You’ll have heard of Dr. David E Martin. He became famous to most of us for exposing the lies behind the pandemic, beginning in the Plandemic movies. Dr. Martin is one of the Flutopian’s worst nightmares. He’s smart, and he arrives not with just bad news but receipts.

The patent history of things that governments and bureaucrats and pharmaceutical companies do and did. Facts he revealed most recently at a May 2023 COVID-19 Summit in front of the European Parliament in Brussels.

It’s not all new for many of us who have been following along since the spring of 2020, but I recommend you watch the whole thing – it is good to hear it or hear it again.

I have included the full transcript all thanks to Agent0fChange on Rumble – but first, a few points from his remarks to tease you.

The Public Health Industrial Complex isolated coronavirus in 1965. “The very first COV Coronavirus model was used as a transatlantic biological experiment in human manipulation.”

Pfizer filed its first patent for a Spike Protein Coronavirus vaccine in 1990, so warp speed was a marketing head-fake. They’ve had it for over 25 years and have been waiting for an excuse to stick it into people. Dr. Martin also notes that back in 1990, Pfizer knew, they all knew, vaccines don’t work on Coronavirus.

 

“It turns out that Coronavirus is a very malleable model. It transforms and it changes, and it mutates over time. As a matter of fact, every publication on vaccines for Coronavirus from 1990 until 2018, every single publication concluded that Coronavirus escapes the vaccine impulse because it modifies and mutates too quickly for vaccines to be effective.

And since 1990 to 2018, that is the published science ladies and gentlemen, that’s following the science, following the science is their own indictment of their own programs that said, it doesn’t work.

 

So, it was never going to be effective, and they knew it wasn’t safe, and the Pfizer/FDA doc dumps proved that and why they wanted kept hidden.

And there’s more bad news from Dr. Martin. SARS was a human-made-bio-engineered virus. “SARS is the research developed by humans weaponizing a life system model to actually attack human beings, and they patented it in 2002.” And the rest just keeps getting better or worse, depending on how you want to take it.

Again, not all new, but it’s new to someone, and our job is to find them and get them to listen and then do their own digging with the understanding that there are hundreds of billions of dollars working against the truth.

That’s your tease; here is the presentation – full transcript below.

 

!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/u4"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");

Rumble("play", {"video":"v2kr9t8","div":"rumble_v2kr9t8"});
TRANSCRIPT Of Dr.David E.Martin’s Speech At The European Union Parliament MAY 2023

It is a, it is a particularly interesting location for B to be sitting today, given that over a decade ago I sat in this very chair right here in the European Union Parliament.
And at that time I warned the world of what was coming, during that conversation that was hosted at the time by the Green and EFA and a number of the other parties of the European Unions, of various representations.

We were having a conversation on whether Europe should adopt the United States policy of allowing for the patents on biologically derived materials.

And at the time I urged this body and I urged people around the world that the weaponization of nature against humanity had dire consequences.

Tragically, I sit here today, with that unfortunate line that I don’t like to say, which is “I told you so.”

But the fact of the matter is, we’re here not for a reprisal on past decisions. We’re here to actually, once again, come to the face of the human condition and ask the question, who do we want to be?

What do we want humanity to look like?

And rather than seeing this as an exercise in futility, which is very easy from time to time when you’re in the position I’m in, I actually see this not as an exercise in futility.

I see this as one of the greatest opportunities that faces us because we now have a public conversation, which is now front and center in people’s minds.

When this was an esoteric conversation about biological patents, nobody cared.

But when that conversation came home, then it became something people can care about.

So I’m actually quite grateful for this opportunity.

I thank the members of Parliament for hosting this.

I thank all of the translators who I apologize in advance.

I will use terminology that is probably very difficult to translate, so my apologies, and I’d also like to acknowledge the fact that many of you are aware of my involvement with this in large part due to the amazing work of my wonderful wife, Kim Martin, who encouraged me at the very early days of this pandemic to get on front of the camera and talk about all the information that I had been sharing among very small groups around the world.

And it was in fact her encouragement that put me in a place where many of you have heard what I have to say.

Ironically, the world that I came from that used to be very popular, my CNBC and Bloomberg presentations, which were televised on mainstream media around the world, was an audience that I lost.

I can confidently say Covid diminished my fame, but I can also confidently say that I’d rather stand among the people with whom I’m standing today than any of the folks that were part of that previous world.

So, this is a much better place to be.

My role today is to set the stage for this conversation in a historical context, because this did not come in the last three years.

This did not come in the last five or six years.

This actually is an ongoing question that probably began here in Europe in the early stages of the mid 19 hundreds, but certainly by 1913, 1914, this conversation started right here in Central Europe.

The pandemic that we alleged to have happened in the last few years also did not happen overnight.

In fact, the very specific pandemic using Coronavirus began in a very different time.

Most of you don’t know that Coronavirus as a model of a pathogen was isolated in 1965.

Coronavirus was identified in 1965 as one of the first infectious, replicatable viral models that could be used to modify a series of other experiences of human condition.

It was isolated once upon a time associated with the common cold.

But what’s particularly interesting about its isolation in 1965 was that it was immediately identified as a pathogen that could be used and modified for a whole host of reasons.

And you heard me correctly, that was 1965.

And by the way, these slides are public domain.

You’re welcome to look at every single reference.

Every comment that I made is based on published material.

So do make sure that you look at those references.

But in 1966, the very first COV Coronavirus model was used as a transatlantic biological experiment in human manipulation, and you heard the date 1966.
I hope you’re getting the point of what I’m saying.

This is not an overnight thing.

This is actually something that’s been long in the making.

A year before I was born, we had the first Trans-Atlantic coronavirus data sharing experiment between the United States and the United Kingdom.

And in 1967, the year I was born, we did the first human trials on inoculating people with modified Coronavirus.

Isn’t that amazing?

56 years ago, the overnight success of a pathogen that’s been 56 years in engineering, and I want that to chill with all of you.

Where were we when we actually allowed in violation of biological and chemical weapons treaties?

Where were we as a human civilization when we thought it was an acceptable thing to do to take a pathogen for the United States and infect the world with it?

Where was that conversation and what should have been that conversation in 1967?

That conversation wasn’t had. Ironically, the common cold was turned into a chimera in the 1970s, and in 1975, 1976 and 1977, we started figuring out how to modify Coronavirus by putting it into different animals.

Pigs and dogs.

And not surprisingly, by the time we got to 1990, we found out that Coronavirus as a infectious agent was an industrial problem for two primary industries, the industries of dogs and pigs.

Dog breeders and pigs found that Coronavirus created gastrointestinal problems, and that became the basis for Pfizer’s first spike protein vaccine.

Patent filed. Are you ready for this In 1990?

Did you hear what I just said?

1990.

Operation Warpspeed.

I’m sorry.

Where’s the warp and the speed?

Pfizer 1990.

The very first spike protein vaccine for Coronavirus.

Isn’t that fascinating?

Isn’t it fascinating that we were, we were told that, well, the spike protein is a new thing.

We just found out that that’s the problem.

No.

As a matter of fact, we didn’t just find out it was not just now.

Now the problem, we found that out in 1990 and filed the first patents on vaccines in 1990 for the spike protein of Coronavirus.

And who would’ve thought Pfizer?

Clearly the innocent organization that does nothing but promote human health.

Clearly, Pfizer, the organization that has not bought the votes in this chamber, in every chamber of every government around the world, not that Pfizer, certainly they wouldn’t have had anything to do with this, but oh yes, they did.

And in 1990 they found out that there was a problem with vaccines.

They didn’t work.

You know why they didn’t work?

It turns out that Coronavirus is a very malleable model.

It transforms and it changes, and it mutates over time.

As a matter of fact, every publication on vaccines for Coronavirus from 1990 until 2018, every single publication concluded that Coronavirus escapes the vaccine impulse because it modifies and mutates too quickly for vaccines to be effective.

And since 1990 to 2018, that is the published science ladies and gentlemen, that’s following the science, following the science is their own indictment of their own programs that said, it doesn’t work.

And there are thousands of publications to that effect, not a few hundred. And not paid for by pharmaceutical companies.

These are publications that are independent scientific research that shows unequivocally including efforts of the chimera modifications made by Ralph Bair in the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

All of them show vaccines do not work on Coronavirus.

That’s the science, and that science has never been disputed.

But then we had an interesting development in 2002, and this date is most important because in 2002, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill patented, and I quote, an infectious replication defective clone of Coronavirus.

Listen to those words … Infectious replication, defective.

What does that phrase actually mean?

For those of you not familiar with language, let me unpack it for you.

Infectious replication.

Defective means a weapon.

It means something meant to target an individual but not have collateral damage to other individuals.

That’s what infectious replication defective means.

And that patent was filed in 2002 on work funded by NIAD’s Anthony Fauci from 1999 to 2002, and that work patented at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill mysteriously preceded SARS 1.0 by a year.

“Dave, are you suggesting that SARS 1.0 wasn’t from a wet market in Wuhan?”

“Are you suggesting it might have come from a laboratory in the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill?”

No, I’m not suggesting it.

I’m telling you that’s the facts we engineered SARS.

SARS is not a naturally occurring phenomenon.

The naturally occurring phenomenon is called the common cold.

It’s called influenza-like illness.

It’s called gastroenteritis.

That’s the naturally occurring Coronavirus.

SARS is the research developed by humans weaponizing a life system model to actually attack human beings, and they patented it in 2002.

And in 2003, giant surprise, the CDC filed the patent on Coronavirus isolated from humans in violation once again of biological and chemical weapons, treaties and laws that we have in the United States, and I’m very, very precise on this.

United States likes to talk about its rights and everything else, and the rule of law and all the nonsense that we like to talk about, but we don’t ratify treaties about, I don’t know, defending humans.

We conspicuously avoid that we actually have a great track record of advocating for human rights and then denying them when it comes to actually being part of the international community, which is a slightly problematic thing.

But let’s get something very clear.

When the CDC, in April of 2003 filed the patent on SARS Coronavirus isolated from humans, what did they do?

They downloaded a sequence from China, and filed a patent on it in the United States.

Any of you familiar with biological and chemical weapons treaties knows that’s a violation.

That’s a crime.

That’s not an innocent, oops; that’s a crime.

And the United States Patent Office went as far as to reject that patent application on two occasions until the CDC decided to bribe the patent office to override the patent examiner to ultimately issue the patent in 2007 on SARS Coronavirus.

But let’s not let that get away from us, because it turns out that the RT PCR, which was the test that we allegedly were going to use to identify the risks associated with Coronavirus, was actually identified as a bioterrorism threat by me in the European Union sponsored events in 2002 and 2003, 20 years ago that happened here in Brussels and across Europe.

In 2005, this particular pathogen was specifically labelled as a bioterrorism and bioweapon platform technology, described as such.

That’s not my terminology that I’m applying to it.

It was actually described as a bioweapons platform technology in 2005.

And from 2005 onwards, it was actually a bio warfare enabling agent.

It’s official classification from 2005 forward.

I don’t know if that sounds like public health to you, does it?

