April 4th, 2012: Christie Has Private Meeting with God To Compare Notes, Leadership Styles

In Exodus 3:14, “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM.”

Early last year, when questioned by reporters on his insulting and confrontational style, Chris Christie said, “But the fact of the matter is, This Is Who I Am!™, and this is who the people elected.”

Similar leadership style? Same personal points of view?

Christie is traveling in Israel, and the opportunity in a private meeting with Our Lord Thy God to “compare notes, leadership style, political points of view, and other various things that came up at the Wailing Wall.

Christie’s Israel visit could raise speculation that he is positioning himself for a future run, and his trip will be watched by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Israel is a popular stop for American politicians on the rise seeking to bolster their international credibility while also appealing to Jewish constituents.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, located in the disputed Old City of Jerusalem, Christie played down any political significance of his trip, calling it a chance for him and his family to see the country.

“I came here for one reason and one reason only: to have a private meeting with The Big Guy Himself, and share leadership notes,” shared Christie. The governor said the two had a “really good and fruitful discussion” about regional issues, including Iran’s disputed nuclear program and expanding trade between Heaven and New Jersey. “He’s been around for like forever, and really knows His Stuff.”

Christie is traveling with his family and a delegation of 13 business and religious leaders. While in Israel, he plans to tour a pharmaceutical facility with an interest in expanding to the U.S., participate in a business round-table and visit a school.

“Oh, also Mary Pat and I will go to a great pizza place in Jerusalem on Jaffa Street, that Netanyahu told me has pizza as good as anything at the Jersey Shore.”

Even My Aunt Rose Would Be Proud of the ACLU

Last month, my Aunt Rose told me that knew that Senator Barack Obama was a ‘secret Muslim’ because her friend Shirley read it on ‘the website’.

On “the website”. Like there’s one big website with all the information one needs to know, and if it’s on “the website”, it must be true.

Like those ads that say “as seen on TV!”, with the exclamation point added for extra credibility.

In New Jersey, the fine folks at the ACLU work on behalf of people of all religions. A few years back, they made sure that a school in Hunterdon County let a Christian second-grader sing "My God is an Awesome God" at their annual talent show.

More recently, they helped a Muslim student settle an issue from two years ago, that prevented him from attending his graduation from West Side High School. The school held their graduation at Baptist Church, and his Muslim belief prohibits him from entering a building with religious icons. He was forced to choose between “honoring [his] education and [his] faith”.

The result:

“…the district agreed not to sponsor or promote religious events, to no longer re ward students for attendance at religious events or ceremonies, and to stop using religious buildings or places of worship for school events.”

Thank you to the fine folks at the ACLU. I think even my Aunt Rose would be proud.

Only God Knows for Sure.

Apparently, political adversity in New Jersey gives you religion ----whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat.

Take Republican Jim Treffinger, for instance.

The former Essex County Executive was all set to run for the Senate against Senator Bob Torricelli, when BAM! –he was sentenced to federal prison on corruption charges.

According to the Star-Ledger – “Treffinger, 57, was a rising star in Republican politics and the favorite to win his party's nomination for a U.S. Senate seat when federal authorities raided his Newark office in 2002. The former Fulbright scholar and popular Verona mayor dropped out of the race four days later. He ultimately admitted he put two campaign staffers on the county payroll and obstructed the federal probe.”

Then, he had an epiphany and got religion. He will graduate with a degree in divinity in 2009 from the Princeton Theological Seminar. "When you lose a lot of things, you have a whole re-evaluation of what is the meaning of your life," said Treffinger.

And, of course, there’s former Democratic governor Jim McGreevey. Last spring, McGreevey started down the path to become an Episcopal priest and was accepted into a three-year seminary Master of Divinity program at Manhattan's General Theological Seminary.

Now, if you’re a former TV star from Saturday Night Live who played a character whose gender was somewhat undecipherable, you become an atheist. In her solo show, “Letting Go of God,” Julia Sweeney traces her journey away from religious faith to becoming an atheist.

As far as I know, Sweeney has never held office in New Jersey nor does she have plans to.