Is there no limit to Mikey Graham’s Trump-Derangement-Syndrome? Apparently NOT. Now (writing this on 3/2) Mikey is promoting a piece by a CLINTON bureaucrat (IRS no less) that rewrites history … portraying Ronald Reagan as a warmonger who supported open-borders:

According to Oswald (from the linked post), Reagan would be supporting “aid” to Ukraine (i.e., money for the military-industrial complex) because he would see it as part of the Cold War against the Soviet Union

[Reagan] believed the Soviet Union was an “evil empire,” as he called it in his speech on March 8, 1983. … Reagan would be shocked by Republican resistance to send aid to Ukraine to fight Russia. Likewise, he would be incredulous at the flirtations with Moscow by some GOP members, …

Actually, Reagan would understand … as Oswald either does NOT, or thinks we do NOT … that the Soviet Union dissolved decades ago and that today’s Russia is NOT the Soviet Union. Moreover, Reagan called the Soviet Union “evil” because he believed that COMMUNISM was evil, NOT because he believed that Russia or the Russian people were evil.

What Regan would see as communism today is much of the Left’s (and Oswald’s) agenda: open-borders to transform America into a minority-White population, DEI, CRT, indoctrinating schoolchildren with woke. And, by the way, in case you’ve forgotten Reagan was pro-life and wanted Roe overturned.

Reagan was a man of PEACE. He did NOT want war with the Soviet Union. He repeatedly stated publicly that his goal was arms reduction … something that today would be total anathema to today’s supporters of Ukraine … but that to achieve arms reduction America needed to bargain from a position of strength; hence the military-buildup.

As for illegal immigration, Oswald claims that because Reagan signed an amnesty law that he would be in favor of open borders today. What is far more likely is that, having seen the Democrats renege on their end of the bargain (aided and abetted by the globalist/corporatist takeover of the GOP post-Reagan), Reagan’s position would be virtually identical to Trump’s.

Stated slightly differently, Reagan did NOT sign an amnesty law because he believed in open borders … he signed an amnesty law because in return he was supposed to get a secure border.

It was George H. W. Bush who when the Berlin War finally was torn down seemed disappointed that the Cold War was over. It was his warmonger son W who continued the Clinton-policy of strengthening China’s economy in order to enrich Wall Street at the expense of Main Street AND who invaded Iraq based on LIES told to the American people. It is the Bushes, the McCains, the Romneys, the McConnells, the Sununus, who have no place in today’s GOP. And that is a very good thing and something we can thank Trump for.

 

The post NH-NeverTrumpJournal Rewrites History … Ronald Reagan Was A Warmonger Who Supported Open Borders appeared first on Granite Grok.

Another week of comments, a school vacation week for many in New Hampshire, and yes – traffic dipped a bit with some folks traveling or doing more family stuff, but commenters will comment, and they did.

Thank you for that.

And I’m not ignoring all the fabulous comments by our authors and previous winners; I’m just trying to spread the love around a bit. You guys (authors and past winners) continue to engage in and encourage debate that has brought new readers and comments to GranitGrok, and that’s what this is all about.

And honestly, I’d give you all a prize if I could afford it, or – more accurately – pay authors for their excellent works, but we aren’t even at the pay Steve to do everything stage. It’s a work in progress—a lot of work but a labor of love searching for an income. The increased engagement helps, but it is also its own reward.

Great job everyone.

This Week’s Winner.

I think everyone did a great job with a side note to Lynn and Herb, who are downvoting more than the average number of comments. Make sure you are also commenting. I see at least a few remarks from Lynn but none from Herb unless I missed them. Don’t be a troll. You have a Disqus account, so discuss your concerns and share your perspective on the downvotes. We encourage readers to debate, agree, and disagree – you won’t get nixed for sharing a contrary opinion. We’re not Facebook or pre-Musk Twitter. Free speech matters; just be civil about it.

On that note, this week’s winner shared something I found not only brief – brevity is the soul of wit (Polonius, in Act 2,  scene 2 of Hamlet) but inspiring. It belongs on mugs, T-shirts, and bumper stickers (and maybe we’ll do that at some point).

Bill589

This comedian expressed my view decades ago: “The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen.” — Tommy Smothers

 

As another reminder, this does not mean that the other comments were lacking or that other commenters did not provide value or insight or expand and extend the debate. We had a lot of great input (as we always do), but there can be only one (each week).

Bill589, please email me at steve@granitegrok.com to arrange to ship you a prize.

Note to Rick Kenyon and AllyforFreedom: I’m still waiting on a ship-to address for both of you.

The post Our Latest Comment of the Week Winner Is … appeared first on Granite Grok.

If you’ve missed it or are a glutton for punishment (as opposed to a gluten for punishment, which is what my spellchecker just tried to do to my pre-editing fat-fingered spelling of the former), HB1002 has gone around and come around after a valiant but failed effort to kill it on the floor of the NH House.

Those seeking to pass the bill would love to wrangle some number of reps to support a Rube Goldbergina Final Solution whose goal remains the same. Punish everyone for the misdeeds of an alleged few to benefit “The State” while embedding a deliberate decline of government transparency and accountability into the law.

This is a bad bill. How bad is it? In a casual pre-zoom meeting conversation late last week, I framed the problem again in what I hoped was a new way (to review my past efforts to undermine the passage of this crap wagon of a bill, look here). If there are a handful of near-do-wells making right-to-know requests with legitimate Cloward-Piven-esqe malice, what sane Republican would take the same approach to access to public documents as Democrats do to the right to self-defense?

To Democrats, every shooting, even the ones that the FBI does not set up, is not just an excuse to punish law-abiding people but a call to action. Gun owners, in total, must pay a price for the actions of the disorderly few. By making it difficult or impossible to exercise the right, you give the government a power that puts law-abiding citizens at risk – not just from those disorderly few but the very tyranny of government 2A exists to dissuade.

That’s HB1002.

Any added cost, fee, fine, or tax to access public records makes the mere idea of holding your local or state government accountable less likely. It limits the pool of those able to afford it. It encourages the government to make accountability less likely by ensuring it is unaffordable.

HB1002′ disarms’ citizens who might otherwise request public documents, discouraging civic involvement or engagement.

HB1002 is the information elitism bill, and making carve-outs for the media (including GraniteGrok) does not make it better, and if you don’t think it will be abused, you are lying to yourself and everyone else.

Would it not be a better use of our time to address the disorderly few towns that leverage government power and the taxpayer purse to hide the people’s business from the people than to find ways to encourage more towns to follow their bad example?