Biological warfare enabling technology that feels like not public health, that feels like not medicine, that feels like a weapon, designed to take out humanity.
That’s what it feels like, and it feels like that because that’s exactly what it is.

We have been lured into believing that EcoHealth Alliance and DARPA and all of these organizations are what we should be pointing to.

But we’ve been specifically requested to ignore the facts that over $10 billion have been funnelled through black operations, through the check of Anthony Fauci and a side-by-side ledger where NIAD has a balance sheet, and next to it is a biodefense balance sheet.

Equivalent dollar for dollar matching that no one in the media talks about, and it’s been going on since 2005.

Our gain of function moratorium.

The moratorium that was supposed to freeze any efforts to do gain of function research.

Conveniently, in the fall of 2014, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill received a letter from NIAD saying that while the gain of function moratorium on Coronavirus in vivo should be suspended, because their grants had already been funded, they received an exemption.

Did you hear what I just said?

A biological weapons lab facility at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill received an exemption from the gain of function moratorium so that by 2016 we could publish the journal article that said SARS Coronavirus is poised for human emergence in 2016 and what, you might ask Dave, was the Coronavirus poised for human emergence?

It was WIV ONE.

Wuhan Institute of Virology Virus One.

Poised for human emergence in 2016 at the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, such that by the time we get to 2017 and 2018, the following phrase entered into common parlance among the community, there is going to be an accidental or intentional release of a respiratory pathogen.

The operative word, obviously in that phrase, the word release, does that sound like leak?

Does that sound like a bat and a Pangolin went into a bar in the Wuhan market and hung out and had sex?

And, and lo and behold, we got SARS Cov-2.

No accidental or intentional release of a respiratory pathogen was the terminology used.

And four times in April of 2019, seven months before the allegation of patient number one, four patent applications of Moderna were modified to include the term accidental or intentional release of a respiratory pathogen as the justification for making a vaccine for a thing that did not exist.

If you have not done so, please make sure that you make reference in every investigation to the premeditation nature of this, because it was in September of 2019 that the world was informed.
That we were going to have an accident or intentional release of a respiratory pathogen so that by September, 2020 there would be a worldwide acceptance of a universal vaccine template.
That’s their words right in front of you on the screen.

The intent was to get the world to accept a universal vaccine template, and the intent was to use Coronavirus to get there.

Let’s, let’s read this because we have to read this into the record everywhere I go.

“Until an infectious disease crisis is very real present and at the emergency threshold that is often largely ignored to sustain the funding base beyond the crisis.”

He said, “we need to increase the public understanding for the need for medical countermeasures, such as a pan influenza or pan coronavirus vaccine.”

“A key driver is the media and the economics will follow the hype. We need to use that hype to our advantage to get to the real issues. Investors will respond if they see profit at the end of the process.”

Sounds like public health.

Sounds like the best of humanity.

No.

Ladies and gentlemen, this was premeditated domestic terrorism stated at the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2015, published in front of them.

This is an act of biological and chemical warfare perpetrated on the human race, and it was admitted to in writing that this was a financial heist and a financial fraud.

“Investors will follow if they see profit at the end of the process.”

Let me conclude by making five very brief recommendations.

The last slide, nature was hijacked.

This whole story started in 1965 when we decided to hijack a natural model and decide to start manipulating it.

Science was hijacked when the only questions that could be asked were questions authorized under the patent protection of the CDC, the FDA, the NIH, and their equivalent organizations around the world.

We didn’t have independent science.

We had hijacked science, and unfortunately there was no moral oversight in violation of all of the codes that we stand for.

There was no independent, financially disinterested independent review board ever empanelled around Coronavirus.

Not once, not once, not since 1965.

We do not have a single independent IRB ever empanelled, around Coronavirus.

So, morality was suspended for medical countermeasures, and ultimately humanity was lost because we decided to allow it to happen.

Our job today is to say, no more gain of function research period.

No more weaponization of nature period.

And most importantly, no more corporate patronage of science for their own self-interest unless they assume 100% product liability for every injury and every death that they maintain.
Thank you very much.

Dr David E. Martin

The post Plandemic- Warp Speed Was a Lie: Pfizer Had Its First Spike Protein Vaccine Patent for Coronavirus Over Thirty Years Ago appeared first on Granite Grok.

Over at Gizmodo, they put up two videos that have exactly that – square tires that actually work. The first is an adult-sized tricycle with square tires that go round ‘n round – but on a specially made track but unless you have that track, you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

However, this video shows the real deal – square tires for the real world. It’s very disconcerting at first – at first blush, tires that “should” be turning aren’t, but the bicycle is moving forward as expected as the bicyclist is moving his legs in the proper fashion (yes, an ad is embedded in the front of the real content which shows the construction process):

 



 

It’s actually a cute bit of engineering to make the tread follow the outline of the “wheel.”  So yes, square wheels do work with a lot of effort.

The post Palate Cleanser: Who Says That Wheels Can’t Be Square? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Imagine the nightmare narrative taking place in the past if you knew what was going to happen before Pearl Harbor, or 911. Would you wake the town and tell the people, or cower in silence for fear everyone would call you a conspiracy nut? Such is my dilemma today.

Consider the Biden family’s longtime criminal collusion with Communist China in exchange for millions of dollars, even during his Vice Presidency. Underneath the honor owed the office of the presidency, there is an existing reality that poses the question: Does the president deserve to be called Benedict Biden?

Even after his Administration seems to be paying the Chinese back by inviting 6 million illegals to invade our borders, one wonders if he has ever done anything for the American people with his promotion of Agenda 30 to destroy our economy.

Maybe you wonder why The New American magazine has been taken down from YouTube. Truth is a “lonely warrior!” We cannot be surprised that coverage of The House Oversight Committee exposes the Biden Administration’s Deep State partnering and control of our federal Intelligence, policing, and security agencies. For these agencies have, over the past two Administrations, picked who are the criminal enemies of the state. It seems their premise of justice is based on the Communist principle of reversal: “Alway accuse your political enemies of what you are guilty of.” Today, President Trump is their target. Tomorrow, you will be added while the criminal activity of the Biden Administration is ignored.

As citizens of New Hampshire, we must act like we believe General John Starks famous cry for liberty:
“Live Free or Die.”

Don’t be “The summer soldier and sunshine patriot” that Tom Paine described.

This is Valley Forge time again.

As with our forefathers, we only need three % of the population to hear the truth and act. I challenge the reader to view the below video,14 minutes and 26 seconds of dynamite truth to counteract this criminal conspiracy that is the reason Biden rules as if the Chinese vote for him. Then contact local Sheriffs, State and local police, plus State and federal legislators. Volunteer to be a soldier in this “war for liberty.

 

!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/u4"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");

Rumble("play", {"video":"v2ms6qu","div":"rumble_v2ms6qu"});
 

The post Treason Is The Reason appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Education Rules for New Hampshire Schools is up for revision. Unfortunately, this task was handed over to Fred Bramante, President of the National Center for Competency-Based Learning. 

Commissioner Edelblut and members of the New Hampshire Board of Education:

I am writing today in an effort to offer an assessment and feedback of the proposed ED 306 rules that have been put forward by Fred Bramante, President of the National Center for Competency-Based Learning. Based on the revisions and the process that produced them, I ask that the Board reject the revisions and ask for more structured, constructive and specific changes to the CBE framework.

You will see why I was extremely disappointed that an organization led by Fred Bramante, was put in charge of this important task. With no independent or peer reviewed studies on Competency Based Education in New Hampshire, why would this task be handed over to an individual, and organization with an agenda? This appears to be a conflict of interest.

CBE is currently required of public schools per state statute; however, with no conclusive evidence that CBE has contributed to improved student literacy since its inception, how are we to have confidence in rules that appear to be self-serving? Who really benefits from an even bigger push for CBE in the public schools? According to national assessments (NAEP), we are not seeing any real improvements using this model.

1. WHAT HISTORY SHOWS

History shows us that standards based education, or Competency Based Education as it’s called today, has never been a model that improves academic outcomes. When it was called Mastery Learning in Chicago in the 80’s, Outcome Based Education in the 90’s, or Competency Based Education starting in 2003, this SAME model was not about improving literacy. One would think that instead of implementing more of this model, a thorough and authentic review would be in order. We should not accept this biased reporting, but instead expect an independent and peer reviewed study that gives us an accurate look at how this model has actually impacted academic outcomes over the past two decades.

After reviewing NAEP scores, I have the strong impression that we are spending a lot of time and money redesigning public education into a workforce model that continues to leave many of our students illiterate in the core academic subjects. The continued use of clearly lowered standards in math, science and English coupled with the CBE emphasis on workforce skills, is failing many of our children in our public schools.

The big push for CBE came during the Obama presidency when he announced during a State of the Union that they’d be redesigning public education into the workforce model.

2. WHAT PARENTS SEE AND THINK

Those of us who attended the listening session on these proposed rules, did not expect to encounter a salesman –but that’s exactly what we got. Instead we needed to hear facts, truth and information. If there are some components to CBE that are working well, great, let’s hear it. But it’s also important to be honest with the audience on what is not working well.

Here are some of the many complaints I’ve encountered by public school staff, students and parents. The poor performance or lack of significant improvement in performance speaks for itself. The trend of NEAP scores for NH shows a student population barely “proficient” as defined. The other problems that come with CBE have also been left out of the discussion. Why? Why are we paying this organization to sell us a new model that cannot even be presented in an honest way? Public education has become a vehicle for those trying to profit off of fads, and ideas that experiment on children. In this case, CBE is a product to sell now, just like the book Bramante sells on Amazon.

3. DISHONEST PACKAGING

Problems with CBE as reported by Students, Staff and Parents:
1) It creates lazy students who can take tests multiple times.

2) NH graduates are not prepared for college when they get used to not preparing for a test because they know they can just take another one.

3) The grading system is a joke. No one understands it, including college admission officers.

4) Teachers grade subjectively because they are grading attitudes, values and beliefs.

5) Less focus on academics and more focus on empty (21st Century) skills.

6) This is forced on every teacher in every grade.

7) Employers want literate employees, not dumbed down workers.

8) Competent in what ? Competencies lack academic content.

9) The Graduation Competencies mean nothing.

10) This has not helped to improve academics in the classroom.

11) This has created chaos and slowed down the learning process in the classroom because of group learning. (Project Based Learning)

12) The push for technology with 1:1 devices doesn’t benefit students–it profits the tech industry.

13) Kids are distracted by Youtube on their Chromebooks, and not doing their homework. Parents cannot take the digital device away from their kids because they need the Chromebook for school work.

14) As the kids are working on their Chromebook, bullying messages keep popping up.

15) No more focus on what’s best for our kids. Now it’s all about what’s best for business.

16) This is training, not education.

17) Minimum standards, minimum learning.

18) Narrowing of the curricula to the point where subjects like history and civics are minimized.

4. THE FLAWED OR SKEWED OBJECTIVE ENDORSED BY BRAMANTE

The CBE model pushed in New Hampshire didn’t come from a desire of parents to change the model. It came from organizations like Nellie Mae, Marc Tucker, Gates Foundation, Jeb Bush, and Betsy DeVos. Nellie Mae prioritizes Competency Based Education in our schools with a focus on racial equity. But what is their biggest priority for students? In their own documentation Nellie Mae prioritizes community organizing. Nellie Mae even references Saul Alinsky, and the history of community organizing at the end of the introduction.

