Is Stephen M. Sweeney, Esq. a Liar?
May 8, 2011 at 9:04 A.M. Happy Mother's Day!
Several years ago I published an essay Juan Galis-Menendez, "David Hume's Philosophical Romance," in Mind Games, http://www.mindgames@blogger.com/ and at MSN groups, also elsewhere. I believe that this essay is available in Cuba and in other countries. This was the first attempt, as far as I know, to relate David Hume's romance with a French countess, Madame De Boufflers, to the Scottish philosopher's theory of the self and identity in relation to his famous "guillotine."
Yesterday, Robert Baretsky, "A Philosopher in Love," in The New York Times, May 7, 2011, at p. A20 expressed an interest in the relationship and quoted from some letters to which I also referred while missing the crucial philosophical importance of the correspondence. Sadly, there was no reference to my prior essay, probably because Mr. Baretsky was "unaware" of my writings or experiences of censorship and plagiarism. Like all good scholars, I am sure that Mr. Baretsky would have felt obliged to mention my prior essay even if he had been told not to do so. Compare "What is it like to be plagiarized?" with "'Brideshead Revisited': A Movie Review." (Lisa and David?)
May 7, 2011 at 9:58 A.M. "Errors" inserted overnight will now be corrected. I cannot say how many other texts have been altered by N.J. hackers.
May 6, 2011 at 3:30 P.M. "Errors" inserted since this morning will now be corrected. Many calls from "800 Service" this morning.
David M. Halfbinger, "Bid to Limit Benefits Plan In New Jersey is Dropped," in The New York Times, May 5, 2011, at p. A25.
"The state Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, said Thursday that he was abandoning the program push for a moratorium prohibiting the program from accepting new members."
It is important to be clear on the fact that this program was helpful to vast numbers of state employees and economically feasible for the state. A public official may have sought to eliminate the program -- possibly damaging the quality of life and creating anxiety for many public workers in difficult times -- in order that he or his friends could benefit financially, allegedly.
"A New York Times [sic.] article on April 20 reported that a moratorium could have led to a slow death for the state health-benefits program and highlighted Mr. Sweeney's ties to an influential insurance company owner who stood to profit as a result." (emphasis added!)
This influential owner is none other than George E. Norcross, III the biggest political "boss" in the state who is an unelected king- and judge-maker from south Jersey. ("George E. Norcross, III is the Boss of New Jersey's Courts and Politics.")
" ... 'I said from the beginning that I wasn't married to it,' Mr. Sweeney said of the moratorium in a brief telephone interview."
Ironically, members of Mr. Sweeney's staff -- some of whom may have visited my sites -- conveyed a very different impression when questioned by Times reporters earlier in the week. These Sweeney staff members seemed to reinforce allegations that the program currently in place was losing money and was "unprofitable." ("Law and Ethics in the Soprano State" and "More Mafia Members Arrested in New Jersey" then "The Gang's All Here!")
Mr. Sweeney was clearly hoping that no one would be paying careful attention or that he could control New Jersey's local press. This is usually true. Sweeney can control the local media coverage, often enough. Allowing his "childhood friend" -- to quote the touching description in the press -- Mr. Norcross, to profit from supplying a more expensive health-benefits program to state employees is likely to have been "rewarding" in the long run for Mr. Sweeney. Bless Sweeney's heart for his compassion for the little people. ("New Jersey's Politically Connected Lawyers On the Tit" and "Corrupt Law Firms, Senator Bob, and New Jersey Ethics.")
"Mr. Sweeney, a Democrat from Gloucester County, [is] a close ally and a childhood friend of George E. Norcross, 3rd, perhaps the most influential Democratic power broker in the state. Mr. Norcross owns one of the largest brokers of health insurance to government entities in the state, and his company has been losing customers to the [public] program Mr. Sweeney wanted to reign in, [emphasis added] according to an analysis of the program records."
" ... Mr. Sweeney acknowledged discussing a moratorium with Mr. Norcross but said he had not introduced it at Mr. Norcross's request."
Did Sweeney's nose get longer as he said this? ("New Jersey's Office of Attorney Ethics" and "New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System.")
"Mr. Sweeney added that the program had lost millions of dollars [emphasis added] in recent years and was subsidized by the state."
A letter was deleted from the foregoing statement since my previous review of this essay. This tactic suggests that New Jersey is persisting in its criminal ways. Shame. ("How censorship works in America.")
"But the Times [sic.] reported that the program was not losing money or requiring any state subsidies. ... " (emphasis added!)
Mr. Sweeney's statements -- aimed at rationalizing actions likely to benefit his friend and close political ally, Mr. Norcross, and eventually himself as well, probably -- were factually inaccurate or false.
The only way that these statements were anything other than a blatant and self-serving LIE is if Mr. Sweeney was totally oblivious to whether the statement was true when he made it, despite offering selectively chosen statistics to make it appear that the program was losing money, as reported earlier in the week by this same newspaper, Mr. Sweeney can now claim a "good faith mistake." ("On Bullshit.")
It is curious that Mr. Sweeney would find it necessary to offer such statistics or to insist on these alleged false "losses" that he must have known were not there -- or that his claims were untrue -- in "good faith." ("New Jersey's Xanadu Mess" and "Senator Bob Loves Xanadu!" then "Senator Bob, the Babe, and the Big Bucks.")
