PROTECTING THOSE WHO PROTECT US

PROTECTING THOSE WHO PROTECT US

A-3559 

Tomorrow Governor Corzine will deliver his budget message.  It will take a couple of days to review and respond, but rest assured, I will and in detail. 

In the meantime, I think it is important to mention a very critical bill that needs to be looked at immediately if not sooner and that bill is A-3559 which will protect military serving overseas from eminent domain abuse.

Before I get to that, I’d like to thank those of you who have taken the time to post commentary about my columns.  I find encouragement especially from the negative comments, which act as a kind of catalyst for my writing.  We’ve been having a lively debate about the role of prosecutors and the degree to which they apply the law in individual cases. 

There are so many laws today that prosecutors often have the ability to behave selectively.  Selective, does not always serve justice, even when clothed as “prosecutorial discretion”. 

New Jersey voter/CNN commentator Lou Dobbs – yes, “Mr. Independent” himself – has reported on many occasions how during the Bush years it was not fashionable for federal prosecutors to enforce laws to combat illegal immigration.  As Mr. Dobbs reported, some prosecutors have even argued that it wasn’t a crime to be in the United States illegally.  I agree with those who call this line of thinking “legal mumbo jumbo”. 

I’m going to examine more of these cases in my upcoming columns.  My purpose is to expose some of these selective calls to scrutiny and to pose a few questions of my own.  My critics have asked for more detail.  The space I have here doesn’t lend itself to those details, but my critics have spurred me to find a solution.

To satisfy my critics, I’ve reached out to bloggers from across the political spectrum and they have agreed to post the details of individual cases.  In this way, the readers of this column can follow the links and read for themselves the statements of investigators, prosecutors, journalists, defense attorneys, and judges.  The documents will be there to view so that you, the reader, can form your own questions, independent of mine. 

Of course, none of us can answer those questions, only the man who was in-charge can explain what he did and why.  Whether he will or not is out of our hands, but it won’t hurt to ask:

NOW ONTO A NEW ISSUE:

New Jersey is one of just a handful of states that have done nothing to curb government abuse of eminent domain.  Even worse is that government bureaucrats are allowed to confiscate the property of those serving our country in the military – even while they are overseas defending our freedom. 

Can you imagine coming home from Iraq, Afghanistan, or anywhere else in the world where you have been serving our country, to find that your property has been stolen through eminent domain abuse?  No American can stand for this and New Jersey cannot stand for it. 

A-3559 stops government from taking the property of those serving our country.  It is bi-partisan legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Alison McHose (whose husband has twice served overseas as a member of the New Jersey National Guard), Assemblymen Jack Conners and Gary Chiusano.  Co-sponsors include Pete Biondi, Marcia Karrow, Rick Merkt, Mike Doherty, Dave Rible, Gary Schaer, Dawn Marie Addiego, Vince Polistina, Dave Wolfe, Eric Munoz, Jim Holzapfel, Charlotte Vandervalk, Ralph Caputo, Pat Diegnan, and Connie Wagner.

The law simply freezes eminent domain proceedings against the home or property of someone serving overseas until he or she has been released from duty and is available to put up a defense against government taking.  Someone dodging bullets in the hills of Afghanistan shouldn’t have the added worry of government putting his wife and kids out on the street. 

A-3559 was supposed to be heard in committee back in February – then on March 12th. 

Now its hearing has been delayed again.  There are rumors that the state DEP doesn’t find the bill “convenient”.  The people the government sends overseas to defend us should be placed before the convenience of state bureaucrats. 

A hearing will provide a forum for asking questions and getting answers.  Why is everyone in New Jersey so afraid of people asking questions and looking for answers?

President Obama has initiated a troop surge in Afghanistan and has made it very clear that American troops will be in combat zones overseas for the foreseeable future.  A-3559 should be heard in committee for their sakes.