American Life League Calls for Catholic Response to Murphy\’s $9.5M Bailout of Planned Parenthood

\”Planned Parenthood is a vicious, racist institution whose actions are diametrically opposed to Catholic moral and social teaching\”~

American Life League president Judie Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. (03 January 2020) —

American Life League president Judie Brown

issued the following statement calling on Bishop James F. Checchio of the Catholic Diocese of Metuchen to impose canonical sanctions against New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy:

Planned Parenthood is a vicious, racist institution whose actions are diametrically opposed to Catholic moral and social teaching. For Murphy to shovel $9.5 million of New Jersey’s taxpayer dollars into the maw of the nation’s #1 abortion machine is abhorrent.

Such actions taken by Catholic public figures do more than just scandalize the faithful. They present to Catholics the idea that they too can create their own private version of truth. Such a condition not only coarsens society, but further erodes the authority of the Catholic bishops in the United States who continue to allow pro-abortion public figures, such as Governor Murphy, to profane the Holy Eucharist.

On behalf of the millions of pro-life Catholics whom we represent and the over 70,000 families who support our work, American Life League calls on Bishop James Checchio to take the sad but necessary step of enforcing Canon 915 and formally instructing Governor Murphy that he is not to present himself to Holy Communion.

Catholics need to be bold enough to realize the link between abortion and the Real Presence of Christ. It should be no small wonder that only 1 in 6 Catholics actually believe in the Real Presence when we do so little to defend Christ’s image in the womb.

Bishop Checchio, millions of Catholics across America are looking to you to see whether or not the Real Presence is more than what the world sees. Murphy’s mockery should not be met with silence, but correction. What would St. Thomas Becket do?

American Life League is the nation’s oldest grassroots, Catholic, pro-life organization. Its president, Judie Brown, has led the organization since its 1979 beginning. She has served three terms on the Pontifical Academy for Life—appointed twice by Pope John Paul II and again by Pope Benedict XVI.

ICE: Philadelphia\’s Sanctuary City Title Puts Safety of Public at Risk

ICE arrests 17 criminal aliens on 5-day operation

PHILADELPHIA – Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement\’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia arrested 17 criminal aliens during a 5-day enforcement operation ending Dec. 13.

Five of the criminal aliens apprehended were previously released by the city of Philadelphia due to the sanctuary city policies. The crimes of these individuals ranged from multiple DUIs to possession and intent to distribute Heroin, as well as violating U.S. immigration law.

Arrests include:

A 33 years-old citizen of Ecuador, who has pending criminal charges for DUI and Endangering the Welfare of Children;

A 30 years-old citizen of Honduras, who has been convicted of three separate DUI offenses;

A 53 years-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, who has been convicted Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin;

A 20-year old citizen of Jamaica, who has multiple convictions for Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances and Carrying Firearms without a license;

A 38 years-old citizen of India, who has pending charges of Theft and Receiving Stolen Property

“During this operation, our officers were able to locate and apprehend more than a dozen individuals who have committed crimes in our country, while seeking sanctuary in our cities,” said ICE Philadelphia Field Office Director Simona Flores-Lund. “One-third of these individuals could have been off our streets earlier, however, the city of Philadelphia believes that allowing criminals and drug dealers to roam freely in their communities outweighs cooperating with federal law enforcement.”

ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE deportation officers carry out targeted enforcement actions every day in locations around the country as part of the agency\’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls. These operations involve existing, established Fugitive Operations Teams.

About Detainers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodges detainers on individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable aliens. The detainer asks the other law enforcement agency to notify ICE in advance of release and to maintain custody of the alien for a brief period of time so that ICE can take custody of that person in a safe and secure setting upon release from that agency’s custody.

When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders onto the streets, it undermines ICE’s ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission. This negatively impacts public safety and ICE’s efficiency in the apprehension of criminal aliens. Federal immigration laws authorize DHS to issue detainers and provide ICE broad authority to detain removable aliens.

Congress has established no process, requirement, or expectation directing ICE to seek a judicial warrant from already overburdened federal courts before taking custody of an alien on civil immigration violations. This idea is simply a figment created by those who wish to undermine immigration enforcement and excuse the ill-conceived practices of sanctuary jurisdictions that put politics before public safety.

