The Jack-Booted Thug of the Week

is New Jersey State Police Union leader David Jones. On Thursday, Boss Jones got his panties in a bunch and held a profanity-filled news conference in which he attacked two radio talk-show hosts who had exposed a plot by state troopers to hold a ticket-writing "blitz" in the wake of the bad press resulting from the Jon Corzine accident.

The hosts had been tipped off to the ticket campaign by a leak from a private, officers-only web site. The troopers apparently are upset about the negative publicity that has come from the fact that a trooper was driving Gov. Corzine to a non-emergency photo-op at 91 miles an hour with lights and siren going, while simultaneously allowing the governor to not wear a seat belt. The hosts confirmed the information, and then reported and discussed the subject on the air.

Boss Jones, showing the utmost professionalism, then held his cursing tantrum, during which he did the following:

"Throughout the news conference, Jones held up a paper containing private information about Carton (one of the hosts), including his home address and his license plate number, while television cameras were taping. Jones also threatened to release private information on Rossi and other radio station personalities."

Wow. I had thought that using one's position of power to obtain private citizen information for non-official purposes was illegal. What a nice attempt at censorship by intimidation on the part of Boss Jones. Communist Russia couldn't have done it any better. Too bad there's no gulags to send them to, eh, Mr. Jones?

Of course, Boss Jones denied that there was any such ticket campaign. But then, discussing the person(s) who leaked the information, he had this to say:

"If guys, be they troopers or not troopers, choose to vent on a blog board, that's their right,"Jones said at a press conference. "A couple of cowards obviously compromised it, and when I find out who those Girl Scouts are, I'm going to crush 'em like bugs -- rest assured!''

So he's not mad at the people who planned the ticket blitz, he's mad at the "cowards" who leaked it. If it's all bogus, Boss, then what are you so mad about? Methinks the radio hosts hit a little too close to home for comfort.

In an interesting aside, the troopers are also complaining on their forum that

"motorists are arguing more with police when they are stopped. "People are immediately becoming confrontational as to the lawful authority and to the probable cause that happens with why these stops are taking place,'' Jones said."

Imagine that. People see their leaders being treated differently and given special privileges, and they start asking some questions about equal enforcement of the law. A good thing, in my opinion.

Well, Boss Jones got his wish. The radio hosts are now off the air, citing family safety concerns. However, he may regret what he wished for. The New Jersey State Police is asking the state Attorney General to investigate Jones's abuse of authority.

Torricelli, McGreevey, Corzine, and now Jones. What an all-star crop of leaders they've got growing in the Garden State.