Democracy in America

Posted on by under Electoral Ethics and Politics, West Orange

A friend calls to tell me that he “helped” his elderly mother vote in the West Orange election—meaning, they filled the ballot out “together,” whatever that means. Knowing none of the candidates and nothing about the election, he called me at 9:30 pm last night asking for advice, but alas, I failed to answer (some would call it “bad faith”; I call it “commuting”). Left to their own devices, “they” ended up voting randomly for “a bearded man” (Krakoviak) and “a woman” (Bennett). 😂

Where is Tocqueville when you need him?

Micaela Bennett on Justin Goldsman

Posted on by under activism, Electoral Ethics and Politics, West Orange

In a post I wrote here on September 24, I posed a question for all seven mayoral candidates and five of the six candidates for Town Council in West Orange, New Jersey. Would they regard it as disqualifying for a candidate for office to say, “We are humans, not Jews”? (Council candidate Justin Goldsman had actually said, “We are human not Muslim,” but I re-phrased the question for present purposes.) I requested a yes/no answer, on the record, before Election Day. Two candidates for Town Council gave answers, then withdrew them.

A third, Micaela Bennett, answered last night (the 28th). I posted her response on the evening of the 29th, but now (the 30th), in a private email to me, Bennett objects to the title of the post, which she finds “misleading,” and follows with other accusations of “bad faith,” blah blah blah.

OK. Fine by me. I’ve deleted her response. I didn’t think it answered my question anyway. Next?

Princeton Is an ICE-Free Zone

Posted on by under activism, migrant defense, princeton

I’d intended to read a statement at Princeton Municipal Council tonight, underscoring the urgency of the need for an ICE-Free Zone in Princeton, but it turned out to be unnecessary. (An ICE-Free Zone is one which restricts the federal government’s use of municipal property for purposes of immigration enforcement when ICE lacks a judicial warrant; it’s not literally a zone that ICE can never enter.) Around 9 am, I got a voicemail from Councilwoman Mia Sacks telling me that a resolution was on the agenda, and up for vote. Resolution R-26-299 passed unanimously around 9 pm tonight. I’m grateful to the Mayor and Council for their efforts.

Rev Erich Kussman of St Bartholomew’s Lutheran Church, Trenton, leading the Peoples’ Prayer Vigil at Delaney Hall, Newark, June 2026

Jackie Hendy on Justin Goldsman

Posted on by under activism, cancel culture, Electoral Ethics and Politics, West Orange

I previously had posted a response from Jackie Hendy responding to my earlier question about Justin Goldsman. I had asked the candidates whether they would regard it disqualifying for a candidate for office to say “We are humans, not Jews.” I explicitly asked for a response on the record. She’s now asked me to remove her comment. I’ve done so, but I regard her request as an act of cowardice, and accede to it only because the request itself negates the earlier statement.

Ms Hendy regards herself (as conveyed through a third party) as “coerced” into a “type of politics that she (and we) have no desire to engage in.” No one has “coerced” her. The “type of politics” involved requires a certain degree of integrity. I don’t dispute that she has no desire to engage in it. She’s made that abundantly clear.

Matt Dvorin on Justin Goldsman

Posted on by under activism, cancel culture, Electoral Ethics and Politics, West Orange

I previously had posted a response from Matt Dvorin responding to my earlier question about Justin Goldsman. I asked the candidates whether they would regard it disqualifying for a candidate for office to say “We are humans, not Jews.” I explicitly asked for a response on the record. He’s now asked me to remove his comment. I’ve done so, but I regard his request as an act of cowardice, and accede to it only because the request itself negates the earlier statement.

Why We’re Surrounded by Assholes

Posted on by under activism, princeton, Princeton University, West Orange, Electoral Ethics and Politics

What Dale Caldwell Has in Common with Justin Goldsman and Mikie Sherrill
West Orange Patch has a headline this morning, “Around West Orange: Political Scandal.” The headline suggests that a scandal has taken place in West Orange. Has it? No, the scandal Patch has in mind is the recent resignation from office of New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell. Caldwell lives and works in New Brunswick. He answered to Governor Mikie Sherrill, who lives in Princeton and works in Trenton. It’s not clear exactly where the malfeasances alleged against him took place, but it’s clear that none took place in West Orange.

Continue reading →

ICE-Free Zone for Princeton (2)

Posted on by under activism, migrant defense, princeton

Statement to Princeton Municipal Council
400 Witherspoon St
September 28, 2026, 7 pm

As I know you’re aware, over the summer I made the case to the Mayor and Council for an ICE-Free Zone for Princeton, meaning a resolution or ordinance restricting the use of township property by federal immigration authorities. I appreciate the receptivity of the Mayor and Council to that proposal, and the work they’ve already put into it. But I wanted to highlight the urgency of the issue. 

Continue reading →

West Orange: Habitat for Inhumanity

Posted on by under Electoral Ethics and Politics, West Orange

Every candidate for office in West Orange should be asked a simple question. Would they regard it as disqualifying for office for a candidate to say, “We are humans, not Jews”? Yes or no? On the record. Before Election Day.

And guess who’s going to ask them? ❤️

RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION WILL BE CONSIDERED ON THE RECORD AND UP FOR POSTING ON THIS BLOG. ONCE RECEIVED, THEY WILL BE POSTED. NOT SURE HOW MUCH MORE EXPLICIT I CAN BE. IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE THAT, DON’T ANSWER THE QUESTION, BUT THEN FACE THE FACT THAT YOU CAN’T ANSWER A QUESTION THIS STRAIGHTFORWARD.

Matt Dvorin, candidate for Town Council, responded on September 27, deleted September 29 at respondent’s request.
Jackie Hendy, candidate for Town Council, responded on September 28, deleted September 29 at respondent’s request.
Micaela Bennett, candidate for Town Council, responded on the evening of September 28, posted September 29, and deleted September 30 at respondent’s request.

“Now Boarding Active Service Military Personnel…”

Posted on by under Fatwas, Notes on the Anti-War Movement, activism, Neutrality and Complicity, Human Shields

Every system of mass transportation I use—trains, buses, airlines—gives a discount to active service military personnel. Some go beyond this, giving them special lounges and priority in boarding. Isn’t this a form of complicity, however ostensibly minor, in the wars they fight? And hasn’t the time come to put an end to it?

Continue reading →

Question Time for Nassau Hall

Posted on by under activism, Human Shields, Neutrality and Complicity, Notes on the Anti-War Movement, Palestine, Princeton University

Question submitted for the September 28, 2026 meeting of the Council of the Princeton University Community:

On November 11, 2024, I asked this body whether, given evidence of the University’s complicity in grave wrongdoing via its investments, it would in principle disclose the nature of those investments. I was told both orally and in print that it would not. The University now has a campaign in which it asks alumni like me to “Stand Up” for Princeton. This strikes me as an illegitimate request. It’s one thing to make a request for support in a context of reciprocity: you disclose; we decide. What Princeton is asking is that we stand up for it while it conceals what it stands for. How can that be justified? Indeed, how can it be differentiated from an outright scam?

The CPUC meets Monday, September 28 at 4:30 pm in the All Purpose Room of Frist Hall at Princeton University.
(I unfortunately missed this meeting again, stuck at work, and will have to ask the question at the CPUC’s next meeting on November 9th.)

Nassau Hall during Gaza Solidarity Encampment, April 29, 2024