Sanctuary Policies Put Public Safety at Risk

When law enforcement agencies don’t honor ICE detainers, these individuals, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat.

Any local jurisdiction thinking that refusing to cooperate with ICE will result in a decrease in local immigration enforcement is mistaken. Local jurisdictions that choose to not cooperate with ICE are likely to see an increase in ICE enforcement activity, as ICE the agency has no choice but to conduct more at-large arrest operations. A consequence of ICE being forced to make more arrests on the streets is the agency is likely to encounter other unlawfully present foreign nationals that wouldn’t have been encountered had we been allowed to take custody of a criminal target within the confines of a local jail.

Additionally, once these criminals are out on the street, confirming their whereabouts is often time consuming and resource intensive. Many of our arrest targets are seasoned criminals who are savvy about eluding law enforcement.

Former Jersey City Official Charged with Stealing JCETP Funds

NEWARK, N.J. – The former acting executive director of the Jersey City Employment and Training Program (JCETP) has been charged with embezzling JCETP funds, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

Sudhan M. Thomas, 44, (photo) of Jersey City, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with embezzling funds from an organization receiving federal funds. Thomas is expected to make his initial appearance on Jan. 9, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court.

According to the complaint:

Thomas served as JCETP’s acting executive director from January 2019 until his resignation in July 2019. JCETP is a nonprofit organization that operated to assist Jersey City residents to prepare for and enter the work force. JCETP received substantial amounts of its funding from federal grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Using his access to JCETP funds and control of JCETP’s bank accounts, from March 2019 through July 2019, Thomas embezzled more than $45,000 from JCETP. Thomas caused checks to be drawn from JCETP accounts that were made payable to others, but ultimately received by Thomas. He also embezzled JCETP funds by issuing JCETP checks made out to cash that Thomas either cashed himself or used to obtain bank checks that Thomas made payable to his entity, Next Glocal, which were deposited into a Next Glocal bank account that Thomas controlled. Thomas used the JCETP funds deposited to Next Glocal’s bank account to pay for his personal expenses, including payments to Thomas’s landlord in Jersey City and airfare and hotel expenses for a trip to Hawaii, and to fund transfers to Thomas’ family trust account.

The count of theft from an organization receiving federal funds carries a maximum potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General (OIG), under the supervision of Special Agent in Charge Michael Mikulka; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Supervisory Special Agent Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tazneen Shahabuddin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee M. Cortes Jr., Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit, in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

20-003

Defense counsel: Christopher D. Adams Esq., Roseland, New Jersey

Dyheam Williams, 18, Charged with Murdering the Owner of Shamrock Deli

CAMDEN CITY, NJ (January 5, 2020)–Dyheam Williams, 18, of Lindenwold, NJ, was charged this morning in connection with the fatal stabbing of Jerome Pastore in Haddon Township. Williams was charged with Murder,

Jerome Pastore

(image source social media)

Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Haddon Township Police Chief Mark Cavallo.

On January 3, 2020, at approximately 4:50 p.m., officers from Oaklyn, Audubon and Haddon Township Police Departments responded to the Shamrock Delicatessen, located on South Davis Avenue in Audubon, in response to 911 calls reporting a male who had been stabbed. On their arrival, officers found the victim, Jerome Pastore, 52, of West Berlin, lying on the 100 block of Cuthbert Boulevard in Haddon Township, just across the street from the deli he owned. Jerome Pastore was suffering from apparent stab wounds throughout his body. He was pronounced deceased at 5:07 p.m. at Cooper University Hospital.

Dyheam Williams was arrested at his home in Lindenwold and remanded to the Camden County Jail pending a pretrial detention hearing.

All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Released Sunday, January 5, 2020.

Senator Tom Kean Calls on Governor to End Attacks on Freelance Reporters & The Media

Local Publisher Set to Reduce Community Coverage After Being Fined by State for Using Independent Contractors

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean (photo) called on the Murphy Administration to end its attacks on

independent contractors and the media after the Westfield Leader was fined for not classifying freelance reporters and photographers as employees.

