Gov. Phil Murphy Appoints Former Chief Of Staff George Helmy To Replace Senator Bob Menendez

Helmy, is expected to take office on Sept. 9 once the Senate returns from its recess

New Jersey public schools may soon be encouraging puberty blockers and masturbation for children as young as 10



Public school students in New Jersey, as young as 10 years old, could soon be taught about puberty blockers and masturbation in sex ed.

According to sample lesson plans currently being reviewed by state school districts, these young students could be told by educators that puberty blockers are an acceptable way to “manage” puberty and that masturbating “a few times a day” is a healthy way to relieve stress, Fox News reported.

Pending the outcome of the curriculum's review, New Jersey’s public school students could soon receive lessons related to gender identity and sexual activity as part of the state’s broader emphasis on sex education curriculum.

In June 2020, New Jersey’s Board of Education approved student learning standards concerning “Comprehensive Health and Physical Education” with an 8-4 vote. The curriculum is currently under review and is scheduled to go into effect by September of 2022.

Multiple lesson plans were sent to parents, who then shared them with elected members of the New Jersey legislature.

Republican state Sen. Holly Schepisi was one such member. She subsequently shared the documents with a larger audience via Dropbox and said they are “completely overboard with cringy detail for young kids.”

One of the proposed lesson plans for fifth graders, titled “It’s All about the Hormones,” requires students to watch an animated short by the organization AMAZE called “Puberty and Transgender Youth.”

Puberty and Transgender Youth youtu.be

The video says, “Whether you identify as male, female, gender queer or something else, you’re perfectly normal, and there are lots of ways to manage puberty so that it can be a fun, exciting time rather than a scary or stressful one.”

Another video in the sample lesson plan for fifth graders features an AMAZE video titled “Masturbation: Totally Normal.” The video tells children that masturbating up to “a few times a day” is a “physically safe way to express sexual feelings.”

The animated video shows a male child pleasuring himself under a blanket.

AMAZE’s website says the organization “envisions a world that recognizes child and adolescent sexual development as natural and healthy, a world I which young people everywhere are supported and affirmed and the adults in their lives communicate openly and honestly with them about puberty, reproduction, relationships, sex, and sexuality.”

It continues, “In such a world, young people across the globe would have access to the information and support they need to develop into sexually healthy adults.”

The website also features links to articles titled “The Case for Starting Sex Education in Kindergarten” and “When Did Porn Become Sex Ed?” in its FAQ section.

The new education standards approved by the state’s board of education also require children to learn about abortion.

According to these standards, by eighth grade, children should learn about “pregnancy testing, the signs of pregnancy, and pregnancy options, including parenting, abortion, and adoption.”

Atilis Gym says NJ 'emptied out every single dollar that we have' from bank account amid COVID-19 lockdown battle with state



The co-owner of lockdown-defying Atilis Gym said the state of New Jersey "emptied out every single dollar that we have" from gym's bank account amid a legal battle with the state over fines for breaking coronavirus-related rules for businesses.

What are the details?

Ian Smith appeared Thursday on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" and told the host that he and business partner Frank Trumbetti checked their bank statement Wednesday morning "and we had no money in our bank account. The state emptied out every single dollar that we have."

Smith on Wednesday tweeted that far-left New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) "and his cronies seized 100%" of the Bellmawr gym's "legal defense money" to the tune of $173,613.60. Smith added, "If you think that's gonna make us stand down, you're delusional." In a video tweet Thursday, Smith cited an amount of $165,000. The gym on Friday didn't immediately respond to TheBlaze's request for clarification on the dollar amount.

"This is in the middle of an appeals process and ongoing litigation in the matter of the fines and several other matters regarding the state, including a lawsuit against Governor Murphy and [State Health Commissioner] Judith Persichilli," Smith told Carlson, adding that "this is an interference with our right to counsel."

He added to the host that the money didn't come from memberships since Atilis hasn't charged members since April 1, 2020; rather it came from donations and T-shirt sales, which the owners used "to pay our bills and fight our legal battles."

