Gerry was flawed; he succumbed to party pressure. But he believed in good governance and stood on the right side of history when he pressed for constitutional protections that endure. They may matter now more than ever.
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Linda Stamato
Stamato Commentary: Academic freedom is dying a quiet death in N.J. universities
Threats to free speech do not end at the campus gate — they affect us all. When students are no longer exposed to a variety of viewpoints and faculty feel compelled to limit their speech on and off campus, democracy itself is at risk.
Stamato Op-Ed: Lessons for NJ in managing $1.1 billion opioid settlement
We must establish programs with input from those with expertise and commitment to meeting the states’ critical needs in the treatment and prevention of opioid addiction. And not least, we must establish the community’s trust in government.
Stamato Commentary: Black History Month and the battle over America’s story
Today, invisibility is failing. Powerful forces are restoring attention to stories long suppressed. Films, books, magazines, classrooms and museums finally are giving those histories their due. In Washington, D.C., the National Museum of African American History and Culture stands as a splendid example.
Stamato Commentary: As libraries struggle elsewhere, Morristown’s continues to grow
My favorite statistic is this one: The library signed up 10,000 new library cards since 2020. There are now 23,120 cardholders — and securing a card is often one of the first things new residents do.
Circulation growth continues for both printed books and electronic ones, and overall use of the physical space keeps pace with that growth.
Stamato Commentary: N.J. GOP foes of Obamacare are pushing to save it? What’s up with that?
Healthcare-related challenges, on several fronts, are putting families in crisis. And, the Republican-dominated Congress, well, it’s having little, if anything to say but, for those who face re-election, saying what may be needed to stay seated.
Stamato Commentary: Smart Governing in a Divided StateSmart Governing in a Divided State
Process matters. And the results produced are more likely to attract the support and the investment that are needed to carry the best ideas forward when those who are asked, or volunteer to participate, trust the process. The governor has her work cut out for her. And so do we.
Stamato Commentary: Who cares? A murderer roams free, courtesy of Trump’s deportation policy
The Trump administration is exporting people from America not because they committed a crime, although, admittedly, some have, but because he needs “the numbers” — so ICE aims, even, now, at courthouses, to grab those that are in the process of following the legal route to acceptance, a process that can take years, adding to their vulnerability, because the nation has too few immigration judges.
Stamato Commentary: Remembering Bill Moyers, an uncommon man guided by Common Sense
Moyers, who died last month at age 91, was a PBS icon, author, adviser to President Lyndon Johnson, deputy director of the Peace Corps, newspaper publisher, and an ordained minister who firmly believed in the separation of church and state.
Stamato Commentary: Preparing for a New Age: Artificial Intelligence, the American Workforce and the G.I. Bill
“Modern manufacturing requires high technology, requiring different skills from those needed in the 20th century. We can innovate in pharmaceuticals, clean-energy technology, robotics and semiconductors, but those innovations will require “infrastructure” to support its development, education and workforce training, and, frankly, cooperative alliances with global partners.”