Monday • November 25 • 2024
Vol.XVI • No.XLVIII
Manchester, N.H.
As I prepared to pull out my Goldbacks for my sandwich at Robie’s country store and diner Wednesday, the co-owner informed me that the dollar had fallen below a fifth of a goldback. I remember when the exchange rate was around 3.20 dollars for each goldback just before the scamdemic. It’s been around four for the past few years. I had never seen it above five.
The post Goldback Hits All-Time High; Dollar In Freefall appeared first on The Liberty Block.
The bridge collapse in Baltimore, just a freakish accident, hopefully not related to DEI/competency crisis; RFK’s pick of VP, which will probably hurt the dems more than republicans; could this help RFK win any states? Did Mike Johnson screw the republican party and their voters with the budget agreement last week? Why are republicans retiring before the election? Are they being paid off by a rich dem? Is Putin protecting Islamists by minimizing their involvement in the terror attack last Friday?
The post The Conservatarian Exchange Podcast #199 appeared first on The Liberty Block.
The Local Silver Mint has just unveiled what may be their most innovative silver product to date. This is quite a statement, considering that this is the creator who invented the Silver Card, Barter Bags, Tenth-Ounce Silver Rounds, Cig-Savers, Building Blocks, and so many other creative iterations of silver. But if you were looking for the best tool for covertly preserving your wealth in plain sight, you needn’t look any further than Weare, New Hampshire.
The post The Key To Wealth Preservation: Hide Your Silver In Plain Sight? appeared first on The Liberty Block.
Stae Rep Alissandra Murray … you may have heard about her? The State Rep who as a practical matter was/is being paid to be a State Rep by some abortion-advocacy group. From NH-NeverTrump Journal:
In an article highlighting transgender state legislators across the country, The Nation reported on the work of Josie Pinto, a registered lobbyist for the Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire (RFFNH), and her fellow community organizer, Alissandra Murray.
Murray is currently employed as the RFFNH’s deputy director and appears on the organization’s website.
Murray is also a Democratic state representative from Manchester.
Alissandra is also an anti-white racist:
What I said in a prior post about Damond Ford applies equally to Alissandra. The only thing that really distinguishes Woke-Communists like Damond Ford, Alisssandra Murray, etc., etc., etc. and their ilk from Pol Pot, Mao, Stalin, etc., is that the latter obtained sufficient power to destroy the lives of hundreds of millions. Pray that Ford, Murray and their ilk never obtain such power.
The post Support Anti-White Racism … Vote For Rep Alissandra Murray appeared first on Granite Grok.
Shocking news has emerged from the Middle East where Israeli and Hamas forces have been in the throes of a sectarian war which began on Oct. 7th, 2024, B.C.E., when a young man named Esau took issue with his half-brother Jakob eating some of his goat porridge.
This act of aggression has led to nearly four thousand years of bad blood between the two culminating in the most recent bloodshed seeing nearly thirty thousand dead Semites and semi-Semites in the Holy Land and surrounding areas. Luckily the members of the Lebanon City Council and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committees banded together to let these centuries old enemies know that they have had quite enough.
“Knock it off” began the five page letter to the combatants. Several strongly worded words later, the sentiment was reiterated – “Stop it.” This unusually laconic phrase in the otherwise verbose letter seemed to be almost what was needed to get the two sides to come to their senses, however it was the carefully worded “Quit being silly” that was crafted by current council member David Wilkie that was the straw that broke the camel’s back (Editors note: we apologize to anyone who is offended by camel references).
After sending copies of the re-resolution by carrier pigeon to the Middle East leaders from both sides issued a joint statement thanking the council for straight-talking some sense into the historic belligerents. Signed by both the Israeli Minister of Defense and the Head of Hamas Terror, the letter read in part:
“We have agreed to do as you suggested and sit down and talk out our differences. We humbly apologize to the people of Lebanon, NH for any inconvenience we have caused you and publicly pledge to honor diversity, equity, and inclusion,” after which they held hands while lighting a menorah, raised a pride flag over the capitol of Gaza and then started a Go Fund Me for displaced members of the Middle East Trans-community.
In an act of solidarity singers Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Pink, Lizzo and Madonna agreed to hold a fundraising concert to honor women’s rights in Gaza, yet have agreed to wear burkahs out of respect to the austere Muslim culture among Gazans.
“Who doesn’t like to jam to these broads, am I right?” asked local Imam Mohammed Al-Bin Al-Bin-Binny before reminding those standing in line for tickets that it’s not halal to buy tickets during Ramadan. The undernourished and emaciated faithful would have to wait until after sundown before spending what little they have left on seeing these Western icons.
Also moved by the bold stance taken by the Lebanon City Council the Biden Administration has agreed to stop quietly sending weekly shipments of armaments to Israel, while stakeholders at Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Halliburton and McDonnell-Douglas pledge to donate this year’s dividend checks to end Climate Change in the Middle East.
Local residents were asked to comment on this council’s re-resolution. One business owner preferred to remain anonymous but said, “I know the crime rate in the area and the roads in town look like they belong in Lebanon, you know, the country, but it’s a small price to pay for peace in the Middle East.”
Shalom to your mother.
The post Bananas: Israel & Hamas Agree to Cease-fire Thanks to Lebanon appeared first on Granite Grok.
Think of me as the guy who doesn’t always drink beer, but when he does, he prefers Dos Equis. It’s funny I should think of that because I am presently a paying customer in the new Mexican joint in the Bertucci’s building on Amherst Street, using their Wi-Fi hot spot because my former employer’s product is being a POS.
Anyway, I don’t always agree with Melissa Blasek, but she was my favorite Merrimack rep. One might ask who cares about someone’s opinion of a rep in another district. To that, I point out that I have no representation in the House and therefore must, as Nurse Terese would say, “lift up in battle” the decent reps in the suburbs. Sadly, as many already know, Melissa is no longer in office, and neither is Gary Daniels, just to add a comment about the “other side of the wall.” Merrimack is turning into a hot mess, and I do hope, on behalf of all of us who aren’t represented in the House, that they turn the tide the right way this November. Anyway, onto MY list.