 

The post HB1002 is Treating “Government Transparency” the Way Democrats Treat The “Right to Self Defense” appeared first on Granite Grok.

Well, Jay Eshelman and I have finally found something we can agree on, so it’s probably worth reproducing here instead of leaving it buried in the comments section of his recent post.  Here it is, in response to someone claiming that if we could just get 25% of kids to leave public schools, the system would collapse.

Actually, in NH over the last twenty years, attendance is down 15 percent, while spending (adjusted for inflation) is up 40 percent. Historically, removing kids from the schools leads to growth, which is the opposite of collapse.

There is a way out, though, which is to take the state supreme court at its word: Taxes should pay for the OPPORTUNITY to get an education.

Right now, that requirement is satisfied by giving a kid a Chromebook (about $150 at Walmart) and a subscription to Starlink (about $90 a month). With those two things, you’ve led the horse to water, and if he doesn’t want to drink, that’s his problem. Imagine dropping the per-student cost for a district from around $25,000 to around $1000. Any school board with the stones to do this could do it, right now, without any change in the law.

But that doesn’t solve the daycare problem, does it? If you still want to have subsidized babysitting, you can (again) take the state supreme court at its word: Taxes should pay for the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and learning NECESSARY to participate intelligently in the American political, economic, and social systems of a free government.

If something isn’t important enough to be mandatory, then it clearly isn’t necessary. And if it’s being provided at some school districts but not all of them, then it clearly isn’t necessary. It follows that no school should be using tax money to teach anything that isn’t (1) mandatory and (2) taught at all schools.

If parents want to pay extra money for more than that, that would be up to them. But they’d probably be silly to get those things through the schools, which are always more expensive (and nearly always of lower quality) than private options.

Note that the court is talking about knowledge and learning, and not ‘course credit’. So you can’t just say every kid should ‘take a course in technology’, or ‘take a course in science’. You need to say, specifically, what is to be learned and why it is necessary.

This would cut the curriculum (and associated cost) to about 10% of what it is now, which would actually be a good thing. As the Chinese say, if you chase a bunch of rabbits, you won’t catch any of them. It would be a lot better, and a lot cheaper, to have schools that succeed at producing students who can read and do math than schools that try to teach too much and consequently fail to teach much of anything.

If you can read and do math, you can decide later to learn any damn thing you want, with the help of thousands of people who are lined up to assist you with that, often for free. Which is what it means to be ‘educated.’

So, we’d still have to heat and light the buildings and run the buses, but the cost of the schooling part of the enterprise (including the cost of extra-curricular activities, like sports) would drop pretty quickly. Kids could spend a couple of hours a day, a few days a week, learning necessary material and then spend the rest of their time hanging out with their friends — or studying if they’re serious about learning and not being distracted by shuffling from room to room to listen to lectures about things that don’t interest them and that aren’t necessary for them to know.

But just thinking you accomplish any kind of significant change just by reducing attendance — without changing the fundamental nature of schools — is contradicted by history, as well as by reasoning.

The post Fewer Students + Business as Usual = More Dollars appeared first on Granite Grok.

Creating stunning outdoor spaces doesn’t have to break the bank, especially when you consider the charm and personality that DIY metal lawn ornaments add to your garden. But where do you start?

How can you incorporate these outdoor sculptures without overshadowing the natural beauty of your garden? We will guide you through easy and affordable options to create metal lawn ornaments that will enhance your outdoor space. From beginner designs to affordable intricate pieces, get set to turn your garden into an enchanting outdoor gallery.

Materials Needed

Before you begin, gather the necessary materials for your DIY metal lawn ornaments. These items can be found at your local hardware store or online:

• metal sheets
• tin snips
• drill and bits
• hammer and nails
• welder or metal adhesive
• protective equipment
• design template

Simple Design Ideas

If you’re new to metalworking or looking for a quick and easy project, here are some simple design ideas for DIY metal lawn ornaments. Get creative and add a personalized touch to your outdoor space!

Candelabra

Cut out large circles from the metal sheet and use tin snips to create zig-zag patterns around the edges. Attach multiple circles with nails or weld them at the center to create a candelabra.

Wind Chimes

Cut out various sizes of metal circles and drill holes near the edges. String them together with wire or fishing line, creates a beautiful wind chime.

Garden Stakes

Cut out different shapes from the metal sheets, such as flowers or butterflies, and attach them to long metal rods. These stakes can be placed throughout your garden, adding pops of color and design.

Garden Sculptures

Use a template or create your design for a metal sculpture, such as animals or abstract shapes. Cut out the pieces, weld or glue them together, and place them in your garden for an eye-catching piece of art.

Advanced Design Ideas

For those with more experience in metalworking or looking for a challenge, here are some advanced design ideas. Explore intricate welding techniques to push your skills to the next level.

Metal Arbors

Create an elegant entrance to your garden by welding together metal pieces into an arbor. You can add vines or other plants to grow around it and create a stunning focal point.

Garden Benches

Cut out long strips of metal and use a bending tool to create the curved shape of a bench. Weld or bolt the pieces together and add cushions for a comfortable seating option in your garden.

Metal Water Features

Using metal sheets, you can create beautiful water features such as fountains or ponds. These not only add visual interest but also provide soothing sounds of running water.

For those looking for more inspiration or specific design templates, browsing online resources such as Lesera can provide a wealth of ideas and products to ignite your creativity. They offer garden decorations that can either complement your DIY projects or inspire new ones with their unique designs.

Discovering About Metal Lawn Ornaments

DIY metal lawn ornaments are a budget-friendly way to add character and charm to your outdoor space. With the right materials and creativity, you can create unique pieces of art that will bring joy to your garden for years to come.

So gather your materials, choose a design, and get ready to impress your friends and family with your handmade metal yard art ornaments. Transform your outdoor space with creativity and enjoy the process of crafting unique pieces.

Did you find this article helpful? If so, check out the rest of our site for more informative content.

The post DIY Metal Lawn Ornaments: Easy and Affordable Options appeared first on Granite Grok.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic convened a hearing on Feb. 15 titled “Assessing America’s Vaccine Safety Systems, Part 1.” Intended to bolster public confidence in vaccines by reviewing the nation’s data systems used to track reports of adverse events following vaccination, the subcommittee’s initial hearing also focused on vaccine injury compensation programs.