Rather than acknowledging this "error" or the possible "appearance of impropriety" at the very least, Mr. Sweeney offered (as it were) a "song-and-dance" and much chest thumping.
Mr. Sweeney is said to have served on the New Jersey Bar Association's Ethics Committee, which inspires laughter from many attorneys in the Garden State -- attorneys all too anxious to offer little "items" about their colleagues or prominent political and judicial figures detested in the profession by their so-called "colleagues."
It is amazing how many N.J. lawyers not only wish to assist in my attacks against their brethren, but also to applaud the destruction of the much-dreaded machine which they serve.
New Jersey's legal profession and judiciary are suffering from the ethical equivalent of lethal cancers. ("New Jersey's Legal System is a Whore House" and "New Jersey's Feces-Covered Supreme Court" then "New Jersey Judges Disgrace America" and "New Jersey's Supreme Court Implosion.")
Members of the New Jersey bar must be truthful at all times (right, John McGill?), and ethical, like boy or girl scouts. Good examples of our self-proclaimed "ethical superiors" include Stuart Rabner, Deborah T. Poritz, Paul Bergrin, Neil M. Cohen and so many other distinguished professionals.
For one example of this exceptional virtue there is Paul Sigmund, Esq. ("Stuart Rabner and Conduct Unbecoming to the Judiciary in New Jersey" and "No More Cover-Ups and Lies, Chief Justice Rabner!" then "Deborah T. Poritz and Conduct Unbecoming to the Judiciary in New Jersey" and "New Jersey Prosecutors and the Mafia.")
Richard Perez-Pena, "In Deputy's Arrest on Drug and Assault Charges, Another Crisis for Trenton Mayor," in The New York Times, May 3, 2011, at p. A15.
Paul Sigmund, Esq., a Democrat and ally of prominent attorney and president of the N.J. Senate Stephen M. Sweeney -- Mr. Sweeney, again, is a former member of the bar association's ethics committee for the state and not only his county -- was arrested "outside an office building in downtown Trenton where a police department statement said he [Mr. Sigmund] appeared to be 'waiting for the obtaining' of drugs. When a sergeant and another officer tried to question him, the police said, Mr. Sigmund refused to cooperate, then resisted arrest, injuring both officers." ("Is Paul M. Bergrin, Esq. an Ethical New Jersey Attorney?")
Heroin possession beyond a trivial amount is usually indicative of an intent to distribute this substance. Anyone with a Heroin or other drug problem (I have never experienced a drug problem of any kind -- nor do I smoke or drink -- in case New Jersey's disinformation campaign is still in effect) will be likely to behave with less than optimal ethicalness. ("Neil M. Cohen, Esq. and Conduct Unbecoming to the Legislature in New Jersey.")
Mr. Sigmund sounds like a good candidate for the Garden State's legal ethics committee since he may be subject to control for any number of reasons and, thus, inclined to do favors for bosses, allegedly. Perhaps Mr. Norcross can or will "take care of this matter" for his friend or friends, also allegedly and reputedly.
"Whatta ya gona do, that's Jersey for ya!"
Sources:
Dennis Overbye, "52 Years and $750 Million Prove Einstein Was Right," in The New York Times, May 5, 2011, at p. A21. (Einstein's a priori thought experiments and calculations proved to be highly accurate. Astonishingly, Einstein's original proof for relativity's space-curvature and time-variability were based on a fictional elevator that could travel faster than the speed of light as well as other fictional constructs. Einstein explained that "intelligence and knowledge are important in science, but IMAGINATION is more important." Please see "The 'Galatea Scenario' and the Mind/Body Problem" then "Donald Davidson's Anomalous Monism.")
John Boslough, Stephen Hawking's Universe: An Introduction to the Most Remarkable Scientist of Our Time (New York: Avon, 1985), pp. 26-28, 30. (Einstein's creative thought experiments.)
Sam Dillon, "Civics Education Called National Crisis," in The New York Times, May 5, 2011, at p. A25. (Less than 1/2 of U.S. students know what the Bill of Rights means. Knowledge of history and science is below this level and fewer than 1% of students graduating from American high schools today have any substantial knowledge of philosophy or logic. Malbus? This explains a lot -- including the continuing insertions of "errors" in my essays.)
Erik Eckholm, "Two Students Plead Guilty In Bullying of Teenager," in The New York Times, May 5, 2011, at p. A25. (Lisa and David? Young person committed suicide after this cyberbullying produced frustrations and stress aimed at inducing collapse.)
Charles V. Bagli, "4 Construction Executives Accused of Stealing MILLIONS in Work on Office Interiors," in The New York Times, May 5, 2011, at p. A28. (Xanadu mall? New Jersey and New York affected by these thefts.)
"The Torture Apologists: Efforts to Justify Torture After Bin Laden Killing Are Cynical and Destructive," (Editorial) in The New York Times, May 5, 2011, at p. A34. (Inexcusable attempts by the "gang of four" -- Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rodriguez and Yoo -- to justify crimes against humanity in the form of Guantanamo's tortures after Bin Laden's killing could endanger American lives in Afghanistan and Pakistan.)
Fernanda Santos, "Consultant to the Schools Stole MILLIONS, Officials Say," in The New York Times, April 29, 2011, at p. A22. (How long can we get away with this level of incompetence and theft in our state school budgets and continue to educate new generations well enough to compete with other countries?)
posted by Juan Galis-Menendez @ 9:52 AM
