The Daily ZTH!

NJ Prison Inmate Still Fights For His Mail

BORDENTOWN, NJ — This past Valentine’s Day, inmate Justin Hendrix didn’t receive any romantic letters from a girl. In fact, Justin Hendrix actually had a woman, corrections officer Bonnie Lutz, take letters away from him: letters from his mother, his fiancé, and his friends.

Mr. Hendrix reported this in a grievance he filed on March 7th:

I was talking to someone [a fellow inmate] at his door when [Ofc. Lutz] wrote on a pad and paper ‘Mr. Hendrix meet Ofc. Lutz’ She then shook her head at me like ‘oh yeah, you’re screwed’. I haven’t gotten mail since [as of this grievance], just state documents. Friday March 2nd, I got 4 letters that were stamp marked Feb 18, 20, 22. Why were these letters withheld from me for a week? I spoke to my mother and fiancé who both sent me letters weeks ago. Why is my mail being withheld from me? If Ofc. Lutz is playing games because of me talking to someone at their door for showers, it’s a federal offense. I want my mail.

The Valentine’s Day incident wasn’t the first time Mr. Hendrix had to fight to get his mail. The mail room at his housing unit, and Ofc. Lutz in particular, have been playing games with him for quit some time.

On March 5th, Mr. Hendrix wrote another complaint:

Why was it that my mail was held 2 weeks from the stamp dating marks? […] I want this looked into. Don’t send me a response saying you search for contraband and forward my mail ‘cause you’ve been holding the three letters I got Friday afternoon for 2 weeks.

Mr. Hendrix did get a response, signed by Sgt. Joe Eisele on March 16th:

Mail is picked up daily from the local post office and processed the same day. The mail is forwarded to your housing unit for distribution. The mailroom does not hold mail.

Clearly, if this were really the case Mr. Hendrix would not be complaining about his mail being held. Previously, Mr. Hendrix asked a friend to send him a print-out of his profile on the NJDOC’s offender search so he could see his new identification picture. His friend made two attempts to mail the print-out to Mr. Hendrix, both of which were stymied by Ofc. Lutz in the mailroom.

When Mr. Hendrix asked about this in a grievance, he was informed by Sgt. Eisele that this information is contraband and that “inmates are not permitted to have possession of any printouts from the DOC offender search.”

The Daily ZTH got in touch with NJDOC’s communications director Deirdre Fedkenheuer, who explained that “it’s contraband to have anybody else’s face sheet other than your own. Every inmate receives their face sheet annually when they get their review and progress notes. Of course the photograph is tied electronically to the one that’s on the website.”

According to Ms. Fedkenheuer’s explanation, it seems that Mr. Hendrix was improperly denied access to his “face sheet,” and apparently has never even seen the updated photograph that NJDOC took of himself late last year.

This also does not explain why Ofc. Lutz deprived Mr. Hendrix of mail for two weeks. Not only was he entitled to receive the confiscated print-outs, but he by all means should have received his mail on time.

It appears that, in Mr. Hendrix’s own words, the NJDOC is indeed “playing games with him.”

The man just wants his mail. 

Union County Clerk Throws Away 72 Voter Signatures

ELIZABETH, NJ — If life weren’t bad enough already for oppressed Union County residents, today NJ Superior Court Judge Lisa Crystal has upheld the decision of Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi to disregard the signatures of 72 registered voters who petitioned for “Democrats for Change” candidates to run for the three County Freeholder seats on the primary ballot on June 5th.

The candidates needed to submit 100 valid voter signatures in order to appear on the ballot. Since Ms. Rajoppi discarded 72 of those signatures, the candidates will not appear on the ballot.

Incumbent Freeholders Al Mirabella and Mohamed Jalloh, along with newly-chosen running mate Bruce Bergen, will run unopposed on the primary in June, and then will be shoe-ins in the general election in November due to the fact that the Democratic party always wins Union County general elections (at least since the early 1990s).

Why are people REALLY leaving America?

On Facebook yesterday I saw that The New York Times posted a link to an article about how the American-born children of immigrants are leaving the country to start businesses or get jobs in foreign countries.

The article made it seem like the only countries people are really moving to are China and India— where many jobs have been outsourced to already— in an attempt to slant the article and make it seem like the United States has to “compete” with these countries or something.

