It's become The New York Times' suburban edition

Our tax dollars at work. The white vehicle -- marked "FORT LEE AMBULANCE" -- pictured on Wednesday afternoon, moments after it left the parking lot of Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood, the Italian-food purveyor, where the driver shopped. Fort Lee has a volunteer ambulance corps.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Why is it front-page news in The Record that Egyptian riot police are killing members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which many call "one of the largest Islamic terrorist movements" in the Arab world?

Sounds like a good thing to me, and, surely, there are more important events taking place in North Jersey.

Editor Marty Gottlieb doesn't think so. 

The former New York Times bigwig appears to be acting in lockstep with the world media, including the BBC, whose detailed, hand-wringing radio news report from Egypt I heard this morning.

As for The Record's sensational coverage, readers have to turn to the continuation page to learn the Muslim Brotherhood attacked "21 police stations and seven Coptic Christian churches" across Egypt (A-8).

Isn't that great? And the Associated Press article in The Record doesn't say a word about the Muslim Brotherhood's reputation as a terrorist organization.

Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

"The Society of the Muslim Brothers  (Arabic: جماعة الإخوان المسلمين, الإخوان المسلمون, the Muslim Brotherhood, transliterated: al-ʾIkḫwān al-Muslimūn) is the Arab world's oldest, most influential and one of the largest Islamic terrorist movements, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states."

Master v. slave

Tea Party crackpot Steve Lonegan is so out of touch with the reality of everyday life in New Jersey he is comparing his contest against Democrat Cory Booker for a U.S. Senate seat to George Washington's army against the forces of King George III (A-1). 

It's appropriate Lonegan identifies with the American revolutionaries: They were slave holders.

No more lines

The lead Page 1 story today reports 1.5 million drivers will be given the chance over the next year to renew their licenses through the mail, rather than to wait on line at a MVC office (A-1).

Hopefully, that also will put an end to all of those Road Warrior columns that tried to elevate waiting on line every 4 years to a crime against humanity.

Focus is wrong

Head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes continues to give better play to minor accidents (L-3) than to local obituaries, such the one on L-5 today that brings Marie Damiani to life as the demanding owner of Steve's Sizzling Steaks in Carlstadt.

Another truck killed another elderly woman (L-1), reminding readers of the garbage truck that killed a 74-year-old woman from the Philippines who was visiting Bergenfield last week (Saturday's L-1).

Fatal accidents such as these cry out for a criminal negligence law to punish drivers.

Hackensack news

On Sunday, a story on L-3 reported that a court hearing will be held on a lawsuit filed by the backer of a 19-story, long-term, acute-care hospital on Prospect Avenue in Hackensack.

Instead of "LTACH," the acronym that has been widely used for years by opponents, the confusing headline refers to the proposal as "Hackenack hospital."

Meanwhile, Hackensack Scoop reports on City Council patronage -- past and present -- including mention of Richard Malagiere, who was the zoning board attorney when LTACH was rejected in January 2012.

Click on the following link:

Out with patronage or maybe not