Vaccine Injury Compensation

Ohio Congressman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) opened the proceedings with a brief history of vaccine injury programs in the US. Rep. Wenstrup explained that most vaccine injuries are compensated under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), but that claims of harm from COVID-19 “countermeasures” are covered under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) authorized by the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP) of 2005.

Wenstrup expressed his concern that poor government support of vaccine injury victims could undermine public trust and fuel vaccine hesitancy:

“As of January 2024, CICP has only compensated 11 claims out of the more than 12,000 that have been filed for COVID-19 vaccines. Because of its design, CICP payouts are also significantly smaller than VICP – an average of about $3,700 compared with almost $500,000 dollars in VICP. It appears that CICP may not be designed or equipped to handle a vaccine that was so widely distributed – and mandated for many – as COVID-19 vaccines were. I have concerns that we wouldn’t be able to expect people to line up and get vaccinated during the next pandemic if they feel they are abandoned.”

Three Wise Men?

Three authoritative figures testified before the Select Subcommittee:

Peter Marks, Director of the Biologics Evaluation and Research Division of the Food and Drug Administration, defended the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and attested to the usefulness of injury reporting programs.

Daniel Jernigan, Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Jernigan stated that “CDC staff have analyzed data from over a million VAERS adverse event reports,” but also failed to address the victim compensation aspect of current legislation.

George Reed Grimes, Director of the Division of Injury Compensation Programs at the Health Resources and Services Administration, oversees both CICP and VICP. Grimes explained the stark differences in payments between injuries from COVID-19 vaccines (CICP) versus most other vaccines (VICP), but also standards of proof – CICP awards require “compelling, reliable, valid, medical, and scientific evidence” that their injury was the “direct result” of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Grimes cited the President’s FY 2024 Budget of $15 million to operate the CICP, which now has over 35 full-time staff members:

“Additionally, due to other improvements, the CICP is now processing claims at a faster rate. For example, in 2020, the CICP averaged zero claims resolved per month; in 2023, the CICP resolved more than 90 claims per month – that average would be expected to increase even more significantly under the President’s FY 2024 Budget.”

The government is spending tens of millions of dollars to handle approximately 13,000 CICP claims at the rate of 90 per month, which works out to a bit over twelve years to process existing claims – assuming no more are filed. An October 2023 Reuters report claimed that 97% of processed COVID-related claims so far (1,129 out of 12,000) had been denied and 32 found eligible, with “[f]our people to date hav[ing] actually been paid, receiving an average of $2,148 each.” There is no right to appeal or introduce witnesses.

To spend $15 million annually to take twelve years to deny 97% of complaints and only pay out $2,000 in 2024 dollars each is a strong disincentive for vaccine injury victims to bother filling out the paperwork. It is also a result that might leave Americans distrustful of the government, as Wenstrup explained in his opening remarks:

“… while serious injuries caused by vaccines are rare, the government has assumed the responsibility to compensate for them. In doing so, vaccine manufacturers have been shielded from liability. Therefore, the government has an important duty – one that is essential in preserving trust in vaccines and how we message completely and honestly about them.”

A Ready Solution

One proposed solution would be for Congress to redirect COVID-19 claims to VICP, which already hears claims more quickly with a clearer process and more generous awards. This program is funded by a 75-cent tax per vaccine and would instill much more confidence in an mRNA-leery public than the CICP labyrinth.

Grimes seemingly intimated his support for this initiative:

“HRSA is committed to working with Congress to ensure that the resources and staffing are available to increase CICP claim reviews and processing. Furthermore, without congressional action, HHS does not have the administrative authority on its own to move claims from the CICP to VICP.”

Dr. Meryl Nass, a Maine physician who has questioned the official narrative on COVID-19 vaccinations, offered this opinion to Liberty Nation:

“My question for the Select Subcommittee would be, ‘Why are there no victims testifying? There have been a lot of problems with official assessments of vaccine safety. Why not ask those who have suffered?’”

Transferring COVID-19 claims to the VICP would improve fairness to injured Americans, whether or not it restored trust in mRNA vaccines. The Biden Administration determined that COVID-19 claims would remain in CICP through 2024: the bipartisan “Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act” seeks to “shift pending COVID-19 vaccine claims from the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) to the VICP.”

Perhaps this problem will be addressed by the Select Committee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, at “Assessing America’s Vaccine Safety Systems, Part 2.”

 

John Klar is an Attorney, farmer, and author. Mostly farmer… And Regular Contributor to GraniteGrok and VermontGrok.

The post Night Cap: Vaccine Safety Heads to Congress appeared first on Granite Grok.

We’ve had a handful of very relevant content in recent days about the troubles in the New Hampshire House. The slip Republican majority gets wins in the morning only to lose later because Democrats keep score better and are more patient and focused on their agenda.

The moment they have a headcount majority, they bring bills back and kill them or pass them, depending on their ideological pleasure, because Republican Reps let the building.

Between that and just not showing up or asking to be excused when every session has votes, we need to win, and a lot of ground has already been lost that should be ours.

And yes, there will always be circumstances where a Rep. can’t be there or must leave early, but shouldn’t that also apply to the other side? And are we or are we not in an ideological war to keep the New Hampshire advantage?

This isn’t a game or a hobby, and the Left plays for keeps. We should, too.

I will be sharing a year-to-date summary, including a week-by-week attendance for every Republican on the House Roster. In the following weeks, until the end of the session, we will report the previous week’s attendance. Votes missed.

The first installment should arrive before the next House Session.

Stay Tuned!

The post We’re Going to Publish Weekly NH House Republican Attendance Reports! appeared first on Granite Grok.

When Ohio banned DEI programs at universities from taking public money, Kent State merged its Diversity Equity and Inclusion offices with Human Resources and (ironically) renamed it the Division of People Culture and Belonging. Division, indeed.

DEI is about Discrimination, Exclusion, and Indoctrination. Dividing us into tribes that become itches in constant need of scratching. This balkanization keeps us distracted and at each other’s throats while the uniparty elites rob our posterity blind. Several states (Ohio, Texas, and Florida – there may be others) have enacted rules and laws that limit or restrict public funding for DEI, and not everyone is trying to be as clever as Kent State.

The University of Florida eliminated all positions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and halted its DEI-related contracts on Friday. ..

Axios is heartbroken at the news and worries about the escalating war against “how race and gender are addressed in its educational institutions.”  Snowflakes are melting. Social Justice Warriors have been triggered. How dare they dismantle a program focused on systemic racism targeting people of non-color? It’s racist, I tell you.

