What did Harry do now?

Alpha councilman insults Pohatcong Township mayor on social-networking site

Yes, it's true - I called Mayor Babinsky of Pohatcong Township a tool.  Did I compare him to Hugo Chavez ?  Oh yeah, I did that too.  Here's the back story - A few years ago Alpha agreed to disband our Police Department and contract with Pohatcong for police coverage.  The agreement is working and, I believe, both municipalities are happy or, at the very least, content.  Since then, whenever we (Alpha) proposed an idea for sharing services, Pohatcong put the kibosh to it - it was always their way or no way.  Alpha has wanted to share our Public Works Department, Code Enforcement Officer and now brush disposal - all of which would save money for both municipalities.  I was fed up and I let my feelings be known to the 'Twitterverse'.  Anyway, as I said, it is what it is.  

I wish 'The Express-Times' would have used a better photo of me.  :-)

Alpha Councilman Harry Zikas' indiscreet 'tweet' lands him in hot water

By PRECIOUS PETTY
The Express-Times

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Elected officials who use Twitter will tell you that the increasingly popular social-networking tool is an excellent way to communicate with constituents and keep the public apprised of their every move.

What politicians won't tell you -- perhaps because many don't realize it until after the fact -- is that some "tweets," a term for Twitter updates, are better kept to oneself.

Capitol Hill's elite learned that lesson last week when some members of Congress used their BlackBerrys to Twitter about everything except the nation's financial crisis as President Barack Obama addressed them on that very topic.

Alpha Councilman Harry Zikas Jr., who became New Jersey's youngest mayor when he was sworn in at age 21 in 2000, learned that lesson this week.

Pohatcong Township "Mayor Babinsky is a tool," Zikas wrote in a tweet published to the Web about 1:45 a.m. Wednesday. "There, I said it."

Zikas continued, writing "He is the Hugo Chavez of Warren County," comparing Stephen Babinsky with the controversial Venezuelan president.

Babinsky, at a Tuesday evening township meeting, had objected to a shared-services agreement proposed by Alpha, saying it's too complicated.

Zikas, 30, didn't attend the meeting. He read about it on lehighvalleylive.com then shared his thoughts via Twitter.

A few minutes later Zikas removed the post and replaced it with a gripe about the borough's past dealings with Pohatcong Township.

By then all 65 of his Twitter followers had received the original update.

Babinsky doesn't use Twitter, but he did have something to say about Zikas' tweet Wednesday afternoon. He delivered his message the old-fashioned way -- over the phone.

"If he's got a problem, he should call me. He should try to work it out instead of hiding behind a computer screen," the mayor said, adding that he doesn't have beef with Zikas.

"I've got more important things to worry about than this stuff," Babinsky said. "It's childish."

Babinsky, Zikas said, is hard to get along with because he puts township residents first, often at the expense of borough residents.

The update wasn't intended to offend Babinsky or anyone else, he said.

"It is what it is," he said. "No regrets. At the time, it was exactly what I was thinking."

Zikas, who delivered tweet-by-tweet coverage of Alpha's last council meeting, said he thinks Twitter is an amazing tool that he doesn't intend to stop using anytime soon.

"I absolutely see the value in it as far as communicating and being as open as possible," he said.

Reporter Precious Petty can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at ppetty@express-times.com.

Just pondering:  I kind of miss Mayor Mary Van Lieu. - HZ

Twitter

Do you use Twitter?  Uhh, What's Twitter, you ask? Well, according to the website "Twitter is a unique approach to communication and networking based on the simple concept of status. What are you doing? What are your friends doing - right now? With Twitter, you may answer this question over SMS or the Web and the responses are shared between contacts".

Two friends of mine, we'll call them Elizabeth (justgirlinworld) and Ben (Dubblebee), told me about Twitter in the early fall and I really didn't think much of it until I gave up and joined on November 3.  At first I was a bit skeptical, I mean who really cares what I'm doing 'right now'?  But, in reality it's more than that.  I truly see the benefits of using Twitter as more than just answering that simple question.  I consider it a form of micro-blogging.  Sometimes when I want to share a link or a quick thought, I'll post it on Twitter instead of this blog and you can always catch a few of my latest "tweets" by looking at the right side of this screen under 'Harry's Happenings'.

Sure, I "follow" my friends on Twitter to see what they're up to, but I also get updates from CNN, MSNBC, Newsweek, Senator Menendez and even my bank - Wachovia.

With each passing day, I'm using it more and more and actually plan on 'live-twittering' during the next Borough of Alpha Council Meeting, so we'll see how that goes.  If Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post can do it during a White House Press Briefing, I think I can handle it during a Council Meeting.

So those are my thoughts on Twitter and if you're up for it, feel free to join me @hzikas.

Of course he will!

...and so will every other Member of Congress opposing the stimulus plan.  If they vote against it, their district or state shouldn't get a dime of the stimulus funding and then let them really answer to their constituents.  

