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| MFSO in the News - 2008 |
50 anti-war activists in Teaneck echo King's words Tuesday, January 22, 2008 TEANECK - About 50 anti-war activists celebrated a new billboard Monday on Teaneck Road that calls for U.S. troops to be taken out of Iraq immediately. Invoking Martin Luther King Jr.'s anti-war platform on the slain civil rights leader's holiday, the activists said that the troop surge launched last year was not working and all funding for the war should cease. "There is no doubt he would be appalled at the death of my son," said John Fenton of Little Ferry, whose son, Marine Sgt. Matthew Fenton, died in 2006 from wounds suffered in Iraq. "He would be enraged by the death of all of our troops. He would shout out at the neglect of all of our poor, sick and hungry and unemployed so we can pay for our illegal and immoral war." While more U.S. troops died in 2007 than in any other year since the war began, the death count declined substantially in the final months of the year as operations involving the additional 30,000 troops were in full swing. Opinion polls show most Americans still disapprove of President Bush's handling of the war, but voter surveys in the presidential race list Iraq itself as a secondary issue now, behind the economy. "I'm sure if Dr. Martin Luther King were alive today, he would be shaking his head because in 40 years we haven't learned a darn thing," said Ken Dalton, a Vietnam War veteran. "In fact, if anything, it's gotten worse." The billboard, which reads "Support the Troops, Bring Them Home. NOW!" went up Jan. 10 and will be taken down Feb. 10. It joined similar billboards that the activists have placed in Little Ferry and Hackensack, organizers said. Braving the subfreezing temperatures for the hourlong series of speeches were nine Tenafly grade school students who led the group in protest songs such as "We Shall Overcome." A trio of women read an April 1967 speech by King denouncing the Vietnam War. Also read was a letter by Sen. Bob -2.000>Menendez, D-N.J., who was in Iraq touring military bases for two days and talking to U.S. officials. "Please know that I stand with you in your efforts to end the war and bring our troops home safely," he wrote. E-mail: fallon@northjersey.com Click here to read more |
| The Record Aaron: Rain or shine, protests continue Sunday, March 16, 2008 Lawrence Aaron Grass-roots efforts like this have raised consciousness of the anti-war movement among local people who see the demonstrators every week. FOR A short while Wednesday, as a light snow was beginning to fall, it looked like no one would show up for the weekly anti-war demonstration in Teaneck. I thought the protesters might have been taking the week off to get ready for the big one this week, which marks the fifth anniversary of America's invasion of Iraq. But every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., like clockwork, the demonstrators materialize at the Teaneck Armory. And last week was no exception. Some bring their own protest signs, some pick up signs lying around. Each is motivated by a different personal reason. But the shared desire to see the war come to an end keeps them coming back. Paula Rogovin, 60, of Teaneck, the driving force behind the local chapter of Military Families Speak Out, is the chief organizer of the loose coalition of seasoned protesters and ordinary citizens demonstrating at the armory. This was a day she could have been excused from duty on the front line of protesters at Teaneck Road and Liberty Street. Her son, a 25-year-old Marine, left Wednesday for his second deployment in Iraq. He'd been back in the United States since October. They were expecting a second tour of duty, but not so soon. Weekly protests at the Teaneck Armory over the past 2 1/2 years haven't stopped the war. But grass-roots efforts like this certainly have raised consciousness of the anti-war movement among local people who see the demonstrators every week. Occasionally, protesters from around New Jersey and out of state join the vigil. click here to read more |
