats say that the Party’s candidate did not do a good enough job of presenting himself as a values candidate or identifying with voters’ concerns and values – i.e., a failure of form, not substance. They talk as though “values” were something you carry around and hand out, as needed – like campaign buttons or pamphlets.

Still others say the problem was the voters, who did not understand that the issues Democrats stand for should be their greatest concerns – e.g., welfare, housing, Social Security, creation of jobs, racial preferences, abortion rights, full equality for gays, educational funding, caring for the poor, protection of minorities. Democrats cannot see why this catalog of social concerns did not attract large numbers of middle class voters. A few have even suggested that voters were “too stupid” to understand that Democrats are the party of their key interests.

Some politicians think values can be contrived (i.e., faked) via stunts or photo-ops. Thus, John Kerry posing in hunting drag, with a shotgun casually draped over his arm, will persuade voters that he cares about the Second Amendment (although his voting record in the Senate suggests otherwise). Or Mr. Kerry attending Mass and taking Communion will show Catholics he is one of them (although he is crosswise with the Church on abortion and homosexuality).

During one of the debates, President Bush noted that a list of complaints is not a plan. Just so, values are more than talking points. They are principles by which an individual (or a group) actually lives. Values inform the direction (and actions) of one’s life. A politician’s political values drive his formation of public policy. In rare cases, a politician’s values seamlessly inform both his private and personal conduct. My grandpa called it being “whole cloth” – i.e., the same when no one is looking as you are in public. The greatest public leaders are always such people.

A political campaign centers on issues voters care about and on the positions candidates take on those issues. But more than that, the campaign spotlights the candidates’ actions on those issues. From those actions voters infer the values by which the candidates actually live and govern.

It follows, therefore, that casual comments about being an altar boy forty years ago do not necessarily indicate a strong religious faith. A highly publicized day of duck-hunting does not equate to protecting the Second Amendment. And four months of military service in Vietnam do not put national defense in your value-column – especially when that service was followed by arguably traitorous anti-war activism, slander of your comrades-in-arms, and two decades of opposition in the Senate to most military weapons and actions to protect our country.

Sometimes a candidate expends large amounts of money and effort trying to persuade voters that his past actions do not correctly indicate his values. Campaigns become gigantic feats of legerdemain, as when Bill Clinton sold the idea that he was a “new” kind of Democrat. Usually, though, such efforts fail to convince voters.

Mr. Kerry waged such a campaign. He and his staff tried mightily to persuade voters that he was something besides a New England liberal standing on the “far left bank” of mainstream American politics. But despite Mr. Kerry’s great forensic skills, the effort didn’t sell.

Contrary to what some observers have said, I believe: (1) That Democrats are, indeed, a party of “values; (2) that they did an excellent job of communicating those values to the electorate; and (3) that voters fully comprehended those values and appreciated what they meant.

The Democrats’ problem was that the values they were pushing – values clearly held by the Party’s leaders and core constituencies – were disharmonious with values held by voters over large areas of the country. This was particularly true in the red states.

What did voters think Mr. Kerry’s and Mr. Bush’s values were? And how did they resonate with those values? I thought it would be instructive to analyze a few key values to try to understand why things turned out as they did. This is not meant to be comprehensive – only illustrative.

Belief in America . I list this value first because I think it resonates most strongly with the collective mind of the country. With rare exceptions, every presidential election is basically about how the candidates line up with this value. From my vantage point, it looks like voters nearly always choose the candidate who makes the best case – by both word and deed – for why he believes in the America of the past, present, and future.

What I heard John Kerry say was: ‘Everything we have done for the last four years was wrong. The country is in a mess. The war was wrong. Jobs are going overseas. Racism is out of control. People are starving. The sick are being denied treatment. We’re back where we were during the Great Depression. Americans are lost and helpless. Only I can save the country from itself.’

By contrast, George W. Bush said: ‘Yes, we have some problems. Some of them are big ones. Some are even life-threatening. We took some hard punches, but now we’re punching back. We are at war with a ruthless foe and we will defeat him. And we are moving ahead. America is basically in good shape. The future is bright. People have freedom. They have opportunities. They are raising families and building wealth. We can improve on all of this by getting government out of the way. We can solve our problems and we can defeat our enemies. Let’s do it together!’

Although many voters (including yours truly) agree that we do have some big problems, most of us don’t like hearing that those problems are bigger than the American People. This never flies. We are a stubborn race. We have pride. We believe we are a great people. And we never want to be told that things are so bad that only one guy can save us. Mr. Kerry’s message with respect to this key value was flawed. Absent an event of catastrophic scope, he could not win with it.

Defense of the Nation . Mr. Bush matured as president by being commander-in-chief during a great national emergency. He sprang to the nation’s defense like the proverbial Lion of Judah. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks even his political opponents said (privately) that they were glad Mr. Bush was president instead of Al Gore. Because of the attacks and the ongoing war, national defense was Mr. Bush’s strongest card for reelection.

Usually national defense is a given for both candidates, and it is considered churlish for either candidate to question the goodness of this value in his opponent. But Mr. Kerry questioned it in himself. He knew his Senate record did not show strength on national defense. He also thought his old anti-war activities might raise concerns. Thus, Mr. Kerry decided on the risky stratagem of emphasizing four months in Vietnam, ca. 1968, as his national defense bona fides.

This strategic decision represented a disastrous misjudgment by the Kerry camp. Instead of letting his spotted past lie dormant – as most voters were content to do – Mr. Kerry enraged thousands of veterans when he dramatically saluted and declared that he was “reporting for duty” at the start of his acceptance speech. These veterans were still seething with resentment over Mr. Kerry’s 1971 Congressional testimony, when he claimed (without proof) that U. S. forces had routinely engaged in war crimes of the vilest sort. Some analysts believe the subsequent attacks of the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth fatally wounded Mr. Kerry’s candidacy by destroying his credibility on this key value. I believe his campaign never saw it coming.

The Normal Culture . When I was growing up, most people lived in a style considered “normal”. Marriage and families were central to this way of life. Of course, there were widows and widowers, as well as divorced and never-married people, but unmarried women having children were rare. So was unmarried cohabitation. No doubt some people had homosexual relationships, but they kept out of sight. Most people attended church or synagogue. Schools reinforced the “normal” culture. Acceptance of the Normal Culture crossed racial lines.

It is now considered politically incorrect to claim that there is such a thing as a Normal Culture in America. In the postmodern era, the Democratic Party worships at the shrine of “diversity”. Every kind of lifestyle, sexual practice, family arrangement, and public behavior is considered perfectly acceptable – unless the lifestyle involves anything patriotic or Christian.

Despite a strong diversity sales job by academics, liberal elites and big media, a large segment of America still believes in that Normal Culture. Its parameters include love of country, traditional family life, religious faith, respect for law, respect for people and their property, ambition, personal responsibility, honesty, commitment, decency, courage, honor, chivalry.