This is not really true, people are leaving to find opportunities in a wide variety of countries, particularly in Central and South America (Brazil’s economy is booming).

What bothered me the most was the comments people left on the Facebook post. Everyone who commented seemed to me to be a stupid American caught up in the US-centric Republican/Democrat mindset. Some people blamed the Republicans, other people blamed the Democrats.

Nobody really understood what the problem is and why people are leaving the US.

Especially not this guy:

Mr. Pucko doesn’t get it. Career and life opportunities aren’t made by the government (or corporations) pumping money into institutions and industry. All that does is create jobs. Arbitrary, meaningless jobs. The problem with America is that we believe that jobs are created by a higher power, either the government or large corporations. Obama spends trillions in stimulus money, bailouts to the auto industry, and investments in Solyndra, while Christie spends billions on tax credits for new factories and office buildings. Each politician is doing the same thing.

The Republican Party wants corporations to create jobs, while the Democratic Party wants the government to create jobs. Either way, they’re both opposite sides of the same faceless machine: The Job Mill, The US-Canadian Public-Private Partnership to Create Jobs and Keep People Doing Nothing.

The problem with The Job Mill is that if you want a job to earn money, that job has to be given to you. It’s a sad day when people with skills and ideas to offer and a willingness to go out and do something with those skills can’t get any money from those skills and ideas. You can’t just start working on something, you’re more like a tool waiting to be chosen for use. The Job Mill has to pick you out from a huge work bench of tools (most of them being the same tool) and use you, paying you a wage.

That’s how government jobs work, and that’s how corporate jobs work. In order to get a job you need to be qualified and verified, your worth as a human being has to be determined by what pieces of paper you’ve earned from institutions inside The Job Mill. Criminal record checks need to be performed to determine that you’re not a trouble maker. Credit checks need to be performed to determine that you’re not a risk to be a trouble maker. Facebook checks need to be performed to determine that your personal life won’t embarrass your job-awarder. Unicru personality tests need to be performed to make sure your personality is normal. Drug screens need to be performed to make sure you use any substances or herbs that The Job Mill has deemed immoral.

And if you don’t pass The Job Mill’s stringent requirements for being awarded a job, you’re fucked. You can either leave, die, or go to jail.

The real reason why people are leaving the United States (or Canada) is because other countries are so much more free and deinstitutionalized. If you want to do something you can do it. Things cost dramatically less, and regulations are few and far between. The bureaucracies we have in America are virtually non-existent. Above all, people are friendlier and the sense of community is much greater than that in America. In America, everything is too sterile and everybody is too guarded. The whole society is a machine in every aspect, just a self-serving automation.

That’s why people are leaving.

NJ Canadian Action???

I’ve been monitoring The Daily ZTH’s sitemeter, as always, and I’ve noticed that NJ Citizen Action visiting this blog fairly regularly. Interestingly, most of the visits I get from Citizen Action show up as if they’re coming from Canada.

Here, take a look:

Now, I understand that some times your internet service provider (ISP) will show your location as being somewhere totally different from where you are. For example, Sitemeter shows my location to be Newark, Delaware, and back when I was in high school, that school (in Scotch Plains) would show up as being in Perth Amboy. So I’m well aware that your ISP can skew your location data. Usually, though, that location is pretty close to your actual location.

But what strikes me as odd about Citizen Action’s visits is that not only is their location coming up as being several hundred miles away (at the least) from their offices in Highland Park, but it’s showing they’re in a foreign country.

I know Citizen Action is accessing from Canada. To prove it, the other day I was trolling their Facebook page and I posted a link to one of my articles. Someone from Citizen Action clicked the link alright, and my Sitemeter reported them as being in Canada:

It should be noted that their ISP, as listed above, is Rogers, an internet service provider in Canada. They do not provide service to the United States. Therefore, whomever is accessing The Daily ZTH must literally be physically located in Canada.

Therefore, it must be concluded that New Jersey Citizen Action, a reportedly “grass roots” organization based in New Jersey that involves itself with state-level politics, is affiliated (at the very least) with something or someone in Canada. It can also be concluded that Canadian someone or something is continually monitoring The Daily ZTH and its statements about Citizen Action.

All I can say so far is that there’s someone or something based in a foreign country that has a direct interest in NJCA. Who is this Canadian entity? Could it be a millionaire investor? Could they be the ones making NJCA’s decisions? And why does anyone in Canada care what happens in Trenton?