I’m calling it “MY list” so as not to be confused with that nutjob Dietsch, Angie’s list, Schindler’s list, or (for Beth Scaer’s amusement) Emily’s list.
My list is a cross-reference of the 31 Republican Enemies of Transparency and the 67 Republicans on another list I will call Ed Mosca’s list.
Melissa has pointed out that just because someone disagrees, it doesn’t necessarily make for a RINO. Fair enough. I have my own disagreements with a vast part of the Republican membership; hence my being an independent for decades and off and on over the past few years between candidacy for state and local office. It’s also worth pointing out that I have supported and/or voted for Republicans in disagreement with me, sometimes more than once.
“What’s the point of this cross-referenced list,” one might ask, and my answer is still a work in progress. The list of 67 definitely has plenty of people that I happen to like, and I will make no special concessions for them; as I said in my previous article, I gave no special treatment to any of its 31. The overlap is a list of 9 reps, and here it is:
Alexander
Ankarberg
Bean
Griffin
Harvey
Janigian
Lascelles
McGough
Stone
Do what you want with it, but let it be known that McGough is the arch nemesis of Melissa, kind of like Lloyd Braun is to George Costanza.
My hope for Merrimack and all of NH is that they can nix him along with the rest of the incumbent slate. Yeah, I said that. It includes three enemy camp members and mask lover Bill Boyd and his anti-RTK ilk Rs. Let’s get eight decent freshmen elected in Merrimack because that’s a tall order here in Nashua, an order taller than Alderman Comeau, who is sadly no longer in office, or Elliot Gault, or even the cardboard Shaquille doll in Staples, just to give it some perspective.
The post New Cross Referenced List and Merrimack Reps. appeared first on Granite Grok.
If you need an example of bad drug policy vs. human nature, then Oregon is your gal. She decriminalized hard drugs in 2020 and was rewarded with a 200% spike in overdose deaths. People were not more likely to seek treatment, but they were more likely to become unproductive criminals if they didn’t kill themselves.
Oregon has assisted suicide, but this isn’t what they meant, and four years of failure with an exponential rise in unplanned deaths required action. This week, Governor Tina Kotek signed House Bill 4002.
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the bill comes into effect on September 1. After that, anyone caught with small amounts of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamines, or other similar substances will be charged with a misdemeanor.
Oregon has re-criminalized hard drugs but with a twist.
Under the new law, those apprehended by police for possessing drugs will be given the option to “deflect” from the legal system into treatment programs, however whether individual counties choose to go along with that system has been left up to local leaders.
A majority of counties are on board, but it will be five months before the new law replaces the old referendum. The trouble created by decriminalization, more crime, and death, will continue through the summer, after which the also broken Orgon criminal justice system will attempt to address the problem the new law creates. There are too few public defenders to represent the expected rise in individuals in need of their services.
I’m also not clear on how restrictive the rehab route rules are or who pays for that.
Seeing as this is Oregon, I’d have to imagine there is a herd of treatment pigs lining up at what looks to be a rather substantial trough. And while they won’t be able to find enough lawyers or possibly even police officers, the number of therapists will rise to meet the funding available to meet the “need.”
And no, I do not expect matters to improve much after September. Things that are easily broken are not so easily repaired.
The post Oregon Re-Criminalizes Hard Drugs After Four Years of Decrim Disaster appeared first on Granite Grok.
Welcome to the weather in New England, where it can be 60 degrees one day and snow-driven power outages the next. We lost power from 2 to 4 a.m. last night but woke up to warmth and light, only to lose it again at 6:30.
I fired up the Genny, and we’re live. We still have internet, so I’m back to work. The first order of business was checking the outage map. Eversource reports that 50,000 of its New Hampshire customers have lost power due to the heavy snow and wind bringing down trees or branches. I was out clearing the end of the driveway (when we still had power), and it’s gusty as get out, so we’re not betting on our power coming back (it was out when I came back in) for a few hours.
just under 34,000 NHEC customers in the Granite State are unplugged with 8400 Unitil customers joining them without power. Liberty customers, have zero outages as I write this.
NHEC Map – Updated: I momentarily had the wrong map here for NH Electric Co-op.
Unitil Map
Liberty Map (nothing to see here; please move along.
And Here’s the Eversource Map: you’ll want to go to the link and drill down.
The post 50,000 Eversource Customers Without Power This Morning in NH (34K NHEC, 8,400 Unitil) appeared first on Granite Grok.
Fat Jerry Nadler is nothing if not committed to the narrative. Someone says men should not compete in women’s sports, and he insists that transwomen are not men, so that never happens. Funny thing about that, though.
If a woman and a transwoman pissed off the Clintons, “committed suicide,” or “buried themselves” in a swamp somewhere in Arkansas for a few decades, when some bluetick hound ran up the sent, and they pulled out the bodies, the corner would say it’s a man and a woman. No word of a lie. And that’s how they’d be identified, no matter who it triggered, ’cause all the pretense was rotted away by nature until all that was left was science.
In this case, biology matters. SheWon.org has cataloged 894 instances of biological males placing or better in a girl’s or woman’s competition. There are undoubtedly more. Talk about #MeToo? No medal or ribbon for you; we had to make room for what is characteristically a C-team male who identifies as female. Accolades, scholarships, a reward for years of hard work. Sorry. Step aside. It has gotten the attention of Congress on numerous occasions, recently summoning the umbrage of Fat Jerry Nadler.
“Men do not compete in women’s sports,” far-left New York Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler claimed during a congressional hearing several weeks ago. “Transgender women [sic] may compete in women’s sports,”
He’s not having any of this biology business, so I hope he has a plan for work pathologists who can “identify” the gender of the deceased at the time they died, given how subject to change that can be these days.
Nadler, who objected (ironically) to prevent non-truths from entering the Congressional record, was responding to “Republican congresswoman Harriet Hageman of Wyoming [who] wanted to enter into the record stats on females injured by male athletes as well as stolen titles. SheWon.org has cataloged the stolen titles, proving that men, in fact, do compete in women’s sports.”