“Many people choose to freelance for a variety of reasons, and those self-employed individuals make it possible for small media outlets like the Westfield Leader to offer comprehensive coverage of local government meetings, school sports, and community events,” said Kean. “Unfortunately, the Westfield Leader has been forced to end its freelance program completely after being fined by the Murphy Administration. I’d like for Governor Murphy to explain to the Leader’s many former contributors how his assault on the company that paid them has improved their situation or that of the community they proudly served. This is a clear example of how the Governor’s flawed labor policies will hurt New Jersey families and further erode a media industry that is already struggling to survive.”

According to the Westfield Leader

, it was forced to end its freelance program after the New Jersey Department of Labor fined the paper’s publisher going back to 2015 for not treating freelance reporters and photographers as employees.

Under the Governor’s direction, the State has fined a variety of businesses and services,

including Uber

, that have allowed freelancers and independent contractors the freedom to work when they want and the opportunity to earn extra income at their own pace.

Kean has been a vocal opponent

of efforts by Democrats in the Legislature to codify through

S-4204

the Murphy Administration’s treatment of independent contractors as employees under State law.

“Some people have a full-time job and want the opportunity to freelance to earn extra income to support their families, and others have caregiver responsibilities that prevent them from working traditional 9 to 5 jobs,” added Kean. “In 2020, we shouldn’t limit people’s ability to work based on some outdated 1950s mentality of what a job should be. Governor Murphy should stop denying the overtaxed people of New Jersey any opportunity to work.”

Camden County Offering Free Senior & Disabled Legal Workshop

The Camden County Board of Freeholders, the Department of Health and Human Services – Division of Senior and Disabled Services, and the Surrogate’s Office are holding free legal workshops for senior and disabled residents of Camden County. Those attending the workshop receive, at no cost, a Last Will and Testament, an Advance Directive for Health Care (Living Will), and Power of Attorney.

Senior participants are required to be Camden County residents aged 60 and over, while disabled citizens must be aged 18 and over. Workshops are limited to 35 people per session and pre-registration is required. All workshops are held at the Camden County Store at the Voorhees Town Center. To register, please call (856) 566-2920.

January Workshops:

Monday,

January 6th at 2 PM

– pick up February 6th

Monday

January 13th at 2 PM

– pick up February 13th

Monday,

January 21st at 2 PM

– pick up February 20th

Monday,

January 27th at 6 PM

– pick up February 27th

People Like Pennsylvania But…..

By Steve Bittenbender |

The Center Square

The number of Americans on the move might have reached a 65-year-low in 2019, but Census Bureau data shows Pennsylvania ranked among the top states for both attracting and losing residents.

A recent report

by STORAGECafé, which bills itself as a storage rental marketplace, reports that Pennsylvania is the 10th most popular destination for people moving from another

state. In 2018, the state attracted 253,000 newcomers.

Pennsylvania attracted more residents from New Jersey than anywhere else. The site reported that 44,000 people crossed the Delaware River to make the Keystone State their new home.

Yet, the report, which uses Census Bureau data, indicates only six states lost more residents. Pennsylvania saw 240,832 move out, with 17,000 moving next door to Ohio.

Part of the reason why so many may be making those moves is due to the fact they’re inexpensive. Moving the possessions from a two-bedroom home in New Jersey to Pennsylvania cost, on average, about $2,400. That was the least expensive interstate move.

Pennsylvanians moving to Ohio paid average moving costs of about $2,500. Nearly 10,000 people moved from Pennsylvania to Delaware, at an average cost of up to $3,700 per move.

STORAGECafé worked with United Van Lines in determining the moving costs and did not factor packing or insurance.

Earlier this year, the Pew Charitable Trusts

released a study

about the migration patterns for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city. The study noted that about 60,000 residents leave the city annually, roughly 10,000 more than it attracts.

Of those who left the region, the main reason for moving elsewhere was because of job opportunities. Pew research indicated that 44 percent moved away for work; the next highest response – moving closer to friends and family – garnered just 11 percent of respondents.

Pew said since it was the first time such a study had been conducted, it was uncertain if these issues are lingering ones within the city.

“What is clear is that there is not one overarching reason for relocating,” the Pew report states. “Most of those who left Philadelphia characterized themselves not as fleeing the city but, rather, as seeking new opportunities elsewhere.”

