Patterico's Pontifications

May he rest in peace.

aunursa (7014a8) — 6/3/2013 @ 7:07 am

I sure hope he had a deathbed redemption.

His corrupt actions have brought tremendous and unknowable pain on our country.

When I hear New Jerseyites wail and moan about the lack of post-emergent governmental subsidy, I think of this guy and all the other corruptocrats they forever return to office. This guy was Exhibit A.

The heck with them and their insistence of entitlements.

Odds that Christie names a genuine reformer/constitutionalist? About the same that BHO will cop to his role in the Benghazi and IRS atrocities.

Ed from SFV (24fde1) — 6/3/2013 @ 7:29 am

i wonder if dying in office feels as glorious as they all seem to think it does

happyfeet (8ce051) — 6/3/2013 @ 7:38 am

NJ law allows Christie to appoint someone; election in 2014.

Kevin M (bf8ad7) — 6/3/2013 @ 7:44 am

It’s poetic justice that a seat more or less stolen from Republicans (NJ Supreme Court put Lautenberg on the ballot when scandal-ridden Torricelli withdrew in 2002, rewriting explicit state law from the bench – the ballot deadline had passed) will be replaced by a person chosen by a Republican.

Amphipolis (d3e04f) — 6/3/2013 @ 7:56 am

Oh, and Lautenberg had promised to serve only one more term in 2002.

Amphipolis (d3e04f) — 6/3/2013 @ 8:02 am

RIP. There is one “term limit” that is universal.

nk (875f57) — 6/3/2013 @ 8:07 am

Condolences to his family.

I’m certainly not celebrating his death, but now that he’s no longer with us I hope his recent gun and ammunition banning efforts are dead, too.

After the Boston Marathon bombing he even drafted a bill to introduce background checks to buy black powder.

Under federal law and in most states antique/replica black powder muzzleloading firearm purchases are unregulated. Which is perfectly sensible. When is the last time you’ve heard of a home invader or armed robber committing his crime with a reproduction Kentucky Long Rifle?

But in New Jersey and a few other places (online retailers will tell you where they can’t ship; the list isn’t long and it’s about what you’d expect) these sales are subject to the same regulations as modern firearms that use fixed ammunition. Apparently Lautenberg wanted everyone to live under New Jersey style laws. Not caring that we don’t live in New Jersey for precisely that reason.

I do regret Senator Lautenberg’s passing. This opens up the possibility for the people of New Jersey to send someone even worse to the Senate.

Steve57 (9b1cdb) — 6/3/2013 @ 8:09 am

5. It’s poetic justice that a seat more or less stolen from Republicans (NJ Supreme Court put Lautenberg on the ballot when scandal-ridden Torricelli withdrew in 2002, rewriting explicit state law from the bench – the ballot deadline had passed) will be replaced by a person chosen by a Republican.

Comment by Amphipolis (d3e04f) — 6/3/2013 @ 7:56 am

Yes the Democrats rewrote the law. But the electorate in New Jersey didn’t have to vote for Lautenberg. And that same electorate gets to choose another Senator in 18 months.

Given Christie’s bromance with Obama I don’t think the interim Senator will be any great shakes either.

Steve57 (9b1cdb) — 6/3/2013 @ 8:14 am

Great day.

Rodney King's Spirit (ae12ec) — 6/3/2013 @ 8:21 am

It is not a great day. Condolences to his family and friends.

JD (b63a52) — 6/3/2013 @ 8:23 am

After the Boston Marathon bombing he even drafted a bill to introduce background checks to buy black powder.

Racist.

Milhouse (3d0df0) — 6/3/2013 @ 8:38 am

The only way Democrats ever seem to “retire” from the Senate, but rest in peace nevertheless.

JVW (23867e) — 6/3/2013 @ 8:39 am

My condolences to those who loved him.

htom (412a17) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:00 am

He died! And he had resigned himself to not running for re-election in 2014, but that’s all.

I had read he was somewhat sick – but he showed up in the Senate one day to enable a commiittee to do business with only Democratic members (the rules said there had to be some people (2?) from the minority there unless every single one of the majority members was present.

Probably something the doctors did that his body, at age 89, was too unstable to take.

They used to be not so careful with babies that had receently been born (operations used toi have a high fatality rate) until C. Everett Koop, later Surgeon General of the United States, changed things, but they haven’t done anything different for geriatric cases.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Everett_Koop

He invented anesthetic and surgical techniques for small bodies and metabolisms…

He does seem toi havbe protected himself since he did live to the age of 96, although he was severely disabled at the end.

Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:02 am

Lautenberg did retire in the year 2000, and later concluded it was a mistake. He replaecd Robert torricelli (in an manuever in violation of New Jersey election law) and was re-elected in 2008.

All in all, he probably would have wanted to go out this way – in harness.

Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:05 am

Dead people have families and friends who cared for them. There is more to life than politics. RIP Sen. Lautenberg.

elissa (090ff1) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:18 am

amen elissa

E.PWJ (6140f6) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:20 am

17. Dead people have families and friends who cared for them. There is more to life than politics. RIP Sen. Lautenberg.

Comment by elissa (090ff1) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:18 am

Wouldn’t it be nice if politicians who are politicizing everything understood that?

Steve57 (9b1cdb) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:34 am

Wouldn’t it be nice if the culture of corruption in NJ ended now, too?

Fat (Christie) chance.

Jim (dc2e91) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:35 am

It would be nice if Christie would appoint someone like Steve Forbes.

DRJ (a83b8b) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:38 am

I have no problem being civil. But at the same time I am entitled to have a problem with civility being a one way street.

Anyone besides me remember how the Democrats used the Paul Wellstone memorial service to beat the Republicans who showed up to pay their respects over the head, and demanded that in order to prove they were sincere in their condolences they advance Wellstone’s progressive (i.e. socialist) agenda?

Steve57 (9b1cdb) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:40 am

He was responsible for the outrageous ex post facto punishment of persons with domestic violence convictions in the “Lautenberg amendment”.

SPQR (768505) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:43 am

Yes, SPQR, he was an enemy of freedom. Still I’m not about to dance on his grave. I leave it to God to judge his soul.

But I don’t leave it to God to stop his allies from advancing his agenda. Which is why I bring up the Wellstone memorial service. His allies, including in most probability McCain who thinks it’s a dandy idea to do nasty things to the country to honor his friend Ted Kennedy, will no doubt use Lautenberg’s “unfortunate death”… (can anyone who dies peacefully at 89 be said to have died unfortunately? When I think of an unfortunate death I think of a 23 year old killed in Afghanistan.)… as a pretext to advance his gun control agenda.

Steve57 (9b1cdb) — 6/3/2013 @ 9:53 am

mccain will do anything to get face time. He has no soul.

The only people who talk about him being conservative are the lsm.

Jim (dc2e91) — 6/3/2013 @ 10:11 am

After the Boston Marathon bombing he even drafted a bill to introduce background checks to buy African-American powder.

FIFY.

Kevin M (bf8ad7) — 6/3/2013 @ 10:20 am

Thanks, Kevin. But I can’t view Lautenberg’s efforts to restrict access to black powder as racist. After all, he was only endeavoring to gradually shift access to black powder into the same illegal category as the white powders that BHO celebrated enjoying in his autobiographies.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Eric+Clatpin+cocaine&view=detail&mid=BBE7FC071CC960314683BBE7FC071CC960314683&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR

Steve57 (9b1cdb) — 6/3/2013 @ 10:32 am

It was viral pneumonia.

Ckearly a nosocomial infection, that was then undertreated.

They probably did not administer antibiotics, or not until too late.

Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 6/3/2013 @ 12:57 pm

Not that Governor Christie cares what I think, but Steve Forbes would be my first choice to replace Lautenberg.

My second choice would be Bill Horton, a character from a Bruce Springsteen song (‘Cautious Man’) whom I have to assume is a New Jersey resident—even though he’s fictional, or whatever.
My third choice would be Snooki. Though I don’t think she’s old enough to legally serve in the Senate. Then again, this is the Age of Obama, when all the laws are thrown out the window.

Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 6/3/2013 @ 1:06 pm

Antibiotics don’t do much for viral pneumonia, although they can help with secondary infections.

htom (412a17) — 6/3/2013 @ 1:18 pm

RIP, 3185th Signal Service Battalion Army Signal Corps Telephone Lineman Frank Lautenberg. Lautenberg’s death brings to an end the service of WWII veterans in the US Senate. U.S. Army Service 1942–1946

Awards and Decorations
American Service Medal; European African Medal;
Eastern Service Medal; Good Conduct Medal;
World War II Victory Medal; Honorable Service;
Lapel Button World War II;
Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar

Overseas Service
European Theater, September 1944–August 1945

My late father *(lifelong Republican)-one month older than Sen Lautenberg also served in Signal Corp and on Omaha Beach at age 18.

dudeabides (2b25b7) — 6/3/2013 @ 3:11 pm

No one is disparaging Lautenberg’s wartime service.

