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| counter-clockwise: top left: Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, bottom- left:Hoboken City Councilwoman Beth Mason, bottom-right: BoE slate Move Forward Nazi Truck video flashes swastikas at Wallace School on October 16, 2012. Multiple sources (including one at The Hoboken Reporter) identify Mason operative James Barracato as orchestrating the Nazi Truck. The offensive video was shot and produced by Beth Mason videographer Tim Brendel, son of Mason operative Barry Brendel. Barracato coordinated the Nazi Truck with a citywide distribution of midnight flyers. Barracato is on the Board of Directors of the Mason Civic League, Inc., the 'charity' sponsoring HudsonCountyRecovers.org, top-right: The Nazi Truck rides up and down Washington Street on October 17, 2012 |
Yesterday GA heard that The Jubilee Center wasn't told they were a sponsored charity for the Beth Mason initiative, HudsonCountyRecovers.org.
On November 14, 2012 HudsonCountyRecovers.org (HCR) was rolled-out to the Jersey Journal as a "non-profit" then advertised in The Hoboken Reporter as a "fund". In either case it purports itself to "help victims of Hurricane Sandy" in Hudson County.
Looking further, GA noticed the Mason charity was only helping victims in Ruben Ramos' District 33 and one in District 31, whose mayor, Mark Smith, is the Chairman of the HCDO. And Hoboken had suffered 97% of the damage (according to a FEMA survey) while others had suffered a fraction of 1 percent.
And when one donates online to HudsonCountyRecovers.org via PayPal, you discover your money is not going to a dedicated account or a HCR non-profit, it's going into the coffers of The Mason Civic League, Inc.
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| "Hudson County Charities that will benefit from your donations" |
Above are the 'charities' that will receive money donated to HudsonCountyRecovers.org.
So, GA has a question: Does Mayor Richard Turner know that Beth Mason is advertising his '527' Political Committee "Weehawken and Your Civic Association" as a charity that will receive proceeds to help Hurrican Sandy victims?
The Jubilee Center wasn't notified, I suspect Turner wasn't either. If not, he should have been.
GA believes that contributions to '527' are taxable income. But more importantly, non-profits are prohibited from participating in political activities or contributing to political organizations. Which means Mason's 501(c)(3) should not be funneling money to a '527' political organization. (I imagine '527's would be prohibited from accepting donations from a 501(c)(3) but am not sure about that.)
GA hopes that someone lets Turner know about this, before he comes under IRS scrutiny or even that of the NJ Attorney General. He seems to be an affable guy, and is our neighbor, after all.
With respect to taking gifts from The Mason Civic League, Inc., does Mayor Turner know that Mason operative James Barracato who sits on their Board has been identified as responsible for the Nazi Truck?
Never heard of it?
The Nazi Truck rode around Hoboken on 2 consecutive nights flashing swastikas and other gross imagery to discourage voters from supporting the mayor's allies, Kids First. Mason had Barracato working on the Move Forward campaign; Move forward opposed Kids First. Barracato unleashed The Nazi Truck on our city; it was the first time in Hoboken political history that swastikas were used to elect a slate of candidates. The Nazi Truck outraged all decent people of Hoboken, and is now being credited with losing the election. On October 19, 2012, two rabbis condemned it in the Hoboken Reporter:
Rabbi Moshe Schapiro of Chabad in Hoboken said he hadn’t seen the truck himself, but “I’ve seen pictures and I think it’s despicable. I’m appalled and shocked that anyone can use an image of such hatred and bigotry. I don’t know whose side, what side, if they’re repeating something, but how can one be so insensitive to Holocaust survivors who will walk by, or people who had grandparents who survived the camps, and have to witness such an image driving around the city?”Rabbi Scheinberg of Hoboken United Synagogue said this:
He added, “Whoever is responsible should immediately remove it and apologize. I am shocked this could happen in this day and age. In other countries it’s a crime to use that image. We have freedom of speech, but a million and a half Jewish babies were killed…this is not something that should be used for some political gain.”
"Using Nazi imagery in a local Hoboken election, trivializing the cataclysmic events of World War II, is completely inexcusable. I would urge whoever is responsible for these projected images to follow the example of the local blogger who, two years ago, publicly apologized for her use of such images on her blog and immediately removed them.”Anybody taking money from the Mason Civic League, Inc. might be interested to know about the extremely offensive behavior of a member of its Board. The Jubilee Center had no idea they were partnered with them.
GA wonders if Mayor Turner had any idea his '527', Weehawken and You Civic Association is, too.
That slimy anchovy worked for Turner in Weehawken City Hall until Turner fired his scaly little ass. Maybe this is payback? Slime Turner in the process of raising bogus money for "Mason Civic", as that moron Calicchio calls it. That way Turner wont see the ELEC violations coming his way. After all that turdy little chum bait thinks he is way smarter than everyone else in Hudson County. Maybe that explains his epic law school fail?
ReplyDeletePayback is an interesting theory. Another is that they were desperate to rehabilitate Mason's image after the Nazi Truck. It's one scheme after another with Mason and her dimwitted gang.
DeleteHer 'friends' at the County have to realize all the baggage that comes with her checkbook and decide if it's worth it. They're buying themselves a Nazi Truck, too. Which was condemned by Hoboken rabbis and may be taken to rabbinical court.
And you're buying yourselves Barracato who seems to be out of control- he assaulted Roman Brice for no reason in front of witnesses. Someone shot video, too. Now I'm told he's running around spreading lies about Brice, which I will not repeat. Let's just call them the product of a sick mind.