Scotch Plains Police Blotter - April 16th 2012

April 9th, 2012 - A resident of Morgan Way reported being a victim of a Theft. She stated that sometime during the day an unknown suspect(s) removed several newly planted bushes from her front yard. The bushes were worth approximately $200.

April 9th, 2012 - A resident of Highlander Dr. reported being a victim of Fraud. She stated that an unknown suspect(s) attempted to open up a credit card without her authorization.

April 10th, 2012 - A resident of Ashbrook Dr. reported being victim of Fraud. She stated that she hired a contractor to do work and paid him $4,500, the contractor hasn’t done any work and his telephone number was disconnected.

April 10th, 2012 - A student at Park Middle School reported being a victim of a Theft. He stated that sometime during the day an unknown suspect(s) entered his locker. Once inside the suspect(s) removed an iTouch valued at approximately $225. Entrance was gained through an unlocked door.

April 10th, 2012 - A resident of West Ct. reported being a victim of Fraud. She stated that an unknown suspect(s) opened up a credit card without her authorization. The suspect then made approximately $280 in charges.

April 11th, 2012 - A resident of Mountain Ave. reported being a victim of a Theft. He stated that sometime overnight an unknown suspect(s) removed his solar powered lights from the front of his house. The lights were valued at approximately $150.

April 11th, 2012 - A resident of Valleyscent Ave. reported being a victim of Fraud. He stated that an unknown suspect(s) made approximately $500 in purchases on his credit card without his authorization.

April 12th, 2012 - A resident of Canterbury Dr. reported being a victim of Fraud. He stated he received a call from an individual who said he was from the bank and requested the victim’s social security number and date of birth.

April 12th, 2012 - Rishi Jones Age 36 of Park Ave. Plainfield N.J. was arrested for a $29,000 outstanding warrant issued by the Plainfield Court. Off. Ostrowski stopped Jones for a motor vehicle violation on South Ave. and discovered the warrant. Jones was transported to headquarters where he was processed and released to the Plainfield Police Department.

April 14th, 2012 - John Lukach Age 27 of Washington Ave. Green Brook N.J. was arrested for a $5,000 outstanding warrant issued by the North Plainfield Court. Off. Belford stopped Lukach for a motor vehicle violation on Forest Rd. and discovered the warrant. Lukach was transported to headquarters where he was processed and released to the North Plainfield Police Department.

April 14th, 2012 - Daniel Bosse Age 22 of Maple Ave. South Plainfield N.J. was arrested for Possession of Marijuana. Off. Luciano stopped Bosse for a motor vehicle violation on Ravenswood Rd. and while speaking with him he observed the marijuana. After investigating further, additional marijuana was discovered. Bosse was arrested and transported to headquarters where he was processed and released after posting bail.

April 14th, 2012 - Jose Ocaso Jr. Age 20 of East Second St. Plainfield N.J. was arrested for a $1,150 outstanding warrant issued by the Plainfield Court. Off. Belford stopped Ocaso for a motor vehicle violation on East Second St. and discovered the warrant. Ocaso was transported to headquarters where he was processed and released.

April 14th, 2012 - Joseph Pope Age 23 of West Francis St. Iselin N.J. was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Off. Luciano stopped Pope for a motor vehicle violation on Terrill Rd. and while speaking with him he observed the paraphernalia. Pope was arrested and transported to headquarters where he was processed and released after posting bail.

(Source: scotchplainspolice.org)

NJ Prisoners Not Allowed To Have Photos Of Themselves?

BORDENTOWN, NJ — On January 30th, 2012, Justin Hendrix, a 22-year-old inmate at Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional facility, filled out a grievance form alleging that the prison’s corrections officers had taken something of his they had no right to take.

And what was that?

Hendrix’s own image.

Hendrix, who has been incarcerated since January 8th 2010 after violating his probation for setting an apartment building on fire, wrote to a friend on the outside asking if they could send him a copy of his information from the NJDOC’s offender search so he could see his new identification photo.

However, there’s a problem: he wasn’t allowed to have that. The photograph was confiscated not once, but twice, by A.C. Wagner’s mail room clerk, Corrections Officer Bonnie Lutz.

