Protesters at first 'Save Muhlenberg' rally, March, 2008.
Plainfield's inimitable Dottie Gutenkauf has written an election piece attacking Republican candidates 'Bo' Vastine and Marty Marks, which was given prominent display under its 'Guest Commentary' section by the Courier in Sunday's print edition.
The piece was called to my attention by a reader in an email yesterday, which led me to look into how I missed it.
Turns out it was in the PRINT EDITION of the paper on Sunday, but NOT ONLINE. As I have pointed out before, I put the CLIPS blog together early in the AM from online sources (it is, after all, LINKS to online stories).
Since it was not online, I did not catch it, though I did pick up three Courier pieces, including an anti-Chris-Christie letter to the editor by Tiran Billlups.
It was evidently put up by the Courier staff later on Sunday, and can be found here.
Dottie makes a full-throated defense of the notion that only those who personed the barricades have a legitimate right to comment on the Muhlenberg situation.
While her portrayal of the involvement (heroic, she thinks) of Jerry Green and Linda Stender, as well as Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, may be open to other interpretations, she certainly has a right to hers. Just don't mistake it for what journalists like to call 'objective' reporting.
This incident just underscores one of my ongoing peeves with the Courier -- the inconsistent way the online version squares up with the print edition.
For instance, weekend before last there were two items on Parliament Funkadelic founders Ernie Worrell (who has a new group, SociaLybrium) and George Clinton (who has an upcoming gig at the War Memorial in Trenton) -- see the CLIPS page here.
My gridge? The Worrell story, lengthy and worthwhile, covering the less-famous Funkadelic founder and his migration to a new phase, was eminently worth sharing. Unfortunately, it was not online, and an email inquiry to the managing editor got a response that it would not be put up, period. The less noteworthy, and very brief, George Clinton item was, however, available for all online. Go figure.
I am not sure Gutenkauf's rant is anything more than pablum for the preconvinced, but it is your right to read it.
Go ahead.
The march looped along the Park Avenue sidewalk.
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19 comments:
While I am no fan of JG or his ventriloquist act of a Mayor, you have to be kidding me when you call Dottie partisan without turning the same accusation on yourself. Just because you stick a question mark after any rumor as if to protect yourself from accuracy doesn't make you a any less partisan. It just sensationalizes a claim that you cannot verify or for that matter ever go back and correct. And for the record, I think it is healthy that Plainfield has bloggers that care about their city.
Per that piece: She is right in what she wrote. " THE REPUBLICANS DIDN'T HELP " . They weren't in power, they weren't controlling the purse strings and they most certainly weren't calling the shots. Mayor Jerry's Party was and is. The very SAME party he claims there isn't a thing he has asked for that he hasn't received. So, let's look at that statement and look at Plainfield. We have a closed hospital, a barely living downtown that barely attract more than $1 stores, no new investment, a city that lacks effective competent leadership ( at his own hands ), a declining tax base and taxes on the rise with no services to speak of to justify it. So, since Mayor Jerry likes to think he has received EVERYTHING he has asked for from his party in power I would like to know WHY HE DIDN'T ASK FOR THE HOSPITAL TO REMAIN OPEN, WHY WE DON'T HAVE A THRIVING DOWNTOWN, WHY WE HAVE AN INCOMPETENT MAYOR AND WHY TAXES ARE RISING IN THIS FAR FROM "TONY" Town ??? Why Jerry ??? Why ??? And more importantly Dottie...how can you hold anyone BUT Jerry and Sharon responsible - Shame on you for toeing a party line simply because you always have and for not recognizing it was YOUR PARTY that let Plainfield down. Not the party that wasn't pulling the strings.
@8:38 AM -- You have SOooo outed me! And all these years I thought no one would notice I was -- gasp! -- partisan!
As for the little question mark thingies -- let's take an example.....
How about the Corzine camp's 'questionable' displeasure with the little RED campaign signs that had sprouted up -- courtesy of an unnamed party -- bearing Corzine's name?
Within a few days of my 'questionable' post, identical signs in BLUE began to spring up.
Coincidence, no?!
Dottie's interpretation of involvement is that they spoke at a gathering.
Involvement would have been the mayor showing up at Muhlenburg board meetings, on which she is a member, and NEVER did.
Not hearing too much involvement about holding hospital committee meetings - not hearing too much involvement about getting more EMSs so people don't have to wait for an hour to get to a hospital, don't hear too much from Jerry about leadership and what he is doing to try to get a buyer - come to think of it, you don't hear from Jerry at all until it is time to get him, or someone he wants, elected.
I work two jobs and couldn't be on the lines at Muhlenberg, but I was involved in calling and writing my politicians. To say Jerry and Sharon should be elected because of involvement in this or that the Republicans are at fault is onerous and deceitful. Gerry and Sharon did not put much effort into this as we can see by the way they govern.
Unless Sharon and Gerry can line their pockets with our money, they aren't able to help. Sharon has used Plainfield's treasury in a way that is illegal, her half million dollar body guards, misuse of CFO powers, and more are enough reason to give her the heave hoe. Let's be honest and call a snake a snake and a bad politician a bad politician.
Why give any time to Dottie? She's Jerry and Sharon's assgirl.
Hmmm . . .
Dottie G along with Jerry Green and Sharon Robinson-Briggs speaking out on behalf of saving Muhlenberg is like them giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to a dead person that they have no desire to resuscitate.