This is not a call for improvement to literacy or academic excellence, this is a call to political action.

These education activist reformers have had someone to push this model in New Hampshire over the last two decades. The sole study cited by Mr. Bramante in support of CBE during his listening tour, was produced by Nellie Mae through RFA. RFA, which offers education research for racial and social justice. conducted a two-year, mixed-methods study of New Hampshire’s extended learning opportunities (ELO) initiative. Funded by the Nellie Mae Educational Foundation, the study focused on assessing the implementation and effectiveness of ELOs on college and career readiness in districts across the state. These conclusions have not been evaluated and are not relevant to learning in elementary and secondary education.

Mr. Bramante offers us one study, and it’s funded by Nellie Mae? That’s the equivalent to Ford saying they have the safest cars on the road, but use a study paid for by Ford. That’s not exactly unbiased or independent. The explicit political agenda put forth by RFA and Nellie Mae, makes it impossible to have any faith in what is being presented.

KnowledgeWorks’ explains their work on CBE in New Hampshire: Policy Conditions in Action: Comprehensive Supports for Educators and Leaders in New Hampshire. In 2011, a group of postsecondary leaders in New Hampshire formed the IHE Network to influence policymakers and engage practitioners to promote innovative programs and policies that link educator preparation, new educator induction and ongoing professional development in the state.

KnowledgeWorks’ explains that they are replacing academics with competency-based learning which they see mirroring the “anti-racist” work of Marxist Ibram X. Kendi. KnowledgeWorks also says our Constitution is racist and that education has to fix that.

5. LEARNING A LESSON FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE

Good managers or executives do not surround themselves with “yes-men.” Instead they rely upon honest subordinates to spell out what is working, and what is not working. They explain to their bosses what significant changes will mean if they go forward with the change that is being presented. They do not rely upon a slick salesperson to sell them an idea that will not work well when implemented. Where are the critical thinkers? Where is the critical analysis of CBE?

 

This process would never be accepted in a competitive Fortune 500 company. The CEO would be given his marching orders with results like these using a biased study from a politically motivated source. The people of New Hampshire deserve and expect accuracy, honesty and a professional who presents information to the public without bias.

I’m embarrassed for all involved at the State level by the proposed rule changes document, and what has been allowed to happen in public education because no one is willing to be honest with the taxpayers in New Hampshire.

6. IN SUMMARY

There are plenty of critiques on CBE because this model has a long history of failure where it’s been tried.

1) Why Competency Based Education Will Deepen America’s Education Crisis
2) State Rep. Sampson: In Maine schools, ‘proficiency’ may not mean what you think it does (In Maine they call it Proficiency Based Ed)

3) Proficiency Based Education: What Does It Really Mean?

4) Competency-based education may not be a new concept

5) Is Competency-Based Education Just A Recycled Failed Policy?

I urge you and the Board to challenge this process and to critically address the proposed rules.

I recommend to terminate or amend the following proposed rules:

1) (4) Records retention, including electronic files; (4) Records retention, including electronic files, which shall require that: a. Complete and accurate records of students’ attendance and scholarship be permanently kept and safely stored in a fire-resistant file, vault, or safe; b. A schedule for the retention and disposition of original records and information be established in accordance with RSA 189:29-a; c. Access to all student records and information be controlled by written procedures designed to protect individual rights and to preserve the confidential nature of the various types of records in compliance with the federal “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,” U.S.C. Paragraphs a. – d. were moved from Ed 306.04(g)

This section should include a requirement that any records that are shared or released must include written consent from the individual. FERPA includes a loophole that allows those with exceptions to access PII.

2) (11) Promotion of a school environment that is conducive to learning and supports strong family and community partnerships; (10) Promotion of a school environment that is conducive to learning and supports strong family and community partnerships. Such policy shall include: a. Engagement opportunities for parents and family members of students of all ages and learning levels; b. Parent educational activities throughout the school year to help parents support their children’s learning; c. Curricular and learning materials made available to parents, consistent with copyright licensure of such materials; d. Frequent communication of school performance, student progress, and personalized learning plans, using both print and online formats; e. Working with agencies and businesses to support community-based developmental activities that prepare young children for school and promote ongoing achievement; f. Promote collaboration among parents, schools, and community on school improvement and student achievement projects;

This is a positive improvement by making materials available to parents, and supports transparency.

 

3) Personal Learning Plans were removed as they should be since there was no legislation supporting PLPs, and it’s unrealistic to expect any school system to develop, and implement such plans for every student in the school.

4) (b) “Career and technical education” means organized educational activities that offer a sequence of learning opportunities that:

Define what is meant by changing courses to learning opportunities. How does this impact classes such as Algebra I, Chemistry, History?

5) (2) For the hiring and training of educators certified under Ed 500 to facilitate learning in their certified content area;

By using the term “facilitate” versus “instruct,” this language attempts to tell teachers how to teach. This should always be left to local teachers in conjunction with administrators and parents. It is not the role of the Department of Education to suggest or mandate teaching methods–especially when this kind of pedagogy has been proven to be ineffective in courses like math and science.

6) Pursuant to RSA 189:1 and RSA 189:24, each school district shall maintain a school year as provided below, which shall identify the total instructional hours offered, and recognize that students advance upon demonstrated acknowledgment of competencies, not based on seat time, pursuant to Ed 306.27(h):

Designed to address the personalized needs of students, including, but not limited to, dropout prevention, soft skills, and career pathways; and

Soft skills need to be defined IN all areas of ED306 as many have now included dispositions. SEL competencies are now being developed. This indicates a move towards the State determining the values, attitudes and beliefs children should possess. This is a government overreach.

Eg. CASEL Competencies include competencies for “social awareness.” https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/sel-competencies
AZ Department of Education Competencies include Transformative Social and Emotional Competencies which are viewed through an equity lens.
https://files.constantcontact.com/cbebfe4e101/a4409e5b-d8d4-4cfe-afaa-7b4154ac77af.pdf

(5) Emphasis on important learning skills and dispositions.

The term “dispositions? facilitate? reduces or minimizes the role of the teacher in the classroom. The State should not be mandating pedagogy. Facilitating the learning of mathematics can be translated into teachers using a Constructivist approach to learning. This pedagogy has been heavily criticized by some top mathematicians who would argue that direct instruction is a more effective way to teach mathematics.

Legislators did not support a focus on dispositions when Competency Based Education was discussed by the House Education Committee. It is not the role of the State to develop the dispositions students need to have in order to pass their competencies. That is the STATE determining what VALUES a student must possess in order to pass their competencies.

6) If a district employs a school psychologist as an optional service pursuant to RSA 189:49, IV, the standards in (b)-(e), in addition to the requirements below, shall apply. (1) Nothing in this section shall prevent a school district from contracting services with a qualified school psychologist. Revised language (2) All such psychological services must comply with federal Every Student Succeeds Act requirements, including informed written consent; and (3) All such services must comply with state and federal student privacy laws and rules.

This is a welcome addition, but should be spelled out with more details since school administrators lack the ability to determine what are considered mental health assessments and services. A licensed Child Psychologist PhD should be able to provide a more detailed comprehensive list of services that would qualify as mental health services, and be authorized for school implementation.

 

7) “ Graduating competencies” lack a great deal of specific academic content that should be mastered in the core classes. What does a NH Diploma represent ?

8) Competency Based Education is expanded significantly in this document without any evidence to support it.

9) (a) “Acknowledgement of achievement” means when a student has demonstrated achievement of competencies at a proficient level associated with a program or course of study;

A student may complete the class and pass their competencies, but it does not mean that they have mastered all of the academic content in the core subject. This is a misleading statement. It would depend on the program chosen, if all concepts are taught and mastered. For instance, there are key missing concepts with Common Core math that may not be taught. https://static.ark.org/eeuploads/lt-gov/Errors_and_Omissions_In_CC_Math_Standards_Milgram-Wurman.pdf  The core competencies, many times, lack academic content.

10) “Proficiency” means the minimum student performance required to satisfy the acknowledgement of a competency, and is distinguished from mastery, which is a level of performance that exceeds proficiency;

The goal is mediocrity versus excellence. This is what we got with Common Core, and this is what we get with Competency Based Education.

11) (3) Discipline, including behavior management and intervention for students. Such policy shall: a. Include provisions regarding student rights and responsibilities, rules of conduct, and penalties for misbehavior;

Change penalties to consequences.

12) (5) Character and citizenship, developed in consultation with school staff, administration, parents, and other representatives of the community, which shall incorporate in courses of study or instill in a caring educational environment, the following elements: a. Self-discipline, self-respect, and self-control; b. Pursuant to Part 2, Article 83 of the New Hampshire Constitution, humanity, benevolence, and truth and honesty with self and others; c. Fairness, integrity, and justice; d. Respect, courtesy, and human worth; e. Responsibility to oneself and others; f. Community service; and g. The rights and responsibilities of citizenship, pursuant to RSA 186:13, which shall be developed in consultation with school staff, administration, parents, and…..

While these may be admirable goals, is this more class time taken away from learning the academics? Should this apply to all children, even those who already possess these characteristics? Should they apply to only the children who are lacking these characteristics?

13) (4) In each middle and high school, a library media specialist to support the learning resources program and facility requirements of Ed 306.08; and

The change from “instructional” to “learning” indicates another change to the pedagogy. Facilitating the learning can be interpreted to mean teachers are no longer to instruct. This was a hotly debated topic among math professors in the 90’s when there was a push for constructivist learning versus direct instruction in mathematics. This led to fuzzy math and the math wars. The losers in this war were the children who no longer were instructed in mathematics, but were left to discover math. Inquiry math led students directly to private tutoring centers if their parents had the means to provide explicit instruction. RETURN all references to learning BACK to instruction. Bramante confirmed in the listening session that teachers were moving away from instructing to facilitating. That may be an education reformer’s agenda, but it’s not in state statute, and it shouldn’t be decided by anyone other than the teacher, administrators, while working with parents.

14) (c) The school board shall require that each school with an enrollment of 500 or more students provides
the services of an associate principal or 2 or more persons with administrative certification under Ed 506 who together act as a full-time equivalent to carry out administrative duties assigned by the superintendent in accordance with school board policy

Local is removed from this and other statements in the document. One of the concerns for this removal is the criticism that eventually local school boards will be completely removed in the CBE model. This deliberate move towards eliminating local school boards without any reference to local residents driving this agenda appears to be more of a centralized decision forced upon the residents of New Hampshire, who are the primary funders of their public schools. This appears to be agenda driven without any legislative action.

15) (a) Pursuant to RSA 189:1 and RSA 189:24, each school district shall maintain a school year as provided below, which shall identify the total instructional hours offered, and recognize that students advance upon demonstrated
acknowledgment of competencies, not based on seat time, pursuant to Ed 306.27(h):

Competencies do not insure the student has mastered the academic content. Competencies may not cover all of the content in a core academic subject since CBE is skills focused versus focused on academic content and knowledge.

