Maybe it’s time to ‘cancel’ New Jersey (Opinion)

Day 304 of 15 days to stop the spread.

The current measure/metric, as every few weeks there’s a new one, is the rate of infection. It’s said to be 1.09. Of course with 75% of people testing positive not cooperating with contact tracers and a PCR test shown to be highly inaccurate, the number is meaningless. Still Gov. Murphy, with zero facts to back up the claim, blames you for not masking up at dinner in your own home.

This adds to the outrageous comments of the New Jersey State Police Superintendent Pat Callahan, who has joined the governor in politicizing the events last week. Reacting with virtually no evidence outside of a social media flyer, people are being told to stay home Sunday.

First, it was a lockdown to "stop the spread", then it was an extended closure of small businesses, now because of the actions of a few bad actors, the First Amendment is being crushed. Callahan went further without evidence to suggest the president is responsible for the violence at the Capitol. This despite evidence that the events started before he finished his call for peaceful protests to those at the rally and the contradictions in two POTUS speeches calling for a peaceful protest.

But why should facts matter to the top LEOs? They haven’t mattered since this thing started so why break the streak? Where were the calls about "insurrection" when BLM/Antifa protests turned violent? Where were the calls for justice when pro-Trump lawmakers and media personalities were targeted with violence at their homes? Offices, and in one case a Congressman being shot? We heard a common talking point about "mostly peaceful." The governor marched with these groups in New Jersey while the rest of the country experienced violence, looting, rioting and in the case of the "Autonomous Zone" in Seattle, real insurrection and sedition.

Now that YouTube has taken down the president's channel because of the "possibility" of violence, we've entered a very dangerous time. The First Amendment is now being interpreted and shuttered by the corporate bureaucracy in Big Tech — no lawyers, lawmakers and judges need to be involved. If social media leaders think you may be a threat, you're canceled. Unless of course you are a threat to the "less desirable" people in society.

Sad for the Jewish community who has to endure anti-Semitism institutionalized on platforms like Twitter. Sad for Republicans who attended peaceful demonstrations, now being targeted to be added to the growing list of "undesirables" in the social media society. These calls to persecute and cancel anyone who attended the rally, starting with the Hunterdon county commissioner, and we have a recipe for 1984.

Add to this the ballooning debt that has topped $200 billion and we have a crisis in New Jersey.

What's worse is that there is virtually no opposition to the "group think" in Trenton. Even GOP lawmakers have stood with Democrats to call on the president to resign and/or be impeached. Many of the cowards in the GOP caucus have been a part of the problem since they defended Chris Christie, who ballooned the state debt and raised taxes.

Can New Jersey survive and thrive? Is it time to cancel New Jersey and head to a free state? What's your exit plan?

For me, I'm diggin' in. I like it here and still believe with the right allies, message and courage to take the risk of being canceled, we can prevail.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.