Unfortunately, that's exactly what will happen here in the 5th District of New Jersey.  Congressman Garrett will vote 'NO' (Does he ever vote 'YES'?), but of course he will accept the money like he just won the grand prize in the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.  I'm thankful that New Jersey has two US Senators that are willing to stand up and support this stimulus plan for all of New Jersey - THANK YOU Senators Lautenberg and Menendez!

After Opposing Stimulus, Lindsey Graham Will Take The Money

by Jason Linkins
The Huffington Post

Thursday, February 12, 2009, 03:05 PM

Oh, Lindsey Graham, he is one of our favorites! The South Carolina Senator has, for weeks, cast himself as one of the stimulus package's most fervent opponents. This time last week, he and John McCain were in the well of the Senate, performing a grand duetto buffo di due gatti against the stimulus, and when the media metanarrative required that someone take a ream of paper and wave it around in the air with dramatic flair, Graham was only too happy to accommodate.

Ah, but now the bill's passage draws nigh, and lest you think he was going to school us all by allowing South Carolina to become a laboratory for whatever the hell economic plan he thought would work better, guess again. Graham will take the dollars, thank you, even if he's not convinced it will be of any good! Or so he told Wolf Blitzer:

BLITZER: South Carolina will get money out of this bill.

GRAHAM: Yes.

BLITZER: Should South Carolina take the money?

GRAHAM: I think that, yes, from my point of view, I -- you don't want to be crazy here. I mean, if there's going to be money on the table that will help my state, but I've got a job to do up here, and that is to try to help people and not damn the next generation. We had a $415 billion package to help people who have lost their jobs, that cut taxes, that create new jobs. We've got a spending bill, not a job creation bill. And we're being all things to all people.

Shucks, Lindsey, if you don't think it'll do South Carolina any good, by all means, don't take it!

President Obama's Stimulus Package

Tax cuts alone will not stimulate the economy and we need to enact these spending measures to do the job.  This is not going to be bailing out the banking or auto industries and their executives...this money is going to be spent at the state and local level to improve America's infrastructure, which is desperately in need of repair.  Please call our Senators and Representatives and let them know that you want them to vote YES for the President's economic stimulus package. 
Senator Frank Lautenberg202-224-3224
Senator Robert Menendez202-224-4744
Congressman Scott Garrett202-225-4465
Congressman Leonard Lance202-225-5361
Remember, our elected officials work for us, so let them know how you feel!

What?!?!

The proposed byway has shrunk a few miles from its original 34-mile length. The version now proposed runs about 24 miles, between milepost 3.27 on the Pohatcong/Alpha border in Warren County through Hunterdon County to milepost 27.65 in Bedminster Township, Somerset County. Bridgewater Township decided not to join the effort. Phillipsburg also opted not to join, but "it really only has 500 feet of frontage on 78," said Mr. Paradis. He said Alpha hadn't decided yet whether it would participate.

WHAT?!?  We voted on the proposal THREE times and each time it was rejected.  How many more times do we have to say "No!!" for the message to get across?  I don't understand why that comment was made, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he was misquoted by the reporter.  Maybe Mayor Paradis will stop by this blog again to leave another comment and give us his side of the story.

Feedback soon on scenic Rt. 78

by Veronica Slaght
Hunterdon County Democrat

Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 12:15 PM

The application requesting state "Scenic Byway" status for Route 78 is in the state's hands.

"We would hope to hear something back at least within the first quarter" of this year, said Lebanon Mayor Mark Paradis. "They unfortunately don't give any timeline."

Mr. Paradis has headed the grassroots effort seeking scenic status, working with municipal officials and professionals volunteering their time.

State Department of Transportation spokesman Timothy Greeley said the I-78 Corridor Historic and Scenic Byway Alliance should get some news in short order, but said "no final decision is expected at this time."

The proposed byway has shrunk a few miles from its original 34-mile length. The version now proposed runs about 24 miles, between milepost 3.27 on the Pohatcong/Alpha border in Warren County through Hunterdon County to milepost 27.65 in Bedminster Township, Somerset County. Bridgewater Township decided not to join the effort. Phillipsburg also opted not to join, but "it really only has 500 feet of frontage on 78," said Mr. Paradis. He said Alpha hadn't decided yet whether it would participate.

One of the protections provided by the status is a ban on future billboard construction, which isn't necessarily seen as a benefit for towns that earn revenue from billboard companies.

Planner Carl Hintz provided the printing and then personally delivered 10 copies of the nomination to the state Scenic Byways coordinator at the Department of Transportation in December. The coordinator distributes it to the New Jersey Scenic Byways Advisory Committee, which makes a recommendation to DOT Commissioner Steve Dilts. He makes the ultimate decision.

In addition to Mr. Hintz's help, attorney J. Peter Jost worked pro-bono on the project and professional photographer Robin Giordiano of Lebanon took pictures of vistas along the highway. The application is the culmination of monthly meetings since May.

The scenic byway bid is endorsed by AAA Mid-Atlantic, HART and the Freeholder and Planning Boards of Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset and 11 towns: Bloomsbury, Clinton, Lebanon and the townships of Bethlehem, Bedminster, Union, Tewksbury, Readington, Pohatcong, Greenwich and Franklin (Hunterdon).