16) (1) Designed to address the personalized needs of students, including, but not limited to, dropout prevention, soft skills, and career pathways; and

Soft skills can mean anything, and have been criticized by those who see a shift away from academics to a focus on empty skills. Soft Skills need to be defined.

17) (6) Preventative and responsive services employing theories and research related to resilience, risk factors, and multi-tiered prevention, to support evidence based strategies for effective counseling, crisis response, and behavioral
intervention;

We know that mental health PII is now accessible to the Universities contracted to report back to the Federal Government on MTSS-B. The reports lack credible evidence that the MTSS-B is having a positive impact on the mental health of students in our schools. It has become a way for school counselors to ignore their ethical boundaries, turn schools into mental health providers, while hiring staff that lack the education and credentials needed to serve the students who truly need mental health services.

With the increase in reporting on escalating behavior problems in schools reported by teachers and parents, this is another costly program in our schools.

Mental health in schools should only be handled by a licensed PhD Child Psychologist.

18) Mathematics Program. (a) The school board shall provide a mathematics program at each elementary school consistent with competencies pursuant to Ed 306.26, which may include:(1) Opportunities for all students to solve problems by:a. Using multiple strategies;
Multiple strategies tells a teacher how to teach mathematics. In this case, it equates to forcing a teacher to teach a student how to divide using different algorithms. This has led to confusion, and children never mastering the traditional long division algorithm. This is a decision that should be made by the local teacher.

The competencies in the core subjects does not indicate a student would be competent in those core classes. CBE misleads parents into believing if their child passes the competencies, they have mastered all of the academic content. The competencies reflect skills, and are oftentimes void of quality academic content.

There is a deliberate attempt to incorporate the CBE model into the rules with no evidence it has helped elevate academic outcomes. That change comes with an agenda to change the pedagogy in the classroom by minimizing the role of teachers or instructors. The practices that continue with this model have had a negative impact on student behavior, and all of this has been ignored by Fred Bramante.
—
Ann Marie Banfield
TRUST REQUIRES TRANSPARENCY

The post ED306 Education Rules Revision is a BIG Disappointment for Students in New Hampshire appeared first on Granite Grok.

Hon. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, On behalf of Texas voters who elected you three times, mainly due to your impeccable record and service, I am disheartened, disappointed, and frankly, quite angry that a few disenfranchised political hacks filed 20 articles of impeachment against you, led by Rep. Andrew Murr.

This is an illegal investigation. The Texas Constitution prohibits this impeachment. This secret committee is a farce.

Throughout your distinguished career, you have served Texas with honor and dignity.

It takes great bravery to stand up to our enemies but just as much to stand up to our so-called friends. When you stand up for what is right, you are attacked by the left and sometimes by the right, as we have witnessed with Senator Ted Cruz and President Trump, who stood up to the Deep State. Now, this scenario is being repeated against you. I am asking the voters to bombard the Texas switchboard by dialing 512-475-4413 or 1-800-252-8011 and their Texas Representative to express our outrage. Ken has diligently stood up against illegal same-sex marriage to fight Biden’s abuse of executive power.

Most of us agree that politics is an outlandish craft. Irrespective of all considerations, you always have political enemies who want nothing more than your jugular ripped apart.

Your tireless campaign and forthright exposition of his vision assure the electorate and voters that the best-qualified public servant is at the helm in the office of the Attorney General. The voters must not allow him to stand alone at this crucial moment.

As President Trump repeatedly states: “They’re not after me. They are after you. I’m just in the way.”

 

The post This is an Illegal Investigation. The Texas Constitution Prohibits this Impeachment appeared first on Granite Grok.

May 3rd was the Executive Council’s hearing on NH Governor Chris Sununu’s appointee to a Superior Court judgeship, Anne Edwards. A number of people gave testimony, including Dan Richard, a Constitutional Activist.

Here is his testimony again.  Listen closely when Dan begins to talk about how absentee ballots are to be handled by Town Clerks and Moderators when it comes time to count them:

 



 

That ruffled the feathers of our Ruling Class, specifically SecState Scanlan and Attorney Formella. They sent out a formal letter telling those local officials to “never mind those people behind the smoke and curtains” because THEY are the experts.

NEW HAMPSIRE
DEPARTMENT OF STATE

David M. ScanlanMay 18, 2023

Moderators
Town and City Clerks Supervisors of the Checklist

Re: Attorney General & Secretary of State arc the Official Sources of Election Information

Dear Moderators, Clerks, and Supervisors:

As we prepare for the First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary and elections, advocacy groups and individuals may reach out to you with recommendations on how to register voters and conduct elections. The Attorney General and the Secretary of State are the official sources of election guidance. Our offices work hard to respond promptly to your questions and concerns. Just as we ask the public to recognize you as a trusted source of information on voter registration and local elections, we ask you to recognize our offices as the trusted source of election guidance.

Some seeking to change how New Hampshire conducts elections are appealing directly to local officials. They may use misleading titles such as “NH Election Official Program Manager.” Others may suggest you:

• Amend existing election procedures or adopt new ones;
• Follow their written instructions that are either missing information or contain incorrect information;
• Fill out forms that look like official forms required by law or recommended by the SOS Office.

Our guidance is based on the state’s election laws. Individuals advocating for changes in our election procedures should contact the State Legislature and seek bills to change the law. Please be cautious when considering recommendations from anyone outside of our office or the Attorney General’s Office.

Voters have an equal right to vote, and candidates have an equal right to seek election in all towns and city wards in New Hampshire. Adopting and following uniform election procedures helps ensure our elections are equal. Uniform procedures and transparency help instill voter confidence.

Please feel free to contact me or a member of my staff anytime you have a question. I value your trust and welcome recommendations for enhancing New Hampshire elections. We rely on you as the first line of defense for our elections. Thank you for your hard work and all you do for New Hampshire’s voters.

New Hampshire will hold the First-in-the-Nation Primary!

Sincerely,

Secreta1y of State

…and Scanlon admitted that they haven’t been following the Law – which he said during the same Anne Edwards hearing.

 

 

If Dan Richard had never brought this issue up (as Edwards has been involved in Election Law as part of the AG’s office, so it was valid to say in testimony in her hearing), I doubt that this email would have ever gone out.

It also raises questions in my mind now as to what “misinformation” they are talking about.

Why didn’t Scanlan DIRECTLY address the “how to handle absentee ballots” issue he raised? I would have assumed that would have been part of that message!  Instead, that email, in my mind, is rather vague in nature, given that Scanlan and Formella are “nuancing detail.”  Have they not read the polls stating that the Public’s level of Trust in institutions, especially Governmental ones, is dropping like the proverbial rock?

After all, we all have had a healthy dose from “health experts” to “do this and not do that” during the Pandemic (even in the late stages), only to start seeing those “in charge” starting to admit that those “conspiracy nutcases” (although never specifically mentioning names) were, in many cases, right. Like with the face diapers that were of no use at all. That the mRNA shots (not vaccines) were not tested thoroughly, had bad side effects for some, stopped the J&J vaccine, and now are admitting to a whole raft of other things that contradicted what they said was “health gospel”.

I called Dan and he offered up this tidbit of Law from another Supreme Court decision – emphasis mine:

New Hampshire common law has been established, “From these, and similar circumstances, therefore, it has happened, that questions of this nature have not always been examined with that coolness, and patience, which their importance deserved; and that since the adoption of our constitutions, courts of justice, as well as legislative bodies, have furnished [201] some complaints, that their jurisdiction has been violated, when those complaints were not founded upon sound principles or respectable precedents.

Conscious of the force of these considerations, we have in the present cause, experienced considerable embarrassment: but duty has compelled us to act, and it hardly need be repeated, that we have attempted to divest ourselves of every feeling, except an earnest desire to perform what duty dictated.” It must be admitted that courts ought to decide, according “to the laws of the land,” all cases, which are submitted to their examination. To do this, however, we must examine those laws. (2) Federalist, No. 78; [Dash v. Van Kleeck,] 7 Johns. 494 [, 5 Am. Dec. 291]; 3 Cook 7; 6 Bac. Stat.H. The constitution is one of them, and “is in fact, and must be regarded by the judges as a fundamental law.” (3) Federalist, No. 78. It was created by the people, who in our republics, are “the supreme power,” (4) Bill of Rights, art. 8, and, it being the expression of their will, their agents, as are all the branches of government, (5) Bill of Rights, art. 8, can perform no act which, if contrary to that will, should be deemed lawful.

To deny this, would be to affirm that the deputy is greater than his principal; that the servant is above his master; that the representatives of the people are superior to the people themselves; that men acting by virtue of power may do, ‘not only what their powers do not authorize, but what they forbid.’

Their oaths of office too, prohibit, and the constitution itself, in express terms, prohibits the legislature from making “laws repugnant or contrary to the constitution.” If then there should happen to be an irreconcilable variance between the constitution and a statute, that which has the superior obligation and validity ought of course to be preferred: in other words,” “the intention of the people ought to be preferred to the intention of their agents.” [55] “Nor does this conclusion by any means suppose a superiority of the judicial to the legislative power. It only supposes, that the power of the people is superior to both; and that where the will of the legislature, declared in its statutes, stands in opposition to that of the people, declared in the constitution, the judges [202] ought to be governed by the latter, rather than the former.

They ought to regulate their decision by the fundamental laws, rather than by those, which are not fundamental. Our Confidence, also, in the liberality of the legislature is such, that when, through inadvertence of mistake, they passed a unauthorized act, we believe that, should the unpleasant task of adjudging it void devolve upon us, they would think the task is performed only from a conviction that the act is in the clearest manner unconstitutional, and the right and duty so to pronounce it are both unquestionable… Merrill v Sherburne 1 N.H. 199

It’s one thing to be told wrong things. It is totally different when we now know “the rest of the story” – then it becomes gaslighting, especially when the gaslighting is done to divert us all from fundamental Law (which can be inconvenient, pesky, troublesome, and a roadblock to their intentions).

Again, Article 8 of our NH Constitution requires the responsibility of us all to hold our elected and appointed leaders accountable to us – and not us to them (though they seem to be trying hard to flip that relationship).

 

The post Eh, NH Secretary of State David Scanlan? Which one is it? appeared first on Granite Grok.

In SAU21, we spend $30,000.00/student. We should expect better for the students who attend public schools in NH.

Dear SAU21 Joint Board Members,
Since I was unable to complete my statement during the Joint Board meeting, I’m going to highlight some of the concerns I had after reviewing the “Portrait of a Learner.” I appreciate your service to the community and your thoughtful consideration.

I have to admit that I was surprised that no one asked any challenging questions or offered a thoughtful, critical analysis after the presentation. I felt that this was a good opportunity to engage in a back-and-forth in order to make sure this framework is the best it can be. It was mentioned that it took about a year to develop this framework, but as a taxpayer and resident, I believe your role is to make sure that you are engaging in a conversation that seeks to improve what has been presented.

As I began reading the document, I felt it needed further explanation and some changes to make it better. I do understand that there are working documents that will follow and that may address some of these questions and concerns. But I would have expected at least some of you to ask more detailed questions and offer suggestions to improve the framework.