Believers in the Normal Culture are willing to tolerate others who live outside it, but they don’t want their culture disrespected or bullied. They don’t like to be pushed around. And they don’t want deviant lifestyles declared equivalent – or even superior – to the Normal Culture. They expect public schools to emphasize and reinforce these values.

Perhaps imagining that they had shouted down the Normal Culture idea, Democrats have been incautious about linking themselves to non-normal lifestyles like militant homosexuality, gay marriage, unmarried cohabitation, and single parenting – and promoting them in public schools.

Attacks on Christianity also are much associated with Democratic supporters like the ACLU. Both blacks and Hispanics – historically some of the Democratic Party’s most dependable constituencies – are becoming alarmed by the Party’s militant anti-Christian, pro-deviancy, pro-abortion direction. Some are openly questioning whether their continued association with the Democratic Party is appropriate or productive.

Whatever Mr. Kerry’s personal attitudes toward the Normal Culture actually were, he could not distance himself from his party’s highly publicized antipathy to that culture. Foul-mouthed, wooly-headed film stars spouting bizarre political theories (“…if you believe rape should be legal, don’t vote…”) and filthy invective cost Mr. Kerry dearly in regions where Normal Culture predominates. With friends like Michael Moore, Mr. Kerry really didn’t need enemies.

Mr. Bush was not similarly disadvantaged by his party’s values. Voters could see that he supported the Normal Culture and was solidly part of it. His obviously strong marriage and affectionate relationship with his wife, Laura, were living proof that he possessed this value.

*******

Next week I’ll continue this analysis of what values did to and for John F. Kerry and George W. Bush in the election of 2004.

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WINDOWS ON RED BANK by Daniel Murphy, Jr. Danny's Steak House daniel@ahherald.com

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EARLY DETECTION

Over the past four weeks I have covered a lot of ground learning as much as I can about Cancer, why it occurs and how it is treated. I am not trying to learn the medical side that I will leave to the Doctors, but rather the prevention and early detection of the disease. I was "very lucky” that cyst that popped in my neck lead me to an early detection of the cancer I have. However, if I had been half as diligent to the inside of my body as I have been to the outside it might have been detected at an even earlier or a pre-cancerous stage.

Many of us spend a good deal of money keeping fit with gyms, spas, personal trainers, beauty parlors and skin treatments….at a cost of half of that amount we could save ourselves a lot of pain and suffering if not our lives. With our environment, water and soil being as contaminated as it is and with histories of cancer in our families it is time for all of us to be more diligent. Very simply it is time to stop putting off the basic health tests that we should get every year and to take advantage of the technology that is available today that was not there just a few years ago.

Women are a bit better then men getting tests with pap smears and mammograms being part of their lives on a regular basis however don’t count on only one or two tests a year.  A close friend of mine, beautiful, successful, a top photographer in Philly, went diligently every six months for check ups only to find that the Doctor and lab had misread her reports for four years.  She was diagnosed with stage four cancer two years ago.  We thought we were going to lose her.  Fighting like a cat with eight operations, chemo and radiation she survived and is running five miles a day with dogs.  She is building her body and immune system up working with Eric Sauer a registered pharmacist and naturopathic consultant. I am working with him also and will get back to what he does a later time.

Things you should do right away if you are over forty or have a history of cancer in your family especially men: get a complete physical and blood workup once a year; for both men and women get a colonoscopy. It is painless and can detect cancer at its earliest stages. I was told that rarely does anyone with a healthy liver and digestive system develop cancer. Ask your primary physician to prescribe a P.E.T scan for you. If for any reason your insurance does not cover it …pay for it yourself. This one and half hour procedure scans your entire body and detects the earliest stages of any cancer cells. Now that is early detection, way before it manifests itself to you and your doctor. We all have the potential to develop cancer whether it comes from smoking, drinking and genetics or from pollutants in our environment. What allows the cancer to develop is our immune system being lowered by all of the above and of course stress. I have been the king of stress in the last few years and will be have my second surgery tomorrow followed by chemotherapy and radiation. I guess this story will go on for awhile. I will let you know how it goes.

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SPOTLIGHT ON KEANSBURG by Patrick Pecora Keansburg Councilman

View Archive patrick@ahherald.com

OTHER COUNCIL ACTION AT THE MEETING ON 11/22/04

During the last few weeks, there have been two meetings of the Keansburg Borough Council. The first was the meeting of 11/22/04 during which the council made the decision to reinstate the Chief of police without waiting for the Merit Board decision. Last week’s article completely covered that topic. For this week, I would like to cover other action taken during the meeting on 11/22/04 and the meeting on Wednesday 12/1/04.

In other action during the special meeting held on 11/22/04 the council approved two resolutions. The first was resolution 179 which was the payment of bills and it passed by an unanimous vote. The second resolution was #180 which was the third Emergency Temporary appropriation enacted since our budget for this year has not yet been approved. This resolution appropriated $417,950 for the general municipal budget and an additional $755,000 for the water and sewer utility. This resolution passed by a vote of 4 in favor and 1 opposed. Additionally at this time, the council voted unanimously to move the general meeting scheduled for 11/24/04 to 12/1/04. Lastly, the council voted unanimously to appoint three new members for EMS.

During this meeting, the council received a report and proposal from a company called Hatch, Mott McDonald. The information was delivered to the council by a vice president of that company named Richard A. Russo. Primary among other services provided by this company is Water Supply Management. This is the second time this person has appeared before our Borough Council - the first being back on 4/8/04. Their proposal is to undertake a study of our whole water supply system including our plant facilities and the sodium intrusion problem. If chosen by the council the study will encompass three tasks. The first task will be the evaluation of a membrane desalination system for our town. The second task will be an assessment and evaluation of the entire plant for possible process improvements. The third task will be discussion with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for an increase in our water diversion permit. The total cost of all three tasks was estimated at $45,000 to provide the professional and engineering services.

The next meeting was the regular monthly council meeting that was moved from 11/22/04 to 12/1/04. The agenda for this meeting had 1 ordinance and 10 resolutions for consideration. The first action taken by the council at this meeting was the public hearing and final vote for ordinance 1369. This is the police salary ordinance and it outlines the salaries for all four years of the new police contract. The contract ratified was retroactive to June 2003.

Of the resolutions to be passed 7 were for renewals of bingo and raffle licenses. The bingo and raffle licenses were resolution 182 to 188 inclusive. Resolution number 181 was titled Resolution regarding disclosure of confidential medical information. It was necessary for the borough to designate two people who will be solely responsible for handling medical information about employees necessary through the Statewide Insurance Fund. Resolution 189 was for the refund of zoning board escrow fees. I saved the first resolution acted upon for last as it also required a public hearing and I feel deserves some explanation. It was resolution 177 that was an amendment to the municipal budget. This resolution lowers the total allocated for the municipal budget from $11,495,184.40 to $11,373,484.40. Those numbers represent a reduction of $121,700. If you include the $400,000 we received in extraordinary state aid and the budget is approved at those numbers it will result in a tax increase of about 26 cents. It should be obvious to everyone that more meetings are necessary to further trim these figures.