| RECORD Lautenberg, Andrews at war over Iraq Sunday, April 20, 2008 Last updated: Sunday April 20, 2008, EDT 11:25 AM BY HERB JACKSON WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT click here Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Rob Andrews both want to get the United States out of Iraq. But each is trying to tar the other's anti-Iraq credentials in what has already become a bitter fight for the Democratic nomination for the seat Lautenberg now holds. Lautenberg fired first, issuing a statement through his campaign manager – on the day Andrews became a candidate – denouncing the nine-term congressman from Haddon Heights for his "authorship of the Iraq war resolution." A few days later, someone — it wasn't Andrews — built a Web site named robandrews2008.com featuring a photograph of President Bush signing the war resolution and surrounded by congressional supporters. A big circle is around Andrews' face. Andrews has fought back, arguing that he has presented a detailed plan for getting the troops out, while Lautenberg, who supported going to war when he was a candidate in 2002, simply has voted for plans other people wrote. "Someone is going to sit in the United States Senate for the next six years and either be a problem-solver or a spectator," Andrews told reporters last week. "To get business done in the [100-member] Senate requires 60 votes, and it's going to be difficult to do this, but we have to have a specific plan to try to attract support across the aisle." This much is clear from public records: As early as October 2003, Lautenberg was one of just 12 senators — dubbed "The Dirty Dozen" by the right-leaning Washington Times — to vote against a bill providing $87 million for the war and Iraq reconstruction. But Lautenberg also has voted to keep funding the war at times since then. Andrews was the only Democrat from New Jersey to co-sponsor the 2002 resolution authorizing the Iraq war, and he strongly supported the ouster of Saddam Hussein. But to say he authored the resolution is an exaggeration: There were 136 co-sponsors. Andrews did not vote for a measure supporting a withdrawal from the war until 2007. But the way Congress works, voting records are not always clear-cut. Senators have more power than House members to offer amendments, and the Senate regularly passes bills by unanimous voice votes, rather than recorded votes. "While this bill is far from ideal, it is the bill that could pass Congress," Lautenberg said. Paula Rogovin of Teaneck, who regularly participates in vigils against the war outside the National Guard armory on Teaneck Road, recalled being part of a group that pleaded with Lautenberg to oppose the final bill. "He said, 'What about funding their equipment? You want me to vote against the equipment?' And everyone in the room said, 'Yes, vote against it. We're not interested in the equipment; we want them out of there.' " She said she was happy that Lautenberg voted in December against the latest Iraq funding bill. Andrews did not have to make that same choice in May, and backed Iraq funding anyway. Democratic House leaders had structured the votes so the war funding and the other more popular programs were separated. And Andrews was the only Democrat from New Jersey to vote for both; the other six House Democrats in the state's delegation all voted against the war funding and for the other programs. "I believe the right course is to provide every resource needed for these troops while they are in the heat of battle," Andrews said at the time. Rogovin said there is no clear choice between the two candidates. "The only thing we want from our elected officials is to show leadership in getting the war de-funded, so truthfully neither of them has been strong enough on this. Certainly Andrews hasn't been good at all," she said. "They try to out-peace each other, but talk is cheap." Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, who is supporting Lautenberg but prior to 2006 voted the same way Andrews did on many Iraq bills, said he doesn't want to see this become the focus of the primary. "I know both of these people are strongly opposed to the war in Iraq, and if we get into an argument of who's more against it ... it gets us nowhere, it is not bringing the ball any closer to the goal line," Pascrell said. Page 1 2 >> Fit story on 1 page Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Rob Andrews both want to get the United States out of Iraq. But each is trying to tar the other's anti-Iraq credentials in what has already become a bitter fight for the Democratic nomination for the seat Lautenberg now holds. Lautenberg fired first, issuing a statement through his campaign manager – on the day Andrews became a candidate – denouncing the nine-term congressman from Haddon Heights for his "authorship of the Iraq war resolution." |