At least he’s consistent. His position here, like many of his previous contributions to the Congressional Record, is a half-truth feeding a lie.
The post Fat Jerry Nadler Says Men Don’t Compete In Women’s Sports … appeared first on Granite Grok.
WMUR has been covering quite a few fires lately, including this one. https://www.wmur.com/article/stratford-fire-barn-no-injuries/60362376 Since the story is not very old, not much detail is available. However, one can adjust their searches of coverage of recent fires by dates, location, damages, victims, and media outlets and come up with a variety of data.
However, what got my attention was the most recent one being far from the others and interestingly close to Canada. I think you know where I’m going with this.
Stratford is not an urban community where the alarm sounds and interrupts the fire station’s spaghetti dinner, and everyone slides down the pole and hurries to the fire. Most people know that rural firefighting is mostly done by volunteers with day jobs who get paged. I’m just a layperson, so you don’t have to take my word. Ask your homeowner’s insurance agent or former Rep. Tom Lanzara if you want to learn more. Tom recently became a Lieutenant.
While rural areas are not necessarily exempt from all urban fire hazards, this Stratford fire reminded me of the Worcester 6.
For those whose photographic memories don’t go that far back in time, Mr. Levesque and another homeless person were living in an old abandoned building in December 1999 when they knocked over a candle, starting a fire that ultimately killed six Worcester firemen who were looking for additional occupants while fighting the fire.
Considering that people like Senator Twitley want you to think that there have only been 21 illegal border crossings in/near Pittsburg, I offer the following supposition. Perhaps those responsible for the Stratford fire are NOT locals.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation” is the last sentence of the WMUR article, which is not an uncommon word choice for a breaking story. One would hope that the investigation will include some rigorous interviewing of neighbors and locals with the same fervor that the viewer observes the detectives using in most Hollywood crime drama shows.
If interviewed people say they saw suspicious activity in the area, particularly involving strangers, it will be interesting to see if WMUR and/or its ilk give it the same follow-up attention as they would with stories that prop up their agenda. An example of that would be what’s going on locally in Lewiston. That shooting happened in November, yet WMUR regularly scrapes the local barrel bottom for fundraisers or follow-up stories that have no ties to NH.
My message to the readers is not to let the Stratford fire investigation fall off the radar because that’s what WMUR would want to have happen during an election year.
The post Night Cap: What Does The Stratford Fire have to do with the Worcester 6? appeared first on Granite Grok.
Bills to protect women and children from the trans cult are advancing in the New Hampshire House and Senate and the trans rights activists (TRAs) are desperate.
Starting in 2018, Governor Chris Sununu signed a slew of terrible bills, including a bill to allow males to self-id into women’s restrooms and locker rooms, a bill to allow males to compete in female school sports, a therapy ban, and other anti-child and anti-women bills.
The TRAs thought they were sitting pretty. They believed as Martin Luther King Jr. said that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” They expected that New Hampshire residents would learn to accept the new laws and that everyone could live in peace.
We have not been living in peace. Instead, we have been living with the horrible consequences including males invading female locker rooms and restrooms, boys winning in girls’ school athletic competitions, and gender-confused children having their bodies irreversibly damaged by puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and having healthy body parts removed.
Finally, bills are advancing in New Hampshire to roll back some of these awful attacks on women and children.
These bills were given an Ought to Pass in committee and are being voted on Friday, April 5 by the full NH Senate. Contact your senator and ask him or her to vote to concur with the committee report of OTP on these bills.
This bill was voted as Interim Study in committee and is also being voted on Friday by the full NH Senate. Contact your senator and ask him or her to vote to override the committee’s report and vote OTP on this bill.
Related: New Hampshire Bill Would Protect Young People From Modern-Day Lobotomies
These bills were passed in the NH House and are soon having hearings in the NH Senate. There is no action to take now.
This week the TRAs are making an all-out attack on these bills with attempts at convincing the senators to turn back the tidal wave.
I expect their desperation and efforts to increase as these bills advance closer to Governor Chris Sununu’s desk.
The post NH Trans Rights Activists are Desperately Fighting to Stop the Tidal Wave of Bills to Protect Women and Children appeared first on Granite Grok.
I hope you had a nice weekend. I am sharing a very important update with you below in regard to marijuana legalization. As you can see by the leadership in Virginia, Governor Youngkin proved marijuana legalization is NOT inevitable.
He vetoed the efforts in that state based on public health safety. His full veto statement supporting the reasons why is provided here.
“The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety. States following this path have seen adverse effects on children’s and adolescent’s health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue. It also does not eliminate the illegal black-market sale of cannabis, nor guarantee product safety. Addressing the inconsistencies in enforcement and regulation in Virginia’s current laws does not justify expanding access to cannabis, following the failed paths of other states, and endangering Virginians’ health and safety,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin in his veto statement for HB 698 and SB 448.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about this important issue and understand its impact on our state and all of our citizens, most importantly our young people, who are the future generations to come. We should never rush into doing something just because others are doing it. That, as many of us know, is primary prevention.
This was sent to every NH State Senator and the Governor.
Celeste Clark is the Executive Director of the Raymond Coalition For Youth
The post Marijuana Legalization is NOT Inevitable appeared first on Granite Grok.
The headline will annoy the gender cult, but it is indicative of a transformation that has begun to crack the woke carapace of medical and chemical gender treatments for children. Corporate medicine is all in on this profit silo and the narratives supporting it, but it’s all a lie, and we’re just hurting children.
The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds), based in Florida, released a position statement on Feb. 7 stating that “social transition, puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones have no demonstrable, long-term benefit on the psychosocial well-being of adolescents with gender dysphoria.”
“A review of at least 60 research papers demonstrates no benefit to social affirmation, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or surgical interventions for these youth,” lead author and vice president of ACPeds, Dr. Jane Anderson, wrote in an email to Fox News Digital.
