March 1, 2008 at 11:29 A.M. after an hour or so of trying to work at my MSN group, without much success, being unable to change the image, or to access the various boards, I have decided to work here for a while. I cannot say whether essays at MSN have been altered. Some, no doubt, will be damaged -- again. I will run scans throughout the day. I will continue to try to get back to MSN, or to return to this blog. I will spend part of every day struggling to continue working at MSN and posting new essays examining New Jersey's corruption and continuing criminal conspiracies to violate civil rights.
Ken Belson & David W. Chen, "Sharp Rebuke For Developer In Big Project At Landfills," in The New York Times, February 29, 2008, at p. B1.
Bob Ingle & Sandy McClure, The Soprano State: New Jersey's Culture of Corruption (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2008), entirety.
"The inspector general of New Jersey sharply criticized a developer and a politically powerful law firm, [emphasis added] accusing them of bungling a BILLION-DOLLAR project to clean up landfills in the Meadowlands and replace them with golf courses and houses. The official asked the state attorney general to determine whether a criminal investigation was warranted."
With Anne Milgram in the attorney general's job, N.J.'s powerful political lawyers and corrupt politicians have little to worry about. That's why she's there. Milgram's incompetence is her main qualification. ("Errors" were inserted and corrected in the foregoing sentence.) There is the U.S. attorney's office, of course, which is busy at the moment. Otherwise, the criminals are home free. These tainted law firms have little to worry about from the Office of Attorney Ethics (OAE), which they pretty much control through their political friends, also the poor intellectual and professional level of many attorneys (not all) found in that office.
"... corruption thrives on unchecked conflicts of interest. A New Jersey mayor can also be a member of the state legislature and a partner in a law firm that benefits from legislation he writes. In New Jersey pretty much nothing becomes law unless it benefits somebody financially. Hardly anything happens solely because it is the right thing to do. The public's welfare is often the last thing on the agenda. Unions and other special interest groups call the shots. Everybody else pays for it."
As for the sold-out OAE and DRB -- like most acronyms in New Jersey -- these public entities are corrupt:
"But you ask? Doesn't that violate ethics laws? In other places, definitely. Think of the Garden State's ethics laws as what banking regulations would be like if Bonnie and Clyde made them. Government creates agencies to keep mobsters out, and politicians find ways around them. What about the justice system and the courts? You guessed it. Scandal regularly engulfs judges and the attorney general's office." (Ingle & McClure, p. 4.)
See "Jay Romano and Conduct Unbecoming to the Judiciary in New Jersey" and "James R. Zazzali and Conduct Unbecoming to the Judiciary in New Jersey."
"In a long awaited report issued on Thursday, EnCap Golf Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of a company based in North Carolina, was accused of deliberately misleading [emphasis added] several government agencies about the progress of its cleanup work and its ability to finance the decade-old development despite receiving at least $315 MILLION in loans from local and state agencies."
That's your $315 MILLION going to a company "promising" to do clean up (i.e., "picking up the bodies and radioactive stuff") in the Meadowlands in order to use the site for a "golf course and shopping mall" and doing nada. The developers, apparently, then "deliberately mislead" officials -- that means they lied -- when asked by the inspector general (a Democrat-appointed official, who can't criticize Democrats too much, or she won't get more lucrative appointments) "hey, whatta youz guys doing, there? ..."
The response from EnCap, accurately enough, was: "We ain't doing nothing!"
"Gov. Jon S. Corzine requested the inspector general to investigate the project's finances more than a year ago, after EnCap asked for an additional $450 MILLION" -- more money for nothing and the chicks for free! -- "in bonds backed by future tax revenues of several towns near the landfills."
Bonds are usually short term securities issued by public entities to secure revenues for specific "general welfare" projects.
"After EnCap was declared in default by the state, various banks that invested in the project reached out to Donald J. Trump" -- The Donald said to EnCap: YOU'RE FIRED! -- "to take over its management. In November, Mr. Trump took over the cleanup of the site."