The proposal mentions scenic views such as the Delaware River Valley, preserved farmland, Round Valley and Musconetcong Mountain. Photos show the mature hardwood forest, and text describes Route 78's origin as a Native American trade route.

According to the DOT, the benefits of designation are federal funding, recognition, increased tourism, technical assistance in the scenic byway process, planning for protection and managed growth and possible grants to help with implementing a mandatory five-year byway plan.

Inauguration 2: Electric Boogaloo

Because of this:

This happened:

Obama retakes oath of office after flub

Update:  Fox News really has no shame.
Fox News anchor Chris Wallace said: "We're wondering here whether or not Barack Obama in fact is the president of the United States. They had a kind of garbled oath. It's just conceivable that this will end up going to the courts."

Dear Sarah Palin

Two Words: GO AWAY!

Palin to media: Leave my kids alone

By RACHEL D'ORO, 

Associated Press Writer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is going on the offensive against news organizations and bloggers she says are perpetuating malicious gossip about her and her children. But political observers say the former Republican vice presidential candidate can't have it both ways: trotting out the children to showcase her family values, then trying to shield them from scrutiny.

Palin's criticism also raises questions about her motivations because she has said she is open to a presidential run in 2012.

"I think she's positioning herself. She's attacking the media as a way to generate support among a base she hopes will support her," said Leonard Steinhorn, a professor of communications at American University in Washington and an expert on the presidency.

Palin shied away from interviews during the campaign, although her children often accompanied her on her travels, including her oldest daughter, Bristol, who was pregnant at the time.

But in recent weeks, she has personally reached out to media outlets such as People magazine and The Associated Press to complain about information she claimed is wrong.

She slammed reports that 18-year-old Bristol Palin and the teen's fiance are high school dropouts. The governor insists the two are not dropouts because they enrolled in correspondence courses.

The couple last month had a son — the governor's first grandchild.

The governor said she is speaking out to set the record straight, not because of any political aspirations.

"It's all about the family," she said. "I'm wired in a way that I can take the criticism. I can take the shots. But any mother would want to protect their children from lies and scandalous reporting."

In a Jan. 5 interview with conservative filmmaker John Ziegler, Palin also questioned whether Caroline Kennedy's quest for a New York Senate seat was as heavily scrutinized as her vice presidential campaign.

When her comments were reported, she chastised journalists for taking her remarks "out of context to create adversarial situations."

Steinhorn is not alone among experts who believe the first-term governor is trying to keep her name in the spotlight. A newcomer to national politics when she was nominated, Palin energized the Republican base but also attracted intense criticism that she had little substance.

Palin "does seem to have ambitions, and this is one way of staying in the public eye," said Janis Edwards, an associate professor of communication studies at the University of Alabama and an expert on women candidates. One of Edwards' classes monitored Palin's role in a project called "The Palin Watch."

Palin's grievances include what she calls "false stories" such as a talk show host's suggestion that she helped Levi Johnston get a job in Alaska's North Slope oil fields, circumventing eligibility rules since he does not have a high school diploma.

Johnston's father, an engineer for an oil-field services company, has said his position accounted for any help Levi received in getting the apprenticeship job.

Palin also lashed out at bloggers and others perpetuating Internet rumors that her 9-month-old son, Trig, is actually Bristol Palin's child from a secret previous pregnancy.

Her decision to strike back at news organizations seems to contradict the governor's earlier statements on how politicians should respond to media coverage.

Months before she was named John McCain's running mate, Palin attended a leadership forum in Los Angeles and was asked her opinion on then-Sen. Hillary Clinton's allegations that she was being unfairly treated by the media during the primaries.

Palin said Clinton did herself a disservice to even mention it. The governor said it bothered her to hear Clinton "bring that attention to herself on that level."

Palin said her opinion has not changed since the March 2008 event and insisted that defending her children is her only motivation.

"I'm not whining about the treatment of the press, but I am calling reporters on the family aspect of this," she said. "I think it's unprecedented in some respects what I have seen with my children."

It's not unprecedented. The children and spouses of high-profile politicians always draw attention.

Early in President George Bush's first term, his twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, made headlines after an embarrassing run-in with the law for underage drinking.

So did Kitty Dukakis, the wife of former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, when she was treated for alcoholism after her husband's unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1988. She later suffered a relapse and was hospitalized after drinking rubbing alcohol.

Two weeks before President Obama's inauguration, his daughters Sasha and Malia were escorted to their new schools past a line of waiting photographers.

A New Era Begins!

The 44th President of the United States of America

Barack H. Obama

Excerpts from President Obama's Inaugural Address:

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

"On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics."

"For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate."

"America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

January 20, 2009

A quick look at the past.

These words truly resonate with today's events.

It's FINALLY over!

Our long national nightmare is over!

"An Obama job approval rating of 79 percent - that's the sort of rating you see when the public rallies around a leader after a national disaster. To many Americans, the Bush administration was a national disaster." 

- Bill Schneider, CNN's senior political analyst

"As President Bush prepares to leave office, the American public has a parting thought: Good riddance. 

At least that's the way three-quarters feel." 

- Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst