We learned that we were able to get through reconsideration of HB154 (reconsideration failed), 44 regular calendar bills and 1 bill pulled off consent, between 9 am and 5:30 pm, with an hour for lunch (thankfully provided by the NH Nurses Association). Everyone was prepared to stay much longer into the evening, but speeches were relatively short, and we had a nice amount of voice votes on bills, too!

Caucus members brought in snacks to share, and the anteroom was filled with all sorts of goodies to enjoy between votes, including snacks provided by the Republican Women of NH.  As far as the day went, we had a mixed bag of lots of things, and Republicans managed to stick around until the end. You’ll notice a lot of “Indefinite Postponement”…. that is the ultimate kill motion.

We learned that HB1111 passed with a roll called OTP/A motion of 197-179. This bill provides for a penalty to folks who intentionally file false reports of child abuse and neglect. Some people are just nasty that way and try to make trouble for people by filing such false reports. This bill sends some aggravation back their way!

We also learned that HB1633, yet another cannabis legalization bill, passed 239-141 on a division vote (not roll call). It is now off to Ways and Means. This bill sets up 15 state-regulated retail outlets, prohibits sale to anyone 21 or younger, and ensures the safety and purity of the product. This was a bipartisan bill that was put together trying to incorporate favorable elements of past failed cannabis legalization legislation. It does not allow for home grow. If it does ever pass the House on the next shot, it’ll be interesting to see what the Senate does with, or to, it. Paging Sen. Lang….

We learned that HB1649, which came out of the Commerce Committee, passed on a voice vote. This bill would prohibit the production and sale of any product with intentionally added PFAs (aka poly fluoroalkyl substances – or “forever chemicals”) in an attempt to prevent said products from contaminating our landfills and water supply. Apparently, these products contain PFAs and will be banned from sale in NH after July 1, 2028. We’re talking about things like carpets, cosmetics, textile treatments, feminine hygiene products, food packaging and containers, juvenile products, personal protective equipment, upholstered furniture, and textile furnishings. I am not sure how that is going to work out, but manufacturers are going to have to figure out how to produce these things without toxic chemicals in them. Of course, there will be exemptions, including products made with 85% recycled content, products manufactured before the ban date, and replacement parts for products manufactured before the ban date. Again, we’ll see what the Senate does with this one… they get to pick their poison – so to speak.

Additionally, we learned that HB1050 was ultimately killed via Indefinite Postponement 204-177. This bill would have allowed a person to voluntarily put themselves on a list, waiving their rights to purchase a firearm. It would have authorized the NH Dept. of Safety to establish a voluntary ”do not sell list” ostensibly to allow folks who thought they were a danger to themselves or others, or who hate guns enough not to want to ever own one, to place themselves on said list. It was another dumb idea by Rep. David Meuse (D-Portsmouth) and cosponsoring Democrats to restrict 2nd amendment rights. These people just love lists. Of course there were issues of privacy of these lists and how they may be used or abused. We can just imagine therapists or doctors telling their patients that they would no longer be treated unless they put themselves on a list. There are all sorts of ugly things that can happen when lists are involved. As far as I am concerned, this bill can be put on the list of dumb anti 2nd amendment bills that need to be killed.

Speaking of gun bills, we learned that HB1186 passed OTP/A 203-174. This bill would prohibit a merchant category code from being used in NH that would denote a firearm or accessory was purchased. Citizens have a right to privacy. It’s no one’s business what you buy, especially as it relates to firearms. In 2023, seven states prohibited the use of these codes. Major credit card companies paused their plans to implement the use of these codes because states are making it illegal to do so. I’m glad we are following suit on this. In New Hampshire, we recently enshrined a citizen’s right to privacy in our Constitution… this is an extension of that right. It might be called the NUNYA Act… as in NUNYA business.

We also learned that another good gun bill, HB1339 passed on a voice vote. This bill creates a fair process to get firearms returned to their rightful owners following confiscation by law enforcement or court proceedings. It is a major improvement to the ambiguities and delays in firearms returns in the current law. Seeing as this was the 7th anniversary of the passage of Constitutional Carry in NH, it seems fitting this bill was passed in the House today.

We further learned that HB1128 was killed with Indefinite Postponement 191-187. This bill would have shut down the Education Tax Credit and Education Freedom Accounts by preventing the operations of the administering third party contractor, The Childrens Scholarship Fund, because it is not a NH registered entity. This bill was the brainchild of Rep. David Luneau (D-Hopkinton), who hates Education Freedom Accounts and is trying every angle he can find to kill this wildly successful and effective educational program. The Children Scholarship Fund is a non-profit organization registered in NY that works with 22 partner organizations in 19 other states. It has successfully managed our EFA program and has helped thousands of families and students in our state. This makes Democrats angry… so angry they want to dismantle its operation in NH. Thankfully they got an “F”, as in Fail, on this bill.

We also learned that HB1288 passed 192-185 in a roll call the vote. This bill establishes certain due process rights for students, student organizations and faculty members facing disciplinary actions by state institutions of higher learning. Due process is always a good thing. You can see the 185 who think it is not a good thing.

We learned that a $130 million education spending bill passed 228-150. HB1583 changes the education funding formula and increases per-pupil spending and staff salaries. As if $3.8 billion in education spending in NH is not already enough…. Rep. Mike Belcher (R-Wakefield) gave a great speech about education funding and how much money we are spending yet getting poor results in proficiency tests. His floor speech centered on how these enormous funds are now being spent. He said, “Money is being spent on divisive DEI programming, turning classroom environments in therapy sessions, and incorporating general healthcare services into schools. The path forward to a genuinely adequate education requires reversing course on these trends, cuts to these departments and staff, and returning to academics. The exorbitant funding is the problem and not the solution because schools have demonstrated time and time again that when we fund them in excess of what is necessary to deliver an adequate education, they will use those funds on programs that are objectively harmful to their mission.” He’s not wrong. Additionally, he’s not impressed with what is going on in the courts with regard to determination on education funding… Our job as a legislature is not to kowtow to the courts or the judiciary but to do our job as delegated to us by the NH Constitution. As far as I am concerned, this is not an issue of funding, this is an issue of whether or not we are doing the proper things in our schools to educate our students and producing proficiency in the subjects they are there to learn about. Class dismissed.