Steve57 (9b1cdb) — 6/3/2013 @ 3:26 pm

Speaking of wartime service, I highly recommend everyone get a Ka-Bar Becker Necker.

You can get it through the Amazon portal on Patterico for a lot cheaper than suggested retail.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here it is.

http://www.kabar.com/knives/detail/5

A fixed blade (where it’s legal; this isn’t legal advice) skeletonized knife with a bottle opener at the other end is, I think, the perfect knife for most Americans.

Screw Swiss Army.

I bought the optional boot clip for mine, which in no way interferes with wearing it with the standard paracord neck loop.

Steve57 (9b1cdb) — 6/3/2013 @ 3:42 pm

I’ll give Lautenberg the same amount of respect he gave me as a law abiding gun owner…none.

Funeral Guy (51a2fe) — 6/3/2013 @ 7:30 pm

yes he’s not due any particular respect that’s for sure

fascists are not to be celebrated

it’s a slippery slope once you start doing that

happyfeet (8ce051) — 6/3/2013 @ 7:33 pm

Well, since I can’t think of anything good to say about the old bastard, I will remain silent.

peedoffamerican (04dfe5) — 6/4/2013 @ 3:32 am

Obviously Lautenberg was a hacktastic machine Democrat, so politically speaking there’s simply nothing nice that can be said about him.

But outside of his disastrous political leanings the guy had some very noteworthy accomplishments.

– Lautenberg left office as the last WWII veteran in the Senate. And given the extremely unlikely chance that someone that old will be elected or appointed to that chamber it’s almost certain that he’ll go down in history as the last WWII veteran ever to serve in the Senate.

– Lautenberg played a key role in the development of one of the greatest companies in US history. Yeah, granted, in light of the demographics of political blogs of course it’s the case that major private sector businesses are not all that de rigueur of a topic, but that doesn’t change the reality of the situation. ADP wouldn’t be ADP without Lautenberg. Ultimately he rose to being the company’s CEO. And by merit, not by inheritance, graft or other forms of cronynism. When you pull yourself up through the ranks of one of perhaps a half dozen or so companies that’s basically synonymous with an entire industry that has to count for something. Truly an iconic business leader.

William Scalia (89a442) — 6/4/2013 @ 6:17 am

snooki can claim she’s old enough and then after she’s appointed and there’s an uproar she can produce a Photoshop birth certificate proving she was born in nj.

Works all the time.

Jim (823b10) — 6/4/2013 @ 10:13 am

30. Comment by htom (412a17) — 6/3/2013 @ 1:18 pm

.Antibiotics don’t do much for viral pneumonia, although they can help with secondary infections

On the same principle that feeding antibiotics to chickens helps them grow faster on less food, antiobitics should help anybody fighting an infection.

They say it was “complications”

It sound slike there may have bene kidney failure – something – something the doctirs don’t udnerstand. And since the details are rarely discussed, progress in learning what to do and not to do is very slow.

Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 6/4/2013 @ 1:03 pm

Gov Christie calle dthe election for October, the earliest he could. New Jersey law seemed to say if there are more than 70 days to a general election, the election should be held on that but also said that about a primary election.

If Governor Christie had tried to postpone the election till 2014, especially November 2014, the Democrats would ahve sued, and probably won.

the Democrats would have liked the election to take place in November at the same time as the Gubernatorial election. This would be considered mildly bad for Chsoistie (who stands to win anyway) and worse for republican candoidates for the legislature. Christie chose to schedule an election for October (the earliest possible) with a primary in August. Democrats don’t like that so much.

Christie will name a replacement soon. He says he has a list in his own mind.

Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 6/4/2013 @ 1:07 pm

Lautenberg will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

I think the next to last World War II veteran who was member of the U.S. Senate before him was Senator Daniel K. Inouye, (D-Hawaii) (September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) who also died in office.

He was the second oldest United States Senator at the time, next to Frank Lautenberg, who was born on January 23, 1924.

Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 6/4/2013 @ 1:12 pm

If you ever used ADP you would not be so complimentary.

Rodney King's Spirit (ae12ec) — 6/4/2013 @ 3:27 pm

Nothing I read orheard said a word about how ADP works. That’s probably buried in articles two decades or more in the past.

Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 6/5/2013 @ 4:21 pm

** facepalm **

SPQR (768505) — 6/5/2013 @ 4:31 pm

6/3/2013

Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey Dies at 89

44 Responses to “Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey Dies at 89”

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