Many things come to mind when we read these three words.

Yes, New Jersey, the great land of the Turnpike and corporate home to Amtrek. A guiding light, it reaches out welcoming arms to strip-mall developers, saying, "Give us your tires, your poured concrete, your huddled masses of stores yearning to sell." But it's so much more. Beyond the statuesque oil refineries and that pervasive lingering smell, there's a proud history waiting to be sold to a new millennium. Any grade school student knows that New Jersey became an independent nation when it seceded from the USA during the late sixties. What he or she may not know is the "how" and "why" of what actually happened...

Then, in early May, from the great cities of Hoboken and Piscataway to the Pine Barrens and The Shore, the New Jersey citizenry stood up as one and demanded their freedom. Surprisingly, the state was allowed to leave the Union without a shot being fired. The only condition was that New Jersey agree to stop shipping its garbage to Pennsylvania. And so, on Friday, May 31, 1969, the "Garden State" officially became a sovereign nation. Of course, the island had always been separated from the mainland by the Delaware and Hudson Rivers and the North Jersey Channel. But on that proud day came true independence!

Even so, the founding fathers didn't stop to congratulate themselves. The fledgling island nation needed a capital befitting the world's number one exporter of canned soup. There was already a state capital in Trenton. However, it was thought that a distinctly separate seat for the federal government would more effectively consume tax dollars. Rising to the occasion, the kind-hearted, simple folk of Monmouth and Ocean Counties magnanimously offered to donate a five-mile square parcel of undeveloped land that straddled their border at the geographic center of the state. The founding fathers, led by newly-elected President and former "KwikStop Muffler and Brakes" owner Weldon C. Blodgett, thanked the people for their generosity but declined the offer. Instead, in a midnight closed-door session on July 10, 1969, legislators used the right of Eminent Domain to claim the charming seashore town of Cape May "for the greater good of the Commonwealth of the United State of New Jersey." The town was re-chartered as the capital and named Jerselia, District of the Shore. Over the next two months, the government set up shop in the beautifully-maintained Victorian homes and Bed and Breakfast establishments for which the town is known. It made an excellent summer capital.

In the winters, all four branches of government - Executive, Legislative, Judicial, and Media - flew south at taxpayer expense to Florida to escape the chill winds of the off season. While this arrangement might seem odd to those unfamiliar with the two-capital system of government, it actually continues to work quite well even today. Orlando condominium owner Sylvia Dollop, 68, was interviewed recently about her role as landlord for the home that is used by two members of the New Jersey Federal Senate. She expressed her happiness with the arrangement. "They can call themselves the winter capital of New Jersey if they want," said Ms. Dollop. "I couldn't care less. They can call themselves the Queen of England, just as long as they get my rent in on time."