We learned that the perennial bill (HB1426) having to do with establishing an “independent” advisory redistricting commission was killed via Indefinite Postponement 192-186. Do people seriously think they can assemble an “independent, unbiased group of people” to decide these things? Pfft… right… and I have a bridge to sell ya too.

We learned that we will allow machines to capture the digital images of voting ballots. New digital ballot tabulating machines will allow voters to do their own audits, and check how their own ballot was tallied, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. All election data will be under the control and auspices of the Secretary of State. Our vote on this bill, HB1577, passed 193-182, and you can check the accuracy of that Roll Call vote online.

We learned that the NH organic farm certification program will be defunded and will only continue until the end of 2024. Continuation of this program with HB1184 would have cost an additional $220,000 and would always be taxpayer-subsidized. Currently, there are 4000 farms in NH. Only 132 are certified organic, and of those, only 66 are NH certified. So, the current program only serves 66 farms. These farms can be certified by other agencies in VT, ME, and MA. The vote to discontinue the program was through a failed OTP motion of 187 NO to 185 YES then a voice vote in favor of ITL and a reconsideration motion of 193 NO and 182 YES.

We learned that the bill that would ban retail pet stores in NH died with an ITL motion 260 YES -117 NO. This bill would allow the six retail pet stores to stay in business for now but not allow new ones to be established. The reason proponents wanted this bill was to stop retail pet stores from getting their animals from “puppy mills.” Instead of dealing with the sourcing issue, they’d just like to shut down these stores altogether. It is an initiative by the Humane Society, who, of course, do not mind having these stores showcasing their shelter animals…. Nor do they mind getting a monopoly on the pet sales business. We’ve seen this bill in prior years. This anti-business bill barked up the wrong tree and ultimately was euthanized.

We learned that the Licensure and Regulation of Music Therapists bill was back again (HB1394) and passed this time with OTP/A 194-186. It’s the same old tune… license us so we can get insurance companies to pay for our services.

We also learned that the House passed, through a voice vote, a municipal disaster relief bill (HB1466), which will help municipalities get roads passable with quick funding from the state (up to $100,000) after a natural disaster. This now goes to Finance, and we hope there won’t be any roadblocks.

We learned that HB1322, the minimum wage bill, died with indefinite postponement 193-187. That was a good thing. Unfortunately, the Right To Work bill (HB1377) also failed with a roll called indefinite postponement 212-168. Opponents of the Right to Work bill keep claiming that it is a “Union Busting Bill”, but other states that have passed Right To Work have not experienced busted up unions.

Additionally, we learned that HB1709 passed on a voice vote. This bill establishes a commission to study the effects regarding taxing land that is used for carbon credits. The sale of carbon credits in place of harvesting timber is a relatively new concept. The commission will examine how this practice will affect the timber business, municipal timber taxes, and all the services surrounding timber harvesting in NH.

We also learned that HB1472 died on a voice vote to ITL after several other motions were made and voted on. We spent an hour on this bill alone. Rep. Michael Vose (R-Epping) declared this bill a “Reverse Robin Hood scheme.” What this bill would have done is taken money from the Renewable Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI – that ratepayers pay into and get rebates from), and given it to subsidize the purchase of Electric Vehicles for the rich people who are buying them. The whole idea is shocking.

Finally, we learned that in honor of Black History Month, Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D-Peterborough) gave a fabulous speech honoring past and current black members of the New Hampshire House. We are fortunate to have such a proud history and a spirit of diversity as part of our NH House. We thank Rep. Wheeler for reading the names and providing us with a worthwhile history lesson.

There’s more to come when we reconvene on March 7th!

The post So Kids, What Did We Learn From This Week’s House Session (2/22/24)? appeared first on Granite Grok.

The reimaging of CO2 as a planetary poison (by Marxists bent on controlling people while destroying capitalism) is silly. Still, it presents opportunities to embarrass these systemic dumbasses that might not otherwise be possible when their wingnuttery gets the best of them in other ways.

For example, making the batteries to store wind and sun energy (more like coal, gas, and oil) ruins ecosystems and indigenous people, but that happens too far away to see. If you bring it up to these self-proclaimed defenders of ecosystems and indigenous people, they call you names and pretend it’s not true. It’s a common theme. Progressives must pretend a great deal to prevent reality from colliding with the fantasy of their politics.

The energy needed to “recycle” from cleaning to moving to processing to shipping it to China (where they dump a lot of it in the ocean) to recovering and prepping and then remanufacturing what can be used has a tremendous “carbon” footprint and even Green advocates have admitted it is neither beneficial nor a good use of our energy or effort. (Hint: burying it instead of shipping it to Southeast Asia would keep more of it out of the ocean, and doesn’t shipping emit emissions or something?).

Lab-grown meat. Fake meat from plants. Both have significant CO2-related impacts, greater than that which they are meant to replace, but we’re meant to ignore all of that, and right about now (roughly 200+ words into it), you’re wondering where the lactation bit from the headline comes in.

“…a leaked letter from a University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust medical director claimed that milk produced by trans women, with the help of drugs, is “comparable to that produced following the birth of a baby.”  …

The letter went on to convey certain guidelines that allow trans women to produce milk through “induced lactation.” They must take the hormone progesterone to develop milk-producing glands. Other drugs, such as domperidone, which is given to biological women who are having difficulty breastfeeding, are needed to help stimulate the production of prolactin, another hormone that signals the body to produce breast milk.

Putting tits on a bull and lactating ones at that, and why not? We’ve got the technology, and it’d be like the #wokest thing ever—a culmination of time, energy, and chemistry for another completely unnecessary purpose (the actual women who gave birth are already lactating). It is an unnecessary purpose, which, I’d have to guess, comes with a significant carbon footprint.

