By Lee Seglem

Lee Seglem, who retired earlier this year as executive director of the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, asks of those in New Jersey who remained steadfastly speechless and loyal to Trump until very, very recently, I would like an answer to this question: How is it that otherwise intelligent people like you, people who grew up playing by the rules, people who usually recognize the difference between right and wrong, between a lie and the truth — how is it that you so readily and willfully constructed a blind spot around everything Trump?

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I love my country.

I hate what has happened to it.

So while this is all still fresh in our minds, let’s remember what we’ve been through these last four years — particularly these last few weeks — and vow to never forget.

The United States of America, an anchor of the free world, a beacon of Democracy, was on the verge of being dragged into the shadows like the victim of a mugging, or worse. The incumbent president’s treacherous refusal to respect the will of the voters — indeed, his blatant autocratic attempt to subvert that will — was an attack on our core as a free nation, on our Constitution as the governing soul of our nation and on the rule of law as the ultimate guard rail separating us from an abyss of political chaos.

Some of the most conservative Republicans in the U.S. House don’t like Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.’s attacks on President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and moved Friday to censure the New Jersey congressman.

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, chair of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, introduced a censure resolution with four of his colleagues, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Andy Harris of Maryland, Debbie Lesko of Arizona and Randy Weber of Texas. Former New Jersey Rep. Scott Garrett was a co-founder of the group.

Pascrell, D-9th Dist., on Saturday called the lawmakers “fascist wannabes.”

Donald Trump appears closer to accepting that he can no longer go on pretending that he won the election, after three weeks of hearing judges cackle at his fatuous claims.

But let’s not forget how he tried to use racist vote-purging to steal the election, and how members of his party remained mute during this effort to savage our democracy.

Trump’s campaign attempted to throw out millions of ballots that were cast in minority cities such as Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. Never during this process did his legal legions produce evidence of widespread fraud or any impropriety in these places, and multiple courts rejected every challenge, usually with gusto.

By Ras J. Baraka

In the past week, there has been much speculation over Newark’s 10-day lockdown. People seemed to get caught up in the semantics, trying to figure out the words to describe the measure rather than focusing on the intent, which is simply and bluntly to save lives. To save lives.

It is ironic to me that in his holiday season, where we pause to celebrate our blessings and be among those we love, some of us have forgotten COVID-19’s tragic impact on families, who now have someone missing at the table. It is the responsibility of all of us to stop these losses.

By Jill Colvin, Associated Press

NJ.com

President Donald Trump walks out to speak in the Brady Briefing Room in the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, in Washington, with Vice President Mike Pence. 

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will leave the White House if the Electoral College formalizes President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory — even as he insisted such a decision would be a “mistake” — as he spent his Thanksgiving renewing baseless claims that “massive fraud” and crooked officials in battleground states caused his election defeat.

“Certainly I will. But you know that,” Trump said Thursday when asked whether he would vacate the building, allowing a peaceful transition of power in January. But Trump — taking questions for the first time since Election Day — insisted that “a lot of things” would happen between now and then that might alter the results.

“This has a long way to go,” Trump said, even though he lost.

Newark residents were asked to stay home for 10 days citywide, beginning the day before Thanksgiving, in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus in New Jersey’s largest city.

Though not enforced or mandated by executive order, Mayor Ras Baraka strongly encouraged the move due to skyrocketing cases of the virus in Newark.

“We are, from Wednesday before Thanksgiving to Dec. 4, going to lock the city down,” Baraka previously said in a radio appearance on WBGO 88.3FM. “We want people to shelter in place. We only want folks to come out for essential purposes. Do not go outside if you don’t have to. Don’t mingle with other people if you don’t have to. Stay (with) your family in your immediate household.”