Core Theme #1 Academics
1) What does Equity mean? This has become a buzzword that should be defined in order for the community to understand exactly what this means for students. Why not Equality?

2) Support Structures for all students? How would support structures look for students with IEP’s, 504 plans, gifted students, etc. Are adequate support structures in place now?

3) Rigor? What does this mean in terms of Common Core & the Next Generation Science Standards that have been considered the “bottom?” Rigor can demoralize a child but it can also offer a challenge to students who need it.

4) Personalized Pathways. What does this mean for each child? We know some students have Individualized Education Plans, but what does this mean for the average student? At what age is a child able to determine what pathway they will take? How do you personalize an education for all children in the classroom? What does this mean for the teacher? Is this a tracking system? If so, how does the student move to a different track if they want to change their pathway?

5) Literacy in the core academic subjects is not listed

Core Theme #2 Mindset Descriptors
1) Demonstrating Traits ? What does it mean to demonstrate traits ? What are the traits, and who determines the proper traits to demonstrate?

2) How do you teach resilience? Can that also create problems? Stress? Ect.

3) What about honesty? Integrity? Why were these not included?

4) What does Self Direction look like in the classroom ? What is the role of the teacher ? Is this a shift to Constructivist teaching methods? Where are the peer-reviewed and independent studies on this pedagogy as it applies to math/science, etc?

Core Theme #3 Essential Life Skills
1) What about literacy in the core subjects? Math, Science, Language Arts, History, Civics?

Core Theme #4
1) This area is focused on a child’s mental health. Mental health assessments or treatment should be handled by a Phd Child Psychologist who is licensed, and follows the APA Code of Ethics. Mental health assessments or treatment must be done with informed consent by parents per ESSA. Parents must know if their child’s mental health PII is secure, and can only be accessible through informed consent by the student/parent/guardian. (Exception, court order)

Theme #5 Community Engagement
1) Civic engagement. What does this look like? Civics literacy is at an all time low. Why is Civics literacy not listed? What about the importance of Civic Virtue? ..or Civic Responsibility? Students are engaging more than ever, but engagement does not equal literacy. Civics should prioritize academic knowledge first.

Global citizenship? What about U.S. Citizenship? Why is Global Citizenship included but not US Citizenship? Can the students answer basic questions about the major principles and structures of our own government?

Problems with Portrait of a Learner: Portrait of a Learner leaves out academic excellence as a priority for the student. Literacy is never mentioned. Proficiency in the core subjects is also not included.

There is nothing about parents, and their role. There is nothing about the importance of securing student privacy from outside organizations/individuals/ or vendors.

Only one board member abstained from voting for this framework. While I do appreciate the effort by those involved in preparing the framework, I believe this could be better. New Hampshire public schools are seeing a decrease in enrollment while families look for alternative schools to educate their children. We need to do better for the students in SAU21.

Ann Marie Banfield

MORE on Portrait of a Learner here and here.

The post SAU21: Portrait of a Learner’s Lack of Focus on Academic Excellence appeared first on Granite Grok.

But what about the OTHER paying customer that is having THEIR seat taken up by you? Chopped liver? At 5’11”,  my heaviest weight was 257 lbs with a 48″ (or more) waist. My BMI, at 35.8 put me into the Obese category. I am at 182 lbs (at the time of this writing – remember, I’m in a Weight Challenge with GIP’s Tom Murray), and my BMI is now 25.4.

According to the chart, that makes just a smidge over Normal Weight.

1. Underweight = BMI of less than 18.5
2. Normal weight = BMI of 18.5 to 24.9
3. Overweight = BMI of 25 to 29.9
4. Obese = BMI of 30 or greater

(H/T: Legion Athletics)

Once I hit my goal of 178 lbs, I’ll be “Normal” (take THAT how you want!) and close to the weight I was in college 50 years ago. Yes, I will have to admit, my body composition is a lot different now – back then, much more muscle mass. But still, 80 lbs down.

That’s why I have so much trouble with this (reformatted, emphasis mine):

Plus-Sized Influencer Tells Airlines to Give Obese Flyers Free Seats

Jaelyn Chaney, a plus-sized social media influencer, has called for airlines to give obese flyers as many free seats as they need to feel comfortable.

…“Being forced to occupy only one seat can result in pain and vulnerability to poor treatment from fellow passengers, including hateful comments, disapproving looks, and even refusal to sit next to them,” she wrote. “This mistreatment of plus-size passengers is unacceptable, and it highlights the urgent need for better policies that protect the dignity and rights of all passengers, regardless of size.”

“Unfortunately, plus-size passengers often experience discomfort and discrimination when flying. The lack of a uniform customer-of-size airline policy is unacceptable and must be addressed,” she added.

Always about “rights” and never about “responsibility.”  Sure thing, honey (that should get me some feedback). Love that “hateful comments” schtick – across all of Society now. No one can be criticized for anything, no matter what it is: it’s “hateful.” Sorry, if you are fat, you’re fat (and yes, I was fat – see above). This kind of thinking is exactly the same as Transgenderism in that all of US are supposed to cater to YOU because, hey, the universe is all about YOU, and the rest of us just orbit about your feelings and self-esteem. And it’s clear from her whining that she really doesn’t worry about the other “paying” customers – they are Oppressors, and she’s the Oppressed.

Victimization writ large.

Er, no. No, it’s not discrimination, and it isn’t racist just because you want to normalize your obesity or by calling it “Fat Acceptance.” No, this is not how Life works in that some individual “declares” the rest of us are evil, and we have to “pay fat reparations” (see, I can make crap up too!) to someone that ignores…

Sidenote: there ARE people with metabolic issues and diseases that are large that are not their fault at all. I know that, for instance, some anti-depression meds et al. can pack on the pounds even as that person is trying HARD not to gain weight. And there are some genetic abnormalities that play a role in weight gain as well. I don’t know if this person is one of them. If so, sorry, but there are other “fat influencers” that are doing the same thing (I’ve got more tabbed somewhere).

…that simple mathematical equation of “Weight = Calorie Intake – Calorie Expended.” Eat more than you burn off, and gain weight. For the same input, exercising more, in general, have you losing weight or inches (again, muscle weight replacing fat weight). Less input, especially for sedentary people (that would be me), means dropping the pounds.

Sorry, the push to “accept and then affirm” anything and everything has gotten out of hand. No, being fat is NOT healthy in the aggregate as it raises the possibilities of severe diseases like hypertension and diabetes tremendously, no matter what “the influencers” want us to believe and then live by.

And to speak to that “refusal to sit next to them” above, I personally know why having flown over 500K air miles in my career. It was not a pleasant long-haul flight with someone LARGE spilling over the armrests forcing me to sit at an odd angle all those hours. And, truth be told, many had body odor (and yes, so did some skinny people, too, but the possibility was higher with huge people). However, according to you, that’s just the “cracked egg” for your omelet, eh?

And just like all the other “marginalized groups” (I can’t believe that I’m using the euphemism for “small groups” for a large post), she has to make herself into a victim (addressing the bolded part below) and pulls out the “Emotion Card”:

Chaney previously chronicled her struggles while flying on Instagram. In one post, for instance, she said that people “can’t stand to see fat people happy” and strongly encouraged plus-sized followers to “be happy and take up space.”

“Go out and chase your dreams! Love your body exactly the way it is. Travel the world. Use life as a runway and strut your stuff no matter where you are. You are worthy of all the good things,” she said.

Perhaps. But like all the other “Social Justice” brands out there,  you are not entitled to feel good about yourself by making other people miserable.

 

The post People and Organizations Should NOT Be Forced To Cater To Fat People appeared first on Granite Grok.

Within the debate over the meaning of the Second Amendment, a lot of attention gets paid to the phrase “well-regulated militia.” Most of the time, the focus is on whether or not this phrase infers a collective right, or explains the need for the individual right to keep and bear arms.

What is often left out completely is whether a “well-regulated” militia is needed today as it was then.

In his 2023 paper The Modern Militia, Robert Leider argues in the affirmative. Rather than an obsolete institution outdated by changes to the federal government or the expansion of the U.S. military, Leider asserts that reemphasizing a nonprofessional citizen militia can help ease tensions between the professional military and civilian world, and also help the federal government as it faces an inevitable fiscal crisis.

“Most now view the standing army as central to our military system and the militia as anachronistic and largely extinct,” he writes. “Further, most believe that contemporary American society has jettisoned the Framers’ fears of standing armies.”

During the time of the American Revolution, all colonies except Pennsylvania required able-bodied men between 18 and 65 to be part of a local militia and show up to muster with functioning firearms.

Following the War for Independence, and during the debates over ratification of the Constitution, the issue of a permanent standing army was a source of enormous friction between Federalists and Antifederalists.

Their fears weren’t just based on what had occurred in other countries. The Continental Congress itself had almost faced a coup d’etat at the end of the war via the Newburgh Conspiracy. Officers of the Continental Army planned to march against Congress and force them to issue their back pay. Only an earnest plea by General George Washington convinced the conspirators to abandon their plans.

However, Leider notes the issue during the constitutional ratifying conventions wasn’t merely a national army, but a “professional” force of full-time soldiers who lacked roots, often came from the “dregs” of society, and who were subject to military rather than civilian law. As Leider writes:

“The militia, in contrast, largely avoided the armed faction problem. As nonprofessional citizen soldiers, militiamen were not culturally separate. Militiamen primarily lived as civilians. They had extensive ties to the community, including owning property, civilian employment, and families. Nor were they a legally distinct caste. Unlike regular soldiers who were subject to military law at all times, militiamen were only subject to the rigors of military law during war or in training. Otherwise, militiamen lived as ordinary civilians, subject only to civilian law and retaining their full civilian common law rights. Moreover, the general militia consisted of the entire able-bodied male population. Because the militia maintained an identity with the broader community, the militia was not its own faction within society.”

As Leider points out, for Antifederalists like Patrick Henry and George Mason, a national standing army would subvert the role local militia plays in maintaining domestic civil order.

“Nonprofessional soldiers reduce civil-military tensions by acting as a bridge between civilians living in a free and individualistic society and professional soldiers, who live under the hierarchal and anti-democratic constraints imposed by military law.”

Despite what some may claim about its irrelevancy, Leider says this distinction between the U.S. military and the state National Guard remains to this day.

“The Framers did not trust the regular military to engage in domestic law enforcement, and neither do we. This is why, on and after January 6, the National Guard provided extra security at the Capitol, not the Marines from Quantico.”

Leider argues that professional and nonprofessional soldiers are differentiated based on various criteria, including:

• Peacetime service
• Method of induction
• Enlisted personnel
• Scope of jurisdiction under military law
• Deployability
• Type of Conflict
• Wartime service

Put simply, the two entities are separate, unique, and fundamentally different in their respective roles.

“As two different military systems, standing armies and militias have different strengths and weaknesses,” Leider writes. “For example, standing armies are usually more proficient in warfare than citizens called into temporary militia service. But standing armies are also expensive to maintain, and they can threaten the supremacy of civilian government.”