All that R&D, manufacturing, distribution, storage, public health space, staffing, and record-keeping to make and track the injections (you can never stop or you’ll stop lactating), and you’d be right to wonder – the same way you look at that food container you have to wash before taking it to the recycling center – is this whole process really emitting less by the time it’s all done? It’s not, but just like the not-so-green movement it toto, you’ve missed the point.

The idea is that you are trying to do something the political left loves, and this is more important than anything else. Drugs won the war on drugs, crime is winning the war on crime, women’s rights belong to men now, and so on. The left is your shit-face cousin who has never had a real job but is somehow in charge of everything.

And it doesn’t matter that millions of women choose not to breastfeed (or have abortions), which means that men pretending to be women don’t need to feel weird about not needing or doing either. It’s that one woman, somewhere, chose to breastfeed, so it makes medical and mental health sense to find a complex chemical means to ensure that you can charge a man a fee (or, more likely, taxpayers a fee) to make them lactate (probably in prison).

Lottie Moore from the think tank Policy Exchange, which exposed the letter, told the Telegraph: “This letter is unbalanced and naïve in its assertion that the secretions produced by a male on hormones can nourish an infant in the way a mother’s breast milk can.”

Man milk is to actual breastfeeding as Bud Light is to beer. It’s not really beer. It just looks like it, and until Mulvaney started “lactating” Bud Light, there were a lot more people who thought it was (beer). They’ve since seen a different light, but there are still plenty (too many) folks who cling to the idea, probably because, in this economy, it’s a beer they can afford, unlike the treatments for man milk, which is not to be confused with … nevermind.

Anyway.

The quality of the lactation “product” isn’t even the point. It’s not about the children. This is about reputation enhancement. Look what we did. We killed 40 million unborn babies or made humanized mice, the (cough-cough) cure for COVID, and no lactating man boobs (Kramer’s going to be rich), which is an exciting goal given that most of what passes for gender justice is a little more than the century-old progressive sterilization agenda man-whore in a new dress.

You’ve ruined humanity and the planet, but hey, he’s Got Milk!

The post You Say You Can Make Men Lactate … But Won’t That Destroy The Planet? appeared first on Granite Grok.

When animal products are no longer made by animals, what do we call them?

When people invent new products it would be helpful if they renamed them.

There are plant-based “milks” – coconut milk, almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, soy milk, etc. are helpful to those with allergies to cow’s milk.

They are not actually real cows milk or any mammal milk, they are plant based and advertised as such. These products are useful to those who are allergic to cows’ milk, but some are sensitive to plant-based concoctions as well. Now we have a new player “Remilk”!

Not from cows or plants but Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) by way of “microbial fermentation” and yeast.

Consumers deserve the truth about where our food comes from! Remilk calls it “real milk,” but is it? The new buzzword for the greenies is “animal-free” and “cruelty-free,” and the Precision Fermentation Alliance (PFA) is going to make intelligent purchasing more difficult. For example, a label may say a product is “animal free” but may have animal-based fats incorporated into the mix. Therefore, one may think they are buying vegan milk but in the creation, animal fats are used.

We want to thank Julie P. for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.

The PFA is collaborating with the GFI (Good Food Institute), a nonprofit advocating for ethical and sustainable alternatives to industrialized animal agriculture on precision fermentation nomenclature, research that GFI is conducting. If the content of what you’re consuming is important to you, you may want to look deeper into how and what created it.

Remilk is not plant or mammal based. Remilk is an Israeli food company using microbial fermentation. They claim that the products are indistinguishable from “old-fashioned” dairy, “sporting the same taste, texture, and yumminess! And all that heavenly goodness is minus the lactose, cholesterol, hormones, and antibiotics.” They always add “antibiotics” as a scare tactic. When a dairy cow is treated with antibiotics, the milk is flushed/dumped. The hormones in cows’ milk are considered safe by the FDA and WHO. Yet, what health benefits does Remilk have that real dairy doesn’t?

Lab grown milk has the approval of the US, Canadian and other governments. Milk protein that doesn’t use any animals in its production is pitched as an eco-friendly alternative to milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream called “Remilk.” They copied the “gene” responsible for milk and added water and yeast, and they made what they call a milk replacement or milk.

Doesn’t stop at milk. General Mills is using similar technology to produce animal-free cheese. Startup company New Culture makes mozzarella with dairy proteins made by microbes.

During the ’90s, GMOs got a bad rap from consumers, and manufacturers have worked hard to normalize the practice in foods. The younger GenZ and millennials are more perceptive to using technology that is pitched to save the planet. But does it? Dairy and meat cows give us many byproducts besides food, such as; anti-aging creams, cosmetics, medicines, fertilizer, adhesives, textiles, leather, plastics, paint, lubricants, rubber, and much much more! They also provide us with beautiful green fields and byproducts that are part of the circle of life.

The lies spun by the globalists about livestock are absurd.

We should always demand transparency from our government with regard to our foods, yet much is being done to keep us in the dark under the use of GMO, bioengineered generic terms, saving the planet, eliminating livestock, and rewilding farms. How do we know it’s safe?

I’m not promoting this product as good or bad. I wouldn’t know I’m not a geneticist, and I was unable to find details on human testing. Besides, I’m perfectly satisfied with real milk and dairy products from cows and goats for many reasons. Knowing about Remilk is just one more reason we shouldn’t be coerced into GMO foods because we have to eat.

If you are concerned about where your food comes from, become informed and do your own research …Buy local, help save a farm.

The post Night Cap: Remilk – “Real Dairy – No Cows” appeared first on Granite Grok.

Atlanta, Georgia, is not only home to CNN, the CDC headquarters, and human trafficking, but it will be hosting the first-ever Crisis Actors Academy Awards this month.