Since this meeting was the rescheduled regular monthly meeting there were reports from the various borough departments and professionals. The engineers report outlined several road repair projects in our town. At this time, the closest to starting is the completion of Creek Road and Railroad Avenue estimated to start in the spring. Some of the other street repair projects are awaiting authorization to go out to bid. The engineer in his report also stated they were seeking funding sources for the repair or replacement of the police facility. The water department’s report includes the fact that since well five has been repaired and is back at full capacity our salinity content has dropped from 92.9 to 72.4. The department of public works report included information on storm drain outfall pipes that are being studied or in need of repair to help improve drainage in specific areas and dune erosion. Two outfall pipes are of the most concern. One is the Beacon Light outfall that is clogged with silt from the tides. Most of the pipe consists of corrugated plastic that cannot be cleaned due to age and fear of collapse. The second that is still under investigation and possible repair is the boardwalk outfall from Beachway to the pier.

Lastly, I want to speak about the police department report that included information on four old grants. One of the four grants dates back to 1997 and it is a universal hiring program grant. There is apparently $37,319.28 still left in this grant, however it is uncertain if the borough can still use these funds. The first reason is because the manpower of the police department is not below the required limits and proper paperwork was not submitted. The second is a local law enforcement block grant that was received in February of 2001 for $18,098. This borough still has these funds however past borough managers never authorized use of the funds. This money must be returned to the Federal Government. The third was another local law enforcement block grant which still has $14,494 remaining unspent. Since the funds were not used in the past they must now be returned to the Federal Government. The last is a third local law enforcement block grant that dates to August 2002 for $13,418. This grant was dedicated for the purchase of defibrillators for the police department. The deputy chief and the borough’s chief financial officer have determined that these funds are still available for the borough.

Upcoming Council meetings.

There will be a special meeting of the Keansburg Borough Council on Wednesday 12/15 at 6 PM in Borough Hall.

For the month of December, there is one regularly scheduled meeting of the Keansburg Borough Council. The regular meeting will be on Wednesday 12/22 at 6 PM. As usual, the Keansburg Borough Council holds all meetings in the council chambers at borough hall.

Please help spread the word about our borough council meetings to all your friends, relatives and neighbors.

Upcoming town events and announcements.

Leaf collection by our department of public works will end on 12/20/04, it is suggested that leaves be raked to the curb for collection.

Reminders.

I would like to remind everyone that the Keansburg Tree and Beautification Committee meets on the first Sunday of each month at 7 PM in Borough Hall. All meetings are open to the public. This organization is still seeking volunteers to help with the many projects they have planned. If you would like to volunteer please attend any of the monthly meetings.

Please make note that the Keansburg Recreation Committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 PM in Borough Hall. The meetings are always open to the public. Volunteers are often sought to work on upcoming projects.

The new Keansburg Waterfront Public Library has a web site however like our library you may find that some of the site is still under construction at this time. However, I wanted to remind everyone of the library web site. The address is: www.keansburglibrary.us. This web site has been built and is maintained by the members of our library committee and the volunteers.

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GORDON BISHOP ON THE ISSUES by Gordon Bishop Syndicated Columnist gordon@ahherald.com

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A $165 MILLION MUSEUM OF LIES, CRIMES & SCANDALS

The Clinton Presidential Museum mirrors America’s immoral, secular society.

It’s all about “Me, Me, Me” – the 1960s Baby Boomer Generation of instant gratification.

If it feels good – do it!

That about sums up the self-indulgent, lawless Clinton career as a politician.

So why bother to go to his pathetic memorial to himself? It represents the liberal-socialist-Marxist side of America – the corrupt underbelly of a generation that celebrated drugs, adultery, lying, stealing and doing everything possible to destroy America’s culture and political system.

I view these people as selfish, unAmerican exploiters of “the system” they never respected.

Sure, “the system” wasn’t perfect, but the exploiters left it in worse condition then they found it.

Good-bye to rotten garbage!

So what is Clinton’s legacy? Or should we say the Clintons’ legacy – Bill and Hillary?

Here’s a short list of some of the worst acts ever committed by a U.S. President:

• Susan McDougal
• Juanita Broadrick
• Jennifer Flowers
• Paula Jones
• Kathleen Willey
• Criminal violation of the Privacy Act for releasing information on Ms. Willey
• Sexual assault of women
• Communist Chinese agents in the Clinton White House
• Knowingly accepting money from foreign sources, including China, in exchange for special considerations
• Obstruction of Justice
• Lying under oath and subsequent disbarment to practice law.
• Impeachment
• Travelgate
• Filegate
• Selling overnight stays in the White House
• Turning the White House into a “whorehouse”
• Campaign finance law violations
• Intimating witnesses.
• Using FBI files to attack their (Bill/Hillary) critics
• Pardoning hundreds of drug dealers and other criminals, including Marc Rich, who was the biggest tax dodger in American history and a big contributor to the Clinton Library.
• Vincent Foster (dead)
• Ron Brown (dead)

This list goes on and on and on . . .

The museum is an attempt to rewrite history.

Look to Judicial Watch (www.judicialwatch.org ) for the full truth about the Clinton legacy. Judicial Watch is America’s only nonprofit “legal watchdog” that has more than 25 lawsuits before the courts on the Clintons’ behavior as President and First Lady.

Judicial Watch is investigating the decision on the Clinton Administration to bomb in August 1998 the Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan and suspected al Qaida terrorist camps in the vicinity of Khost, Afghanistan.

Whenever Clinton was caught in another “bimbo eruption,” he dropped bombs to get the “bimbo” revelations off page one of the New York Times and other liberal communications’ institutions such as ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN.

Clinton played the media-political game to cover up his bad behavior and criminal activities going back to his days as Attorney General and Governor of Arkansas.

As I’ve mentioned in earlier columns, if it weren’t for billionaire Ross Perot of Texas, Clinton never would have been elected in 1992 and again in 1996. Perot won almost 20 percent of the vote in 1992, enough for Clinton to squeak out a “victory” of 42.9 percent, and less than a majority vote of 49 percent in 1996.

Clinton never had the majority of voters supporting him, only the loyal Left.

And America paid the price for his” minority rule” with no mandate from the electorate. He was a President without credibility.

(Gordon Bishop, a national award winning author, historian and syndicated columnist, is New Jersey’s first “Journalist-of-the-Year” – 1986/New Jersey Press Association.)

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OLD OAK TRAIL by Joe Reynolds AH Environmental Commission Member joe@ahherald.com

mini-autobiography

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WE NEED TO STOP OIL SPILLS TO OUR COAST!

In 1989, the world was transfixed as a tragedy struck the Alaskan coastline when the Exxon Valdez ran aground sending over 53 million gallons of oil gushing into the environmentally sensitive Prince William Sound. The spill impacted approximately 1,300 miles of shoreline and created an immense loss to local fisheries, tourism, and wildlife.

Fifteen years later a different oil spill has impacted another scenic, environmentally sensitive area along a coastline of North America.