He adds:

“By the time of the Constitutional Convention…The question was how to strengthen the military system without risking oppression or undermining civilian government. Ultimately, efforts to limit the size of the standing army were rejected. The Constitution left the size and economic burden of the army to Congress.”

The major distinction between the standing army and a militia was its “professionalism.” This term didn’t refer to its conduct, but the profession of its members.

Was this their primary occupation, or was it a role they served on the side apart from other duties? A national army was more likely to be the former, while it was even more probable local forces would be nonprofessional, because the states had even less money to maintain an army of full-time soldiers. Leider explains:

“Collective-rights theorists, thus, treat these Framing-era military debates as though they pitted a national army against a state militia. These arguments might see some trees, but they miss the forest. The Anti-Federalists were not primarily objecting that the federal government might weaken state governments by disarming state militaries. Instead, their principal concern was that the Constitution created a military structure that would endanger civil liberty.

“This is why many state constitutions had admonitions against the maintenance of standing armies. These state constitutional provisions, some of which predate even the Articles of Confederation, were warning against the dangers of professional troops, not national troops. Professional armies employed by state governments were understood to be even more dangerous than a national standing army. Many Framers’ ultimate fear was that regular forces would usurp the authority of the popularly elected government, either on their own authority or in the service of an unprincipled executive officer.” [Emphasis added]

Many framers ultimately feared that regular military forces would usurp the authority of the popularly elected government, either on their own authority or in the service of an unprincipled executive officer.

Leider ironically notes that while collective rights and individual rights groups disagree over the meaning of the Second Amendment, they typically share two fundamental views: one is that the National Guard is part of a “standing army,” and that a permanent army should not be feared the way the founders did.

However, Leider disagrees with this assessment.

“Concerns about how standing armies interact with democratic governments are not bygone relics of eighteenth-century political thought. In some form, the civilian-military gap continues to exist today, even though its precise scope may be debatable.”

In fact, Leider sees a transition toward a nonprofessional army as a way for the country to get out of its financial straits. He writes:

“The country is over $30 trillion in debt, with much more in future unfunded liabilities. Eventually, the United States will need to cut federal spending, and undoubtedly, part of those cuts will come from the military budget. As our ability to pay and provide benefits for troops declines, we will have to reduce the size of our forces.

“Because of fiscal pressures, vibrant nonprofessional forces will likely remain a crucial part of the American military establishment for generations to come. These nonprofessional forces are not standing armies, and they should not be legally understood as such. It is time that we reinvigorate the legal study of the militia by recognizing the militia for what it is: military forces comprised of nonprofessional citizen-soldiers, distinguished from a regular army of full-time, professional troops.”

 

 

TJ Martinell | The Tenth Amendment Center

The post The Militia vs. The Standing Army: Does the Distinction Matter? appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Okeefe Media Group (OMG) continues to give the swamp palpitations as James refuses to lay down and go away. In their most recent breaking story, Luke Borwegan, the special assistant to Sen. John Fetterman, got caught admitting something that just seems obvious to me.

According to the release,

 

Special Assistant Luke Borwegan who is not only the primary aid to the Senator, but is also tasked with holding the iPad for his reading abilities and according to Borwegan is the one who has to follow him around at all times.

Luke tells the journalist that Fetterman would “be okay with overturning the second amendment.”

 

Borwegan’s job is to shadow the Senator everywhere with the magic iPad that somehow gets information into and out of John Fetterman. It is safe to say he knows whatever passes for the Senator’s mind.

Borwegan willingly shares how that works with the OMG undercover asset and how they control messaging about Senator Fetterman. Controlled until the OMG got their inside story, and you have to wonder if Luke is looking for a new job.

Here’s the amusing 8+ minute expose.

The Real John Fetterman Part I

 

 

The post Sen. John Fetterman (D – PA) is Probably Okay With Overturning the Second Amendment appeared first on Granite Grok.

Disney, Bud Light, Target and other big corporations pushing WOKE down their customers’ throats are reeling because their customers are abandoning them. But Sun-King Sununu … who claims to be a “free market” guy … is NOT happy.

He went on the VIEW yesterday and got a pat on the head from the cackling hyenas for telling the Right that they need to stop resisting … that they need to surrender. What a TOTAL LOSER … what a corporate shill … the mighty Sun-King is:

I have no idea whether the mighty Sun-King even drinks beer … but if he does I will bet you it is Bud Light … and from a wine-glass with his pinky-extended …while streaming Disney+.

The post Sun-King Sununu’s Goes On The View And Tells The Right … “SURRENDER” appeared first on Granite Grok.

You’ve heard of Boston Strong. It was an inspiration in the weeks after the Boston Bombing but got tired after a few years from overuse. Well, I’m here to introduce you to something you’ll get tired of but can never escape. Vermont Stupid.

Not all Vermonters, or even the state, or its history, which was impressive until the radical Leftists took over. But there is stupid, and it burns. I’ve covered a few examples in the past, like adopting California’s climate standards, but this – and it is related to that – is an impressive display of ignorance, given other stated priorities.

Vermont is committed to not just a 100% Electric Vehicle future but electric heat as well. Electric everything. Have you ever been to Vermont? Despite 40 years of caterwauling about cataclysmic warming – the alleged reason for all this electrification – it gets damn cold there half the year. You’ll need heat: electric heat and lots of it. Plus cars, plus everything already sucking off the grid.

Vermont will need a lot more electricity to go all-electric as planned, but Vermont isn’t building nuclear energy plants or clean coal or adding more natural gas or hydro. Their future is wind and sunshine. Solar and wind farms. In a world where all their neighbors except New Hampshire think the same thing. The whole Northeast is blistering its lips on the same cruddy green global warming crack pipe.

The problem with wind and solar is that after almost as many decades, neither is efficient nor reliable, so you need lots of them everywhere you can find room. I made a joke last week about it when someone in Vermont recognized the 55th anniversary of banning roadside billboards. They clutter up the scenery, you see, except you won’t see because they can’t get near net zero without putting wind and solar farms all over the scenery.

And while that’s a great reason to start using the term Vermont Stupid, this elevates it to new levels. H.126 is a conservation bill whose goal is to conserve 50% of all the land in the state by 2050. Half of Vermont is to be classified as protected wilderness, on which, I surmise, you will be unable to place wind or solar farms. That leaves the other half to carry the wind and solar burden, and I don’t think that will work unless they have a plan to reduce the population, and legalized assisted suicide (which they have) isn’t going to cut it.

On top of that, Vermont Democrats are adding bodies (illegals) while whining about a housing shortage, all of which is added resource stress.

Vermont Stupid!

Vermont is not alone. We have stupid Democrats in New Hampshire scrabbling to ruin what’s left of our advantage because we are surrounded by states run by Dems, and they all think the same stupid way. We need more housing, but oh no, resource stress, and dammit, we must go all-electric. It’s not a good look because you must be stupid – or perhaps a kinder word is ignorant – to continue elevating these assh*les. Talk about assisted suicide!

And for the record, there are concerns about H.126, but this is not one of them.

So how does the state achieve its stated carbon reduction goals if half the land mass is off-limits and locked up as conservation land? As long as tax dollars get laundered into the hands of Climate Cult friends and family, who donate some to Left-Wing causes and candidates, they’ll keep trying. You are, after all, the carbon they are trying to reduce.

 

 

HT | WCAX

The post Vermont Stupid! appeared first on Granite Grok.

I used to watch NASCAR races fairly regularly – and TMEW even more often and with more intensity (She was an avid Jimmy Johnson fan).  Nowadays, since the head honchos decided to go Woke, I stopped watching, just like with professional football and basketball.

They used to be escapist treats from the rest of my week – sermonizing is not what I wanted to hear about why I was a rotten person for not hewing to their Leftist agenda. I stopped for a few years but have restarted – but only “dipping in” to watch crashes. Thanks to the “New NASCAR” car construction, hardly anyone gets injured – so “BANG! and walk away” is just fine by me.

The below, however, isn’t NASCAR – and isn’t Indy car racing as well. I consider Formula One racing the European version of Indy Cars but they took a different fork in the road by developing VERY technically oriented racing telemetry and other tech well before NASCAR decided that just BiG V8s were sufficient. While NASCAR pit crews, VERY skilled AND athletic members, are fast, this is absolutely next level where tech has architected both the cars’ wheels AND the tire tools just leave NASCAR crews behind (and yes, it doesn’t hurt that instead of having to “jump the wall,” Formula One crews are the bread waiting for the car to drive up to complete the sandwich.

Note: If the video does not appear in your browser, you can watch it here.

 

This world record 1.82 second pit stop in Formula One.
by u/sedafarout in nextfuckinglevel

Yes, a world record of 1.82 seconds from stop to go. Heck, I can’t even bend down that fast anymore!

The post Palate Cleanser – World Record 1.82 Second Formula One Pit Stop! (Wow!) appeared first on Granite Grok.

One of the marks of the weakness in Washington is Cuba’s expansion of ties with Russia. Back in the Kennedy administration, we went to the brink of nuclear war with Russia over this relationship.

Well, Cuba is offering to lease land to Russian companies for 30 years, a noteworthy concession for the Cuban government to give to a foreign investor. This came out this week during a meeting between the regimes.

The “head of the Russian delegation of the Cuban-Russian Business Committee” is Boris Titov. He “told a businessmen’s forum in Havana the Cuban regime decisively opened the door to investment,” per reporting by Reuters.

Titov said Cuba will: Exempt Russian companies from certain import tariffs. Allow the Russians to repatriate their profits. And he suggests the regimes are analyzing possibly returning to a direct maritime and port link.

Trade between Cuba and Russia was about $450 million in 2022, triple that of 2021, this is according to Russia’s trade representative in Cuba.  90% of that trade was petroleum products and soybean oil. Cuba is mired in an economic morass and has been unable to resolve its situation.

The Russian Deputy Prime Minister was also in Cuba to strengthen the strategic ties between the countries; this is according to Prensa Latina. Chernyshenko came to meet with President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who is sucking up to Vladimir Putin.

Miguel Díaz-Canel points out that “the presence of the Kremlin’s economic adviser gives continuity to the high-level visits from Russia. He observes the Kremlin Putin has an enormous sensitivity towards Cuban problems.”

Recently the Russian foreign minister and the president of the State Duma traveled to Cuba. Earlier, the secretary of the Security Council and the CEO of the state oil company Rosneft traveled to Havana.

Díaz-Canel is turning to Russia for support. “Havana is aligned with Moscow in the international arena, including the Russian confrontation with the West.” He visited Russia in December 2022. He has condemned the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant issued for the head of the Kremlin.

 

HT | Foreign Desk News

The post Cuba is Getting Cozy With Russia Under Biden’s Nose appeared first on Granite Grok.

It is getting increasingly difficult to discuss current events with Liberal friends or relatives. It is frustrating to see how ignorant the Left is to current events, and when you try to engage on the facts, they have no choice but to deflect because they have no grasp of the details.