After another year of lackluster participation from actual terrorists, school shooters, mass demonstrators, a recalcitrant climate, and the general public will create crises, the Federal Association of Kinetic Entertainment (FAKE) is set to honor the greatest performances from the quickly growing cottage-cheese industry of crisis acting.

What is crisis acting?  In a world needing to be constantly prepared for the next false flag or staged tragedy, the rise of crisis acting firms, such as Crisis Cast, provide high-level lived experiences so real you’ll think you’re watching a movie.  Using state-of-the-art Hollywood-level productions replete with casts, crews, scripts, and special effects, these teams of high-level fakers can create the most stunningly realistic scenarios, having the viewers, and even some participants, feeling like the blood is actually on their hands.

Who uses these services?  Anyone needing a crisis or anticipating a crisis to justify their massive budget and authority needs to keep people in a constant state of terror so they can be easily manipulated.  Does your town need a school shooting?  Maybe climate alarmism isn’t quite catching on in your quiet Midwestern county?  Slow news days have you worried the local station might get shut down?  You’re just one well-oiled faux-calamity production away from putting you back in the driver’s seat of political persuasion.

Some critics of the crisis acting industry express concerns these tools could be used in the wrong hands to mislead the public into thinking actual children were shot when, in fact, it was just acting!  A group of concerned homeschool moms has formed a group called Ladies Institute Against Reality Scenarios (LIARS), intent on exposing this dangerous trend.  Founder Sandy Hooksett says, “If my child is going to be shot, I want it to be real, not some after-school performance that scares me half to death and makes me late to Yogalates.”  Who can argue with that?

For the aspiring crisis actor who has yet to hone their chops, there are plenty of free opportunities to get into the minor leagues of social legerdemain by getting into some Beautiful Trouble.  Here, you can team up with other pretend people by choosing from a variety of causes to crisis about.  Not sure you want to pay for that smartphone?  Yomango gives you license to lift while pretending you’re lifting others out of poverty.  Are you rich and lazy but still want to give that rebel yell?  Banner hanging a sign in your yard about people you’d never live next to mattering is a great way to dip your toe into the critical sea of change.  Anyone can act, which is the point, because all the world is a stage, and if you want to get some of the limelight, you need to steal it from the next guy.  As Keith Richard’s grandson sang – you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need.

“Never let a crisis go to waste” are the words famously spoken by current President Obama’s former Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, and with the budgets these companies are spending, we can see why.  The average cost of a mass shooting scenario can run up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars when you factor in police uniforms, unmarked vehicles, helicopter sounds, blank rounds, special effects, scriptwriters, and the nearly 200 available cast members on retainer, including media personalities.

Thanks to the real-world results of these massive frauds, the industry is finally recognizing its talent with the coveted Fony Award, which looks identical to an Oscar yet is a cheap imitation. Genius.

Here are some of the categories:

Best Heart Broken Parent of a School Shooting Victim

Best Medical Examiner

Best Strange Neighbor Man Who Likes Dolls

Best Doctor Warning During A Pandemic

Best Writing of an Obituary

Best Writing for International Terrorist Attack

Best Make-up for a Foreign Crisis

Best Insurrection Ensemble

Best Tax-payer Funded Crisis Acting Program

Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mass Shooting (*strong language warning*)

Best Ensemble In A Series of Crises  

Best Female Lead in Ukraine-Russia War

Best Police Chief In A Series

Best Whistleblower Who Gets Martyred

Most Realistic Call for Gun Control Following A Mass Shooting

Best Animated Wounded Guy

Best Impassioned Speech Following A Shooting

Hosting the award show will be long-time crisis actor and host of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, who will also be giving a lifetime achievement award to Nayirah for her role in starting a war with Iraq.

 

The post Bananas: The First Annual Crisis Actors Award Goes To… appeared first on Granite Grok.

This is an attempt to “break out” memes, links, and my commentary about the situation in Israel / the Middle East so as to not overload the standard meme posts that I do.  My last “normal” meme post.  In these Israel-related posts I don’t just have memes such, but lots of informative links as well as hopefully-insightful commentary.

Note that this is not meant to be a day-by-day update about what’s going on.  Rather, to highlight uncomfortable truths about the actual nature of the conflict, deep-history background, and so on, as well as to show the at-present immutable nature of Islamic hatred of Jews and why that matters to today’s events.

Note that these posts do not repeat information – so there is a lot of stuff in prior posts.  Please do check them out too if this is a topic of interest to you.  In reverse chronological order:

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Still More Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Even More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Memes and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Memes and Commentary – Granite Grok

With some Israel-related materials here:

Meme Overflow – Granite Grok

 

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

 

TOP OF THE FOLD

As much as I am suspicious of Bibi and, as I’ve said repeatedly, his star has fallen far, he is absolutely correct in this:

Netanyahu against Biden’s Palestinian State initiative:

“We will not submit to international dictates regarding a political settlement with the Palestinians. The settlement will only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions. We will not be ready for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. There can be no greater reward for terrorism.” .

—

 

“Sharmuta” means wh*re or b*tch in Arabic – don’t mess with Israeli women pic.twitter.com/FInURUEsD4

— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) February 16, 2024

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/female-israeli-soldier-pushes-arab-back.mp4

 

He’s now been dishonored in public by being pushed around by a woman.

—

‘Why Doesn’t Hamas Go to Hell and Hide There?’: Other Voices from Gaza :: Gatestone Institute

Voice of sanity.  Too rare.

 

 

WAR & WHEN WILL IT END?

Reflections on Israel’s New Existential War – VDH’s Blade of Perseus (victorhanson.com)

Israel now knows there is no living with a precivilizational Hamas. It must destroy it, permanently block off Gaza from itself, and adopt a strategy of chronic disproportionate response from now on out.

Another reflection – by someone who should know Hamas very, very well.

Son of Hamas commentary (rumble.com)

—

From here:

Meet Faisal Ali Mussalem Al Naami (in black). He’s a social worker for UNRWA by profession. On October 7, he took a road trip into Beeri with a friend.
I wonder if abduction of Israelis comes in the job description of an UNRWA social worker?
Damning evidence exposed by the Washington Post.

