Can't we all just get along?

“June 11, 2002

Knife fight breaks out after meeting of A.C. Dems
By JEREMY OLSHAN Staff Writer, (609) 272-7275, E-Mail

ATLANTIC CITY - They say two democracies have never taken up arms against each other. The same cannot be said of two Democrats. At least not in this town.

The city Democratic committee's reorganization meeting ended in a knife fight Monday.

Jihad Callaway, brother of Craig Callaway, pulled a knife on Elijah Steele, a supporter of Mayor Lorenzo Langford, in front of Local 54's headquarters, witnesses said. Steele reportedly responded with his own blade.

While no one was seriously injured, Steele reportedly filed charges against Jihad Callaway, who according to his brother Craig, may file countercharges. Neither is a member of the committee. Police officials could not be reached for comment.

The melee rose out of a power struggle between Langford and Callaway's supporters for control of the committee. The meeting was adjourned before it started however, because the county clerk has not yet certified the results of last Tuesday's primary, which dramatically will change the 52-member committee's composition.”

“With a name like Jihad Calloway what do they expect?? Du-uh!”

“if it had been right wingers, it would have been a gun fight”

“I think all of the world's disputes should be decided with a nice game of chess.”

“The guy's name was Jihad? That's about as bad as being named Bob Hitler.”

“His last name is probably not Callahan. It's probably Al Qaeda.”

“I guess it's too late to put them in a time out.”

“Typical liberals. They talk non-violence but always resort to violence in the end.”

“It's in their genes. They can't help themselves.”

“Violence... no not me....I just advocate the electric chair for them...”

“Give peace a chance or I'll kick your a$$.

LOL!”

“LMAO @ hpm.”

“hpm, that could be a whole new negotiating tactic abroad,,,,,

you people either accept this peace initiative, or we will nuke the h@ll out of you”

“Peace on Earth

Peace on You!”

“Chili I thought we already did that.

Remember gunboat diplomacy?”

“HPM, that was the Kissinger doctrine.
Vee haf ordered der bombink of der Haiphong Harbor. Before der can be der peace talks, der must be der var! Ven der is der var, den der can be der peace talks.”

“hpm, I thought that was market expansion...lol”

“Something tells me this dude "Jihad" ain't exactly Irish inspite of having a name like "Callahan".”

“Something like that Chili.
Reminds me of a quote from The Tick.

"Brace yourself Aurther while corporate America tries to sell us their wretched things."”

“yep hpm, I think that is a fact”

“Sounds like HPM is a student of Billy Jack diplomacy!”

“If the Tick was involved it would be a SPOON fight.”

“Who? Little ole harmless me?”

“The Tick rules!!!!”

“.......Ya I love cartoons!

8)”

“'Peace', or no more aid!Wait ,I forgot about the 'Arms Industry'.”

“Peace thru superior firepower.”

“Please stop fighting...........but buy OUR weapons!”

“If nuclear weapons are outlawed only outlaws will have nuclear weapons.
If boxcutters are outlawed only outlaws will have boxcutters.
If plastic knives are outlawed, only outlaws ill have plastic knives.
Yadda yadda yadda.”

“If men are outlawed only women will have men?”

“click to link

June 12, 2002

Long knives? No, just little bitty, tiny ones

Bad news for all you novelists from around the country lining up to come to Atlantic City and find a little easy, sleazy material for your next book:

There's no point in coming here now, because nobody will believe your story anyway if you try to base it on what's been happening in city politics lately.

Think about it: Who's going to believe an election dispute over party-committee seats in the year 2002 ending with knives drawn? And who's ever going to believe that the brother of an important political player in town is named "Jihad?"

But just because it's too weird to be fiction doesn't mean it can't happen in the real Atlantic City. And witnesses said the latest escalation in the city's political wars almost turned into an actual war the other night outside a Democratic Party committee meeting.

Police confirmed Tuesday that a knife came out in the hands of Jihad Callaway, a brother of political operator - and possible city councilman - Craig Callaway, and another blade was in the hands of Elijah Steele, a supporter of Mayor Lorenzo Langford.

And that way of discussing a political dispute got the city noticed, believe it or not. The story in The Press on the fight got big play Tuesday on the Drudge Report, the famed political Web site. Our reporter, Jeremy Olshan, said he got e-mail comments on his story from as far away as Washington state.

Still, should we be so surprised to see weapons and violence coming out in politics? After all, weapons and violence have a long history in politics, here in America and all over the world.

Or as one veteran of the local political wars - the other kind - joked to me in an e-mail Tuesday, "This morning's story about the knife fight ... made me downright nostalgic for the old Atlantic City, when people cared about politics."

One of those Founding Fathers we always hear about, Alexander Hamilton, died after being shot in a duel with another pol, Aaron Burr - in New Jersey, by the way.

And the reason we're a country in the first place is because people who lived here two and a quarter centuries ago picked up weapons and fought for freedom from a king who lived 3,000 miles and one ocean away.

There's been plenty of political violence in this country since then, of course - and much, much more of it in other countries.

In fact, you can probably say we're completely spoiled when a bit of violence showing up in politics is big news in this country. We forget that a political reference like "the night of the long knives" doesn't have to be just a metaphor, and that a "Saturday night massacre" didn't always involve people quitting jobs or getting fired.

Still, once you get spoiled by an excess of civility, you don't ever really want to go back to the bloody old days and ways of politics.

So the city's latest you-couldn't-make-this-up political story was bound to make waves - and not just here near the ocean. Yep, you can almost hear the lounge-act comedian now: "Hey, I went to an Atlantic City knife fight the other night - and a political meeting broke out and ruined it."”

“Defense and military weaponry is a growth industry.”

“Terror will grow as fast as car chases.Buy stock in 'News Copters'.”