It is impossible to opine about a situation if you are entirely in the dark. But that does not stop Liberals. An example is the Jim Comer report from the Oversight Committee that produced evidence of $10 Million deposited indirectly into Biden family personal accounts by the Chinese and Romanian governments. Since the mainstream media gave the press conference zero minutes of air time, anyone who relies on their news from MSM is insulated from this story. This scenario often repeats with any negative information about the Bidens or Democrats.

For all of Biden’s term, FOX News has been reporting from the Border showing incontrovertible video evidence of the legions of illegal migrants crossing into our country. No other media company has reported from the Border. Therefore folks on the Left are left to believe the constant lies from Secretary Mayorkas that the Border is secure.

Look at the rhetoric that spews daily from The View. There is hope when you look at the numbers. There are over 300,000 people who have discovered that they can survive each day without the hour of hate, cynicism, and racism that is “The View.” Though the viewership has declined more than any daytime show over the last two years, it is still the number one show, with 2.3 million folks needing our help. These folks are subjected to the swill of anger that is the barometer of just how off-base the Left can be. This round table discussion gives the rest of us a look into the heartless soul of the far Left, and it is not a very good sight.

Just this week, The View turned on Tim Scott immediately after announcing his presidential candidacy. Whoopi Goldberg and Sonny Hoptin, both Black, attacked Scott’s story of success going from Cotton to Congress in his Grandfather’s lifetime. Scott’s story is one of positivity and hope, but both of these ladies squashed it saying Scott’s belief that all could enjoy this success was naive.

Vanity Fair commented on the Ron DeSantis Presidential announcement yesterday. They said that DeSantis chose to make his announcement with Elon Musk on Twitter because David Duke was unavailable. There was no justification for this vile comment. Vanity Fair must have forgotten the close relationship between Joe Biden and the late Senator Robert Byrd, a Grand Wizard in the KKK—a case of convenient memory lapse.

It is very frustrating. It is tantamount to going to a baseball game with someone without a clue about the game. Joe Biden won the Presidency in 2020 by avoiding the facts and hiding from the press. Thanks to the Pandemic, it worked once, but it cannot work a second time. We must keep writing, talking, and educating the sheltered and ignorant. This effort is our only chance of negating the collusion between the Left and MSM.

The post They Cannot Discuss or Defend Reality appeared first on Granite Grok.

After years of conflict and turmoil between the two racially motivated institutions the NAACP and White Supremacists have found common ground.  In a stunning turn of events the NAACP recently announced it is awarding the National White Supremacy Movement for Outstanding Efforts In Diversity thanks to several unlikely heroes.

2021 saw the Los Angeles Times acknowledge the gubernatorial campaign run by Larry Elder out of California for its unique spin in the culture.  Elder, described by his liberal California neighbors as a “very, very black man” was dubbed by the local newspaper “The Black Face of White Supremacy” which shocked many throughout the Golden State and rest of the country for the sheer oxymoronic nature of the claim.  Little did they know that White Supremacy was getting a face-lift.

Bananas Media reached out to long-time black white supremacist Clayton Bigsby for comment.

“People need to understand if white supremacy is going to have a chance it needs to start including black folks.” Bigsby noted that the numbers of actual white supremacists have been dwindling since their hey-days in the early 1900s.  “White supremacists have a long standing tradition of creating job opportunities for the community.  Colleges are pumping out DEI coordinators like white babies in Utah, so we need to give them something to focus on.  If white supremacy is going to survive it needs to be open and inclusive of blacks” Bigsby said to the applause of long-time racist experts Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Bono and David Duke.  Bono then led them in a singing of “We Are the World” and Bigsby’s personal favorite, “Ebony and Ivory”.

Also of note were the recent additions to the global White Supremacist movement, the Latinos, who were recognized for the recent contribution thanks to Mauricio Garcia who expressed his love for the white race by shooting eight random people at a mall in Texas, including two Asians, one East Indian, a fellow Latino, a mostly white French-Euro man and two Latino children.  Though the motive for the shooting was clearly White Supremacy, spokesmen for N.O.W. (National Organization for Weed) Cheech and Chong thanked Garcia for his commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and behalf of the larger Latino community.  Muay bueno blancos!

In another victory for White Supremacy 19 year-old Sai Varshith Kandula rented a U-haul in order to drive it to what he considered the most obvious place to find a fellow white supremacist, the White House.  Citing disappointment to discover Joe Biden, despite his pasty eastern liberal countenance, was in fact black, Kandula drove the rented truck into the gated community before exiting the vehicle and carefully unfurling a bright red Nazi flag to give credit where credit is due, and several fans and media outlets the perfect photo-op.  Fellow Nazi Ben Shapiro praised the young man for his enthusiasm in support of movement as well as U-haul for their history of leadership in the trans movement after which he reminded listeners to buy his book The Authoritarian Moment.

Shapiro’s alma mater Harvard, along with Yale and several Ivy League colleges issued a statement acknowledging the need for White Supremacy to re-consider allowing Asians into the movement out of fear they might succeed at too great a rate thus keeping African American White Supremacists on the margins.  Speaking on behalf of the marginalized, nine-time New York Times best-selling author Ibram X Kendi reminded the press with his ubiquitous proverb “the only remedy to past racism is future racism”.  Word to your mother.

Finally, the Black Panthers, in an effort to keep pace with their racist counterparts, have announced their new spokesman for the 2023 season will be Anderson Cooper.

(Editor’s note: At the time of print of this article the NAACP still has a travel warning for black people looking to visit Florida.)

 

The post Bananas: NAACP Honors White Supremacists for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion appeared first on Granite Grok.

Memorial Day Weekend 2023 has arrived, summer is coming, and the 2024 Republican Primary race is getting crowded and primaries closer. Not everyone who might run has announced, but we want to know who you’d vote for if the primary were held today.

ICYMI: Target Share Price “Transitioning” Toward 52-Week Low

The Landscape

Yesterday, Emerson had Trump at +62 over DeSantis in Iowa, but Cygnal shows Trump at +7 in the state.

In the last New Hampshire Poll (May 18th), Trump’s average puts him 18 points ahead of Gov. DeSantis and 26.7 points ahead of NH Gov. Chris Sununu.

You’ve got one vote and ten names. If you could vote in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary today, who would you pick to run in the 2024 Presidential election?

Names are listed below based on Real Clear Politics’ most recent NH Poll averages.

Poll runs until Sunday, May 28th at 11:59 pm. The results will be published Monday Morning (Memorial Day).

 

If the Republican Presidential Primary Were Today for Whom Would You Vote?

• Donald Trump
• Ron DeSantis
• Chris Sununu
• Vivek Ramaswamy
• Nikki Haley
• Mike Pence
• Tim Scott
• Chris Christie
• Kristi Noem
• Asa Hutchinson

Vote

 

The post ‘Grok Memorial Day Weekend Presidential Primary Poll appeared first on Granite Grok.

The hearing before the NH Legislative Ethics Committee is today at 1:30 pm in Room 104 of the Legislative Office Building.  This is my brief testimony before the Committee (I only have a scant few minutes to speak).

It is lightly edited here for formatting (blogging is not the same as giving a speech). Note: The first two Reps waived their Confidentiality so that I can reference them by name; the third has not (the Jane/John Doe).

 

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the NH Legislative Ethics Committee.

Let me start with this abstracted quote from Cdr. Salamander (a retired Naval Officer) lamenting about the sad state of affairs the country is in; I thought it apt (lightly edited) as it summarizes much of what this hearing is about:

Abandonment

If there is a characteristic of the last few years; it is abandonment. Abandonment, either of duties, friends, families, or of principles, was once seen as a disgrace and a blight on one’s honor. Now? I don’t think so.

We abandoned thousands, really tens of thousands, of American citizens, family members, and allies in Afghanistan. Recently we abandoned almost as many in Sudan.

After a news cycle or two, the press loses interest. Our politicians – or at least most of them – move on.

The fault is not so much our government or civil society, but really, it is all of us; our fault.

We allow this abandonment – this disregard for ethics, this amoral failure of responsibility to protect and honor our word – to stand up for unwritten agreements.

Abandonment breaks the bonds of stewardship that binds a society together.

We fail the fundamentals – and then wonder why we cannot execute anything effectively. We shrug at dishonor, and then wonder where the quality of civil society went.

No one in power is challenged. No one is held accountable … unless it fits a certain agenda.

Let me add to that: abandonment of honor, of courage, of loyalty, of honesty, of duty, of promises…and of oaths that are the embodiment of all of those attributes, and more.

Oaths seemingly mean nothing nowadays; they are merely a string of words that are mandatory to say in order to assume the seat that We, the People, have put our elected Representatives—a mere formality never to be referenced again by those saying it. I have watched many ignore those words already.

I’m betting that many who say the words now could easily be convinced that they could be abandoned, cast aside, just as easily as they say that the Constitution is ancient and meant for a time that no longer exists (btw, I happen to heartily disagree with that notion). It does seem that many certainly forget their oaths as soon as it is said. Why?

It would remove what an oath by elected representatives is supposed to culminate in:

Accountability.

The promise and plea to constituents – “hold me responsible to my promise to you, my oath to you, at ALL times”.

That is the summary of why I brought these complaints – this old-fashioned belief that such things should matter but to others, just as quaint as a stroll in a park in Victorian finery.

In all three complaints, who is willing to hold them accountable to their promises to faithfully adhere to the plain black-and-white text of the written Law and demonstrate fealty to the Law not just in action but as a matter of the heart?

Sadly, there has been no mass uprising – apathy and lack of knowledge/awareness reign. However, I hope that once again, here in New Hampshire, one person can be that difference.

Sadly, all three abandoned the oaths and promises to strictly Follow the Law. They willingly broke their oaths to us all. Worse, they broke the Trust that we expect. We should not, cannot, adopt a lesser standard of measure for them simply because “well, it’s politics” – the bigotry of low expectations from those that are supposed to be Servant Leaders.

Yet, that is what they have done.

In each complaint, I have provided both the several violations and examples thereof. While they are summary in form, I can tell you that far more supporting detail is available on GraniteGrok. Videos were often embedded in those posts showing their actions and words as acts of accountability; you can hear their own words and watch their own actions without me being a filter.

There are also additional videos backing up these assertions on the GraniteGrok YouTube Channel. Full recordings of Delegation meetings (with one notable Budget Subcommittee exception) are also on Belknap County’s Video On Demand / Lakes Region Public Access.

Good government is one that is open and transparent and whose procedures can be known and followed by the Public. We in NH deserve nothing less – but that is what occurred. In NH, the latter is proscribed in statute – it is lost when the Law is ignored.

All three Representatives were warned by more experienced ones and others (like me) that they were in the wrong. They willfully disregarded the Laws that proscribe the mandatory actions expected of them. This should not, CAN not, be tolerated.

In reviewing each complaint, I ask that the Committee either remove them from office for such blatant disregard to their oaths in:

…faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all duties incumbent on me as STATE REPRESENTATIVE according to the best of my abilities, agreeably to the rules and regulations of this constitution and laws of the state of New Hampshire.”

They decided to fail.

Failing to come to such a conclusion of removal, I ask that you advance a censor finding. In the positions of leadership they sought comes the responsibility to study, learn, and inculcate such laws that govern them. They ignored them.