Psychopaths!

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/faisal-in-black-vid.mp4

 

But Israel is supposed to trust the UN?  ANY country is supposed to trust the UN?

—

 

 

Succinctly put.  So I echo this guy’s commentary about the casualty figure:

I echo this: Why I don’t care about Gaza casualties (rumble.com)

And one other video, from here today:

Can you count how many “civilians” are entering into Israel on October 7, assisting Hamas terrorists?

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/This_video_taken_during_the_invasion_of_Israel__by_HamasRapists.mp4

 

These are all REGULAR GAZANS pouring in to look, rob, rape, and murder.  And celebrating when their fellows returned:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/New_video_from_October_7th_show_Gazans_celebrating_as_Hamas_terrorists.mp4

 

 

To cite the example of Winston Churchill who replied, when someone asked about the innocent Germans being caught up in the bombing – “There are no innocent Germans”.

Should Israel Spare the Gazan “Innocents”?: Madeline Brooks | the “silent” majority no more! (thesilentmajoritynomore.com)

Hamas’ threats to “cut off heads,” slit throats,” and “slaughter every Jew on the planet” in 2019 were ignored

Hamas bodycam video shows early moments of massacre and tunnels under Gaza | CNN

Same here.  There are no innocent Gazans.

 

 

Interview with Palestinian family – BEFORE Oct. 7, 2023 (rumble.com)

Hamas: Palestinian Civilians Are Also Terrorists :: Gatestone Institute

Down to children.

WATCH: Child in Gaza Pledges to Become Martyr for Hamas | United with Israel

What’s in the Palestinian text books? (rumble.com)

‘Palestinian’ Mother: I Will Happily Sacrifice My 17 Children, 65 Grandchildren for the Sake of Allah – Geller Report

‘Stab! Stab! Stab!’ Palestinian girl brandishes knife in Facebook video | The Times of Israel

 

Chilling footage of kindergartners re-enacting terrorist drills in Gaza

 

 

Another video about it being a “religion of peace”:

On Islam being a “religion of peace” (rumble.com)

War is an ugly business, and the harder and faster it’s done, the better.  And yet, despite having the ability to carpet bomb Gaza into powder…

Urban warfare expert says Israeli military taking unprecedented steps to protect Gaza civilians | Fox News

 

 

 

 

 

 

ISLAM: PRACTICES, HISTORY, AND MENTALITY

From here:

The president of the country revealed at the security conference in Munich: the book “The End of the Jews” – the Guide for the destruction of the Jewish people written by one of the founders of the terrorist organization Hamas, Mahmoud al-Zahar – was found in a house in the al-Furkan neighborhood in Gaza.

 

 

“Peace partners”.

—

From this post:

February 10, Bataclan music venue in Paris

Young people chant Free Palestine, voicing opposition against the IDF’s decision to eradicate the Islamist terror group Hamas.

November 13, 2015

Islamists from ISIS enter Bataclan and murder 90 concert-goers

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/bataclan-crowd.mp4

 

If you are a kaffir you need killing in their eyes.  Period.  Doesn’t matter if you’re supportive.

—

Palestinian minister engages in fake crying at the ICJ ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

Understand this: lying in jihad is a highly-refined art to them.  Related is this excellent series:

Hezbollah’s narrative on Al-Aqsa Flood: Tailored to appeal to specific Western sensibilities | FDD’s Long War Journal

Part II – Hezbollah’s narrative on Al-Aqsa Flood: Tailored to appeal to specific Western sensibilities | FDD’s Long War Journal

Part III – Hezbollah’s narrative on Al-Aqsa Flood: Tailored to appeal to specific Western sensibilities | FDD’s Long War Journal

I need to resurrect this video, below, about Vietnam and how the actual military defeat of the Communists Sin the Tet Offensive was “spun” by the Communists and their media allies to drive America to voluntarily lose the war.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/analogies-to-the-tet-offensive.mp4

 

—

 

 

—

About all that Muslim disinformation alleging Jews were very happy living under Islamic rule for centuries… (barenakedislam.com)

Also, excellent book on the “paradise” that is alleged about Islamic-ruled Spain:

The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise: Muslims, Christians, and Jews under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain

 

 

ATROCITIES

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/bodies-talk.mp4

 

—

Hamas didn’t just gang-rape, they forced the families to watch. Most rape victims of Hamas on October 7 were killed either before or during rape; several victims’ genitals were mutilated beyond recognition. – Geller Report

Hamas rapes Israel & related atrocities | Power Line (powerlineblog.com)

The report’s executive summary emphasizes the finding highlighted by the Times of Israel: “The report clearly demonstrates that sexual abuse was not an isolated incident or sporadic cases but rather a clear operational strategy.” It seems to me that the systematic evil of these atrocities — their brutality, degradation, and sickness — at least equals and may exceed that of the “Final Solution” implemented by the Nazis.

Horrors.

WATCH: ‘Hamas rapes were according to guidelines’ | World Israel News

Video.

ISRAEL releases shocking report about the sexual violence and genital mutilations committed by Hamas against Israeli hostages during the October 7th terror attack (WARNING: Graphic Content) (barenakedislam.com)

 

 

ON INTERSECTIONALITY / LEFTIST SUPPORT

 

 

What ever happened to “believe all women” and #metoo?

—

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/bill-maher-on-college-students.mp4

 

—

How to hit your wife properly.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/wife-beating-codified-in-islam.mp4

 

 

 

PALLYWOOD & MEDIA DISTORTIONS/LIES IN GENERAL

The official Arab media released a publication that went viral in which IDF soldiers begin to flood a tunnel with seawater when suddenly a Mujahideen squad from the Al-Qassam Battalions
Bomb the IDF soldiers!!!
But it didn’t really happen…
Hamas was desperate to show some success overall, and they put together two well-edited videos and managed to make even the media believe this Pallywood.
Watch the video in slow motion and decide for yourself!