The Census Bureau reported that 31.4 million Americans moved in 2019. That’s the lowest total since 1954, and the percentage of Americans who moved, just 9.8 was an all-time low since the bureau began tracking residential moves in 1947.

Of those who moved, about 4.6 million moved to a new state.

published here with permission of The Center Square

U.S. Democratic Primary Congressional Candidate John Flora (NJ-10) Says Media Attacks are Unfair

January 3, 2020,

OPEN LETTER FROM US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE JOHN FLORA (NJ-10)

“Dear Reader:

The media has put a spin on my words and has framed me as an anti-Semite. That is simply not true. My name is John Flora. I am a teacher and resident of Jersey City.

I hear what goes on and I see what goes on. I also know about distractions to progress.

This allegation and gas-lighting from a radio “personality” has distracted everyone from my words. I was not speaking against the Jewish community. I was speaking for them. I was also speaking for the Black community. I was speaking for the entire community. Why is that being framed as anti-Semitic?

I am being accused of supporting actions against Jews by someone who obviously doesn’t even know my life path. I already released a statement on the massacre that occurred in my neighborhood, attended interfaith vigils, visited the shooting site, and was on the news discussing the tragic events as a concerned parent. But 101.5 radio personality Judi Franco must have missed all of that.

I never condoned hateful words at an inappropriate time. I also do not agree with the actions taken by the media to twist my press release and say I was holding a vigil for the accused. My message was that we still need to talk as a city, as a nation. The radio station responded by email stating “Our initial reporting mischaracterized what your news release said. We have corrected the body of the article”.

The discovery of this radio host’s op-ed of my alleged racism comes to a surprise to my friends and family who know me. My record of helping my environment and teaching children of all faiths and backgrounds is certainly not reflected in her opinion of me. I have done nothing but celebrate the diversity of Jersey City and will continue that work for NJ-10. I refuse to let a radio personality, especially one suspended from her job for referring to the Attorney General of New Jersey as “Turban Man”, to smear my reputation. She is simply lying to all of you about me.

To be very clear, there is a problem in Jersey City and elsewhere that is causing anti-Semitic feelings. I do not validate these feelings. I just know they still exist and need to be repaired. Everyone involved should be searching for more tolerance, not more division spurred by misleading headlines.

I am running as a progressive Democratic Primary Candidate in New Jersey’s 10

Congressional District. Our campaign is spreading a message of hope, tolerance, and love for all, and I will always demand that for my constituency. But I will not sit back and become someone taken down for sheer lies and mistruths.

In Solidarity,

John Flora

Thomas C. Epley of Runnemede age 62

Thomas C. Epley, suddenly on January 3, 2020, of Runnemede. Age 62.

Beloved husband to Eleanor (nee Guenette). Devoted father to Lisa Ramtahal (Antonio). Loving grandfather to Hanna, Elisabeth, and Juliet. Cherished son of Margaret (nee Todd) and the late Millard B. Epley Jr. Dear brother to the late Millard B. Epley III “Bud”.

There will be a viewing from 9am to 11am Wednesday at GARDNER FUNERAL HOME, RUNNEMEDE.

Funeral service 11am at the funeral home.

Interment at Hillcrest Memorial Park, Hurffville.

Family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Thomas’s memory to Trinity Lutheran Church 200 E Clements Bridge Road Runnemede, NJ 08078.

Egg Harbor Township Man Murdered in his Home

MAYS LANDING- A 24 year-old man is the victim of a fatal shooting in his Egg Harbor Township home, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.

At 11:20 p.m., Thursday, January 2, Egg Harbor Township Police received a 911 call with a report of a shooting at 109 Vermont Avenue. When police arrived they found a male resident of the home who was the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. Arturo Barrera III was pronounced deceased at the scene. An autopsy will be performed today. No arrests have been made and this appears to be an isolated shooting incident. This shooting is an active and ongoing investigation in coordination with the Egg Harbor Township Police Department.

Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at

609-909-7800

or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at

http://www.acpo.org/tips.html

and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at

609-652-1234

1-800-658-8477

(TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at

http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/

. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.