TRENTON, N.J. — Eleven public officials from across New Jersey, including a mayor and two state...

[wake.up.america]

Source: FoxNews.com



TRENTON, N.J. — Eleven public officials from across New Jersey, including a mayor and two state lawmakers, were arrested Thursday in federal corruption investigation, a law enforcement official said.

Democratic state Assemblymen Mims Hackett Jr. and Alfred E. Steele were among those arrested, along with Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera. The chief of staff to Newark's City Council president was also arrested, the official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to upstage a formal announcement, said the arrests were related to insurance contracts for local governments.

The official said the arrests were related to insurance contracts for local governments.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295929,00.html

[Maribelle]

1. ROTFLOL - Bush's AGs go after local governments' insurance contracts, little guys

and totally ignore the corrupt contracts worth billions Bush doled out to his corrupt cronies totally upstaging other infamous gangsters.

"Federal corruption investigators" are highly overpaid for the paltry work they are doing. They should be giving money back to the tax payers, not sucking up more.

[redqueen]

3. Not paltry work, they're not expected to bother the guys in charge.

They're doing what they're paid to do.

[Maribelle]

5. They're doing what they're told to do - go after democrats.

The corruption of Bush's Attorney General's office has drilled deep.

[redqueen]

6. Exactly.

Small fry Dems = BIG targets.

Huge, rotting, stinking, corrupt republicans costing us billions = invisible.

[tom_paine]

10. Yep. The criminality of a Nazified or Bushified Executive Branch cannot be ignored

No question, the Loyal Bushie attorneys are going to turn up the heat on small-fry Dems while turning the blind eye to bigtime Republic Party crooks.

[LiberalEsto]

2. This is NJ - no big deal

A politician practically can't get elected in New Jersey unless they've been indicted.

I was a newspaper reporter in NJ from 1972 to 1990.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Screw Fox and go to the source...

The Star-Ledger has the story. Bergen Record probably has one, too. Note that having lived next to Newark for about 15 years, this sort of thing was at least a weekly occurence. For a long time the Jersey City reservoir didn't even bother to put the Mayor's name on the sign because they never knew when the next one would be indicted.

Oh, and while this Republican Christie hasn't bothered to go after corrupt Republicans that much, it's not because they're not there-- it's simply because the fidhing is so much better in Democratic waters.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/09/fbi_arrests_a_dozen_nj_public.html

Digging through the comments, half by Republicans who note gleefully that it's all Democrats been arrested, is this little ditty:


Posted by ChelseaGuy on 09/06/07 at 10:21AM

NJ State Song
Sung to the melody of
UNDER THE BOARDWALK,
the 1964 hit by the Drifters

UNDER INDICTMENT

Oh, when the Feds swoop down
And burn the mask off all your loot
And your desk gets so hot
You wish the drawers were fireproof
Under indictment
Down by the jail
On the docket with your lawyer
Hoping you can make your bail

Under Indictment Out of the loop
Under Indictment The Ledger has the scoop
Under indictment People walking away
Under indictment Caught paying 2 play
Under indictment, ‘dictment

Oh, When the bag man comes
With the bribes that you thought were due
But the wire he’s wearing means
Your career is through

Under indictment
Down by the Jail
Doin’ perp walks with the sheriff
Cause you can’t make the bail

Then the jury returns
And you hope that they’ll set you free
But you see by their faces
That free you will not be

Now you’re a felon
And you’re going to jail
You’ll look great in an orange jumpsuit
And the jailers will screen your mail.

Oh, on that first day
You’ll be so scared that you cannot speak
But at supper it'll look like
It could be old friends’ week
After conviction,
Ain’t got no phone
Hope you're fond of the town of Rahway
Cause to you it's home sweet home

[LiberalEsto]

7. Great song, brings back memories

I was a Star-Ledger reporter from 1979 to 1990.

Getting indicted is virtually a badge of initiation in NJ, no matter which party.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. I tried to get a job there, but it was tough...

seemed like a great place to work, though. Always a good read. Hope it's keepinmg up the good work with the new owners.

I lived in Elizabeth, and while I got regular reports of Newark and Essex County doings, I never heard much about my own nest of vipers. Every couple of months it looked like the sheriff weas finally catching up to Hizzoner, but the wiley bastard snuck away each time.

Maybe we just had smarter crooks in Union. Last I heard, Lesniak is retiring so maybe we'll see a few more indictments coming down that way.

[LiberalEsto]

11. Actually it's much better there now

They've been doing actual investigative reporting since the old guard editors retired over the past decade or so. When I was there they had somewhat of a "business as usual, let's not step on anybody's toes" approach. One of my best friends has worked there for over 30 years and she loves how it's changed for the better.

Generally they used to hire people from the state's smaller dailies and put them on beats where they would compete with those papers. I was hired from the (now gone) Woodbridge News-Tribune. I have no idea what the hiring policy has been in recent years.

[LiberalAndProud]

8. state assemblymen, mayors and current and former councilmen

Keeping our party honest at the local level, aren't they ...