| The Record Protesters hope to return public attention to war Thursday, May 29, 2008 BY JOSEPH AX STAFF WRITER TEANECK — Protesters surrounded the Teaneck Armory on Wednesday with banners bearing the names of slain American troops and Iraqis, staging a "Memorial Week" anti-war rally for the second consecutive year. The armory, which is home base to some of the hundreds of National Guard members from New Jersey deployed in Iraq, has been the site of weekly anti-war demonstrations in recent years. The protest also included a news conference to publicize a pair of bills introduced in the state Senate and Assembly that would call on the federal government to "defederalize" the state National Guard troops and release them from war deployments. Paula Rogovin, who heads the Bergen County chapter of Military Families Speak Out and helped organize the rally, said the demonstrations are even more important now that the media and the public seem focused on other issues, such as the economy and the presidential race. "Our demonstration is one of thousands across the country," said Rogovin, whose youngest son, a Marine, left two months ago for his second deployment to Iraq. "We are all hoping to just keep the pressure on, to just keep reminding the public that there's still a war going on," Rogovin said. State Sen. Loretta Weinberg and Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle, both D-Teaneck, sponsors of the twin bills, said the 2002 congressional authorization that permits the deployment of Guard members should no longer have force, because it was based on the threat of weapons of mass destruction. "We know there were no weapons of mass destruction," Weinberg said. "So let's undo that authorization and bring these men and women back to New Jersey where they belong." Roughly 200 protesters lined the sidewalks in front of the armory, propping up banners and holding up peace signs to passing motorists who honked horns in support. Other signs referred to the cost of the war, tying the country's economic woes and lack of funding for various programs to Iraq. "I think the war is immoral and illegal," said Sarah Mercuri, a member of the anti-war groups Code Pink and the Peace and Justice Coalition. "I feel very strongly that the funds should be redirected home for education, health care and our infrastructure," Mercuri said "I have three children. I don't want to see anyone else's children killed," said Hester Giddings, a member of the reform group Bergen Grassroots. E-mail ax@northjersey.com TEANECK — Protesters surrounded the Teaneck Armory on Wednesday with banners bearing the names of slain American troops and Iraqis, staging a "Memorial Week" anti-war rally for the second consecutive year. The armory, which is home base to some of the hundreds of National Guard members from New Jersey deployed in Iraq, has been the site of weekly anti-war demonstrations in recent years. The protest also included a news conference to publicize a pair of bills introduced in the state Senate and Assembly that would call on the federal government to "defederalize" the state National Guard troops and release them from war deployments. Paula Rogovin, who heads the Bergen County chapter of Military Families Speak Out and helped organize the rally, said the demonstrations are even more important now that the media and the public seem focused on other issues, such as the economy and the presidential race. "Our demonstration is one of thousands across the country," said Rogovin, whose youngest son, a Marine, left two months ago for his second deployment to Iraq. To read more, click here. |
| Reflections: Lawrence Aaron's last column Sunday, August 3, 2008 Last updated: Tuesday August 5, 2008, EDT 7:13 AM By LAWRENCE AARON RECORD COLUMNIST Comment on this story Email this story Printer friendly version Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size I FIRST wrote about Willie Brennon two years ago. His weekly routine was to give free haircuts to shut-ins who couldn't get to his Englewood barber shop. Once I started probing, I discovered the role Brennon's Barber Shop played in shaping the values of many young men in the 46 years he had been running it. Brennon died on July 24. |He was 72. As a lad of 10, Aree Booker got his first paying job at Brennon's. "I couldn't cut hair, but I could sweep hair," Booker told mourners during the funeral service Monday at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack. Booker was not just another mourner. He was the funeral director managing the details: the horse-drawn carriage that paraded Brennon's coffin through the streets of Englewood, the New Orleans-style send-off from musician Lonnie Youngblood's crew, the barbers acting as Brennon's pallbearers, the many flowers and the many friends. Brennon was laid to rest by the 33-year-old funeral director who had first learned hard work and responsibility at the barber's knee. "It wasn't only me. All the kids and adults got more than a haircut from Mr. Brennon," said Booker, who owns Eternity Funeral Services in Englewood. Preaching part of the funeral service, Mount Olive associate pastor Rae Brown had her son Andrew, 13, stand up. "Mr. Brennon used to tell my son, ‘Don't give your mother or father a hard time.' That