My question is if they have. Historically, when the asshattery of the Marxist cultural messaging machine finds itself exposed to too much daylight, the cockroaches do what they did at Kent State. Make that stuff disappear, change some names, and create a Potemkin facade of compliance. It may well be that the Florida Law has managed to root out all the linguist loopholes in advance, but the White Tower never gives up on a bad idea without a fight.

• Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation defunding DEI programs at state public colleges and allowed the state to remove programs majors and minors that teach “identity politics.”

Excellent news, indeed, but?

When UNH got busted for harboring a so-called bias-free language guide, they immediately announced how pro-free speech they were, made the guide disappear (we saved it here), and retooled their web pages. No one was fired, and budgets were not cut, leaving all the infrastructure responsible in place. It’s still there, poisoning the hearts and minds of future generations or snowflakes, but New Hampshire’s State University System has managed to put on a good face. FIRE gives them good scores for free speech each year while underneath the facade, the cultural-Marxist virus spreads.

Defunding DEI isn’t enough. You have to put some teeth in it and keep an AG’s office that will enforce those laws. What happens when DeSantis has to leave office in 2026, and Florida doesn’t find a similar replacement?

That’s Florida’s problem, I suppose, until or unless the Feds institute something similar (don’t hold your breath). I also don’t see why such offices or programs could not be resuscitated with private money. I do find it encouraging that the University of Florida didn’t have or couldn’t find anyone in the private sector willing to fund it (if they even tried).

Wouldn’t it be something if no one with deep enough pockets thought DEI infrastructure was worth the price?

 

The post DEI … DIEs at the University of Florida appeared first on Granite Grok.

For years, House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) didn’t pay taxes on significant parts of his income.  When the IRS discovered this, it allowed him to pay the missing taxes without any of the normal penalties.

In 2009, Representative John Carter (R-TX) introduced the Rangel Rule, HR 735, which would extend to all U.S. taxpayers the same penalty-free and indictment-free IRS treatment enjoyed by Rangel for flagrant tax evasion — as required by the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

I was thinking about this recently in a conversation where I was surprised to find that the people I was talking to didn’t know about RSA 193-H:2, which says:

On or before the 2018-2019 school year, schools shall ensure that all pupils are performing at the proficient level or above on the statewide assessment as established in RSA 193-C.

All pupils.  There are no exceptions for pupils with special needs, pupils who don’t do well on tests, or anyone else.

Now, there isn’t a school in the state that has been within shouting distance of this since it was enacted.  This means that every school in the state is in flagrant violation of the law.

So, it seems only fair that taxpayers in school districts around the state should be able to withhold their school taxes until the schools start complying with the law.

I know, I know — ‘the law’ requires them to pay those taxes. But ‘the law’ also requires the schools actually to teach kids to read.

The Rangel Rule, generalized to what we might call the Rangel Principle, simply says that if government institutions can ignore the law without penalty, then taxpayers funding those institutions should be free to do that, too.

Applied to this particular case, the penalty for withholding school taxes should be the same as the penalty for failing to teach kids to read.  Which, apparently, is no penalty at all.

The post The Rangel Principle: If Schools Don’t Have To Teach Kids To Read, You Don’t Have To Give Them Your Money appeared first on Granite Grok.

After reviewing the new Strategic Plan for Governor Wentworth Regional School District, I would suggest trashing it and starting over. While it sounded promising with their placement of academic achievement as their top priority, nothing in this document shows the community how that will be accomplished.

The rest of the document sounds more like an appeal to the federal government than a worthwhile plan for the community to rally behind.

There are a few bright spots within the document found in Focus Area 3 Family & Community Communication and Engagement, but with all of the battles raging right. now, how does anyone have confidence this will help?

I will go through the document as it’s been presented here:

GWRSD_Strategic_Plan_2024 (1)

 

Focus Area 1 Student Wellness
This section looks like it’s paving the way for the district to transition to the CDC’s Community School model. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a goal to turn every public school into a mental health and medical clinic. This may sound good on the surface, but as this transition begins to unfold, we are seeing all kinds of problems that parents should be aware of.

We’ve found personally identifiable mental health data on students being shared without parental knowledge or consent. This is a gross violation of privacy and ethics. Parents are also discovering that their children are receiving medical treatment and medication without ever being informed.

Those who are providing mental health assessments and services have not received the proper education or training to deal with some of the more serious mental health situations that arise. There are references to trauma, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. These are serious mental health issues that should only be addressed by a PhD-level Child Psychologist — not a teacher in the classroom or the school counselor.

The federal student privacy law was gutted several years ago during the Obama administration. It used to require parental consent to share sensitive data on students. That is not necessarily the case anymore. All of this data that is now being collected by various sources could be used against these students at some point.

Just visiting the school counselor can disqualify a student who wants to join the military, and now the U.S. Department of Education can now share information with other departments like the U.S. Department of Labor. Competencies are now shared with colleges and universities when a student applies for admission. What kind of behavior, values, or dispositions will be shared with future employers or colleges?

Focus Area 2: Culture of Belonging
This area begins with a call to things like equity and DEI.  (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) There is nothing about students who come from religious homes. What does equity look like in public schools? It focuses on equality outcomes versus equal opportunities. Guaranteeing equal outcomes means less opportunities for gifted students or students who strive for excellence. DEI tends to focus on race and gender, leaving out any concern for other groups of students in the school.

This is more of a WOKE focus than any focus on real belonging. Real belonging should apply to all students regardless of political views, religious beliefs, or any other identity they use to divide us.

Parents do need to understand that their children will be in a school with other children who may have a different worldview. So, how does one make a school welcoming? Certainly not this way. This way divides children by their “identity” instead of unifying them.

School officials are not there to sway children in their beliefs, but they can certainly promote a safe and welcoming environment for all children. Sometimes that means compromise, sometimes it means teaching children to show respect and kindness to others.

This focus takes a good idea and turns it into a woke agenda instead. I’d watch that equity plan closely and also note the data collection is even included within this category.

Responsive Classroom is a program that will be used. I’ve seen mixed reactions from teachers on this. Watch for discipline or lack of discipline within the school community. Will there be real consequences for unruly or bad behavior? Teachers need a classroom where they can teach and need to be supported by the administration. Reduction in discipline can become a real problem when kids learn they can get away with unruly behavior.

