The Jaffe Briefing - March 23, 2021

STATEWIDE – Just when you think New Jersey finally has control of this damn virus, new stats show that our state leads the nation in the spread. How can that be? There’s now 18% of adults in New Jersey who have been fully vaccinated and plenty more who have already had one shot. So, what gives? Well, first, vaccinated people can still spread COVID 19. And there were 2,608 confirmed cases reported yesterday, as the state’s seven-day average shows our cases are up 8% from a week ago and 24% from a month ago. There’s the issue with these stubborn variants that keep cropping up, as well as the boldness of many who think things are back to normal because of the vaccines. Bottom line: Don’t expect the state to loosen restrictions anytime soon.

STATEWIDE – Hair style discrimination? That’s apparently next, after a Buena High School wrestler was forced to cut off his dreadlocks or forfeit a match in 2018. State lawmakers jumped all over this outrage; New Jersey is now only the third state to ban discrimination based on someone’s hair cut. It may now be federal law, NJ.com reports, as Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman are fighting discrimination against anyone in the land who has tightly coiled or tightly-curled, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots and Afros. They are pushing the “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” or CROWN, Act, and lawmakers are asking Vice President Kamala Harris to make it a legislative priority.

HOWELL – Be a nuisance, get a ‘nuisance’ fine. It’s as simple as that, as the Town Council votes tonight to slap rowdy bars and boisterous party hosts with $300 fines, per incident, for repeatedly pestering police with excessive, unnecessary and outrageous behavior. Officials tell the Asbury Park Press they're fed up with raucous parties and even a local group home that refuses to hire private security, expecting police to keep showing up to deal with problems. Town Manager Brian Geoghegan says the extra nuisance fines “just gives us a little more teeth” to deal with business and property owners who repeatedly overburden police, as the party rages on. Apparently, “social distancing” is a priority for some people here.

BRIEFING BREATHER

Playing dance music can ward off mosquitoes.

TINTON FALLS – This town's 96-year-old mayor would be America’s oldest mayor, if he wins a second four-year term. Mayor Vito Perillo – who may remember living under FDR’s New Deal – is thinking about running this fall. By election time, Perillo will be 97 and our nation’s only centenarian mayor when he hits 100 in a few years. NJ.com suggests the shrewd, spry nonagenarian may already be our oldest mayor. It’s really hard to tell since the League of Municipalities and US Council of Mayors don’t track mayors’ ages. Perillo, a WWII Navy vet and 1980 civilian retiree from Fort Monmouth, got riled up about his tax bills. So, at 93, he waged an old-fashion door-to-door campaign that unseated a much younger incumbent. Perillo’s re-election chances are promising; he’s delivered annual taxes decreases since taking the helm. Some old-fashioned, Depression-era belt tightening may be exactly what Tinton Falls residents want for another four years.

NEWARK – The leader of one of the largest and most respected Baptist churches in New Jersey is targeting Gov. Phil Murphy, claiming the progressive Democratic governor has exploited and betrayed the Black community. There’s some strong words from the Rev. David Jefferson, a fellow Democrat and frequent Murphy critic. He’s dashed off a letter to national and state Democrats, saying the governor expressed his deep devotion to the Black community on the campaign trail, but now “forgot about them” and is more focused on his next political move, as he seeks re-election. Among the pastor’s allegations is that Murphy did not focus enough on “vulnerable” communities during the pandemic response. It is important to note Jefferson is also chief legal officer of a Black-owned investment firm suing the Murphy Administration for allegations of racial bias. No response, so far, from Murphy, NJ.com reports.

IN THE MEDIA

ASBURY PARK – The tables have turned, as politicians are piling on the Asbury Park Press regarding a sexist photo caption that’s now international news. There’s no question it was a careless, stupid, insensitive joke not meant for public consumption, when someone wrote a caption referring to a woman loading COVID vaccine as “a fucking hot nurse, a total JAP” in Sunday’s digital edition. The newspaper editor apologized, but that’s no where near good enough for Sen. Vin Gopal, calling for a detailed explanation about how such an awful caption can appear in his local press, visible by all. Heck, doesn’t this newspaper have editors anymore? Not letting this one go, Gopal says the Asbury Park Press should be held to the same high standard that it places on politicians “and it must provide information as to how it will prevent future mishandlings from happening.” The newspaper’s editor posted a written apology and appears to be sticking just with that, noting that “immediate and significant action” has been taken regarding this personnel matter.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

SAN DIEGO – A super dad wanted to give his 2-year-old daughter a really, really close look at elephants. And that did not sit well with San Diego Zoo, who called the cops when the 25-year-old man jumped a fence, bypassed multiple barriers and “purposely and illegally trespassed” into a habitat for Asian and African elephants Friday afternoon. Witnesses heard a woman yelling, “Jose, stop!!!,” as he navigated the enclosure for a better look at a bull elephant. NBC has some witness video that shows the man dropping the child as they flee the enclosure as a trumpeting elephant charged at them. One witness account: “He runs, throws his baby through the gate and it’s seconds from hitting him. He jumps through the gate, falls on the ground and then it roared. The baby starts crying and people were just mad at this guy.” Dad, now in jail on $100,000 bond, is to be arraigned March 30. Now, who’s the Dumbo?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It was this day in 1994 that Howard Stern announced a Libertarian run for New York governor. And certainly not for the ratings.

WORD OF THE DAY

Jurisprudence – [joor-us-PROO-dunss] – noun

Definition: The science or philosophy of law

Example: A basic premise of American jurisprudence is that a person can write what he or she wants, as per the First Amendment. Except, of course, racy photo captions.

WIT OF THE DAY

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” 

– Oscar Wilde

BIDEN BLURB

“The American Rescue Plan means a $7,000 check for a single mom of four. It means more support to safely and quickly reopen schools. It means setting up additional vaccination sites to help America get back to normal. What does the American Rescue Plan mean to you?”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

April?