On Friday evening, November 26th, the Aethos I, a single hulled oil tanker moving up the Delaware River, near Paulsboro, NJ, suffered two punctures to its hull and spilled an estimated 474,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River. It is the worst spill to impact the Delaware River since 1995

Area reports from newspapers have stated that some 3,000 waterfowl species, mostly geese, ducks, and gulls, are at risk and could die as a result of this incident. It is also reported that a nesting pair of Bald Eagles (a NJ State endangered species) have been contaminated with oil as an outcome of the spill.

This horrendous spill has directly impacted approximately 24 miles of shoreline with an oily sheen being seen for about 40 miles of the river. The clean up could take months with residual effects to local wetlands and creeks lasting into years.

In some locations, people have reported that the odor of oil was overwhelming, while in other areas, the river reeked of lemon-scented detergent that some 600 government workers are using for cleanup. Bradley Campbell, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, has stated the restoration of the river will likely cost in the millions of dollars.

Although this oil spill does not measure up to the devastation of the Exxon Valdez, one of the terrifying features about this recent spill in the Delaware River is that it could happen again, anywhere and anytime. Indeed, the Aethos was headed towards the New York City metro area and was to pass by Sandy Hook Bay before the spill in the Delaware River cut short its voyage.

When do we finally wake up and realize how dangerous it is to transport oil in single hulled ships? A ban on single-hulled ships in New Jersey is already past due.

Soon after the 1989 Exxon Valdez catastrophe, the United States government passed a law preventing single-hulled oil tankers from operating in American waters. Unfortunately, due to pressure from oil companies, this law does not take effect until 2015. Thus, we have to wait around eleven more years for our coastline to be somewhat safe from oil spills.

Many people have long alerted federal officials that single-hulled oil tankers like the Athos are not able to hold up to accidents in contrast to more resilient double-hulled ships that have a second layer of steel to protect oil storage tanks. In Europe, single hulled tankers were recently banned from entering their waters following an oil spill that released 17 million gallons of oil off the coastline of Spain.

The only piece of good news resulting from the November oil spill in the Delaware River is that NJ Assemblyman Steve Corodemus stated he would soon introduce legislation prohibiting single hulled ships from entering New Jersey waters. He declared in his press release that “This spill is an indicator that a gradual phase-out is just not enough. We can not sit back for another decade as these unsafe ships continue to enter our harbors and threaten our waterways.” I totally agree!

Please write to Assemblyman Corodemus to say you support this legislation. Then write to your state senator, two assembly people, and to Acting-Governor Cody to urge them to quickly enact legislation that bans single hulled tanker ships from entering NJ waters. They have a high probability of destroying our beautiful and environmentally sensitive coastline in the near future.

In addition, please express in your message that New Jersey taxpayers should not foot the bill for the clean up and restoration of the Delaware River ecosystem. The financial responsibility, in part, should belong to Tsakos Shipping and Trading SA, the Greek company that owns the 750-foot tanker.

To get started, below is information on how to reach NJ elected officials:

Assemblyman Corodemus’s email address: AsmCorodemus@njleg.state.nj.us

To contact Acting-Governor Cody, go to this web site: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html

To find your state senator and assembly people, check out this web site: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT  by Mark R. Vogel Contact : mark@ahherald.com

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CHEERS COMRADE

What comes to mind when you think of Russia? Communism? The Cold War? The Iron Curtain? As a chef and epicure, my first association is vodka! (And caviar of course). The Brits would agree. In the 16th century, the British ambassador to Russia deemed it their national drink.

The word vodka comes from the Russian "zbiznennaia voda" which translates as "water of life", a rather hospitable phrase that has been oxymoronically linked with bellicose, totalitarian regimes and evil dictators. Ivan the Terrible, the unspeakably ruthless and murderous first Czar of Russia, played a pivotal role in Vodka production and consumption. Ivan built the first taverns, (known as kabaks), for his equally merciless palace guard, the oprichniny, the 16th century precursor to the modern KGB. Ivan also initiated state owned distilleries in order to profit from the production and sale of vodka and other spirits. Likewise, a modern Devil incarnate, Joseph Stalin, also encouraged the expansion of vodka production to finance national defense. Finally, the more level headed Mikhail Gorbachev endeavored to curtail vodka and liquor production due to the rampant alcoholism in the USSR. However, the financial rewards of its sale won out in the long run. Lenin by the way, opposed drinking since he felt it would impede the goals of communism.

Exactly when vodka was first made is the subject of historical debate. Various sources place its genesis in the 12th, 14th, and 16th centuries. It didn't start gaining popularity in America though, until after World War II.

Vodka can be made from a variety of grains. Barley and wheat are the most common but corn and rye can be used as well. It can also be made from potatoes and beets. Grain vodkas are generally considered to be the best.

Vodka is a clear, neutral and nearly pure spirit due to the high proof distillation process. Early vodkas however, were crude and nearly unpalatable. They were often mixed with herbs, spices or honey to mask the offensive taste and harshness. Then, in the early 1800's, it was discovered that filtering it through activated charcoal created a significantly refined, smoother, and purer product.

Because of vodka's neutral flavor, it has become the spirit of choice for many mixed drinks. This "neutrality" though, is a function of an undeveloped palate. Connoisseurs of vodka can indeed detect flavor profiles, (and especially degrees of smoothness), amongst brands. It is because of the velvety texture and clean flavor of quality vodka that it has all but replaced gin in the standard martini. Moreover, the true vodka purist will forego the vermouth normally found in martinis and drink his vodka straight, in the traditional Russian manner. The only caveat is the vodka MUST be cold.

Ideally, the glass should be chilled beforehand. The vodka is then shaken over ice and strained into the glass. Common accompaniments are olives or a twist of lemon. For a slightly sweet alternative try a cherry. All of the utensils used to serve the vodka must be very clean. Because of vodka’s pristine flavor, subtle impurities in the glass, strainer or ice can be easily detected, especially if you have grown accustom to your favorite vodka's taste.

Since the 1980’s a number of flavored vodkas have arisen including, but certainly not limited to vanilla, lemon, orange, and even hot pepper. These are best for mixed drinks. Unflavored vodka is most suited for drinking straight. The addition of flavoring elements, while adding a new dimension in taste, sometimes comes at the expense of the vodka’s smoothness. I recommend the classic Russian brand Stolichnaya and if you can find it, Stolichnaya Gold. The Gold is their top of the line vodka and is analogous to drinking liquid silk.

A Russian psychiatrist I once worked with told me of a custom from his homeland. He and a friend would take a bottle of vodka out of the freezer. They would then drink shots of it, and attempt to finish the bottle before the frost on the glass melted. (Now you know where Gorbachev was coming from). Vodka can certainly stand alone but I recommend you try it with food as well. The victual of choice to be served with vodka is of course caviar but other kinds of seafood and various salty morsels are also good choices.

