Letters to the Editor: The simple reason Republicans picked Herschel Walker — celebrity status.
Beneath the glittering lights of the Garden State Parkway, one can see the truth of what went before.
A little over two months ago, on a late April day, I was in a suburban Newark mall, talking with my best friend, watching the first practice of the Rutgers vs. Rutgers (2-4) football game.
My friend was working in a shoe store while I was with a friend, who was attending a different college. I had just spent most of that day with my husband.
We spent much of the morning walking the campus, getting caught up on events, going to football games and visiting campus organizations. We had our lunch with friends, and then went back into the mall, where I went to a shoe store that has been in our family since my grandfather worked there as a shoe maker.
I was looking for a new shoe to wear the next day, and saw something I had never seen before — a pair of red sneakers with a giant yellow and green star. I was surprised and asked my friend, “What is all that on them?” His answer: “It’s the star of the ‘Battle of New Jersey.’”
My friend, an intelligent and very good-looking fellow, explained that New Jersey was a state that supported the Democratic Party. I asked him if, if I had a star on my sneakers, why on earth did I wear them?
A young man wearing a Rutgers shirt entered the shoemaker’s and said to my friend, “I’ve been here for years, but I had no idea — I thought I was just going to the Mall of America to shop.”
My friend and the young man were in a discussion about the importance of supporting Democratic candidates. My friend told me to put the shoe on and I walked out of there with a shoe that I will wear to work and back home that day.
I have had a Star of New Jersey on my sneakers since I was 10 years old.