The trouble began when The World Professional Association for Transgender Health got busted by an investigative reporter for telling truths in private that proved what they advocated was dangerous to the patients with little demonstrable upside. Shortly after, the UK health service banned hormone therapy for minors (ending the surgical freight train with it). Related: Transgender Hormone Therapy Increases Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke
The UK made its decisions after conducting a four-year study that showed the practice had no mental health benefit or made matters worse. An opinion shared by regulators in France, who “want to ban gender transition treatments for under-18s, after a report described sex reassignment in minors as potentially “one of the greatest ethical scandals in the history of medicine.”
We agree, but will the trend continue, and can it gain momentum in the US?
Abortion, another controversial topic, is a political holy grail on our shores, but most of the rest of the world prohibits it after six months, if not sooner. Given the political capital capable of sustaining such extremism, does common sense have any hope of breaking through to protect children from adults hellbent on stuffing them with puberty blockers and hormones?
The post The American College of Pediatricians Says ‘Gender-Affirming Therapy’ is Not Beneficial to Youth appeared first on Granite Grok.
Chuck Schumer’s statement on Netanyahu and elections in Israel; Trump’s statements on Jews and democrats; Extremely high fines against Trump and his appeal; should Trump fight harder and more publicly/be more provocative; Fani Willis and Nathan Wade and the judge’s ruling regarding disqualification.
The post The Conservatarian Exchange Podcast #198 appeared first on The Liberty Block.
Most of us know that something just isn’t right. We can feel it in our gut that the America we were lucky enough to be born in doesn’t feel the same. The American Spirit, that sense of patriotism that brought us to attention for a passing American flag, has been dulled.
Many of our fathers went to Europe or the South Pacific as kids to preserve America and ensure she remained that shining beacon on a hill. Ironically, what they fought for, and many died for, was the right of a new generation to look down on and think of America as a repressive country built with the blood and sweat of slaves. Fields of white crosses in Arlington National Cemetery, Normandy, France, and il Shima, Japan, mark the graves of the sons and daughters who gave their lives to preserve the rights of ignorant, ungrateful Americans to burn the Stars and Stripes or kneel in protest as The Star Spangled Banner plays.
I am so glad my Dad, who served in the Army Air Corps in the Philippines, is not around to see today’s America. I genuinely believe there are more of us who know we won the lottery to be born in America than those who would tear her down. The minority, however, seems to yell louder and more frequently than the majority. But we are learning to shout very loudly.
Some think America began to crumble with the Obama Presidency. Some of the younger folk may not have much recollection of time beyond fifteen to twenty years. Some believe it may have been when Camelot died as an assassin’s bullet downed John F. Kennedy. Others see the beginning of our demise with possibly our first Socialist President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was in his fourth term as President when he died in 1945. He was the only U.S. President to serve more than two terms, and his time in Washington signaled a change and a new direction for America. Yes, he and Winston Churchill worked together to put down the Germans and Japanese who wanted to take over the world, but in his time in the White House, he did so much more.
FDR adopted programs modeled after those established by Socialist and Fascist leaders of Europe and Central America. The Social Security program was taken from the Germans. It takes money from the young to supplement income for the elderly. The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), administered by the National Recovery Administration (NRA), was straight out of the playbook of Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy. This program gave the federal government the power to control private businesses, which is very similar to what Biden is trying to do today with his effort to set commodity prices. These were part of FDR’s New Deal, which really meant more control over Americans.
Fast forward to Jimmy Carter, who introduced America to Economic Malaise and added the Department of Education to his cabinet. The DOE stripped control of education away from parents and states and gave it to the federal government. The result is out-of-control costs and declining levels of success. Barack Obama thought he had revolutionized the medical industry and ensured health insurance for every American. With costs rising exponentially and 30 million Americans without health insurance, it is challenging to call Obama Care a success.
Today, Joe Biden circumvents Congress and defies the Supreme Court to elevate the Executive Branch above the other two equal branches. He has also prioritized DEI over quality and innovation in the private sector and government.
I am not saying that Republicans are without sin in our decline, but what I am saying is the Democrats have openly introduced programs against the philosophy of a great America and intended to change the country negatively. We need to do a better job of communicating why Socialist style programs are bad for America and make sure we are never in a minority position in Congress, which makes us virtually useless in defeating these Leftist initiatives.
The post When Did The Wheels Fall Off The Republic appeared first on Granite Grok.
This week, the House met to consider all bills that didn’t go to a second committee. Since this was a deadline, many bills we wanted to kill would be tabled instead since the motion to table is not debatable. Anything on the table after this week would need a 2/3 vote to do anything, so it’s likely it’ll quietly die on the table.
First, we had a memorial to a deceased representative, then welcomed two newly elected representatives (both Democrats.)
HB 1365, allowing pharmacies to substitute biological products, passed without discussion, as did HB 1366, penalties for negligent boat operation.
HB 1359, annulling or re-sentencing various cannabis offenses, would allow anyone who had been convicted of cannabis possession to appeal to the court directly, without the usual $300 fee, for an annulment or re-sentence. The bill would also have the state start the annulment process for those whose sentence had been completed. It was debated and passed, 283-80.
HB 1713, requiring a felony defendant be present in court, was not tabled, 112-256, and the committee chair presented a floor amendment that limited the mandatory presence to when the jury returns the verdict and the sentencing. I voted to table the original bill, but after the floor amendment, I wasn’t as opposed. After some debate, the floor amendment and the bill passed on voice votes.
HB 1014, on registering high school students to vote, had a committee amendment to put voter registration into the civics curriculum, 189-186. The bill then passed on a voice vote.
HB 1015, on elementary school literacy development, was extensively debated, primarily between two long-winded Republican representatives with different views on how to improve literacy. Since only 52% of students in the state test as Proficient in reading, it’s a serious problem. (Math and science are worse!) The committee amendment passed, 297-77, then a floor amendment from the other representative failed, 145-229. The bill finally passed, 365-9.
We want to thank Rep Carol McGuire for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.
HB 1084, instituting qualifications for the commissioner of education, would require her to be a professional educator or education administrator. It was tabled, 196-179. HB 1087, a study committee on information and media literacy, was tabled on a voice vote.