PENNE PASTA IN VODKA SAUCE

4 hot Italian sausage links
Olive oil as needed
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Half cup vodka
1 28-oz. can tomatoes
Half cup heavy cream
Chopped parsley and basil to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. Penne pasta

Remove the skin from the sausage and sauté it in the olive oil. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Deglaze the pan with the vodka, scraping the browned bits off the bottom. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes. (Break up the tomatoes if whole). Add the cream and simmer a few more minutes. Finish with basil and parsley and serve over the Penne.

COSMOPOLITAN

2 oz. lemon flavored vodka
1 oz. triple sec
Splash of lime juice
Splash of cranberry juice.

Chill a martini glass in the freezer. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice until three-quarters full. Pour in the vodka and triple sec and shake vigorously. Strain into martini glass and add the lime and cranberry juice. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

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JOBPATH by Caroline Ceniza-Levine caroline@ahherald.com www.thinkasinc.com

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Series on New Year Strategies (Part 1):

MAKE IT COUNT

The strategies that help us manage holiday shopping also help us achieve our goals for the new year. Make a gift list prior to shopping. Spend only what you can afford. It’s not a bargain if it’s not on your list anyway. These popular shopping tips translate into new year strategies:

Know the end goal. Like a gift list, a goal list keeps you on track. But an effective gift list takes into account not just the items, but what the giver is trying to express through giving them. Likewise, an effective goal list gets to what is truly meaningful in the accomplishment of the task. Losing 10 pounds is a task, but the goal might be to make health a priority in 2005.

Prioritize. A gift budget ensures that you have enough to spend for everyone and that you don’t shortchange one person because you happened to get to them last and ran out of money. Likewise, budget your energy and focus among goals. If 2005 is for making health, finances, and career a priority, make sure you have some reasonable goals within each. If your health plan includes joining a gym, getting a trainer, starting a special diet and reading 10 new fitness books, you might be breaking the bank (and therefore going against your finance goal) or taking too much time from your other responsibilities (and therefore going against your career goal).

Remember price, cost and value. I devoted a whole column to this idea (see February 2004) because it is that important. The price is set by the retailer. The cost is set by the market (for labor, for parts, etc). The value is set by YOU. Retailers heavily discount prices to attract the impulsive and undecided shopper. These prices may or may not reflect the retailers’ costs, but whether or not they reflect the item’s value is something that you control. You cannot be impulsive or undecided about your new year goals. What are your values? Make 2005 an expression of what you value. Make it count.

Caroline Ceniza-Levine, head of career consultancy CL Search Services, is also an adjunct professor of Professional Development at Columbia University and a career/life coach. Caroline can be reached at 212-502-8593 or at her website at www.thinkasinc.com

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SENIOR SAVVY by Bernice Roberts email - bernice@ahherald.com

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PUTTING VETERANS IN THEIR PLACE

We honor our veterans. Our nation's leaders keep reminding us to do that. We don't need reminders. Do they? Yes they do.

They dishonor our veterans whenever they try to keep the lid on the terrible problems that beset returning veterans, or even the troops who are still engaged in a war.

Witness the new report from the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses, tells us that the Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) is indeed a real illness. Did any of us ever think it wasn't? The nation as a whole knew it was real, but the pentagon, with the cooperation of the scientific community wanted to keep the lid on it because it is a politically and scientifically volatile issue.

The panel members say they were hampered by a lack of coordination and unwillingness of to make data available on the part of both the VA and the Defense Department.

It took fourteen years for this report to be made public. Now it is admitted that chemical exposures, depleted uranium munitions dust, explosions, and a host of other unnatural conditions have caused the multitude of symptoms including persistent fatigue, headaches, joint pain, numbness, diarrhea, and other health problems. A fungal blood infection is also a common finding. Family members have also become infected from this and other illnesses acquired in Iraq.

The indignities that these veterans endured during all this time, such as being referred for psychiatric treatment when they made known their physical complaints, is intolerable. The lack of appropriate treatment for them and their families is intolerable. I hope the American people will find it intolerable because today there are said to be 32,000 service members who are sick from hazardous exposures in the recent war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The VA had called it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It even makes it appear more benign when you name it with letters instead of spelling it out. But oh, if it were only that disorder.

Dr. Beatrice A. Golomb, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego, has been the scientific director of the Research Advisory Committee for much of its work. She says the panel had to go to different and broader scientific evidence than what had been studied in the past.

Pyridostigmine bromide was given to Gulf War soldiers to protect them from nerve gas. It has not yet been thoroughly checked for possible harmful effects, yet it has been given to our troops in Iraq today to block the possible effects of saran gas. Does the benefit outweigh the risk?

Bromides were discredited in 1975 when Bromo-Seltzer and Miles Laboratory's Nervine were pulled off the market. It was found that an excess of bromine caused psychotic episodes. Many people were released from psychiatric hospitals at that time when it was found that they had bromine intoxication rather than a true psychosis. Let's keep that in mind because psychiatric problems was a common misdiagnosis of many Gulf War vets.

So let's put our veterans in their place. THEY'RE NUMBER ONE.

More . . .

Some interesting studies that came out of London (BBC) about chocolate. Theobromine (there's that bromine word again) is the ingredient in chocolate that will suppress a cough. It is said to be at least a third more effective as codeine and also more effective than a cough suppressant drug store syrup. You'll have to buy expensive chocolate however because I've read that the cheap stuff won't even kill your dog. Not enough of the real ingredient.

Coco, stop snarling at me. I was only kidding about the 'killing your dog' part.

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NO BULL FISHING REPORT by Jay Cosgrove of Bahr's Landing Marina and Restaurant Highlands, NJ  jay@ahherald.com http://www.bahrs.com

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REPORTS OF RIVER, BAY AND OCEAN FISHING

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MA VOIX by Kerry Nolan

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DIRTY POLITICS IN NEW JERSEY

Who would have thought it? New Jersey politics? Dirty?

I, for one, am shocked SHOCKED that the Bedminster Republican Party would have resorted to such classless, low-ball tactics to get their candidates elected. In the event you hadn’t heard, the charmers in the Bedminster GOP sent around a flier the day before the election, accusing one particular Democratic candidate of being funded by “foreign nationals”. The candidate, Zaheer Jan, is of Indian ancestry and the implication was that he had ties to terrorists.

The story caught my eye because a similar tactic was employed by the Atlantic Highlands Republican Committee in the recent election. It hit very close to home because the focus of the lie was my husband, who is a Democratic Councilman and Treasurer of the Democratic Committee in Atlantic Highlands. I was thinking about how angry the Mr. Jan must have felt, being on the receiving end of a bush-league (and how appropriate that term feels these days…) sucker punch with no chance to rebut.

The Atlantic Highlands GOP Committee, including committee chair Jane Frotton, signed off on a flier accusing my husband, Carl Nolan, of accepting money from a foreign national. The fliers showed up in our mailboxes the day before the election. The company in question was Seastreak.

Seastreak is an American company – registered in Delaware. Unless I am mistaken, Delaware is still part of the US - in fact it’s one of the 13 original colonies; so Seastreak is free to make whatever political contributions – in cash or in-kind – are allowed by federal election laws. That their parent company is registered in Bermuda is irrelevant. Seastreak followed the law when it made a legal, in-kind contribution of $4800.00 to the Atlantic Highlands Democrats.