Smith noted that the money seizure is a "blatant violation of our constitutional rights and our ability to defend ourselves in the court of law."

What did the state have to say?

A spokesman for the New Jersey attorney general's office told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" that the information Smith shared "is not accurate" and that "the state has not seized their bank account funds."

Instead, the spokesman said "the state has obtained judgments against the owners, and intends to collect on them. The total due and owing as a result of court-entered judgments to date is $134,463.08."

"Apparently the funds you reference were frozen as a result of a bank levy having been issued due to the state's collection efforts, which is part of the enforcement of a judicial order," the state is quoted to have said to "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

Now what?

When Carlson asked Smith what he and Trumbetti will do now that there's no money in their bank account, Smith said they will switch to a cash system.

"We will continue to fight this no matter what," he added to the host.

Carlson noted how ironic it is that the gym owners are "being punished for trying to keep people healthy and trim in the middle of a pandemic that kills people who are overweight and out of shape."

"You are doing more than [Gov. Murphy] has to save people's lives," the host added, "and, of course, you are being destroyed for it."

Smith in his Thursday video tweet said the state also is leveling a $15,497.76 daily fine for each day the gym stays open.

Gym owner who defied lockdowns claims state emptied entire bank account youtu.be

Anything else?

Atilis Gym has gained national attention amid its battle with New Jersey bureaucrats.

Anti-lockdown gym owner to 'petty tyrant' NJ governor: 'The only way you'll ever close these doors is when you close my casket'



Ian Smith, co-owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey — who's been battling far-left Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy over coronavirus shutdowns since the spring and said he's racked up over $1 million in fines — has a new message for Murphy and other state officials.

What did Smith say?

"We have been open against unconstitutional shut down orders since May," Smith wrote in a now-viral Instagram post over the weekend. "Not once have we flinched, and the petty tyrant of New Jersey governor Murphy has tried everything he could possibly think of to ruin us. Over seven months later we will open our doors every single day."

He added: "No government official will ever tell me that I am not able to provide for my family. I do not answer to public servants – no matter what threats or punishments they impose. I am a free man. I do not ask for permission. I do not ask for forgiveness. You work for us. The only way you'll ever close these doors is when you close my casket."

The post comes with video in which Smith is seen holding up pieces of paper — which he presents to the camera and then discards one by one, "Subterranean Homesick Blues"-style — that send the same overall message.

"We have had our business license stripped," the messages Smith holds aloft say. "We have had our doors locked and barricaded. We have been arrested and have over 60 citations."

Smith's silent message adds that on the day of the recording, Atilis passed 84,000 visits — but the gym won't require masks and "never will." The clip ends with four printed words: "No science. No shutdown."

Just after Smith walks out of camera frame, someone is heard hollering, "F*** you, Murphy!"

Content warning: Language:

What did Murphy have to say?

When contacted about Smith's new message, Murphy's office told TMZ it had "nothing to add."

Anything else?

Smith emphasized on numerous occasions that his gym uses safety protocols, including proper sanitation and social distancing to mitigate the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

He told Fox News that he disputes the effectiveness of lockdown policies adopted across the nation put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus and is saddened by harms inflicted on businesses.

"What's happening to the middle class and small businesses in America is nothing short of a complete tragedy, and I would go so far as to call it criminal," Smith said. "You're putting people out of business for good."

NJ gym that had license revoked for defying Democratic governor's shutdown becomes GOP campaign spot — and now state can't touch it



The embattled New Jersey gym that had its business license revoked earlier this month after repeatedly defying Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's COVID-19 shutdown order has made what appears to be a nifty strategic move in response.

Frank Trumbetti and Ian Smith, co-owners of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, have partnered with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rik Mehta to turn the gym into an official campaign rally location, Fox News reported.

"We took a stand for our constitutional rights and for the rights of all small business owners throughout the country," Smith told "Fox & Friends Weekend" Sunday. "And it wasn't intended to become political. We were trying to offer a solution to a problem where the government was failing, and it turned political. And that was because of Gov. Murphy's actions. So now we made it political just as much as he has."

What are the details?

The cable network said since state officials can't interfere with a political campaign, that should prevent Murphy & Co. from shutting down Atilis Gym. Mehta is looking to unseat Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, Fox News said.

But Trumbetti told the network the gym's new status may not prevent local officials from trying to shut down the gym again.

"We hope it gives us a reprieve until Nov. 3," he noted to Fox News. "Everyone who comes in here will be a volunteer for the Mehta campaign, and we'll be here to exercise our rights."

Smith added to the network that Atilis members are "excited" to be a part of Mehta's campaign since he backs small businesses that have been fighting to stay alive since the shutdown began.

"We're really tired of this one-sided control that the governor has," Mehta told Fox News. "We've asked many times … where's the science? ... We flattened the curve, and they keep moving the goalpost."

"You want to hurt small businesses? You're crushing the American dream," he added to the network. "And if you look at the unemployment rates in New Jersey, they're the highest that they've ever been. … Gov. Murphy turned this into a political chess game. And so what we said is 'checkmate, governor.'"

What's the background?

Despite Murphy's order, Atilis Gym first reopened in May — after which Smith and Trumbetti have been issued nine pairs of citations, have had their business forcibly closed and boarded by the government, and even have been arrested.

The New Jersey attorney general's office recommended daily fines of $10,000 and imprisonment for the co-owners to "coerce" them to comply with Murphy's order.

"Atilis Gym's brazen conduct is abhorrent to an organized judicial system, jeopardizes the public health and the safety of New Jerseyans, and must not be tolerated," the state's AG office said, NJ.com reported. "It is clear that additional sanctions and relief are necessary to coerce Atilis Gym's compliance with the court's order."

But governmental threats haven't stopped them. In fact, after they were released from jail, Smith and Trumbetti once again made headlines when they kicked down the front doors of their business, which had been boarded up by the government.

Diner owner refuses to stop indoor service: 'There's only two ways they're going to get me out of here ... in handcuffs or a body bag'



Brian Brindisi — owner of Lakeside Diner in Lacey Township, New Jersey — told the Asbury Park Press there's no way authorities will stop him from providing indoor service at his establishment despite Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's executive orders.

"There's only two ways they're going to get me out of here ... in handcuffs or a body bag," Brindisi said Monday, the paper said.

What are the details?

The Press said indoor dining has been taking place at the diner since early June, and municipal court records show Brindisi has been charged 13 times with violating Murphy's executive order banning indoor dining to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

For each summons served to Brindisi, which is classified as a disorderly person violation, he faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, the paper said, citing state sentencing guidelines.

Local law enforcement on Friday, acting on behalf of the state, changed the locks on the diner, the Press said — but about two dozen people gathered in the diner's parking lot Monday morning to show their support for the eatery's continued pushback against Murphy's rules.

A couple fans of the diner even took to the sidewalk:

Image source: YouTube screenshot

More from the paper:

Shortly after 8 a.m., an officer from the Lacey Township Police Department entered the diner. After a few minutes inside, the officer left. Brindisi said that the officer came in and asked if he was allowing indoor dining, which he said he does every day.

After the officer left, municipal court records show that Brindisi was issued a summons Monday for continuing to allow indoor dining.

Brindisi told the Press he doesn't plan on paying the fines and hopes they get dropped — and that allowing indoor dining is necessary to keep his business afloat as outdoor dining alone isn't enough to pay the bills.

"I have mortgages, I have to pay rent here," he told the New Jersey News Network. "There's a number of things. We're getting ready to go into the fall season." Pointing out the number of outdoor places to sit, he added to the outlet, "How am I supposed to make a living with 10 seats?"

New Jersey News Network - Lacey's Lakeside Diner Remains Open Against Governor Murphy's Orderyoutu.be