Then, by a 189-188 vote, we took HB 1683 from the table. This bill removed Medicaid coverage of routine infant circumcision. The pending motion to kill the bill failed, 185-188, a motion to reconsider the ought to pass motion passed, 188-186, then the pass motion failed, 184-191! All this without debate, as we had debated this bill for over an hour last week; we finally returned it to the table on a voice vote.
HB 1093, prohibiting mandatory mask policies in schools, was amended, 172-163, to except individual accommodations to students with disabilities. After some debate, the bill passed, 187-184. HB 1287, on the definition of “evidence based” in education, was debated, not passed, 179-193, and killed on a voice vote.
HB 1452, establishing qualifications for a superintendent of schools, was tabled, 193-182. HB 1453, requiring all institutions of higher education be non-profit rather than for profit, was also tabled, 190-184.
HB 1476, changing the due date for a memorandum of understanding between a charter school and the sending school from before the start of the school year to November 1, was also tabled, 192-182. These MOUs are necessary for special education, since the sending district is responsible for services.
HB 1481, on appointments to fill vacancies in cooperative school districts, was debated, with proponents urging that replacements be appointed from the same town as the former member, and opponents pointing out that cooperative districts have rules guiding this process, and the bill would retroactively affect these agreements. The bill failed to pass, 186-188, and Interim Study passed on a voice vote.
HB 1592, forbidding the use of Education Freedom Accounts for religious schools, was tabled, 191-186. HB 1616, requiring parental consent for each service provided to a child that is billed to Medicaid, was debated and passed, 190-187.
Then a member moved to take HB 1353 off the table. This bill granted the Department of Education subpoena authority when investigating cases of licensee misconduct, as other commissioners typically have. The motion failed, 183-194.
HB 1642, changing the school board member on a cooperative school board budget committee to non-voting status, was debated and not passed, 185-189, then went to interim study on a voice vote. Obviously changes to cooperative school districts are not popular in this session…
HB 1091, a cleanup bill of the campaign finance laws, had the committee amendment, a floor amendment, and then the bill, pass on voice votes; a motion to reconsider failed, also on a voice vote. The same thing happened on HB 1596, requiring disclosure of the use of deceptive artificial intelligence in political advertising. This bill was triggered by the use of a communications with a faked Biden voice before the presidential primary.
HB 1102, declaring breeding flat faced dogs (pugs, bulldogs, etc) to be animal cruelty, was tabled, 232-140.
HB 1145, prohibiting private ownership of new landfills, was not tabled, 180-193, then a floor amendment to ensure liability for leaks is set in any operator’s contract was adopted, 234-125. Then debate, with the opponents supporting the free market and the supporters wanting to prevent the importation of out of state trash (mostly from Massachusetts. Of course, they don’t mind that New Hampshire’s hazardous waste all goes to out of state facilities.) The bill passed, 208-162.
From my committee, HB 1059 updated the state building code. As expected, there was a floor amendment to update the energy code as well. I spoke against it, and the amendment failed, 179-192, and the bill passed on a voice vote.
HB 1190 would adopt the social work interstate compact. It was not tabled, 181-192, then we debated it briefly. The motion to kill the bill failed, 175-200, and the bill passed on a voice vote.
HB 1222, physician assistant scope of practice, had the committee amended adopted on a voice vote, then a floor amendment presented the compromise we’d worked out earlier this week. It added 8000 hours of clinical practice before a PA could practice independently, with a formal collaboration agreement if there wasn’t a physician in the same specialty working with him. I thought 8000 hours (about 4 years full time) was too much, but that was the lowest number we could get some of the opponents to accept. After the amendment was explained, it and the bill passed on voice votes.
HB 1271, converting some regulatory boards to advisory boards, was debated before going to interim study, 195-181. HB 1545, selling state surplus property for affordable housing below market value, was tabled, 190-185.
HB 1279, requiring the state to pay 7.5% of the retirement cost of local employees, was not tabled, 182-192, then debated. It was not killed, 178-194, passed on a voice vote, and not reconsidered, 179-194. I was opposed because we’ve already added a lot of money to the retirement system this session, but mostly because the state has no input into how many employees a municipality has, nor how much they’re paid. And arguing that the state needs to honor a 60 year old negotiating point strikes me as a very weak argument.
HB 1323, making an appropriation to print the state constitution, was amended to delay the effective date to the next biennium, to include any constitutional amendments approved in November.
It then passed on a voice vote, without comment.
HB 1280, putting a definition of informed consent and patients’ rights into the physicians’ licensing statute, was debated over whether or not it was necessary. It then passed, 189-181. HB 1568, providing Medicaid reimbursement for EMT calls even if the patient is not transported to a hospital, had a few remarks before passing, 237-136.
HB 1607, expanding “safe haven” protections when giving up an infant, was not tabled, 183-187, then debated at length. Interim study failed, 182-189, and a floor amendment to protect mothers from prosecution passed on a voice vote. Debate continued, with some members stating that they wanted to exclude evidence of drug use or whatever, but were unwilling to accept not using evidence of physical or sexual abuse. On that note, a motion was made to divide the bill (as amended), taking out section 5 which was the part making evidence from the abandonment inadmissible in court. That motion passed, 290-82, and the rest of the bill passed, 372-1. Section 5 did not pass, 185-188. I voted for it because I thought it more important to encourage that sort of parent to give up their child than to be able to prosecute them after they did.
It was now 4 pm, and coffee and snacks were available in the anteroom, so many representatives missed some or all of the debate on the next two bills.
HB 1181, on solid waste districts, which seemed to me to be a housekeeping measure allowing such districts to contract with third party haulers, use a manifest system to smooth out the accounts payable system, and authorize emergency expenditures – as other municipal authorities can do now. The committee amendment was debated mostly on the authority to “direct” waste rather than just “accept” it, and passed 223-136. The minority amendment, with more controls on procedures, failed 149-216, and the bill passed on a voice vote.
HB 1223, originally on budget committee membership, had a non-germane amendment allowing towns to vote to accept – or not – games of chance (charity casinos), as they had Keno. It was not tabled, 166-196, then debated on the amendment, which passed 282-86. The bill then passed without further comment.
