Yes, I hate New Jersey

I’ve lived in the state of New Jersey since about 1976, but to this day, I will not proclaim myself a native New Jerseyan (as many have attempted to force me to do), nor a native of the East Coast. Although I was born in the Midwest (where most of my family still lives), I’ve grown used to this peculiar state (and I do like some parts better than others). I’ve always found it to be a very strange, somewhat off-kilter place to live. Many of the land-marks and peculiarities detailed in an online periodical that has recently achieved a lot of national acclaim (http://www.weirdnj.com/) are things that I grew up near and have seen often, even recently. And the people . . . there’s generally something really strange (in a negative way) about the average long-time New Jersey citizen (other than the extreme and blatant rudeness and selfishness that these people seem to be so proud of). The one thing I can say without hesitation is that the state generally strikes me as one big, giant second-hand store built between a huge salvage yard and a mental institution for the criminally insane/intellectually challenged (with the except of Mercer County). But the past couple of years, and especially the past few weeks, I’ve started to become downright annoyed and angered with the citizens of this state.

My last post goes into a little of why I feel so blatantly negative about the citizens of this state that I currently dwell in. But a couple of days ago I was made aware of yet one more bizarre and hideously barbaric incident that just reinforces my feelings. And to tie it in to the last post, it provides yet one more example of why human rights are just a smidgeon higher on the list of my priorities than animal rights . . . just a smidgeon.

Dig these two official public accounts of the same occurrence:

http://www.njsp.org/news/pr012705.html

http://www.state.nj.us/lps/newsreleases05/pr20050127b.html

Goddamn sick. And this stuff goes on all over the state CONSTANTLY!!! There’s something really wrong with these people.

http://www.njsp.org/info/reg_sexoffend.html

So to those of you who feel just a wee bit over-zealous about animal rights, what of the poor 5-year-old human male rape victim who, in addition to having to endure such a horrific and debilitation crime, is now being made the subject of ogling and sick curiosity by disjointed New Jersey teens and rich, middle-aged conservative dysfunctional corporate middle-management assholes a like. I’m sorry this poor boy isn’t a dog or a rabbit or a cat, but goddammit, he’s got rights too, right? C’mon. . . .

Anyway, while you chew on that bit of fat, I gotta figure out how to get outta here!

-R.k.S.

As an aside, it turns out that one of the perpetrators who was charged with posession and ditribution of the videotape which shows the rape of a 5-year-old male by an adult male, just happens to live in the same neighborhood as my two school-aged sons, who are currently in the residential custody of their mother. One Christopher McGovern, age 21 , resides at 96 Liberty Court in Galloway, Atlantic County, NJ.

http://www.njsp.org/news/pdf/pr012705_opguard.pdf