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/pallywood-in-slow-motion.mp4

 

—

If Hamas admits 6,000 terrorists killed, you know the real number is at least double that ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

So who are you going to believe, the Hamas health ministry that also claims 29,000 dead, or your own eyes? For some reason, reporters simply cannot believe that a smiling terrorist would lie to their faces. And this has been a problem for many years.

From the same site: How to accuse Israel of the worst human rights abuses: a handy guide ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News If Israel is attacking hospitals for no reason, why is it allowing so many field hospitals into Gaza? ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

All this information is freely available. And nearly all of it is ignored by the media.

Speaking of the media: United States and Europe in decline as they accept lies of terrorists – The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com) The deliberate lies in the Washington Post (david-collier.com) Exposing the lie about Palestinian journalists (david-collier.com) —

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/enemedia-on-hallels-killer.mp4

 

A teenager in her bedroom.

Palestinian man who killed teenager Hallel Yaffa Ariel as she slept said he wanted to become a ‘Martyr’ | IBTimes UK

 

 

 

Remember, the media said this girl’s murderer was “killed by Israelis”.

 

 

 

TERROR COMING HERE?  TO THE WEST?

Here already.

Open Jew-hatred is becoming common. And that makes it even more popular. ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

CAIR: A Muslim Brotherhood front group | Power Line (powerlineblog.com)

Around the world:

THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS: An imam in Belgium recited antisemitic verses from the koran at the parliament

Official imprimatur.

France’s Skyrocketing Threat :: Gatestone Institute

France: Knife-wielding Muslim threatens passersby and cops, refuses to drop knife and screams ‘words in Arabic’ (jihadwatch.org)

Islamists taking over.

Germany: North African Migrant Brutally Beats and Then Urinates on Train Conductor (jihadwatch.org)

 

I know, let’s bring them to America.  Jewicidal Yidiots.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

TREADING ON THE POLITICAL

Spineless Joe Biden is inching toward a full betrayal of Israel (nypost.com)

Thomas Gallatin: Biden Placates Pro-Jihadi Base Over Israel | The Patriot Post

The Ultimate Guide to the Biden Administration’s Betrayal of Israel (substack.com)

Betrayed: Biden Regime Proposes Anti-Israel ‘Ceasefire’ Resolution at United Nations Security Council – Geller Report

It’s an election year.  My prediction is coming true, particularly for the Left:

 

 

More, from the same site;

Joe Biden is playing with fire in the Middle East (nypost.com)

Although Biden ordered the military to strike back Friday at proxy groups in Iraq and Syria a week after a drone attack killed three American service members in Jordan, he is still letting Iran off the hook.

By saying repeatedly he is trying to avoid a wider war, the president is sending Iran a message that it has deterred him from directly punishing its aggressions.

Out of fear, he treats the symptoms rather than the disease.

It’s a form of appeasement that will end the way appeasement always does.

And if – when – The Potato betrays Israel, Saudi Arabia will know, as will every American ally, that America cannot be trusted to keep its word about support or protection.  And:

Biden Regime Plans to Give Hamas a Grand Reward for Murdering 1,200 Israelis – PJ Media

—

Israel’s Democrats Abroad board quits over umbrella group’s hostility – JNS.org

Some Democrats waking up.

—

Trump Vows To Get Hamas Sympathizers The Hell Out of Our Country – Geller Report

Good.  And I expect he will be fought tooth and nail.

—

When Democrats Actually Defended Israel Without Reservation | Power Line (powerlineblog.com)

Back when they had at least something of a moral compass.

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS

From here:

Half a million Yezidis were facing Genocide by lSlS and the UN ignored them!
10,000 were killed,7000 were kidnapped and raped for refusing to convert to lsIam.
2703 still missing.
No one marched for them!
Not a single person protests for missing Yezidis.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/yezidi-genocide.mp4

 

Genocide ongoing in Sudan by the Arabs.  But not Jews, so not news.

 

 

GIVING SUPPORT TO ISRAEL

You can’t go wrong with a donation here:

Connections Israel

And please share this post far and wide.  There’s a lot of info here that many people don’t know.  Post it, email it, share widely.

Also, if you’re willing:

Buy Me a Coffee

And speaking of support – please look up your embassy from Hungary and thank them:

Israel convinced Hungary to block two EU statements against Gaza war – The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)

 

 

Find your local Hungarian embassy and thank them.

 

 

A CONCLUDING THOUGHT FOR THIS POST

Here’s a guy just wanting to talk.  You cannot have a dialog; you cannot reach out as “team humanity”, to people that want you dead.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/guy-at-columbia-u-protest.mp4

 

Speaking of people trying to reach out.  From here:

Today at noon in the Jordan Valley: a Jewish radical leftist pro Palestinian activist came to accompany Arab herders supposedly to protect them from “settler violence”. When she stopped at the Fatsael intersection, Arabs violently pulled her out of her vehicle, threw her on the road and hijacked car.

What do you think about that?

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/radical-leftist-israeli-has-car-stolen.mp4

 

What do I think?  Honestly?  I half think it’s a shame she didn’t get gang-raped.  Harsh, yes.  But seriously – Arabs openly state they want you dead, your nation destroyed, and you have to virtue-signal “heal the world” by helping people who want you dead???  She got off very, very light.  Lucky.  Remember what happened to all the peace activists on the Gaza border who reached out to their neighbors in friendship?

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Message-to-sjws.mp4

 

How many times do they have to say DEATH TO JEWS! – and act on it – does it take before you get that they’re serious?

Trying to please your enemies does not turn them into friends.

How hard does this lesson have to be, how many times do they have to harm you, for you to get it?

The post Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary appeared first on Granite Grok.

The President of the United States, and by extension, the Leader of the Free World, should be judged solely on their Presidency and Administration results. Policies should be the measuring stick; politics should not, but certainly does today more than ever, come into play when determining the results of a Presidency.

