The Jaffe Briefing - November 2, 2020
SHAMONG – Bring a bong to Shamong? The mayor here is already pretty high on marijuana, believing this Pine Barrens town could become the “Pot Capital of New Jersey.” If state voters approve Public Question 1 tomorrow legalizing pot cultivation, processing and sales, Mayor Michael DiCroce wants marijuana to be the next big cash crop for Shamong’s farmers, telling the Courier Post it would bring more jobs and major tax relief. Unlike the corn, fruit and vegetable farms across this rural 44-square-mile town, DiCroce does not envision sprawling fields of cannabis. Instead, he says marijuana grown in secure greenhouses is more likely to get quick state approval in the environmentally sensitive Pinelands. Of course, it’s also possible other mayors may want a hit of whatever DiCroce is smokin’.
BEACH HAVEN – With marijuana likely to be legalized, there are some raised eyebrows with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office focus on prosecuting two college kids caught smoking weed on the beach. NJ.com reports the incident happened last August, just after midnight, on the beach far away from anyone else. A Beach Haven cop busted them for this crime of the century. Their lawyer successfully argued the charge was no big deal and it shouldn’t hamper the future of these college kids. The judge dismissed the case. Yet the prosecutor wouldn’t let it go, appealing to a three-judge panel who overturned the ruling on Oct. 21, saying the nice judge was too lax. Then, things got weird. The ACLU is now involved, the kids’ attorney is ticked and preparing for the next move, as they both argue this is a crazy waste of money and time for the prosecutor to get the case reinstated in municipal court, just as voters will likely make weed smoking legal in New Jersey. No comment from the prosecutor. Curious how Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett will eventually rule.
BRIEFING BREATHER
The only country where McDonald’s offers the McRib all-year-round? Germany.
ATLANTIC CITY – There is a cold wind blowing on the boardwalk this morning, and it’s not just November weather. Winter is coming, and the casinos are bracing for frozen business. Two massive revenue-generators – the NJEA conference and the League of Municipalities conference – aren’t coming to town this month. Couple that with the fact that shore business dips in the winter, casino owners are begging Gov. Phil Murphy for a lifeline, asking him to ease business-killing restrictions on indoor gatherings so that meetings, conventions and trade shows can happen, while restaurants, bars and entertainment venues can turn an actual profit. The Press of AC reports a scary stat: More than $182 million in economic activity already had been lost, through Thursday, from canceled meetings and conventions in AC this year.
STATEWIDE – Nothing convinces undecided voters to side with your candidate more than to make them sit in a traffic jam that you intentionally create to bring even more recognition to Donald Trump. But that, apparently, is the goal of all the Trump supporters who thought it made perfect sense to coordinate a large motorcade up the Garden State Parkway yesterday afternoon, snarling the highway for up to five miles and even getting out of their cars at one point to holler, clap and chant. As undecideds sat in the traffic and stewed, you can bet they were definitely thinking: “Y’know, honey, sitting in all this senseless traffic and missing mom’s birthday makes me really want to vote for Donald Trump. Thank you, Trump supporters!”
STATEWIDE – If there was not enough reason to vote – like the fate of the world hanging in the balance for years to come – you can also be rewarded with free food. Kristy Kreme will give you a glazed donut tomorrow if you bring along an “I voted” sticker. Jersey Mike’s is offering a free turkey sub on orders of $10 or more. Stop by McDonald’s for your choice of an apple fritter, a blueberry muffin or a cinnamon roll. (Sorry, no McRib.) And Wendy’s is giving out chicken sandwiches with any purchase. You can have that Wendy’s deal until Nov. 8, perhaps to celebrate when your mail-in ballot finally arrives at the county election board.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
AT YOUR DRIVE-THRU – The one fast-food sandwich that always generates hype? Yep, the McRib. And now media across the country is gushing over the news that – yes, sir – the fast-food mega-giant is once again putting the McRib back on the menu. This year is different, in that the McRib will be offered coast-to-coast for the first time in eight years, beginning Dec. 2, for a limited time. And what is a McRib? It is a 500-calorie restructured boneless pork patty shaped to appear like a miniature rack of ribs, likened to a saucy cardboard slab on a bun. People who are nuts over this boneless sandwich, with pickles and onions, created a website, https://mcriblocator.com, to track McRib appearances (other than Germany, of course.) The last McRib appeared on Oct. 28 at 1:57 p.m. in Managua, Nicaragua by a diner identified as Juan Perez.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1993 that Rudy Giuliani was elected the 107th mayor of New York City – back when he was normal.
WORD OF THE DAY
Exult – [ig-ZULT] – verb
Definition: To be extremely joyful
Example: I exult with my fellow voters that finally Election Day is here…and will soon be gone.
WIT OF THE DAY
“Lies sound like facts to those who've been conditioned to misrecognize the truth.”
― DaShanne Stokes
TODAY'S TRUMPISM
“Joe Biden is the candidate of rioters, looters, arsonists, gun-grabbers, flag-burners, Marxists, lobbyists, and special interests.”
-Donald J. Trump
WEATHER IN A WORD
Blustery
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
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