Right . . . Anonymous 8:38AM ???
I have to agree with the first comment Dan. You do say all kinds of outlandish things, and then stick that little question mark after them.
In this case, while I too am no fan of DG she is right on all the counts. She deserves our commendation, not demeaning treatement as you and Rob and your other cohorts are attacking her on.
And what is that Rob - I think he has lost it totally!
Anon 12:36 and "Yep I said it":
Such great words - such wisdom.
You must be real big men. Wow!
@8:21 -- You need to go back and review the actual history of the lawsuit about the Muhlenberg closure, and see the actual genesis of the idea. I think you will find it differs from Dottie's portrayal in her OpEd. Ask the hundreds of other Muhlenberg supporters who were involved. History, as they say, gets written by those who volunteer to be Secretary.
As for the 'question marks', I will be happy to correct any you point out that turned out not to be the case, just give me chapter and verse.
There has to be a distinction between not liking the way I write (to which you are totally entitled) and whether there are errors (which you should point out if you are really serious).
To Anonymous at 8:21 - You may think I am "attacking" DG while I am not. I am merely stating out loud what others are saying. DG is toeing the party line and defending those that deserve condemnation not praise for their lack of effort, lack of caring and lack of service to Plainfield. DG was the one of the first ones out on the field demanding and calling for their intervention and action to which Mayor Jerry and Assistant Mayor Sharon responded with SILENCE for months. So, for her to be calling out the Republican Party -- Not in power here in Plainfield, Union County or The State Government is a blatant and foolhardy toeing of the party line which only serves to make her voice dramatically less reliable. Call a spade a spade... Democrats were and ARE in power in Plainfield, Union County and the NJ State Government. While the Republicans may not have stopped it, the responsibility lays at the feet of those who could have stopped the closure of the hospital:
- Assistant Mayor Sharon ( D )
- Charlotte DeFilippo Chairman Union County ( D )
- Assemblyman Jerry Green ( D )
- NJ State Assembly Leader Joe Roberts ( D )
- NJ State Senate President Dick Codey ( D )
- NJ Governor Jon Corzine ( D )
--- You & DG are right, damn those Republicans for NOT stopping the closure of the hospital. Now, if only we could get the Republicans to accept responsibility for the Crusades the world would be right. If ignorance is bliss you have quite a fine party you must be attending with some of the local party line people...tell the Lead Village Idiot the rest of us in the real world said HI. Yes, that would be Mayor Jerry.
I was significantlly involved in Muhlenburg and the bottom line is NO ONE in power in Plainfield DID ANYTHING MEANINGFUL to stop the closure.
We had a previous assemblyman who was willing to work with the town on putting together a deal for the hospital -- a deal that would have kept it a full-service hospital, developed it, added senior services. He knew all the players in Trenton and had the connection to money.
He told Green, Sharon and the Council that they could stop Solaris in their tracks if they did one simple thing -- threaten condemnation. That would have brought Solaris to the negotiation table, and we would still have Mulhenberg.
But all of them -- to a man and woman, were gutless, afraid of pissing off the powers that be, afraid of lawsuits -- just afraid.
It was better for ALL their polical careers to sit on the sidelines, wringing their hands, crying they couldn't do anything.
Great leadership is about taking bold moves to do what is right.
We do not have, nor never have had, great leadership.
To attack the Republicans because they did nothing ... well the Democrats did nothing either. They just went through impotent, meanless, motions.
I will be voting for the Republicans. I say give new people a chance.
Olive Lynch
...Facts matter, and in this case the facts speak for themselves. And Plainfield voters are smart enough to look at the facts before they vote...doubtful! Plainfield voters ignore the facts, drink the Kool Aid and give bad leaders a free pass. The "facts" are the hospital is closed and whining about how the Republicans are just taking interest in this cause just goes to show the big hypocrites that the Dems are. Since when is saving a hospital a Dem or Republican issue? I would vote for the Communist party if they could find a way to make Plainfield work again. Jerry and Sharon's shill may have written a nice piece, but it still makes me wonder how they all sleep at night.
What a good little pawn. Dottie your paycheck is in the mail and maybe a plum job in the second Robinson-Briggs administration.
Rob,
Don't forget Linda Stender for the perp walk photo.
Where was she on Muhlenberg? She never comes to Plainfield unless it's a photo op, the perp walk would be a perfect opportunity.
To Anonymous: I, like most people IGNORE "Stender The Spender" ... she, like Assistant Mayor Sharon ONLY do, say and act like Mayor Jerry tells them to. Talk about 2 examples of women in power not living up to ANYONE's expectations. Gloria Steinem would be disgusted with our two local empty suits
8:21AM . . . ummm . . . when are you going to come back to this blog and say . . .
"Ha Ha . . . Gotcha! Just kidding witcha!!!" ???
Hi Dan,
Just a cute observation. Yesterday, while out and about in our fair city, I noticed the SharPiv sandwiches popping up around town. 2 Sharon signs right against the Piv signs, the effort to block his signs while not getting caught for removing them.
Only in Plainfield... (You can see one of them on Plfd Ave by the cemeteries.)
Also, speaking of, whatever happened to the cemetery that was being sold at the city tax sale?? Did I miss a follow up posting?
Olive Lynch abandoned Muhlenberg and her properties in Plainfield and moved out of Plainfield entirely and now she wants to tell us how to vote? I don't think so!
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