Attacks and Smears Against Corzine Continue!

David W. Chen, "The Governor Of New Jersey Often Wasn't In New Jersey," in The New York Times, April 29, 2007, at p. B29.


With Mr. Corzine's return to Trenton, attacks against him -- disseminated by media friends or employees of the Jersey Boys -- are increasing in intensity and viciousness. Mr. Corzine's trips outside the state are now being subjected to scrutiny. Zulima Farber's experiences are pleasant by comparison. Recently Corzine was depicted dancing with a woman with whom he was "involved" for some reason. What Corzine does with his own money or the history of his relationships is an irrelevant distraction from the crimes committed by the Trenton Syndicate.

Corzine is accused of "escaping" the Garden State (for which I would not blame him). Actually, it is well-settled that a person with "reasonable fear" for his physical safety has every right to depart a jurisdiction under the doctrine of "necessity." No one is required to return to a torture chamber or to make himself available for assassination.

Given the mysterious habits of drivers of red pickup trucks -- and some state troopers -- Mr. Corzine would do well to stay off the roads in New Jersey for a while, also to hire his own bodyguards and keep his back to the wall at all times. Don't eat any lunch brought to you by Richard J. Codey, Jon.

I wonder if Corzine regrets leaving the U.S. Senate? I suspect so.

In addition to threatening a victim's physical safety, the Trenton Syndicate likes to have underlings (or hirelings) file grievances or complaints -- even preparing them, sometimes, for "complainants" who often cannot even read them -- against those they target for destruction. Attacks against Mr. Corzine will always come while his back is turned. Preferably, from someone who calls himself a supporter or "friend" of the Governor. This is yet another reason for Mr. Corzine to be wary of remaining in New Jersey unprotected.

New Jersey's swamplands have been known to contain more than one corpse floating by on pleasant summer evenings, adding to that punget odor of ethical rot for which the state's swamps and the "Old Raritan" are justly famous. Many such corpses were once popular politicians in the state, but are now only victims of New Jersey's rough political tradition of mob dominance of government and the judiciary. "Hey, they had it coming ..." the Jersey Boys say.

Meanwhile, as politicians scheme to destroy one another's lives, GM has fallen behind in global car sales for the first time in 75 years to Japan's leading automaker, Toyota. Global pollution rates are reaching dangerous levels -- and nowhere more so than in New Jersey's "cancer alley" -- while technology and science students are increasingly recruited from other countries, for the same reason corporations hire foreign workers over Americans in high tech jobs: education levels are better and so is performance in many places outside the United States. Ireland, for example, is the destination of choice for insurance companies and high tech industries looking for a well-educated work force at reasonable rates. Also, Iraq is less than a glowing success for the U.S. government. Headlines focus on alleged love affairs between governors and union leaders. Who cares? I don't.

Rather than admitting errors -- or even crimes -- "ass covering" operations designed to conceal atrocities and obvious bungling are the tired responses of old school, machine politicians in places like New Jersey. This is usually combined with character assassination "attempts" against critics in the mass media and rival politicians. The results for the state and country are not good.

"How the hell are ya?" Trenton's politicians ask, with a greasy hand extended and a capped-toothed smile, reeking of insincerity and halitosis.

Isn't it time to do the right thing? Get well soon Governor Corzine.