When I confronted GOP chair Mrs. Frotton about the flier later that day, she pulled the cigarette from her lips and told me that my husband had committed a crime – “he did it, he did it” she repeated. The fact is that he did nothing illegal, and was given no public chance to say so.

Small-town politics is an interesting, if toxic, pastime. The old guard wants to hang on to power so badly, they think it’s okay to stoop to both innuendo and outright lies. Heaven forbid there was actual bipartisan cooperation in town – after all, if I help you get your project off the ground, come election time you might actually have to give me some credit – and we can’t have that, can we? And it goes both ways. You would think that in a town as small as Atlantic Highlands, we would all be on the same page about how best to improve our schools, our municipal services, our waterfront – but apparently, the middle-school clique mentality endures well into middle age. It is unseemly. It is undignified. It is immature. It strangles the town and drives the good people, the ones who fight fair and want to affect positive change, out of the political arena. We are all poorer for that.

It would be nice for the Bedminster GOP to publicly apologize to Mr. Jan for smearing his name. It would be equally nice for the Atlantic Highlands GOP to do the same for my husband as well as harbor tenant and good neighbor Seastreak.

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LEND - A - HAND Volunteer Center of Monmouth County (732) 728-1927

The Volunteer Center of Monmouth County, (732) 728-1927, offers hundreds of unique volunteer opportunities.  The Center is now located at 1900 Highway 35, Oakhurst, NJ, and is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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IT'S ALL RELATIVE by Amy Shore

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AGAIN!

She was in her pink fuzzy blanket sleeper, her curly hair still damp from her bath, and her eyes were riveted on the TV. Lucy sat on the couch with her dad and big sister Miranda watching Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer for the very first time. Miranda loves this classic cartoon about Santa and how he realizes how special Rudolph is because he’s uniquely different. Now she was watching it with her little sister, and it was magical.

After reassembling the towels and putting the bath toys away in the bathroom, I joined the family just as the abominable snowman was entering the scene. “Ooooooo!” said Lucy, her eyes big, as she scrambled over the cushions to be near me. Her little arms and hands held me tight but she kept her eyes glued on the TV. We all acknowledged how scary the monster was, delighting in Lucy’s viewing.

Then—a commercial, of course.

“Again!” said Lucy. Whenever a song on the CD player finishes or a show on DVD ends, she says “again”—meaning, “it’s over and I want more.” So when she said ‘again’ this time, we knew she wanted to see more Rudolph. We laughed and told her to wait, that Rudolph was coming back in a few moments.

Sure enough, he was. We sang songs, clapped when Rudolph’s nose lit the way for Santa and the other reindeer, cheered when the misfit toys found loving homes, and waved goodbye to Santa as he flew back to the North Pole.

The End.

“Again!”

Uh oh. Lucy wanted more. But this was a cartoon on real-TV, and there was no more. The show was over.

“It’s all done!” I said to her, looking sad. “But wasn’t that a good one?”

Lucy’s face contorted almost immediately, her lips pouting, and she started to cry—really cry! Dave, Miranda, and I instantly comforted her, saying, “Oh, it’s ok! We’ll watch it again another time. Don’t be sad! We can watch something else now!” but, well, that just didn’t work.

Poor Lucy had to go to sleep wanting more. She didn’t realize that real-TV couldn’t be rewound and played again. It made me remember when I was a little girl, sitting in my pajamas on the carpet in front of the TV with my two younger brothers, all of us excited to watch with my parents the yearly holiday specials. We did the same for the Wizard of Oz when that was broadcast each year. Back then, there were no VCRs, DVDs, VHS, TiVo, cable television channels, and all the other fancy things kids have today to make instantaneous watching on demand possible. We were innocently unaware that these things would ever exist for our children. But they are here, and this generation has come to expect high tech viewing.The next morning as we were eating breakfast, Lucy started to wave toward the distant horizon, saying, “Bye!” and I realized she was repeating what we did last night when we said goodbye to Santa. So Miranda and I waved to the invisible Santa in the TV room, saying, “Goodbye!” Lucy smiled and giggled, even. Then she pointed to her nose and said, “Red.” She remembered the show. “Again!” she said, yet again, and Miranda and I looked at each other almost in tears.

So what did I do? Did I try to explain to my little one that that show was only on one time, and we would have to wait until next year to see it again? That we could sing the song “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” over and over again, remembering the show in our memories? That there were other specials on TV, and we would have to watch them instead?

Nah! I’m a parent of this new generation. Heading to the computer, I hopped online with a click of some keys, found the ISBN number for the Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer DVD, called the nearest book store to see if they had it in stock, asked them to put it on hold for me, and then, after Miranda went to school, Lucy and I hopped into the car and headed to the store to bring home our beloved show! I gave the store clerk my credit card, had it instantly approved, signed the receipt, and off we went, home, to watch again and again and AGAIN Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer!

However, unless I want to buy Frosty The Snowman, The Little Drummer Boy, and How The Grinch Stole Christmas, I better monitor what we watch on TV for the rest of this holiday season…or buy a VCR to tape each show!

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FERRY RIDER by Anne Smolenski Boiko

View Archive anne@ahherald.com

 

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POETS' LAIR by Area Poets

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SUMMERTIME CHRISTMAS

My home is called Summertime

Because of the love and warmth

It brings to me, my dog Larry

And two cats Yardley and Hope and brought

To my departed cat Heather.

It is this season of the year

That the beams of the summer sun

Still remain with all the happiness and joy

That inhabit this Bayshore abode.

Its decorations of the Yuletide,

Its Christmas tree of white and glorious ornaments

Sing loud the holiday carols.

Home baked pies, hot coffee, turkey and trimmings,

The sunshine of life we have

Never leaves these walls, it is a part of the home.

Merry Christmas to one and all

Good fortune, glad tidings stand tall,

In this house called Summertime!

Holly Bianchi

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(editors note: Do you have poetry to share? Send your submission to editor@ahherald.com.)

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Picture This!View Picture This! Archive

photo ALLAN DEAN

Send your response to editor@ahherald.com If you are the first person with the correct response we'll publish your name and the town where you live.

Picture This! We'll show you a photo each week - taken in Monmouth County - and you tell us where it is located.  If you have not won in the last 3 months and you know the answer, send your response to editor@ahherald.com along with your name and the town where you live. 

Be the first person to respond with the correct answer before next Thursday and we will publish your name and the town where you live.

Only those responses received on, or after, the date above will be accepted.

Last Week's Picture This! Answer

No one had the correct answer for this location A: Mt. Mitchill Scenic Overlook, Atlantic Highlands, NJ

 

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READER'S WRITE

The AH Herald provides this space for community commentary on issues of local importance.   The extended format of our Readers Write page will remind many of the Op-Ed pages in print newspapers. We hope you find the information compelling and informative. If you have something to say about a LOCAL issue, send your comments, along with your name, street address and daytime phone number to: editor@ahherald.com

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RESPONSE TO MAYOR SMITH'S COMMENTS REGARDING SANDY HOOK PLAN

Letter to the Editor

The National Park Service (NPS) has mislead the public over its plan to rehabilitate 36 and perhaps up to 78 Fort Hancock buildings when it announced a 60-year lease with a real estate speculator, because the lease isn’t a lease.