I know that as an SB2 Budget Committee member, once elected, I made sure to study all the Laws governing Budget Committees as well as Municipal budgets, School District, and Water District budget processes.

If I held myself to such a high standard to show good faith to those that voted for me, shouldn’t I then be able to hold my elected Representatives to that same standard with respect to the Delegation (RSA 91-A and RSA 24:9-c,d)?

That is, simply, to “Follow the Law”?

Thank you for your service and time in protecting the reputation and dignity of the NH Legislature.

Is there any question that I can answer at this time?

 

The post Legislative Ethics Committee: Testimony Against Three NH State Reps: Harry Bean, Travis O’Hara, (and Jane Doe?) appeared first on Granite Grok.

Maine won’t have to change their state motto, but it might need to clarify its nuance. It is “Dirigo,” Latin for I direct, or I lead, and they are leading and directing … religious groups to sue them for violating their First Amendment Rights.

Related: If a $500 Mill Religious Exemption Settlement is a Wake-Up Call to Employers, How About States Like Maine?

Maine: I Lead the assault on the First Amendment! And, as it turns out, to get rebuffed.

Last June (2022), The US Supreme Court, in Carson v. Makin, decided that Maine’s tuitioning program for school-aged kids violated the Free Exercise Clause of the US Constitution.

 

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that while “a state need not subsidize private education” that “once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious.”

“Maine’s ‘nonsectarian’ requirement for its otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment,” Roberts wrote. “Regardless of how the benefit and restriction are described, the program operates to identify and exclude otherwise eligible schools on the basis of their religious exercise.”

Roberts said that the program “effectively penalizes the free exercise” of religion by doling out benefits based upon whether a school is religious.

 

Your government is not obligated to offer tuition assistance that could end up in the hands of a private institution, but if it does, it cannot discriminate based on creed. The Board members of the Hermon School Department in Maine must have missed the memo.

The school rents out space on short-term leases. The lease form “does not include any questions about the organization’s beliefs.” But when the School Committee got their hands on an application from The Pines Church, they began asking questions. “Superintendent Micah Grant and a member of the Hermon school board asked pointed questions about the church’s positions on “issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

 

Chris McLaughlin, a school board member who includes personal pronouns in his signature, wrote that he “wanted to get a better sense of how The Pines Church approaches issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion and around their messaging around some key issues relevant to marginalized communities.”

He asked, “Is The Pines Church receptive of same-sex marriages? Do they consider marriage only to be between 1 man and 1 woman?”

He also requested information on the church’s positions on “access to safe and affordable abortion,” “access to gender-affirming medical care,” “conversion therapy for LGBTQIA+ individuals (youth and adults),” and “inclusive sexual education and access to birth control for youth.”

 

Does the Hermon school conduct same-sex marriages, abortions, or genre-affirming medical procedures? Did they ask these questions of “Black Bear Basketball, Hermon Recreation, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, and various baseball groups” who have or are leasing space at the school?

Superintendent Grant. Doesn’t your inquiry, in its intelligent design, establish a religious test (which is unlawful) to exclude a person or group from a public facility based on their religious beliefs? Nothing diverse or equitable about that, but it fits the mandate. DEI is a loyalty test or oath to a partisan political worldview. Taken on the same terms as any other belief system, its goal is the homogenization of the cultural faith of Humanism. A view to which you are entitled but one that cannot serve as a litmus if it runs afoul of the establishment clause.

I know that’s not exactly true. Secular Humanism undergirds much of the progressive worldview, but it is not recognized as a belief system in the same way as Judaism or Christianity. If it were, there would be a wall of separation problem for the Left. Abandon your proselytizing or admit that the Danbury Baptist letter was private correspondence and not legal precedent.

And even then, you should probably acknowledge your bastardization of the alleged precedent.

Jefferson was clear. The Federal Government had no business interfering with state or local rights about matters of faith, which would be good and bad for the progressives running the Hermon School Department. On the one hand, the Feds could not force the school to rent the space in deference to its humanist beliefs if supported by state law. On the other, the fourteenth amendment enjoins the Bill of Rights to prevent states from violating it at the state and local level, at least as far as the next Judge is willing to interpret them.

Regardless of how you spin it, there’s still a contradiction you can’t escape. What exactly is equitable or inclusive about exclusion on any terms?

 

 

HT | The Daily Signal

The post Is Maine Where Religious Tests Go to Die appeared first on Granite Grok.

To all those who are sending in memes, thank you!  Keep them coming please, as it helps me gather weaponry to fight the Left.  Please do share this post, and if you share an individual meme, consider mentioning you saw it on the Grok!

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

In honor of this coming Memorial Day (and wanting it in peoples’ minds beforehand), I want to thank all those who gave that full measure of devotion for this country – in any era.

 

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

From this week, Monday Memes and Meme Overflow.  Also don’t forget my Survival Sunday feature.

 

*** Warning, a few possibly off-color ones, in case tender eyes are about ***

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

A technique I often use is something I call “FLIP IT”.  Imagine if the races were reversed.  (Or flipping things as appropriate given the situation.)

And then people look me in the eye and, with all sincerity, tell me there’s no war on white people.

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA

 

 

Freedom is your birthright.  Don’t you ever forget it.

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

On a purely objective level, I would suspect that the amounts of blood involved are pretty small.  “Suspect”.  But as a father, I’d DIE before I’d harm my kids, even if this is small and voluntary.  And even if, again objectively, there’s no material harm being done, to use your own posterity as a milk cow to prolong your own life?  There’s something in this that’s beyond vile and repulsive.

More broadly, consider something that I think is profound: it’s one thing to spend your money on preservation of your life.  Heck, if my wife knew how much I spend on various herbal / etc. supplements she’d freak out (just get me to both of my kids being adults, Hashem; everything after that is a bonus though, ideally, I’d like to see a grandkid or two before I go).  But then, there’s nothing icky in taking them.  This is different.

And one thing even deeper than the above: it was on Vox Day‘s site, can’t find the specific article, wherein he discussed the idea that it is the FEAR OF DEATH that so drives the Globalists.  From AI and the in-parallel idea of becoming deities themselves (e.g., that slug Yuval’s book Homo Deus and the parallel idea that humans are now hackable animals) to the idea of a body-to-machine transfer of the self… and, perhaps in parallel, a drive to create immortality BAMN including using their children’s vitality lest their deeds send their souls “downstairs” that creates an enormous advantage for us.  They’re terrified of death.  For if it comes to it, to die fighting to protect one’s freedoms, to protect one’s family / posterity, is noble and good.  And if I die doing that, even if I don’t want to die soon, it will be a good death.

Funny how two quotes from two disparate sci-fi universes to capture the universal truth of this.

 

Man of Steel – A Good Death Is Its Own Reward Scene (8/10) | Movieclips

 

 

“A good death is its own reward”.

 

Perhaps Today is a Good Day to Die

 

 

“Perhaps today is a good day to die”.

 

And one, not sci-fi but “mere” fiction – both prayers, the one by Antonio Banderas and the Viking leader, but especially Banderas’:

 

Prayers Before Battle – “The 13th Warrior”

 

 

“I beg only to live the next few minutes well”.

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

 

Know the enemy.  Know their tactics.  And know – to your core – that they believe themselves to be the good guys.  As quoted here:

Most people are good and occasionally do something they know is bad.

Some people are bad and struggle every day to keep it under control.

Others are corrupt to the core and don’t give a damn, as long as they don’t get caught.

But evil is a completely different creature.

Evil is bad that believes it’s good.

— Karen Marie Moning

And another weakness they have:

 

 

Our willingness to face objective reality.  Because we have the humility to admit we might be wrong.  They… don’t.  They’d rather deny reality so long as they get their dopamine good-feelz.

 

(Link to AZQUOTES per their policy.)

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

    

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

In honor of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, when Hashem gave us the Torah including the Ten Commandments, here’s the Prager University intro into his ten video series on the Ten Commandments.

 

The Ten Commandments: What You Should Know

 

 

And one of my favorite scenes from the movie:

 

TEN COMMANDMENTS

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

Cultural (and genetic) enrichment.

 

 

Remember that kaffir women can be taken as “captives of the right hand”.

Search Results for “captive right hand” (jihadwatch.org)

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

While your kids are being taught CRT and what pronouns to use, in between slipping condoms on bananas before venturing down the hall to drag queen story hour, here’s what Chinese kids are doing:

 

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/chinese-kids-training.mp4

 

 

Now.  Who’s going to win when we clash?

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

A few years ago there was a pizza place – I want to say in New Jersey – that got into an awful lot of trouble having a promo line of hats and shirts that said this.  IIRC it was well before Saint Floyd of Fentanyl and even before Treyvon of the Holy Hoodie.

The beauty of the above is it’s quick, it’s easy, and it is bound to make the Woke mob livid.  And livid people make mistakes.

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

WAIT FOR IT… Yalie hurls the word “racist” at Senator Cruz, he responds

 

 

I love this guy.  Seriously, though… the Left could have had a black woman on the Supreme court a couple of decades ago, but she was female, and black… and a Conservative.  And I remember Estrada and his situation.  There was a cartoon where Schumer and others, as police, were portrayed as stereotypical “good old boy” cops pulling Estrada over.  “Nominated while conservative” or something like that.

 

 

Blexit still exists.  There’s Lexit.  The Exodus Movement seems to be comatose, but there’s Jexit (I have one of their T-shirts).  And IMHO Brandon Straka’s Walkaway was a very powerful thing and is still going.  Some of the videos were rambling, but incredibly powerful.  These stories, these testaments, are incredible weapons – we can cite dry facts until we are blue in the face… it is personal stories & experiences that matter, that engage, and that convince.

 

Unfiltered: ‘The left practices tolerance in the most superficial ways’

 

 

In this video he describes something that’s a great ally in our cause: the dissonance and mental confusion that is caused when one is forced to confront the fact you’ve been lied to (in his case, among other things, realizing that the enemedia had deliberately misrepresented Trump’s “mocking a handicapped person” and, in parallel, cropped pictures of Trump rallies to portray the crowds as being devoid of non-whites).  For in that confusion lies an opportunity to – in that confusion – undo the emotion-based conclusions, whether about Republicans racist/fascist/evil or other things.  Consider the CODA in this post, specifically about the Israel/Palestinian conflict.  Remember, though, in general:

You cannot argue rationally with a conclusion arrived at emotionally.

— Unknown

Only when an emotional conclusion is disrupted by other emotions can the mind open up to alternative information.

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

I have repeated this until I’m blue in the face.  When the “average Roman” finally understood that the Rome they’d been born into, that they grew up believing in, was dead… corrupt to the core… they ceased being willing to fight for it.  So – summarized – consider an email from a military friend where he not just questions his service but whether the country to which he swore an oath to fight and even die exists now.  Or, more profoundly, whether it even existed at the time of his enlistment birth given what we’re learning about how old the DS influence is.

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

Pick of the Post:

 

A tie.

 

 

 

 

When TPTB can get you to accept patently-false things (underlining added):

“Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.”

― Theodore Dalrymple

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

Palate Cleansers:

 

—

—

The post Friday Meme Overflow-Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.