Focus Area 3- Family & Community Communication and Engagement
This actually sounds good, although this is required in federal law: Parent Engagement is in Every Student Succeeds Act. But what does that look like in the schools? Parents are running into resistance just trying to remove pornographic books from the school library. Parents are concerned about biological boys and girls using the restroom opposite of their biological sex. The same is true for locker rooms and sports teams. Something like this normally requires a common sense compromise so that all children are served in their public schools.

Oftentimes, parents who do not want their children exposed to pornographic books or want their children in a sex-segregated restroom are shunned and called transphobic. Picking sides isn’t a solution, but finding a compromise can be.

All competencies for each grade and subject should be included in this area. Parents should be able to access this information on the district website. Parents should also be able to observe their child’s classroom, and also feel welcomed.

Focus Area 4 – Academic Achievement
This may be the biggest disappointment. While a statement offers hope, nothing in this plan explains how this will be accomplished. Instead, there is a lot of time spent on actions that do not produce quality results. Schools now align their curriculum to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. These standards are dumbed down, and district administrators should be focused on identifying those problems and showing how they will raise the bar.

Multiple pathways or extended learning opportunities still require adherence to the dumbed-down standards. Where will they raise the standards for students on any path?

Differentiated instruction? How? That normally means that kids will be learning off of the computer or participating in group work as the teacher becomes a facilitator. This minimizes the important role of the teacher as an instructor. Where has this been successful at improving academic outcomes?  Changing up a classroom this way should demand independent and peer reviewed studies that show any of this improves academic outcomes.

How does the MTSS-B help academic outcomes? The Multi-Tiered System of Support for Behavior is a mental health framework. We already know the multiple problems with this federal fad. Federal money comes into the school, the school counselors turn over personal mental health data on students to Keene State BHII, and they develop a fluff report that all is well. Meanwhile, we have teachers in Keene who are leaving the profession because behavior is out of control, and consequences have been turned into mental health treatment by school personnel who are not educated or trained in the profession.

Finally, they include Portrait of a Learner in this strategic plan. This is another national fad focused on data mining personal information on your children. What does that do for academic outcomes? Nothing.

Battelle for Kids was created by Battelle, an applied science and technology company that uses technology to track behaviors. The program was incentivized through policies and grants in the 2015 federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act ESSA. ESSA replaced No Child Left Behind and was signed into law during the Obama administration with bi-partisan support. These policies are an extension of Common Core reforms.

Some of Battelle’s strategic partners that direct states’ adoption of Portrait of a Graduate is CASEL. CASEL’s Tim Shriver admits teaching academics is no longer important.

Aurora Institute, ExcelinEd which is JEB BUSH’s org (who profits off of his online Charter Schools) and KnowledgeWorks, are working towards mass data collection of children’s values, attitudes and behaviors (aka..mental health) with a company called the Data Quality Campaign.

The Data Quality Campaign was instrumental in developing states’ State Longitudinal Data Systems. So, Portrait of a Graduate/Learner is, essentially, a program to expand New Hampshire’s State Longitudinal Data System, and start tracking children into all sorts of social services including health services, and into the workforce. You can read more about that here and from the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy.

In the final scheme of things, Portrait of a Graduate/Learner is the backbone for Social Credit Scoring and ESG scores for children.

New Hampshire 
As the leader in implementing competency education, New Hampshire recognized the need for a state data system that was better equipped to communicate with district systems and provide necessary supports. The Initiative for School Empowerment and Excellence reduces the burden on schools and gives information back to schools based on regularly collected data to encourage student achievement through rigorous data use and analysis.

KnowledgeWorks is a Gates-funded organization (also based in Ohio) that the State Boards of Education paid to facilitate the districts’ adoption of Battelle’s SEL framework. (Pilot programs and legislation for Competency-Based Education will align “competencies” to those in Portrait of a Graduate) Local teachers are brought into the process to determine competencies, but only for show. In actuality, they are being shifted into becoming facilitators of the SEL system, and, over time, the entire system will be geared toward SEL.

What does this strategic plan do for the students? It facilitates the data-mining of their personal information to fulfill the goals of the federal government. This isn’t about helping students, and it’s not about what parents want for their children or schools. This is a federal agenda to meet the terms the federal government laid out in Every Student Succeeds Act.

As an education researcher and parental rights advocate, I’d refuse as much of this data-mining, SEL and mental/medical services as possible. Your child’s mental and medical health is important, but it needs to be done outside the school system where you are still informed, and your child’s personal information is secure.

 

 

 

The post On Local School District’s Strategic Plan: Trash It and Start Over appeared first on Granite Grok.

Sent by a reader, this radio segment is something you should check out and, if you agree, add to your quiver of rhetorical/active arrows. Patrick Madrid is talking to a mother who is trying to defend her daughter from the groomers and queer agenda in her local public school.

He offers great advice to Anai, a valiant Catholic mom gearing up for a showdown with her daughter’s teacher. Anai’s 16-year-old daughter is facing pressure to complete an assignment that goes against Catholic teachings on sexuality, sparking a fierce defense of faith and family values. …

Patrick’s strategy is a masterclass in rhetorical judo, advising Anai to use the language of inclusivity and authenticity to advocate for her daughter’s right to hold and express her beliefs freely. This approach not only safeguards her daughter’s emotional well-being but also holds the school accountable to its own stated values. It puts the teacher on the defense rather than the other way around.

This is some excellent table-turning… Madrid explains to the caller how to put them in their own ideological box, not to be mean, cruel, or argumentative but to get their buy-in on their own stated values so they have no choice but to confront that and maybe (just maybe) they decide it is better to leave her daughter alone.

Give it a listen! (10 min).

 

 

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Warner: Hartford Has An Activist Problem – Now They Know About it

 

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said:

“Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’

Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’

Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’

But conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’

There comes a time when one must make a decision that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must make that decision because their conscience tells them that it’s right.”

Monday night in the embattled town of Hartford was held a Budget and Meet the Candidates night held once a year.  The several hour meeting allows town members to hear the upcoming budget and ask questions regarding appropriations or express concerns over potential mismanagement.  Following this are speeches given by candidates for school board and select board.  Candidates typically offer a brief introduction followed by vision casting for their plans to serve the needs were they to be elected.

The town of Hartford has seen many shakeups and resignations over the past few years especially at the select board level.  At one point the board had four black citizens in a town that is 90% white and still saw members step down over cries of racism or similar complaints.  For a town that’s elected Kevin “Coach” Christie, the beloved former coach and automotive teacher at the local tech center (who is black) it can’t seem shake this popular accusation.  One prominent citizen, Joe Major, also black, sits as the executive director of the largest non-profit in town, the Aquatic Center, a massive complex visited by hundreds each day. Despite these votes of approval in town the Robin DiAngelo “find racism everywhere” gambit seems to be a steady diet.