HB 2024, the state ten year transportation plan, was adopted by passing the committee amendment on a voice vote. Then we debated a floor amendment that deleted a single element of the plan, returning Continental Boulevard in Merrimack to town ownership. Since Continental Boulevard is not really part of the turnpike system, the state wants to give it back. Interestingly, the state is completing a repaving project on the road and estimates annual maintenance costs at about $100,000; the town estimates them at $500,000! That discrepancy, plus the overheated rehashing of the history of the road, made me less sympathetic to Merrimack’s claims; the amendment failed, 172-195 and the bill passed on a voice vote.
HB 1113, requiring shoreland septic systems be inspected before the property is sold and replaced if necessary, had the committee amendment adopted on a voice vote, then a floor amendment to require replacement in 180 days rather than a year was also adopted on a voice vote after a few remarks. The bill passed without further comment.
HB 1121, codifying that landowners can remove woody debris and stream blockages after a flood or a storm without a permit, passed without comment.
HB 1301, regulating wake surfing, was tabled, 196-172. HB 1390, regulating wakesports, was also tabled, 190-178; a later motion to take it off the table failed, 165-188.
HB 1291, allowing two ADUs (accessory dwelling units) per house, by right, was not tabled, 87-277, then debated at length. It passed, 220-143. I supported it because I’ve gotten several communications from constituents who want to build an ADU for themselves or for disabled family members but have run into town regulations that made it difficult or impossible. It also makes sense to allow people to build these small apartments throughout the state rather than large apartment complexes – it preserves the character of our towns much better. Not to mention that the old farmhouses typically housed grandparents, aunts, and some farm HB 1339, requiring towns to allow duplexes in some single family zones, was debated at length before passing, 220-140. I sympathized with the opponents who said it would be difficult to administer, but, like HB 1291, it helps to increase the supply of housing units without drastically changing the character of the neighborhood.
HR 31, urging support of the dignity through prosperity act, was tabled on a voice vote.
At this point, HB 546 was taken off the table after a 182-179 vote. The bill passed, 182-178, and not reconsidered, 172-188. I was opposed to this bill because it added $50 million in school building aid, despite having funded such aid at normal levels in the budget.
HB 1273, protection of personal information from driver’s licenses, went to interim study on a voice vote.
HB 1711, allowing the state to report mental health data to the federal background check database, was not tabled, 150-205. A floor amendment to make it a study committee on the process was killed on a voice vote, then we debated, at some length, a floor amendment to limit the types of reports authorized (not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity, found by a court as a danger to others, but not just to themselves and not before final court judgment.) This failed, 101-252, with all the Republicans from the area, and Representative Turcotte from Allenstown, opposed. After some more debate the bill passed, 204-149.
HB 1637, reducing requirements for repairs after vehicle inspections, had been a unanimous committee vote. The full House adopted the committee amendment and a floor amendment to fix a drafting error, without debate. The bill passed, 349-6.
Finally, a representative moved reconsideration of HB 1283, medical aid in dying. This motion is rarely debated, but this time, both bill supporters and opponents mentioned the time (7 pm) and the eleven speakers already signed up to speak on this bill… Reconsideration failed, 147-210. Personally, I wouldn’t expect a different result this time; we debated the bill for over an hour last week, and everyone knows how they would vote on it. So, with Republicans down due to the hour, even if reconsideration passed the bill would pass again.
Editors note: My apologies for the delay in publishing this.
The post Your State House – A Comprehensive Look At Last Week’s Legislative Activity appeared first on Granite Grok.
As promised in Monday Memes, I have an overflow. My meme cup runneth over. And yes there will be a Friday edition too.
Let the mayhem, mockery, and ridicule resume:
*** Warning, a few possibly off-color ones, in case tender eyes are about ***
>>>>>=====<<<<<
The nice thing is that blue helmets are easily IDed from afar.
This, and a thousand other data points… and there are STILL people who think The Potato is doing a good job. Baffling. Like here:
About a half a heartbeat…
Remember, this guy was the CONSERVATIVE leader…
Sounds kind of like current events, no?
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting someone in the UK who is a pagan; their recounting of some of the end time prophecies from that belief system does also sound somewhat like what we’re seeing. So, again, going back to my old blog and two essays I did about the end times (and, yes, I do apologize for some mild cheesecake at the front, but at the time it seemed like the pictures of women did get a lot of traffic; in retrospect, cheesy and a little crass):
E It was the best of times, it was the end of times 1
E It was the best of times, it was the end of times 2
Hey schmuck – “Safe and effective”, eh? A pity, because I’ve enjoyed many of his movies.
I’d argue to use cinderblocks. A lot cheaper, much more common, just as effective too, and after SHTF we’ll need millstones far more than cinderblocks.
But… but… but we’re sooooo oppresssed!
>>>>>=====<<<<<
PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA
If you’re a member, might want to reconsider that membership. And if you do make the decisions to leave, tell others, and tell Planet Fitness why.
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Links (some from me, some from my Jarhead friend):
Antifa threatens violence at Indiana speaking event featuring Libs of TikTok, GOP congressman | The Post Millennial | thepostmillennial.com
Saw this too late to put into Monday. “You know what to do”. THAT is a dog whistle.
—
Thanks, Joe: Afghan Women are Not Okay – HotAir
ISIS Is at War With the World Again, Thanks to Biden and Putin – PJ Media
Islam advances, and the West is silent. And while I don’t specifically agree with the Jesus references, I do agree with the criticism that NICENESS is going to be Western Civilization’s doom.
Being “Nice” is Destroying Western Civilization (rumble.com)
—
‘White Supremacy’ Is Social Justice Code For ‘Economic and Social Success’ – PJ Media
As anyone like me who has lived in Asia can see clearly, the reason for Asian success in the United States — which, as Hunter Biden has shown, is not entirely meritocratic but meritocratic enough for merit to matter — is that Asians tend not to act like feral animals in places like schools, shopping malls, subway systems, etc.
