The New York Post's 'non apology' is part of the problem

At his blog (www.middletownmike/blogspot.com), Mike Morris discussed the recent New York Post cartoon that depicted President Barack Obama as a wild chimp. There is little doubt that the Post's 'non-apology apology' falls short of actually expressing regret over this characterization of President Obama. Congratulaitons to Mr. Morris for taking on a tough issue.

The Post's adversaries are noted in the so-called apology. Yet, this error of judgment was not about the Post's adversaries. No one compelled this publication to print any material it presented. The fact is, in my opinion, that an editorial error was made (people being imperfect sometimes make errors). It should be owned up to, but it wasn't. The apology fell short, and so was an opportunity missed.

It is true that there is freedom of the press, and that artists are allowed to express themselves also. So too, there is also the concept of accountability for what one prints and says. It appears that, sadly, this concept is lost upon the New York Post.

Newspaper accountability should not stop at libel and defamation. If the idea of journalistic ethics is simply to not print that which is legally wrong, then that really isn't ethics. To be 'ethics,' there is a higher bar that speaks to character, of the lack of it.

I was always a fan of the Post, because it was daring and often brave about stories. But there is a difference between bravery and stupidity. The comparison of African Americans, or any African American, to a monkey is an echo of another day. It is unnecessarily hurtful to not only the president but to a race of people that fought hard to free themselves from not only captivity but also oppression afterward. In many ways, this fight still goes on.

Personally, I have no idea why the Post is trying to pull back the hands of the clock on racial characterizations. I have heard it said that "all controversy is good controversy." I look at it differently. Anything that comes off as vulgar and without taste is just that.

North America has struggled with various issues involving race since the 17th century. There is nothing clever about the old, degrading references to African Americans. Certainly, there is nothing witty about it. As a matter of fact, those old characterizations were a part of the problem, and trying to breathe new life into them is spectacularly idiotic.

To have the privilege of delivering news to any community is an honor. I think the New York Post has lost touch with that, and its responsibilities to that community.

-- Jim Purcell, Publisher, The Courier

Middletown Mike takes on COAH concerns

"Middletown Mike" Morris has a post dealing with COAH concerns in Monmouth's largest township. There are more than a few misconceptions and fears by township taxpayers about this important issue.

Mike has published a fact sheet. Click on the headline to go to the post at Middletown Mike.

Middletown Mike sets record straight about Grenafege

New blogger Middletown Mike has a strong post about how Middletown Democrat for Township Committee Jim Grenafege had recent comments bent like a pretzel by his opponent in this year's campaign contest. Click on the headline to go to "Middletown Mike."

Bongiorno: A Republican by any other name?

Middletown Mike...

By Mike Morris

Who needs Republicans when there are Democrats like this? Every town has one, a self–loathing, disgruntled Democrat. A person who is registered as a Democrat for the sole purpose of giving validity to their bashing of the Democratic party, their policies and candidates, in order to help the rival Republican organization. One can only speculate on their intentions or motivation.

Do these individuals feel that by supporting the opposition it will give themselves or some other family members special favors or advantages over other people if they are seeking a job with a municipality, or maybe a favorable variance or zoning change to help with a construction project? We can’t be sure.

What we do know though, is that these people participate in organized letter writing campaigns by either writing letters themselves or by lending their names to other people’s writings. These letters always seem to generally address the latest Republican talking points of the day.

In Middletown, this person resides in the heavily Republican section of Lincroft and his name is Dominick Bongiorno.

For the past six or so years, Mr. Bongiorno, a registered Democrat, has repeatedly written letters to local publications (this one included) critical of the local Democratic Party, it’s candidates and elected officials, always in an effort to praise the Republican establishment.

Letters from Mr. Bongiorno first started appearing during the 2002 campaign season. He praised and supported the local Republican incumbents, Mayor Patrick Parkinson and

Committeeman Raymond O’Grady over their Democratic opponents. In hindsight, I am sure that Mr. Bongiorno regretted his support after both men were later disgraced, Parkinson for settling a sexual harassment suite that was brought against him by the former township clerk and O’Grady for being sent to jail for taking bribes as a participant in Operation Bid Rig.

During 2007, Mr. Bongiorno turned his letter writing energies against newly elected Democratic Committeeman Patrick Short. Patrick Short, a West Point graduate and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who was elected to the Township committee in 2006, to become the first Democrat to hold elective office in Middletown in twenty years.

Typical of other letters written about Mr. Short last year, Mr. Bongiorno’s were less than factual and filled with the current Middletown GOP talking points of the day.

A third letter written last October again parroted other Republican letters that appeared in print critical of the Middletown Democratic candidates and their campaign for office.

Mr. Bongiorno's most recent letter, which has been printed in the various local papers over the past few weeks, truly shows his partisan Republican roots. In his letter he now makes a feeble attack on the other Democrat sitting on the Township committee, Sean Byrnes.

His letter falsely accuses Mr. Byrnes of delaying the vote on a resolution against the new FEMA flood maps. If Mr. Bongiorno had been keeping up on the issue, instead of passing along Republican talking points and trying to politicize the issue, he would have read all about it in several articles that had been published in all of the local papers.

The reason for the delay in adopting the resolution was not Byrnes's fault. The changes in language that Mr. Byrnes and the rest of the committee had agreed to during the previous meeting were not there, which was the inclusion of Congressman Frank Pallone’s name to recognize his efforts in delaying the flood maps.

When the resolution came up for adoption Committeeman Brynes made a motion to include the compromised to language. The vote that night was split along party lines 2-2 because Deputy Mayor Pam Brightbill was not present and Mayor Scharfenberger and Committeeman Wilkens had for some reason, a problem the inclusion of Pallone’s name. It was then put off until the whole committee could be present at the next workshop meeting.

During the following workshop meeting, Committeeman Byrnes, in a true bi-partisan gesture, offered to include Assemblywoman Amy Handlin’s name in the resolution to recognize her efforts in leading a petition drive against the FEMA flood maps.

Mr. Byrnes’s amendment and suggestion to include both Middletown’s Federal and State representatives was ultimately included in the final FEMA resolution that was unanimously approved 5-0 by the Township committee.

Committeeman Sean Byrnes should be applauded for his bi-partisan efforts on behalf of Middletown, not scorned by partisan attempts like Mr. Bongiorno’s, to politicize a very important issue that affects residents of Middletown, but the whole Bayshore area as well as the country.

In the past, members of the Middletown Democratic Party have made numerous attempts to talk with and invite Mr. Bongiorno to their gatherings and Mr. Bongiorno has declined those invitations. It is quite obvious therefore that Mr. Bongiorno is conveniently a Democrat by label only. And for reasons only known to him, has decided that it is in his best interest to parrot and spread the local GOP propaganda.

For more on Middletown Mike, click on the headline and go to his blog.

"Middletown Mike" joins Monmouth blogosphere

Middletown resident Mike Morris, an avowed County Democrat, has taken to the blogosphere in Monmouth. Personally, I think it's great to have a Democratic blogger in the midst of what has become a GOP-dominated area of communication. I have known Mike for some years, and find that he is someone who is a great guy and a family man before he is a political type. So, I expect to see some really great perspectives coming out of "Middletown Mike."