Today, we have new characteristics used by many to ascertain a person’s performance or qualification for the office. I think age must be considered, but not chronological age. Age and cognitive level have become synonymous, and that is just wrong. When a Biden supporter is asked if Joe Biden is too old at 81 to run for the office of President, they usually deflect immediately to the fact that Donald Trump is only three years younger than Joe Biden, so if Trump is capable, then to be consistent, Joe must be, too. No, this is not the place for consistent logic and a perfect example of why age should not be a factor. However, the cognitive level must be considered by the voters.

The cognitive level has rarely come up when discussing the merits of Presidential candidates. That is because, until 2024, we have never had an 81 year-old candidate brazen enough to think they are still sharp enough for the job. Joe Biden believes he is fully functioning and will be until he is 86 years old at the end of a second term. Joe Biden is not fully functioning today, but he will not admit it, nor is anyone in his family or circle of staff and consultants courageous enough to explain to Joe that his time is past and he should pass the baton to a more fit candidate.

Politics has become an emotional game. The typical voter does not do the homework necessary to understand the policy positions. These voters instead vote for who they “like” or who they “feel” will do the job. This is why the campaign ads are so important and why you may never see Joe Biden on a debate stage. Biden’s handlers will need to keep him sheltered and moot so that he will make as few mistakes as possible, and there is no opportunity for a visual comparison between the two candidates. The game plan to keep Biden in the basement worked in 2020 because he had the pandemic as an excuse. Unless the Democrats can manifest another global scare before Election Day, most Americans will see through this charade.

Donald Trump has a portfolio of accomplishments from his first term that he should be able to campaign on. Unfortunately, his personality does not allow him to tout his accomplishments quietly. Trump cannot prevent himself from saying controversial things that become the soundbites for the evening news. They are controversial because they evoke anger or frustration in many and allow them to label Trump as an out-of-control radical who will further divide our country. Even Nikki Haley calls Trump a disaster. She approves of many of his policies but not his demeanor. Well, Joe Biden ran in 2020 on the promise to be the adult in the room and heal the divisions Trump created. Three years later, Biden widened the division, and his harmful policies damaged the country in ways that may never be corrected. I will take the brash over destructive. I think the polls are starting to align with my choice.

The post Can Someone Be Too Brash To Be President appeared first on Granite Grok.

It’s amazing what you have to do these days to protect kids from obscene “literature.” Content that is inappropriate and offensive to adult legislators who insist it remains available and accessible to children.

Not in West Virgina, if lawmakers have their way.

The House passed House Bill 4654 – removing bona fide schools, public libraries, and museums from the list of exemptions from criminal liability relating to distribution and display to a minor of obscene matter – in a 85-12 vote Friday, sending the bill to the state Senate.

HB 4654 would lift criminal liability exemptions from schools in the presentation of local or state-approved curriculum, and public libraries and museums displaying obscene matter to a minor when the child is not accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Most cities, towns, and states have obscenity laws. The FCC heavily regulates the display of obscene content. But most od an entire political party and a few of their alleged opponents – while upholding those standards of ‘decency’ (no one is suggesting we repeal them) everywhere else – demand and defend access to it by children. They even obstruct and object to efforts to give parents the right to filter such content for their own children.

The message is mixed. Legislators are better judges of what is appropriate for children than parents, but obscenity laws are in no other way censorship or book banning.

Supporters of the bill said it does not ban books or stop the selling or distribution of books some consider to be controversial or obscene. It merely provides the same prohibition against knowingly providing obscene materials to children outside the supervision of parents and guardians that already exist.

“This bill is giving our students and children in the community the same protection that they receive from GoGuardian and the FCC,” said Del. Jeff Stephens, R-Marshall, a school teacher referring to a computer program that blocks students from accessing pornography online at school.

Opponents suggest that the legislation “would have unintended consequences for public and school libraries, resulting in increases in challenges to even classic books and attempts to criminally charge librarians over books not pornographic in nature, but books that include descriptions of sex.”

It almost sounds like someone is admitting there’s a difference.

I must be mistaken.

The post Bill Makes Libraries Criminally Liable for the “Display to a Minor of ‘Obscene’ Matter” appeared first on Granite Grok.

Iran has been under the rule of Islam since 1979. The Iranian people have attempted on several occasions to end the practice of these barbarians. Still, each time, they were faced with the ruthless Islamic regime, and many of them were massacred while the world watched and did nothing.

This non-Iranian regime, via its mismanagement and incompetence, has turned Iran into a warehouse. In four decades of its existence, the Islamic Republic has managed, notably, to produce more hunger, more anger, more frustration, prostitution at a record pace, drug addiction beyond control, child execution without any regard for international human rights, and much more. There are many reports regarding cases of child sexual abuse and molestation reaching epidemic proportions. Prosecution and imprisonment of the innocent and the systematic and illegal abuse of detainees, and hundreds of gruesome acts of torture and rape in the prisons skyrocketed. Meanwhile, the United Nations stands by and does not blink.

Along with many acts of terror, this genocidal regime has been on a mission to wipe out the Baha’is in Iran completely. Since its arrival, the Islamic government has condoned and promoted every measure of oppression against a minority religious group called the Baha’is. The Islamic regime doesn’t even spare the dead. They bulldoze and even uproot the trees in Baha’is cemeteries.

Harassment of other religious minorities is also prevalent. They routinely hang dissidents and amputate their limbs for petty theft. They are responsible for the unmitigated poverty in an oil-rich country, sex slaves in the Persian Gulf region, and the rape of children as young as two years of age.

The US and its allies are aware that the Islamic Republic years ago started a nuclear program, not for peaceful purposes, as they claim, but only to strengthen its position in the region and prolong its existence long enough to get its hands on the bloody bomb so that they can feel invincible.