Trump will get the job done in three weeks, plus he'll get everybody tickets for the Giants games. This major fiasco in New Jersey, providing further evidence of sweetheart deals between connected law firms, developers operating through "subsidiaries" (that is, shell companies), and N.J.'s battalions of corrupt politicians -- goes a long way towards explaining why the state is $36 BILLION in the hole and everybody is getting indicted in Trenton. (See "Do I look like I'm negotiating?") In the words of N.J.'s own inspector general:
"Our report revealed significant misrepresentations [you mean, lots of lying?] of qualifications and financial support on behalf of the private entity contracted to perform the remediation and redevelopment of the Meadowlands project ..."
Where's New Jersey's OAE? Anne Milgram? Aren't you concerned about lying by others? Not your own lying at the OAE, of course, only that of others is worrisome. Would N.J.'s highest law enforcement official or her underlings commit cybercrimes, conspire to violate fundamental Constitutional and other civil rights? Or would these persons conspire to cover-up such violations by others? Maybe we'll find out. Ethics?
"The report was also sharply critical of the role played by a lawyer for EnCap from the firm of Decotiis, Fitzpatrick, Cole & Wisler, whose partners have long counseled Democratic governors in New Jersey. Among other things, the inspector general [Mary Jane Cooper] accused members of the firm" -- these are lawyers! -- "of strong-arming state regulators."
What happened to the OAE? Oh, they're too busy going after guys and gals who don't kiss ass and object to torture in county jails. Notice what the inspector general cannot say, so she can keep her position and maybe get a judgeship before the next pack of rats gets into power. In fact, it's always the same leeches "sucking on the public tit in Trenton," as one former town commissioner expressed it to me over espressos and cigars.
"... [The report] spared government officials from any criticism, saying simply that there was a 'lack of communication among government entities,' and offered suggestions for how to avoid similar problems in the future." (emphasis added)
I have a suggestion for Corzine. How about if you avoid dealing with crooks and their mouthpieces in the future? You or your child will not be "spared" criticism or liability for crimes or "unethical conduct." Only N.J. politicians and "powerful lawyers" get such courtesies. Isn't that nice? Not nice for the people, of course, but who cares about them. New Jersey's Supreme Court sure doesn't give a shit about the chumps. Right, Stuart?
"... a spokesman for the attorney general, Anne Milgram, said that the Justice Department was reviewing the report but declined to comment further."
We don't know from nothing. "On the one hand, but on the other hand," Senator Bob said, and then he added: "Where's my cut?"
"Sections of the report amount to a sweeping indictment of New Jersey's political culture, in which large developers work with well-connected law firms to lobby state agencies for the purpose of waving environmental regulations and other rules." (emphasis added)
In other words, they get to pollute and kill people to make a buck.
"... state employees and others believed that members of the DeCotiis firm 'have had the opportunity to meet with elected officials concerning the project as a result of their campaign contributions.' ..."
The lawyers I knew from politically connected firms in Hudson County were utterly cynical about (in their words) "bribing politicians" -- meaning making political contributions -- to "suck the public tit" by being awarded lucrative contracts for public legal defense work, allowing those firms to bill the shit out of local public entities for redundant or unnecessary legal work, usually done by younger lawyers, lawyers whose services were billed at partners' HEFTY rates. Right, Alex?
"You gotta pay to play!" This has become the slogan of prostitutes and lawyers in the Garden State. These are overlapping categories. (The prostitutes and sex workers are usually nicer people than the lawyers, also smarter and better educated.)
"State Senator Kevin J. O'Toole, Republican of Cedar Grove, said the state had a 'black eye' for 'allowing this financial debacle to go forward' and that indictments would not surprise him."
New Jersey does not have a black eye. Rather, the entire state is in intensive care when it comes to ethics, financial bankruptcy and corruption, tainted judges and lawyers, a corrupt legal ethics enforcement process, sold out and mafia-influenced politicians and judges. New Jersey continues to be a disgrace to the United States of America. After learning of these developments, once again, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner "demurred."