Hendrix reported on his grievance:

Once again Ofc. Lutz has taken something she is not allowed to take. This time it was a letter from my friend… which had my NJDOC.COM [sic] print out printed on it. You can’t take mail… It’s a federal offense. My mail is not a security threat, I want my letter. Only SID/IA can take letters, not [corrections officers].

Mr. Hendrix’s grievance was returned with the following explanation, written and signed off by Sergeant Joseph Eisele:

Please be advised that inmates are not permitted to have posession of any print outs from the DOC offender search. This includes website info on themselves as well as other inmates.

The Daily ZTH got in touch with corrections ombudsman Dan DiBenedetti, who stated that the Department of Corrections “probably don’t want sentencing information to get in the hands of other inmates.”

“I mean, why would [Justin Hendrix] want his sentencing info to get in the hands of other inmates?” Mr. DiBenedetti posed.

It doesn’t matter if Hendrix wants his info to get into the wrong hands or not, that’s his info, it’s his right to see it and to have it. Whether or not he wants to take the chance of other inmates getting at it is his prerogative, not the NJDOC’s.

NJ Weedman’s Trial Postponed Until May 1st

MT. HOLLY, NJ — Ed “NJweedman” Forchion, longtime marijuana activist and New Jersey politician, appeared before Judge Charles Delehey in Superior Court on Tuesday April 10th on charges relating to his April 1st 2010 arrest for marijuana possession.

Originally, Mr. Forchion was scheduled to start his criminal trial on Tuesday, however that was postponed in order to expedite the trial of former Moorestown police officer Robert Melia, Jr. (known locally as “the cow fucker”). Mr. Forchion’s new trial date is set for May 1st, 2012.

Mr. Forchion explained that he was not formally notified of the change in court date until Tuesday morning. “[The Court] let me know through the newspapers,” he told The Daily ZTH!.

Mr. Forchion, who is defending himself in court with the aid of a public defender, submitted a document to Judge Delehey titled “Re-Trial Preparation & Clarification” requesting that the court accommodate him for his trial with a display monitor, internet access, an easel, and a third table. Mr. Forchion stated in the document that he will use these tools to present videos to the jury, explaining:

I’ve always looked at Miranda [warnings] as a double-edged sword. It also implies that anything the person says could be used FOR that person in court. Since my arrest and MIRANDA warning I’ve made plenty of public statements mostly through the press, and in the videos I posted on the internet. […] If I was charged with murder and made numerous statements admitting guilt to the press, the prosecution would gladly present these himself to the jury but in this case I doubt he would. Because he knows many of the jurors would agree with me and my public statements.

Mr. Forchion, who is representing himself in court with the aid of a public defender “for technical things” and “as an expert witness”, is planning on using the little-known technique of jury nullification to clear himself of his charges.

After his court dates, Mr. Forchion takes it upon himself to distribute pamphlets provided to him for free by the Fully Informed Jury Association to jurors leaving the courthouse. The pamphlets remind jurors and potential jurors of their rights and inform them that “juror nullification is your right to refuse to enforce bad laws and bad prosecutions”.

“There’s a method to my madness,” Mr. Forchion told The Daily ZTH, “I hope that one of [my supporters] will be on my jury… I’m a star here [in Burlington County].”

With jury nullification, all it takes is just one juror to stand up, say “no” and hang the jury.

“I think the numbers are on my side,” Mr. Forchion continued, “there’s so many potheads out there. If there’s 100 people in the [juror] pool, there’s going to be 30 that are potheads.”

“[Prosecutor Michael Luciano]’s going to try and weed out the people that he thinks will support me.”

“What if the jury comes back guilty?” Mr. Luciano asked Mr. Forchion in the courtroom, before the hearing formally began.

“Then I win on appeal,” Mr. Forchion stated assuredly. But what if that doesn’t happen? Is Mr. Forchion prepared to spend a few years in prison?

“Then I sit behind a pair of bars,” Mr. Forchion told The Daily ZTH calmly, “there’s nothing you can do when you’re in prison but appeal.”

Still, Mr. Forchion remains optimistic and determined to come out victorious.

“Too bad you’ll catch a loss on this one as you’re heading to the door, I’ve been waiting 12 years for this,” Mr. Forchion told Mr. Luciano after the hearing.

“Have a nice day, Mr. Forchion,” Mr. Luciano smirked.

“What was that? I thought you were telling me to go smoke a bowl or something!”