The NPS in July announced the signing with James Wassel of Rumson. Sandy Hook’s superintendent insisted the lease was valid, but he was recently contradicted at a hearing when another NPS official admitted, “it was an agreement to agree” -- not a valid lease.

Another example of misinformation is the gracious but nonetheless misleading comments recently made by Mayor Joan A. Smith of Middletown. Focusing on preserving the buildings, she sidestepped the impact privatizing and commercializing these buildings will have on recreation and conservation.

The mayor said she is “thrilled” that the Fort will be “put back on ‘active duty’ to the benefit of Monmouth County and New Jersey.” Actually, the Fort’s 10 service, environmental and educational organizations have been benefiting us for years. And she ignores other groups that have been thrown out or rejected in favor of Wassel.

Nor will education bloom simply because Wassel is there. Rutgers has a $1.5 million grant to rehab one building, and the N.J. Marine Sciences Consortium has a $500,000 grant for another. Wassel had no role in obtaining these funds but the NPS is making Rutgers work through him, I believe, to keep him afloat.

She also states, “As a National Historic Landmark District, Fort Hancock, by law must be preserved.” Wrong. The NPS wants us to believe this to justify its privatization and commercialization plan, but there is no such statutory gun to our collective heads.

She argues we must accept “public-private partnerships” because no public funds are available for rehabilitation. Should we reverse 130 year of conservation by letting bars, restaurants, and other businesses into our national parks because many avarice congressmen see them as lucrative business opportunities for their financial backers? There are better solutions.

Sounding a lot like the developer in making much of the research and educational programs now at Fort Hancock, she says the developer’s “hospitality services will provide meeting space to share this research…” Hogwash. Wassel wraps himself in the educational flag to paint his ventures as supporting existing organizations at the Hook, but this is really a cover story. His initial plan for a bar and restaurant, a conference center, and several B&B’s is to generate a much-needed cash flow. His ventures are about making money, and not advancing the march of knowledge.

This project’s endgame is to allow commercial offices and other businesses into Fort Hancock. The phony lease not only allows changes in building uses, one clause requires "…such approval for change not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed...” In effect, the developer has an open-ended deal to use perhaps up to 78 buildings for commercial use.

“I am also pleased this partnership will add to the richness of cultural arts, education, and heritage programs…,” Mrs. Smith writes. Given the “usage” escape clause in the phony lease, how will businesses that are not even remotely connected to serving park visitors enrich our lives?

She claims there will be no new buildings. Wrong. The proposed lease allows for new buildings to be built within the footprint of former buildings. One candidate is the Officers’ Club. Once the cornerstone of the NPS’s plan, it unaccountably has been removed from a proposed five-year rehab plan. The reason, I suspect, is to let the building deteriorate further and then replace it with a modern hotel.

The mayor says no additional parking is needed. This is misleading. North Beach will lose between 665 to 1,400 spaces for 36 to 78 buildings. As recreational opportunities decline and population expands, Wassel’s commercial ventures could block 2,600 to 5,600 citizens a day from Sandy Hook’s beaches when the overcrowded park often closes before noontime.

She claims “the dollars” from this project will help support other programs at Sandy Hook. I doubt it. The developer has wrangled free use of the old park headquarters and wants the Mule Barn for his bar and restaurant, both already rehabbed with our tax dollars. He also is piggybacking on grants from Rutgers to rehab one building and will enjoy steep cuts in his rental fees to the NPS for at least five years. I don’t see dollars flowing soon.

Also, a rehabilitation program costing $80 million (one of many figures floating around) could cost taxpayers almost $17 million in historic tax subsidies and $22 million in tax write-offs for the developer -- almost $40 million in lost taxes. Ironically, the NPS could do the job for about $28 million-- without the commercial invasion.

Considering Middletown’s contentious battles over development, Mayor Smith should be more suspect of a developer’s blandishments.

Others are not so trusting. U.S. Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group, the (N.J.) Sierra Club, the N.J. Environmental Foundation, Monmouth Friends of Clearwater, several local mayors and town councils, the Asbury Park Press, The HUB and Atlanticville newspapers, the Two River Times, and the Wild Wilderness Organization oppose this project. For more on why this project must be stopped, please peruse www.savesandyhook.org.

George Moffatt

Mrs. Moffatt of Oceanport is a board member Save Sandy Hook.

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OPEN LETTER TO LEGISLATORS ON ATAXIA TELANGIECTASIA

Yet another year has gone by with no cure to Ataxia Telangiectasia. We discovered my two boys Nick and Matt had this fatal genetic disorder three years ago. Over that time I have ask for the government's help and have received none.  My family has formed the AT Ease Foundation, which has raised over $100,000 in research money towards this disorder. I have visited Washington five times over this time yet my boys and other children with this disorder have received nothing.  I bet you do not even remember what AT is, but you remember the baseballs commissioner testimony in front of the sub committees or you might interfere with steriod use in baseball.  But do anything about a disorder  that puts children in wheels by the age of ten and kills them in their late teens, impossible. Will any of you stand up for kids with AT.

Stephen Leo
Closter, NJ

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LOCAL CHARITY THANKS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR SUPPORT

I am writing to offer my heartfelt thanks to David Legg of the NJ American Water Company, Crissy Tomaine, Kristen Sommerville, and all of the members of the Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce for their recent Holiday Gala celebration which benefited the local charity Michael’s Feat. By raising money and gifts at the event at the Quay restaurant, the Chamber members are helping seriously ill newborns and their families receiving care at the 5 Monmouth County area hospitals. While this might be news to some of the readers, charity, service and a focus on the community is nothing new to the special folks who make up this fantastic Chamber of Commerce.

Crissy and Kristen represent a chamber membership made up of the best people in all of Monmouth County. Without exception. And since Monmouth is the best place New Jersey has to offer, you know where that places these wonderful business leaders – the top. For you see, the Chamber has been sponsoring Michael’s Feat events and fundraisers since the day my son passed away in August of 2000. Among the first gifts ever received to the charity came from the great people of the NMCC. Throughout the year, if you attend Chamber events, you’ll meet people who run Boy Scout troops, volunteer for their churches, collect gifts for our brave soldiers, and in every other way make Monmouth County the best place to live and work.

Our nation flourishes because of the hard work of entrepreneurs and small business people. It is on their backs that all the taxes are paid, and services are rendered. It would be enough for them to pay their share and spend their other free moments with their families. But instead, they volunteer, serve others, and support local causes like Michael’s Feat. The next time you drive down main street and see the signs for the local attorney, accountant, restaurant owner, or office furniture sales person – remember that our communities thrive because of citizens such as these.