One citizen, namely myself, has studied the culture closely over the past ten or so years.  In a town that is clearly welcoming of all, in a state that ended slavery in 1777, in a country that established civil rights and put a black man in the oval office the cry of systemic racism, led by the Black Lives Matter movement-turned-craze, resounded like a clanging gong.  The sum total of BLM’s activist led riots saw the destruction of billions of dollars in American property and the killing of more than twenty-five innocent people reverberating nearly everywhere from overseas to my tiny hamlet of Hartford.

I visited my home town of Portland, Oregon late in 2021 only to find it in shambles.  Tent cities littered the neighborhoods, burn marks covered the walls of buildings with boarded up businesses closed after 100+ days of rioting led by Antifa and Marxist revolutionaries (who had managed to get S.E. 39th street in my neighborhood renamed to Cesar Chavez Blvd), and the smell of marijuana was ubiquitous.  Black Lives Matter signs were found in nearly every yard, not due to supporting the cause but from fear of property damage if one did not comply.  A ghostly pall hung over the many colored faces of the people in my neighborhood.  The tension was palpable as I walked the streets and entered both old and new haunts and shops.  The once genial and friendly Rose City confines felt more like an open air prison being run by activist psychopaths who had taken over.

Talking with friends they said the same.  Most everyone they knew hated what was happening but were afraid to speak up thanks to the thuggish attacks from Antifa radicals who were known for acts of violence sparing no one.  Antifa even attacked a church rally on the Waterfront park pepper spraying children and assaulting women.

Antifa, the unregulated and radical enforcement arm of the new cultural Marxists, have also been seen around the country standing armed outside of Drag Queen Story Hours intending to intimidate parents and citizens who show up to object to these blatantly sexualized performances designed to groom children into queering their minds.  By “queering” is meant to break from cultural norms, in this case American, replacing them with Marxist boundary-less tendencies known as “liberation” rising all the way to sexual liberation of, yes, children.

Hartford recently held a Drag Queen Story Hour that was the subject of controversy among the select board.  Self-avowed activist Ally Tufenkjian decided to speak on the topic during a board meeting stating it was a “positive experience” despite including a hoax bomb threat that sent a shock wave through the town still reeling from the many shock waves our country has a steady diet of thanks to constant media messaging of the latest existential threat (COVID lockdowns, climate change, school shootings, rioting, wars, Jan 6th, etc.).  Fellow board member Lannie Collins responded on behalf of the town members who did not view it as a positive experience, which includes me.  I would expose the event for its patently sexual grooming of children at a board meeting two weeks after more activists showed up to denounce Mr. Collins for being “insensitive”.

My familiarity with all of these things led to my declaring a run for one of the open two-year spots on the select board.  Candidates are expected to introduce themselves and cast a vision they have for the town.  My conscience declaring it the right thing to do, I warned them of the road we are headed down with the proof being the state of my former city.

Of course, activists showed up to the meeting to denounce my warnings as “hate speech” rather than discuss the merits of my claims.  If it’s hateful to warn a tiny Vermont town to take a closer look at the source of its sudden social problems and rising incompetence at the local government level then I plead guilty.  In fact, I’ll happily declare I hate the deceptive tactics of Marxist activists, I hate their plans to abolish property rights, the nuclear family, our national boundaries and most of all their promoting the sexual grooming of our children.

For me, this is a hill worth dying on.

(To listen to my speech at the town meeting fast forward to the 1:53:00 of this video)

 

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The polls! The polls! The polls! We’re winning! We’re winning! We’re winning! So say those who persist in living in that alternative reality that the rigging of the 2020 election was just a one off. We are NOT winning. We are losing. The polls don’t matter when (among many, many, many other things to rig 2024) millions of illegals get to vote … as is now the case in Arizona thanks to the Democrats’ lawfare.

But just keep on pretending that 2024 is somehow going to be different than 2020, that Putin is the real enemy, that there is a “free press” in America, that a Republican can get a fair trial in America, etc., etc., etc.

The post BREAKING … Biden Wins Arizona appeared first on Granite Grok.

Tom Bowler

Western Journal has done an excellent job of adding some balance to the business of news and media, but I laughed out loud when I read this headline: “Biden Has All But Lost His Advantage in Key Voting Bloc that Drove 2020 Win, Devastating Poll Shows.”

I laughed because you can’t poll the voting bloc that got him elected in 2020.

To give WJ its due, the report looks at polling among 18-24-year-olds, a majority of whom voted for Biden in 2020 but, having been crushed by Bidenomics, are beginning to bleed away from Democrats, some of them toward Trump.

The trend of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 was already looking negative for Democrats according to data from the 2016 to the 2020 presidential elections, with 58 percent favoring former first lady Hillary Clinton in 2016 over then-Republican nominee Donald Trump’s 28 percent, but Trump scoring 35 percent against Biden’s 59 percent in 2020.

That’s according to Pew Research data; in Axios’ 2024 survey, however, Biden, 81, scored a little worse at 52 percent and Trump, 77, came in much stronger with 48 percent — a 4-point gap compared to 2020’s 24-point gap.

The number is not insignificant, which is likely why Whoever is Running the Biden administration is playing the “We’ll forgive your student loans” in Debt-Minor, hoping to recreate past fraud. You can fool some 18-24-year-olds most of the time, but forgiving debt doesn’t solve the real issue. Even without a school loan payment, living is 18-24% more expensive (in many cases, more), and there is nothing in the Bidenista’s economic quiver that looks different from all the shots they’ve already taken. Some of those “kids” might have even figured out that the debt payoff scheme would make everything else worse (which it would). More Biden equals more Bidenomics, which means rising misery.

The Dems can’t afford to suffer too much more voting bloc attrition. It makes it much more challenging to steal elections with faked mail-in ballots, which are the “voting bloc” you can’t poll. Biden won because of a deliberately coordinated campaign to censor objection to the chain of custody issues with mail-in voting and a night’ surge in “mail-in ballots” for Vote Fraud Joe that took as long as it takes to count to ensure he won.

That demographic isn’t in prison, not that this is a deterrent, so they are still 100% for Joe Biden. Unless or until the mysterious Mail-in-Ballot voting bloc ‘demographic” changes sides (or stays home), young adults can get as disenfranchised with Creepy Uncle Joe as they like.