—
I Want to Stop CBDCs – What Can I Do? – Solari Report
On Point 1: I always use cash to the greatest extent possible. And I need – and you should too – to start writing all the stores you patronize to tell them you like paying in cash. That’s physically writing. Not emailed comments, not comment forms. In this electronic age, actual letters stand out.
Point 11: The problem is that nobody believes me. It’s all Oh so convenient and all… and when I say, with evidence, that CBDC and an all-electronic payment system is rife with risk, the response is inevitably some version of either Oh that can’t happen here or Oh that’s just not possible.
—
Douglas Andrews: Obama to the Rescue? | The Patriot Post
Barackus has no choice but to become visible given The Potato’s screw-ups.
—
K Paul Stoller’s excellent well-written paper on the danger of mRNA technology that is in the mRNA COVID vaccines; it is a bioweapon, it is deadly, it was made to kill; a non-sterilizing vaccine (substack.com)
What Makes All Vaccines So Dangerous? (midwesterndoctor.com)
More on the Jab specifically:
Caught in Their Own Trap? – The Vaccine Reaction
SHOCKING: USA Has Recorded Over 1 Million Excess Deaths Among the Over 65’s Since the FDA “Approved” the COVID-19 Vaccine (substack.com)
And this is fascinating:
Tucker: Why did they push the Covid vax even when they knew it didn’t work? – Whatfinger News’ Choice Clips
Could this effect of the spike protein on the mind, and ability to learn/be independent vs. being an obedient slave, be deliberate? And if yes, how on earth could this have been developed?
—
Creepy Video: Vermont Dems Push Bill Against Gay Porn ‘Book Bans’ In Children’s Libraries – modernity
Seeking to make secret their grooming of kids. Related to that whole thing:
JK Rowling dares police to arrest her for ‘misgendering’ after Scottish hate crime law takes effect | Human Events | humanevents.com
—
The FBI (or people claiming to be the FBI, they would not show ID) are coming to people’s houses to “ask” them about social media posts they have made. Gee, intimidation much?
https://twitter.com/realJoelFischer/status/1773452809347698829
—
A couple posts ago I had an article where Slo-Joe was considering making all the illegal aliens into citizens (of course, so they can vote!). Now the Dems in Congress are actually contemplating that:
Moonbattery Senate Democrats Push to Legalize Illegal Aliens Quickly – Moonbattery
—
Well, the client list for Epstein’s Island still has not been released, but a dedicated data miner has located ALL the phones that were there, showing maps of where they came from, where they went on the island, how long they were on the island, and many other small details. Of course, they did not connect it with NAMES mind you, but just the phone data should be enough (it was for the people who came to the Capitol on January 6th, 2021).:
Bayou Renaissance Man: Very interesting… but where are the details???
Same story, different angle:
Leaked Cell Phone Location Data Reveals 200 Mystery Guests On Epstein’s “Pedo Island” | ZeroHedge
—
It looks like the DOJ was specifically targeting Trump from Day one of Biden’s administration, and Merrick Garland is actually getting flack from them for not putting Trump away by now:
Biden’s DOJ Targeted Trump From Day 1 – Daniel Greenfield / Sultan Knish Articles at DanielGreenfield.org
—
Dems are very worried as the latest polling data suggest that young adults are leaning toward Trump, so they are throttling back on signing up young voters:
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/04/01/dnc-activists-warns-democrats-to-stop-registering-young-voters-theyre-gonna-vote-for-trump
—
Are you ready for your “Social Credit Score”? Don’t want one? Well, the banks are already setting it up for you, so you’re getting one whether you want it or not. This video is about 1 hour & 20 minutes, but the meat is in the first 14 minutes:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/americans-quietly-assigned-china-like-social-credit-scores-5619690
—
Poland Quietly Confirms NATO Troops Are Deployed in Ukraine – Vigilant News Network
Closer and closer to the edge we get.
—
Biden raises alarm bells with outright lie about pro-transgender Easter proclamation: ‘If he didn’t do this, then who did?’ | Blaze Media (theblaze.com)
Two possibilities. He did and is now denying it (or doesn’t remember)… or he didn’t, which means – duh! – that he’s not really in charge. Neither is comforting.
—
SLOWLY… SLOWLY… (youtube.com)
This Bill Whittle video in conclusion. From 11 years ago. We must – MUST – remember, all that is currently happening was scripted years… decades… in advance. We’re only now waking up to it.
>>>>>=====<<<<<
To that “doctor”…. please get boosted. Make sure to take choline supplements for a month before too as it makes the Jab work better.
Always loved Bugs Bunny.
Mental illness. Pure and simple.
It’s not enough to boycott. Tell them why.
Tyson Foods
2200 W. Don Tyson Parkway
Springdale, AR 72762
Well, let’s be clear. Crime, visibly, will go up. But prosecutions and convictions will go down.
This picture, right there, should be enough to shock anyone. Now I want you to imagine flipping this, and Trump had done this. Can you even begin to imagine the outrage and calls for him to be removed from office over something like this?
If it weren’t for double standards, Liberals wouldn’t have any.
Blasphemy. This makes me sick.
Understand that, years and years and years ago, as a newly-minted atheist &&&
Definitely troubling.
Interesting how I’ve evolved. I used to have no problem at all with the idea of gays marrying. Now, while I certainly don’t advocate stonings or anything, I’m far less tolerant than I used to be.
All these nitwits think that their lives will be heaven when civilization falls are in for a very rude awakening.
Something does seem to be coming…
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Pick of the Post:
There is probably no simpler visual than this on what the enemedia is – which is deception and alteration of reality.
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Palate cleansers:
—
Knowing from personal experience?
—
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Come back on Friday for more memes. Same meme time. Same meme channel.
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Revisiting and slightly editing a quote I originated in 2020 (I can prove it) but, here it is:
You cannot make a person see something when his view of himself as a superior being – good / highly-educated / intellectual / morally-superior – depends on his not seeing it.
(c) 2024, NITZAKHON
The post Meme Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.
Families and kids need your help in stopping this bad bill, and your opposition to it must be made known by Wednesday night, 04/03/2024, at the latest.