And just one last item about Crissy and Kristen. Thank you. You’re the best. We at Michael’s Feat are forever in your debt.

Adam Puharic
Co-founder, Michael’s Feat
www.michaelsfeat.org

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PROPERTY TAX REFORM NEEDS UNITED VOICE

To the Editor:

Recently, Carl Golden wrote a stinging commentary on why property tax reform as might occur through a constitutional convention is quickly going down the tubes. He names particular groups with a vested interest in the status quo as sabotaging the endeavor. The NJEA receives the most attention in his article. That is rightly so, as it is the single most powerful political organization in N.J. Politicians cower at the prospect of their wrath.

Vested interest in the retention of the property tax, no matter how lousy the repercussions, is better—as Mr. Golden states—than the unknown. Why else is it that we fail to see the state school boards association or the league of municipalities crying out as one for an end to this archaic form of funding their respective areas of purview?

Unfortunately, as much as Mr. Golden desires property tax reform, his article reveals the singular reason why he and those who agree with this goal have been unable to effect that end. He and they repeatedly use the phrase or similar language of “reduction in property taxes.” The presupposition is that the property tax is to remain in place, we just need to lessen how much is collected.

When reform-minded groups assume the legitimacy and continuance of the property tax, they open themselves up to the morass that a multiplicity of proposed fixes brings on. This means there is no united voice except in the area for the need for reform. There is no unified game plan or specific outcome the public can rally behind. With disparate groups jockeying to become the leading voice for reform, none do because there are too many different solutions being offered. Clamoring for reform is not enough.

If these groups would all unite around the obvious, they would better be able to be heard. The obvious is that the property tax needs to be eliminated. That single message must be the first and foremost goal. It would make clear that the property tax is not only outdated but outright oppressive and unjust. Elimination of it is the only fair way to address these realities.

One response to this may be that alternate funding of education, county and municipal services would still have to be found. Obviously, but that is the case whether or not the property tax remains. If it remains, it will be tinkered with and some sort of supplemental funding for education will be found, but nothing will be done for county or municipal operations. And even if the property tax for education budgets could be reduced 50%, that would only amount to 30% of one’s entire property tax bill. And with the tax still in place it will inevitably be tapped as a revenue source and, before long, once again, be a candidate for “reduction.”

But if the property tax is eliminated (and that should include the nonstarter of a state property tax—the mistake Michigan made), 100% funding for all three of its present recipients will still be found; of necessity. But nothing as inequitable as the property tax could ever be put in place, even if it were in the form of a local income tax. Finally, those unable to afford to pay taxes will not be penalized for merely owning a home. They would also not have to fear losing their home simply because they are on retirement income or out of work.

The fundamental problem in this present public discussion of what to do about the property tax is that it has not been looked for what it is at in and of itself. The focus repeated returns to whether it is too much, not whether it is fair and just. It is a tax system that was relevant when one’s ability to pay taxes was directly related to the amount of property they owned. This is no longer the case.

It is time for those who want property tax reform to unite with a single voice. The message must be: Eliminate the property tax for all time.

John C. Hendrickson
River Plaza, NJ

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BANNING GOD FROM SCHOOLS

Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, is acknowledged as a universal holiday. The theme of Peace on Earth and Good Will towards men is perpetually contemporary. The economy of the world is bolstered to profitability due to an ecumenical sense of sharing our many blessings. Workers cherish the thought of receiving, not a holiday bonus, not a year-end bonus, but, a Christmas bonus.

The busiest time and heaviest delivery workloads for postal and package delivery services, is Christmas time. Isn’t it interesting that every single recording artist, regardless of personal religious belief, has recorded a Christmas album?

Prime time network television is sure to broadcast the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City every year. Young and old alike cherish the magic of Christmas. Sure, there are other religious observances during this time of year, but you can’t deny that this time of year is universally referred to as Christmastime!

The decision of the South Orange / Maplewood Board of Education to ban music with “ a religious orientation or focus on religious holidays” is absurd! Indeed, as Maplewood resident Shirlee Gross stated, “….we (South Orange / Maplewood) have become the laughing stock of the country.”

The United States of America, the greatest country in the world, was founded as “One Nation Under God”. God has bestowed upon us countless blessings. The founding fathers of our great country recognized and acknowledged God’s divine providence in each and every official document from the Declaration of Independence, to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Isn’t it sad that those involved in the concerted efforts to remove God from our school systems have seen fit to deny Christmas and place it in the closet?

I have noticed something while watching soldiers in battle, sports athletes in competition, students preparing for an important exam, patients battling a serious illness, employees facing an intolerant employer….they all say a little prayer to God that they will succeed in their endeavor. I’m betting that you do too! It is wrong to deny God. It is wrong to deny the celebration of the birth of His son, and the hope and promise that this birth has brought to the world. Merry Christmas!

Stephen E. Cosgriff Sr.
Keansburg, NJ

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Remarkable Bargains BUY - SELL List Your Garage Sale PHOTO ADS Place Your Classified Ad Today 732-872-1957 AHHerald Boats For Sale click here

REAL ESTATE HOUSES FOR SALE Buying or Selling your home call Patrick Pecora at Weichert Realtors 732-671-8000 (0415) APARTMENT FOR RENT Vacancies? Put your ad here. OFFICE OR CLASSROOM Space available for non-profit education or government organization. Contributions for utilities and maintenance negotiable. (732) 291-0485. AUTOS 1994 Plymouth Voyager SE 7-passenger van Good Condition. Power steering, power brakes, power windows, passenger and driver air bags, tilt steering, cruise control, tinted windows, am/fm/cassette, tires have less than 8,000 miles on them. New Rear wheel bearing. New steering knuckles. Recent a/c compressor replacement. 132,000 mi. call 908-902-0333 1993 Nissan Quest - 84,456 mi. -  $3495 see gallery HELP WANTED Earn money for the holidays! Or start your own business! Independent AVON representatives expanding my business. Now recruiting new representatives and helpers. Please call Melissa Rivers for more info. 732-787-0740 or email avoncalling12@aol.com 12/9 Community Websites Select Your Herald Community Atlantic Highlands Fair Haven Highlands Keansburg Little Silver Middletown Monmouth Beach Red Bank Rumson Sea Bright

GARAGE/YARD SALES Put your ad here. 50 words / $5 MEN SINGERS WANTED The Red Bank Area Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, SPEBSQSA offers men the opportunity to sing in four part harmony each week with the chorus.  No experience needed, just the love of singing.  Our 50 year old organization meets at Red Bank Middle School, Harding Road, Red Bank every Tuesday evening from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the auditorium.  For more information visit our website at: http://users.aol.com/oldsongs/ ADOPTION Considering Adoption? Let us help! Don't get lost in a big agency. Personal help 24/7 from a birth mom that knows how you feel and cares! Loving families look forward to raising a child in an open adoption! Call Coley at 1-877-877-3459 or www.2kindsoflove.com NO PRESSURE!

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EVENTS: - click here

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CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

For a complete listing of area clubs, and organizations click here:

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