was the voice that African-American moms and dads need in the ear of their boys," Brown said. His last few months Retrieving my voice mail last weekend, I found Carol Brennon's message telling me that her husband, Willie, had died Thursday night. When I called her back, she said they treasured my column paying him tribute on Father's Day in 2006. Then she filled me in on the details of his leg fractured around Christmas and his downhill spiral with heart problems during his last few months. "I can't tell you how bad I feel," she said, "I have just lost my best friend." His heart gave out. How ironic. Willie had the biggest heart, and understood intuitively when to use a kind word and when to be strict. "People trusted Mr. B., not because he had all the answers, but because he had sense enough to listen," Mount Olive's pastor, the Rev. Gregory Jackson, said at the service. Brennon and I clicked, I think, because we both valued listening. Last week, as I debated how to tell readers farewell in my final column today, Brennon came to mind as one of many people who enriched my own life, my thinking and my writing in the five years that I've been offering my views on The Record's Op-Ed pages. I never set out to change lives with this column or convince readers that only I know what's right. My goal was simply to say what's on my mind. You can rethink your assumptions if you want to. Opining is infectious. And opining about New Jersey is such a guilty pleasure that I may start blogging. I've received countless messages from readers and talked to hundreds of people I might not have known otherwise. I met lawyer Al Catalano and Ringwood residents Wayne Mann, Roger DeGroat and Larry Sheehan while attempting to figure out why the town's beautiful Highlands environment had become an ecological disaster. Litany of ailments As I listened to Ringwood residents talk about their respiratory problems, cancer deaths, undiagnosed skin ailments and other mysterious maladies, Sheehan's brother said, "You should meet Mickey. Mickey wants to die." Mickey Van Dunk had undergone multiple surgeries all over his body to manage tumors attributed to hidradenitis suppurativa. He was a powerful symbol of the Ramapough Indians' struggle. Neither restoring the contaminated Ford Motor Co. dumping site to Superfund status nor heightened attention from state and federal agencies, elected officials, Ford and lawyers has resulted in major improvements in Upper Ringwood. Writing about this was the closest I've ever come to crusading for justice. Finally, justice I saw justice finally served, after 50 years, when Congress recognized the parents of Englewood's Nate Briggs. They took their lives in their hands by signing a petition challenging South Carolina school officials over the volatile segregation issue. I was pleased to open a dialogue about the social policies devastating families of incarcerated men and women. But I regret not ferreting out better explanations for Phylicia Moore's parents after she died on a school trip to Ghana. Those I celebrated included the Hong family, for rebuilding their looted business and donating new down coats from their Ridgefield warehouse to hundreds of poor kids; Shantay Mines, a former foster child making it through college; Carolyn Adams, with the battered but cherished Winged Victory award she got, along with a scholarship, from the NAACP; Paula Rogovin, who led war protests in Teaneck, and Dennis Castro, who was dedicated to his mission in Iraq; and Rutgers women's basketball coach Vivian Stringer, for her personal strength. Many readers shared the pain, joy and outrage of the people I wrote about. Others didn't. Thank you, all, for reading my column. Send comments about this column to letterstotheeditor@northjersey.com. I FIRST wrote about Willie Brennon two years ago. His weekly routine was to give free haircuts to shut-ins who couldn't get to his Englewood barber shop. Once I started probing, I discovered the role Brennon's Barber Shop played in shaping the values of many young men in the 46 years he had been running it. Brennon died on July 24. |He was 72. As a lad of 10, Aree Booker got his first paying job at Brennon's. "I couldn't cut hair, but I could sweep hair," Booker told mourners during the funeral service Monday at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack. Booker was not just another mourner. He was the funeral director managing the details: the horse-drawn carriage that paraded Brennon's coffin through the streets of Englewood, the New Orleans-style send-off from musician Lonnie Youngblood's crew, the barbers acting as Brennon's pallbearers, the many flowers and the many friends. Click here to read more. |