Not much will change if their vote for his opponent doesn’t get counted or is erased by another brute-force act of ballot box stuffing like the one we had in 2020. Democrats will simply count longer and harder until the Democrat is declared the winner.

The post The Only Key “Voting Bloc” We Need Joe Biden to Lose In 2024 Is This One appeared first on Granite Grok.

Unfortunately, liberals have become mostly wacko. That is why ‘Liberal’ has become a word with negative connotations. The extreme religious right wing has always been the core of right-wing wackos. The transformation of liberals into “Karens” has been the failure of the mainstream liberals to maintain a core of self-respecting people who, in general, just want to help people.

Now, I can’t tell the liberals from the Wacko Liberals. There are a few semi-conservative liberals left but they are truly the minority. Both of the extremes are evil, but the right-wing religious nuts seem to be more compassionate of non-religious conservatives, and the right-wing conservatives have also been more accepting of less staunch conservatives.

Liberals, on average, have lost the ability to defend their beliefs. I have seen this time and time again in my being slightly right of center as I have been my entire life, but my move further right was not the conservatives gaining strength, but I was moved further right by the amount of leftists going off the rails.

We want to thank Ken Goodall for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
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This year is the first year in 28 years in which I did not hold my nose to vote Republican (Anti-democrat). I was never a real Republican. Although
I was always a Conservative. I was a wanna-be Hippie when I was young and at that early age did not know what liberalism was. As I grew, I learned about socialism and how it closely resembled liberalism. Then, with the Nuke plant coming to New Hampshire, I realized I was not a true hippie liberal and left the protesting to others. Good thing, too; a couple of friends at the time got arrested. It could have changed my life forever.

I ended up voting 3rd party and Libertarian for many years. Until the Clintonistas drove me to the right, and I became an Anti-democrat. The following elections, up until this year, also had the remains of the leftist loony Clintonistas. Yes, they are still there, but Trump’s failings finally put me back in the realm of being against the two-party system.

I can no longer support a corrupt two-party system. Unlike the majority of liberals, I am able to clearly defend my positions and my votes, whereas the majority of liberals are unable to do so by supporting a lying, cheating, scumbag pedophile with Alzheimer’s. And I can defend with proof each of my words describing the moron in the Whitehouse today.

I had originally asked liberals for one positive thing Biden has done while in office to make the country a better place, and after a long while, I had one answer with an actual good reply. I believe it was here in Carrol County, Uncensored, too. So now I have to ask for Two positive things. (Remember, stuff like lowering gas prices does not count since they went up under Biden).

So many items that cannot be defended, such as the lockdowns under both Trump and Biden, the monetary support of the lab in Wuhan, open borders, the ignoring of the constitution by allowing illegals to remain in this country, paying back college loans for a select group of people who made bad choices, supporting the money-grubbing medical industry in its hypocritical move to mutilate physically healthy patients, allowing males to compete in women’s sports, and this administration’s blind faith in inclusion to the detriment of this country. Biden has chosen liars, thieves, and people with much less ability than these positions require, besides the fact that inclusion seems to mean even people who are far from normal. This administration has basically claimed to want a New Normal.

I don’t know if the Liberal Hippies of the ’60s would fall in line with all the loony left has to offer today, but even dictionaries are listing the word Liberal as now having negative connotations. How did the left of the 60s, who I admired, allow their cause to be taken over, and even today, with very few leftists speaking out about the extremism going on?

The views and opinions expressed by contributors are those of the author and may not reflect the opinion or position of Grok Media, GraniteGrok.com, its authors, advertisers, donors, or sponsors.

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Well before 2020, a host of non-partisan citizens committed to voter integrity found each other in a spirit of civic duty as directed under our NH Constitution. As our ranks and trust grew, so did our efforts and work, resulting in citizen audits demonstrating significant and ongoing violations of best practices outlined in the Sec. of State Voting Procedure Manual.

Including a Pro Se’ NH Constitutional lawsuits/challenges, one of which is currently before the NH Supreme Court (Daniel Richard-V- Gov. Sununu en el case ’# 2023-0097)

Many of these formal and informal complaints have been filed before the Ballot Law Commission (appears to consist of 11 out of 12 NH attorneys – NO citizens – what could go wrong here) and NH Attorney General Formella to yet no avail. A majority of citizens now believe law enforcement and Sec. of State Scanlan are utilizing delay tactics to allow claims to expire under the statute of limitations. Justice delayed is not justice served.

Yet the most destructive piece of this long-term and ongoing deception is orchestrated by two chairmen of, ironically, the House Election Law and Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committees. Many are now convinced after years of inaction and now clear, outright coordinated deception. (HB154 Health Care bill turned in a non-germane voting machine bill via sleight of hand –in not allowing true/ honest public debate). Senator Gray and Rep. Ross Berry have violated their sworn oath of office, usurped our NH citizen’s civil rights, as well as failed to protect our sovereign and sacred voting rights.

We want to thank Carmen Sense for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
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To bring some more depth to these claims, please ask Rep Ross Berry why, over the last four years, citizens, through their elected reps, have submitted over # 80 plus LSR/ Bills before his committee. Only to be marked with his infamous “ITL” recommendation (inability to Legislate). After review, it appears no less than just a few citizen bills under “ ITL” Rep Ross Berry’s leadership made it out of his committee. Yet if you’re the Sec. of State, your success before this committee is close to 100%

Now let’s pile on – add insult to the tax payer and citizen’s injury. While most citizens are working two jobs trying to pay their property taxes, food, education, etc., most are unable to attend committee hearings during the weekday from 9-5. While we are out working, just like in DC, a well-funded group of lobbyists paid for by us ( dues from town taxes) – in many cases fight against our best interests. (see Municipal Assoc. representing Town Moderators, Clerks, Selectman, and Town Attorneys alike). Ask Senator Gray if they lobbied him on HB 154.

GREAT NEWS: A revolt by 162 of our elected reps led By Rep Nikki McCarter and others in the house voted recently to send HB 154 back to a “committee of conference” to expose the sham and fix it. It failed, but hope is Eternal!

Despite the apparent silence and fear of traditional NH newspaper journalists to expose, as well as the history of lawyers (afraid for their careers) to represent “We the People” voting rights in court, you/we must now be stepping up in every town meeting, doing our civic duty. In doing so, we are teaching our children and grandchildren how to fight for our most precious and sovereign right to free, fair elections, where every vote is counted as authorized by our NH Constitution ( Part II Art:32).

