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Stink bomb thrown into Corzine HQ in Somerset County

by: Rosi Efthim

Mon Aug 31, 2009 at 04:18:44 PM EDT



HQ facade

A stink bomb was thrown into the Somerset County Democratic Headquarters a little after noon today, the office where the Corzine for Governor campaign is coordinating their field efforts in the county.

This is the same Division Street office Governor Corzine visited last weekend during the Opening Day Party of the field office.

One person was present - an intern named Lash Green II, who was in the office working on invitations for an upcoming event with Mayor Cory Booker. Green told police he believed the stink bomb was thrown from the passenger window of a white Chrysler 300 that pulled away from the curb in front of the HQ entrance moments after. Somerville police responded but refused to file a report, citing lack of damage.

No one was hurt but the stink bomb produced a cloud of acrid sulphur odor. County Party Executive Director Alex Radus said a few minutes of work time were lost but the staff continued to work even in the "very uncomfortable environment". Said Somerset Democratic Chair Peg Schaffer:

This kind of childish behavior takes on grave significance when a political organization is targeted. It is a mark of intolerance, and amounts to nothing less than assault, voter intimidation and harassment.

The incident was filed with the NJ Secretary of State, the entity charged with overseeing the election process.

 

Rosi Efthim :: Stink bomb thrown into Corzine HQ in Somerset County
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"nice" job by the police (4.00 / 1)
So, their position is that it is okay to throw stink bombs in school or even police headquarters?

I have to think of a witty signature about Frank LoBiondo

If Someone Threw A "Stinkbomb" Into A Police Station.... (0.00 / 0)
....they would be taking it very seriously.

Somerville police responded but refused to file a report, citing lack of damage.

Any kind of bomb thrown into a space where there are people is a terroristic threat.  Who's to say that next time it won't be a stick of dynamite?

I wonder how the Somerset cops that responded would have felt if it was someone in their family that was in the office when the bomb went off?

There should have been not only a report filed, but a full investigation!  

Maybe we need to federalize these kinds of crimes?  The FBI should be looking into this and the perps, if found and convicted, should spend the next ten to twenty years in a federal pen.

As it is, the local cops have the freedom to ignore a non lethal bombing......yet on a psychological level it's just as terrifying since you don't know if next time the explosives might be far more potent.

Messing with the electoral process is not joke and it should not be treated as such.

I have to wonder if these cops were Christie supporters?


Nick you realize that stink bombs, aren't actual bombs right? (0.00 / 0)
Stink Bombs.

Now, I do think that throwing a stink bomb into a campaign office is unacceptable and childish but "terroristic threat,"- "They should spend the next 10 to 20 years in prison."

I mean do you really believe that? Do you realize that you can murder someone and not spend 20 years in prison?

Again I'll reiterate, it is unacceptable for people to do this, but do you really believe these outlandish statements you make?


[ Parent ]
Stink Bomb Is A Weapon.... (0.00 / 0)
It uses chemicals to create an atmosphere that is noxious at best and toxic at worst.

There are all manner of variants.

They are a physical and violent assault on the victim...and if the ingredients include feces, vomit, blood etc...they can indeed by life threatening in that they could produce illness.

Further, once one has become "comfortable" throwing stink bombs at victims and getting away with it; then it becomes all the easier to escalate to a Molotov Coctail etc etc etc.

From the perspective of the victim; there is an implicit threat that "next time" it'll be worse.

If I were the Corzine campaign I wouldn't be taking the throwing of ANYTHING with the word "bomb" in it at my local headquarters.

For the cops to trivialize this was a mistake.   We live at a time when people who HATE Obama feel comfortable wearing their arms outside of his events.  Did the cops check to determine the precise nature of this device?   What was in it?  Was it an off the shelf standard mix of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia?  Or was it more involved?  Did they take any air samples?   Was a hazmat team called in?   Did anything get sent to any labs at all???  Let's PRAY that all this was was "stink" and nothing more....but to simply ASSUME that, and not even investigate strikes me a downright negligence.

I say this is all related.  Democracy can NOT exist in an environment where intimidation or bullying is tolerated to ANY degree.

Any kind of offense directed at the democratic process needs to be addressed with great severity.  Whether it's messing with the electoral process or throwing noxious chemicals into your opponents campaign headquarters from a speeding car...the penalties associated with such actions need to be severe.

Matthew, try throwing a "stink bomb" into an open session of congress, or at the president.  See how many years you spend in a federal prison....whatever that number is...should be applied as well to the bastards who threw this shit into one of Governor John Corzine's local campaign quarters.

The innocent fifties are long gone.  We live in times when it is possible to terrorize people with envelopes with powder in them.   No one can be sure that such a "stink bomb" doesn't contain a biological agent.....and it could be something as simple and low tech as having someone who has a flu or TB spit up a load of phlegm/mucous into the "mix"

Without law and order we become Somalia.  The arena of politics and our electoral process is one in which there must be ZERO tolerance for ANY kind of intimidation or harassment!

Another reason to not simply ignore these incidents as "harmless pranks" is that if one side can get away with it; it invites retaliation...and then that can escalate as people get more and more bold and more and more pissed off (firecrackers/"cherry bombs/"M80's etc etc etc etc ....it could end up in a loss of life.   This is how wars start.  

Frankly Matthew I'm surprised that you would so eagerly jump to the defense of the Chris Christie supporting assholes who likely did this.   I dare  say your normally intelligent judgment is lacking in this case.

In any event thank you for the opportunity to "spell it out" and to break this down to simple components that anyone with a modicum of objectivity should understand.


[ Parent ]
uhhhh (0.00 / 0)
Let's not give anyone any ideas here, k Nick?


It's not a particularly snappy signature, but here's what I think we need in the next NJ Democratic State Chair.  

[ Parent ]
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