| RECORD McCain raises money in Teaneck Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Last updated: Saturday August 16, 2008, EDT 1:44 PM BY JOHN REITMEYER AND HERB JACKSON Staff Writers Comment on this story Email this story Printer friendly version Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size John McCain wants to win in New Jersey this fall and he’s trying to generate the money to do it. The Republican presidential candidate spent a few hours in Bergen County tonight headlining a private fund-raiser at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe. The trip to New Jersey was primarily about generating cash for the Arizona senator’s campaign. So far, he’s raised $2.5 million to Democrat Barack Obama’s $6 million in the Garden State – and is also trailing by at least ten points in most statewide polls. McCain told a group of about 400 people — who paid between $1,000 and $25,000 for hors d’oeuvres, a salad bar and assorted pastries — said the main issues of his campaign are reform, prosperity and peace. “We have to reform the way we do business” and stop out-of control federal spending, he said. “We have to bring back prosperity, keep taxes low and make sure we create new jobs.” McCain devoted much of his 15-minute talk to the conflict in Georgia, denouncing Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. “There are difficult times and the Russians have to understand that that kind of conduct was not acceptable in the 20th Century and it’s certainly not acceptable in the 21st Century,” said McCain, whose wife Cindy, also participated in a private fund-raiser in New Jersey today. McCain is trying to appeal to New Jersey’s more than 2 million unaffiliated voters and become the first Republican presidential candidate to win the state since Ronald Reagan, said Bill Baroni, a Republican state senator who represents Mercer County and is also chairman of McCain’s New Jersey campaign. “We’re going to be committed to campaigning here,” he said. “There is no doubt campaigns have to be paid for and you have to do fund- raising.” Earlier, while waiting at the airport for McCain to arrive, state Sen. Kevin O’Toole, R-Cedar Grove, praised McCain for visiting the state for sixth time. “He’s got more presence here than any other presidential candidate in recent memory,” O’Toole said. But McCain wasn’t greeted by just his admirers in New Jersey. Dozens of protesters gathered at a bus stop across the street from the hotel and rallied against McCain’s longtime support of the Iraq war. Protest organizer Paula Rogovin of Teaneck, questioned both McCain’s support of the war and votes he’s cast against increased funding for medical care for veterans and longer mandatory rests stateside for troops between deployments. “We think the war is about oil and greed and we feel the only way to support the troops at this point is to bring them all home,” said Rogovin, whose son is a Marine captain serving a second tour in Iraq. “For somebody who goes around saying they support the troops and really care about them, ‘we have to win the war,’ we don’t think his voting record shows he really cares.” Clifton Arrington, a Teaneck resident, held a sign that read “Bring the Troops Home Now!” “It’s just going to be more of the Bush situation,” Arrington said. “I’m out here protesting against McCain because of my belief that he’s going to be more of the same.” Bruno Oriti said he drove up from Highland Park to make sure an anti-war message was heard. “It reaches a certain level of insanity,” Oriti said. “How much can we let a few rich families create war for generation after generation?” Obama’s supporters, meanwhile, also did their best to counter McCain’s visit. “New Jersey’s a blue state and it’s going to stay that way,” said Rep. Steve Rothman, a Fair Lawn Democrat who is a regional co- chairman of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. “New Jerseyans are not going to give their votes to John McCain so he can have a third term for George Bush’s policies.” Rothman said he was hoping Obama would come to the state once or twice before November, “But we want to make sure he spends his time and resources in states he needs to win 271 electoral votes.” A pool report from The Star Ledger was included in this article. E-mail: reitmeyer@northjersey.com and jackson@northjersey.com John McCain wants to win in New Jersey this fall and he’s trying to generate the money to do it. TYSON TRISH/STAFF Republican residential hopeful John McCain, followed by Sen. Joe Lieberman, arrives at Newark Liberty Airport on his way to Teaneck. The Republican presidential candidate spent a few hours in Bergen County tonight headlining a private fund-raiser at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe. Click here to read more |