SB459 bill adds emotional and psychological harm as benchmarks for the presumption of harm to a child. While we acknowledge that psychological abuse is real, it is not something that can be measured. Only objective, measurable, quantifiable metrics should be used as a reason to terminate parental rights. We fear the consequences of this bill will be that parents will end up bringing in their experts to oppose the state’s experts with opposing opinions, leaving children stuck in the middle because of the subjective nature of the metrics.
This Republican-sponsored bill has some explaining to do. If this bill were to substitute parents, guardians, or caretakers for PUBLIC SCHOOLS, I would agree with it. With public schools using social-emotional learning (SEL) to identify which students are in tier 1, 2 or 3 of mental health intervention, also known as the Multi-Tier System of Support for Behavioral Health and Wellness (MTSS-B, the mental health piece of the SEL pie) this would give DCYF superpowers to intervene and possibly take kids from families. This could increase DCYF’s caseload by 10 to 20 percent, and DCYF/DHHS plans on hiring 35 new people, costing the state about 4 million a year (see fiscal note section on the bill).
The intention for creating this bill may be right, but it’s a horrible bill by adding emotional, social, and even psychological health into the bill. It uses vague, non-concrete words like recklessly, attention, emotional, or psychological well-being. Emotional, social, and psychological are unable to be 100% reproducible where each person tested would produce exactly the same results. Each person is different (you like hunting Bambi to put food on your table, and I think it’s emotionally traumatic to kill an animal, or you like allowing abortions up to 6 months, and I am traumatized that anyone could let this happen).
We want to thank Rep John Sellers for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.
Look at sections 6 and 7 closely… Shoot, look at this whole bill very closely; there are just too many things I see as wrong and subjective. It just gives DCYF more power and leaves the parents, guardians, and caretakers helpless.
OPPOSE OTP – SB459
The full bill if you would like to read it:
https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/pdf.aspx?id=22701&q=billVersionThe post Action Alert: Ask Your State Senator to Oppose SB459 Today! appeared first on Granite Grok.
Last year, we shared some content suggesting that RFK Jr. could make a good VP choice for Trump. The idea was trashed (for good reason). Bobby is great on health freedom but too liberal on everything else. After choosing Nicole Shanahan for his VP, anyone on the right willing to look the other way can’t even do that anymore.
If RFK Jr.’s progressive proclivities beyond individual health rights and reigning in the regulatory abuses were a risk worth taking, Shanahan, the mega-wealthy, ultra-left-wing albatross, is too much to bear.
Related: I’d Never Want RFK Jr for Trump’s VP… But How About as His Sec. of Health and Human Services?
She is being marketed as a young, pulled-up her own bootstraps girl lifting herself out of poverty. She loved public school, was sexually harassed in the workplace (at least once), and finally rose to financial and social prominence by marrying a billionaire she later divorced and milked for a small fortune. Be that as it may, these days, she is a left-wing lawyer and a proglodyte “philanthropist” who married into big money, amassed wealth, and is a threat to liberty and individual rights.
Shanahan Hearts Liberalism.
Kennedy’s curveball choice of billionaire divorcee Nicole Shanahan, 38, immediately accomplished three things. Nicole’s wealth flooded Kennedy’s campaign coffers. It tantalized Klaus Schwab-loving liberals leaning away from Biden. And most importantly, it instantly turned Kennedy into a scratched-for-violations-at-the-gate non-starter with any Republican anywhere for any reason, period. …
I apologize to our Kennedy fans. In truth, there’s everything to love about Kennedy’s stance on vaccines. Lifelong democrat Nicole Shanahan seems to share Kennedy’s distrust of all jabs, and she also thinks the regulatory agencies have been captured by pharma. Great stuff. But on every other conservative issue, Nicole is politically toxic. There’s just no way.
The upside is that Democrats are freaking out. Whatever lack of concern they had for RFJ Jr. pre-Shananan has evaporated as the party and its presstitutes fan anti-Kennedy Narratives as if they’ve got the collective vapors.
Their avocado toast is mostly just toast and plus it tastes rancid in their now-dry mouths. Their champagne cocktails are totally watered down, and they think there’s a hair in it. They lack even the strength to demand to see a manager.
All the blood has drained from their nerveless, botoxed faces — because a horrifying possibility just occurred to them. ..
The horrifying possibility presented to deep state democrats is that a viable, Ross Perot-like third party candidate aimed at democrats makes cheating more complicated. Not just a little more complicated. For lots of different reasons, a third-party Kennedy/Shanahan ticket makes cheating insanely more complicated.
Can the Democrats still steal the election if the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket siphons off enough votes to make it logistically daunting?
I’m not saying that’ll stop the uniparty from keeping Trump out of office. They’ll certainly try to use Congress to decertify or refuse to certify an electoral college win. There’s also that dark corner we mention only rarely. If all fails, would they try to have him killed?
If you wanted a real insurrection, you’d likely do it.
The post RFK Jr.’s “Appeal” Shifts as VP Shanahan Makes It Impossible for Anyone on the Right to Vote for Him appeared first on Granite Grok.
Far from a perfect answer. Not even a very good answer … as RFK, Jr. accepted CNN’s nonsense that questioning an obviously rigged election is somehow the equivalent of trying to overthrow the government. BUT … he hit the nail on the head about the threat the Biden-Regime poses to democracy. You canNOT have a functional democracy when the political party in power gets to control the information available to the voters.
RFK Jr. admits Biden is the greatest threat to democracy we’ve ever faced, far worse than Trump’s criticisms of the integrity of the 2020 election. pic.twitter.com/hNhMc2q3Le
— @amuse (@amuse) April 2, 2024
Needles to say the Koch-bot-“Republican”-imposters that control the NHGOP would have a far different take, along the lines of … “Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc. are PRIVATE companies and if they want to work with the FBI, CIA, NIH to censor information and to disseminate misinformation they have every right in the world to do so!!!”
Slava Ukraine! Workforce housing! Slava! Don’t Mass Up New Hampshire! Slava! Slava!
The post RFK, Jr. On The Threat The Biden-Regime Poses To Democracy appeared first on Granite Grok.