In closing please ask your legislators if they were one of the Honorable 162, who stood up for your Civil Rights, Transparency & Voting Rights.

Shame on the rest!

 

Note: Whistleblowers and ()Authors of anonymous content or those using pseudonyms are identified before publication, but their secrets are safe with us.

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Do they really think we are that ignorant? Do they really think that they can gaslight us that we are safer under Biden’s policies? Do they really think that we are deaf and blind to the horrid scenes that we watch with our morning coffee and again with our evening cocktail? Since Joe Biden has been our President, one cocktail is insufficient to get through the evening news.

Joe Biden addressed the press this week about the Biden initiative to continue to make our cities safer. He painfully stumbled through a list of crime categories that he claims are all showing the lowest rates in decades. One thing that is quite clear after three years of Joe Biden is stats mean nothing because you can play with the numbers to get your desired result. You need to look no further than inflation and employment numbers to see how useless they are. When you have put the cuffs on police, do not allow arrests, and put blindfolds on your District Attorneys so that criminals who do get arrested do not get prosecuted, the crime numbers. If you ignore crime, then, of course, the crime numbers will improve. The question then becomes, if you ignore crime, are there no victims? Of course not. Remember, we are watching the news and living in this crime-riddled world of Joe Biden.

We know the explosion of crime since 2020 and the death of George Floyd. It is incredible how ironic it is that the unfortunate death of a career criminal marks the start of the movement by the Left to declassify crime. Floyd is still celebrated to this day as a bill named in his honor passes through Congress. The bill is not to make the country safer for its citizens but to make handling criminals more humane. Ignore the elderly woman who just had her handbag snatched by a gang member riding a scooter. Look away from the shop owner who had to shut down his store because his insurance was canceled after so many ransackings. Shame the young woman who has to live the rest of her life remembering the day she was raped. Please don’t mention the name of the girl in Georgia whose head was disfigured from the beating she took that ended her life. But make sure you harken George Floyd’s name when discussing the need for compassion when dealing with the perpetrators of crime.

I admire Senator John Kennedy’s ability to stick a knife into a person testifying before his committee and still maintain the good old boy demeanor. He torched Federal Prison Director Peters this week when discussing the First Step Act, which puts selected criminals back into society. Director Peters administers the program. Kennedy asked her a series of questions, which the director was unable to answer:

• How many criminals have been released in the four years of the program? (The answer is 30,000)
• Were the victims notified their perpetrator was being released? (The answer I don’t know)
• How many of the 30,000 released have been arrested for other crimes since? (The answer is I don’t know)
• How many people work in your department? (The answer is 40,000)
• How many of those 40,000 have still been working from home since COVID? (The answer is I don’t know)
• So, how do we know the program works without the answers to any of these questions? (No answer)

An exasperated Kennedy closed his questions with the comment, “this is why Americans do not trust the government.”

And Joe Biden is another reason why we don’t trust the government. He and his family make up one of the biggest crime families in the country, and he preaches to us that crime is down. Sorry, Joe, we are not buying what you are pushing.

The post Of Course Crime Rates Are Down When You Don’t Track The Crimes appeared first on Granite Grok.

I am using the nautical term “come about” because Alderman Dowd, the 2023 Secret Keeper of the Year, is a Navy veteran and has repeatedly reminded the voters that he’s a submarine expert.

The mismanagement of millions of dollars of ESSER funds was kept under wraps during his campaign until after he was reelected to a 7th term, securing another two years of his committee chairmanship last November, but that was the past.  Let’s talk about the present and the future.

At the end of Tuesday night’s meeting during public comment, Ward 2’s Mr. Gouthro spoke about transparency at 1:31:20 until he was cut off 3 minutes later and followed by Laurie Ortolano at 1:34:35.  Pay close attention to Laurie’s comments because they involve the future.  She politely requested transparency regarding the Mohawk Tannery, which The Swamp has been hoping stays low on the radar.  In spite of all current, recent, and not-so-recent baggage(assessor’s office, arts center, and litigation), the “L-Team”(Laurie Ortolano and Laura Colquhoun) has been hard at work monitoring its developments as they unfold.

Also currently a work in progress, though in Concord, is the RTK Tax, aka HB 1002, which has a House Judiciary Committee executive session next Wednesday, 3/6, at 10 am.  Consider it serendipity because her comments illustrate why the materialization HB 1002 would be a horrible thing.  Think about the fishing expedition on top of another fishing expedition that could exist at the truth seeker’s expense!  It’s been said more times than I have counted that RTK inquiries are NOT weaponized malice and that the good faith requestor is willing to work with the stewards of the public information being requested.  Laurie Ortolano has made clear that she plans to be monitoring the Mohawk Tannery project and has given ample notice, so it should be considered a fair warning.

In Nashua, it would be in everyone’s best interest that her request from the podium is properly honored, and it would be in the best interest of everyone(in Nashua or elsewhere in NH) that HB 1002 dies in the House.

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I wouldn’t expect this to catch on anywhere else soon. A California judge called the federal government for ‘selective prosecution.’ “Charging right-wing rioters but not the far-left agitators they fought against, and who did the exact same thing.”

“No individuals associated with the left, who engaged in anti-far-right speech and violently suppressed the protected speech of Trump supporters, were charged with a federal crime for their part in starting riots at political events. That is textbook viewpoint discrimination,” he wrote. “Most telling in this case is the government’s silence as to why it never pursued a case against a single member of Antifa or related far-left groups with respect to their violent conduct at pro-Trump events.”

“Defendants have established selective prosecution. There is no doubt that the government did not prosecute similarly situated individuals. Antifa and related far-left groups attended the same Trump rallies as Defendants with the expressly stated intent of shutting down, through violence if necessary, protected political speech. At the same Trump rallies that form the basis for Defendants’ prosecution, members of Antifa and related far-left groups engaged in organized violence to stifle protected speech,” he continued.

The judge threw out charges in what might be a first. Right-wing violence, if that’s what it was, has been given the same deference as left-wing violence.

We’re not condoning any violence by anyone. The Second Amendment protects the right to self-defense. If attacked, you know what to do with the understanding that the feds and many a prosecutor will still arrest and charge you for that. So, don’t think that since one judge let two guys off for doing what Antifa does justifies that behavior or that anyone is going to start regularly charging Antifa thugs as the criminals they are.

And a quick note to Antifa and any other direct-action progressives. Remember what Mao did to the Red Guard.

You’ve been warned (again).

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