What is the likelihood that the ruling Mullahs will use their new toy? If they remain in power long enough to have it, they are very likely to use it in one form or another. At the very least, they will use the bomb for blackmail and intimidation in the region. Not even an all-out nuclear exchange can be ruled out. Islam is a religion centered on death, with faithful eyes fixed on the afterlife and its promised eternal pleasures. If the faithful kills, he goes to Allah’s paradise; if he gets killed, he goes to Allah’s paradise. An urgent warning to the people of the world: stop the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program now, or face eradication from the face of the earth, and this is not a joke.

When the regime is cornered, they will immediately use their propaganda machine to cover up their crimes against humanity. They create chaos and crisis. In other words, they create smoke and mirrors and then push the dust under the rug again, as they did when the Islamists took the American diplomats as hostages for 444 days. During the Iran and Iraq war, the IRI used their proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, to attack Israelis to escape retaliation. They are masters in the business of distracting the world from their nuclear intentions, as they did during the Gaza crisis. They took the attention away from their nuclear program.

Since 1979, the regime has stigmatized, victimized, and murdered people without any due process of law. After 40 years in power, this regime still fears its own shadow. On the slightest suspicion, they will arrest, convict, and execute innocent people.

The Mullahs presently ruling Iran are faced with monumental threats. Internally, the great majority of the populace is against their misrule. Every segment of the Iranian population, including student groups, religious and ethnic minorities, journalists, and many others, has suffered and continues to suffer inordinate hardship under the heavy-handed Mullahs and their leads. After 44 years, they are using the slogans “Death to America” and Death to Israel” for interior consumption. It must be noted that not a single Persian has ever used the Islamic phrase of “Death to America.”

Externally, they are still engaged in brinksmanship with the United States and Israel as they try to wrestle the mantle of Islamic leadership from the Sunni Saudis and their Wahhabi cabal.

Many non-turbaned creatures are working as the mullahs’ agent frontmen and pawns all over the world — including their powerful lobbyists in Washington, DC.

They have hired non-Iranians, including disenfranchised Afghanis, Houthies, Iraqis, and Palestinians, as their proxies.

Going back to GWB’s era. For eight years, President Bush promised the Iranian people that America would support them in their struggle for freedom, but did he? The Iranian people stood up firmly only to be hanged by the Islamic Republic executioners, and President Trump only cheered and supported the Iranian people without any meaningful help. But everyone in the US administration rushed to help the Ukerainas—while Iran has been occupied for more than 44 years–a double standard.

Iranians also ask the community of nations to act, teach, and show some muscle in solidarity with them and to implement maximum pressure against this illegitimate government in occupied Iran.

There must not be, however, any compromise, any negotiation, or any deals with the Islamists in Iran before making sure that the Iranian people are part of the equation. The era of mass politics, propaganda, nebulous sloganeering, and magical solutions is over. It’s a do-or-die scenario for the Iranian people and perhaps for the people of the world.

The people of Iran wish nothing less than a complete regime change through the democratic process of a free referendum. They believe it is the surest, safest, and fastest way to achieve a democratic Iran and end the world’s nightmare of nuclear holocaust that is currently facing us all.

Iranians are no longer hopeful that America will help them; on the contrary, they believe America is in bed with the regime and has extended its life by supporting the Mullahs. After all, it was Jimmy Carter who installed Ayatollah Khomeini.

The post Four Decades of Islamic Occupation in Iran appeared first on Granite Grok.

Molly Brennan of Weare, NH testified in a hearing in the NH House Education Committee against HB1205, a bill to protect women’s and girls’ sports, on January 29.

In her testimony, Molly said:

The safety issue here isn’t … that [someone’s cis daughter] is going to be ruined for life by seeing a trans girl’s penis in the locker room. In fact, statistically, that won’t be the first penis she sees.

Watch her testimony below.

“The safety issue here isn’t . . . that someone’s cis daughter is going to be ruined for life by seeing a trans girl’s penis in a locker room.” Molly Brennan, HB1205 @NHPolitics pic.twitter.com/1mUzugabMe

— Sidewalk Steve (@Sidewalk_Steve) January 30, 2024

Related: Misogynist Anti-Science Trans Activist Featured by Derry High School Theater

That reminded me of this quote from Alok Vaid-Menon. an “internationally renowned gender non-conforming writer and performance artist” who was featured in a presentation hosted at Pinkerton Academy in Derry a few years ago.

The narrative is that transgender people will come into bathrooms and abuse little girls. The supposed ‘purity’ of the victims has remained stagnant. There are no princesses. Little girls are also kinky. Your kids aren’t as straight and narrow as you think.

If you are concerned about boys in girls’ sports and girls’ locker rooms please contact the NH House Education Committee and ask them to vote Ought To Pass on HB1205. 

 

 

The post Trans Rights Activist: Says Girls Seeing a Penis in Their Locker Room Is No Big Deal appeared first on Granite Grok.

IMPORTANT: OPPOSE HB1610: This bill requires all students to participate in standardized statewide assessments.

Make no mistake about this one: if this legislation is passed, it essentially allows the GOVT/STATE to control our private, religious, and home schools. HOW? By making the children who receive EFA funds take the STATE Standardized Test.

The Education Freedom Account (EFA) is one of the current school choice programs in NEW Hampshire. It would mean that children who use the school choice (EFA) money to go to a private, religious, or home school would be forced to take the STATE Standardized test.

THIS IS A THREAT TO EVERY PRIVATE, RELIGIOUS, and HOME-SCHOOL family in New Hampshire!!
It MUST be STOPPED!

Currently, students who participate in the school choice program(EFA) can take the standardized test offered at their private, religious, or home school. This legislation would change that. All of these EFA students would have to take the STATE standardized test, which is COMMON CORE ALIGNED.

In Indiana and Ohio, when children used their vouchers to attend private and religious schools and were forced to take the STATE standardized test, those schools began aligning their curriculum to Common Core. This is a de facto takeover of our private and religious schools!

There is NO authentic choice if everything is Common Core!! There is NO freedom of CHOICE when the STATE forces its Standardized TEST on the kids using the EFA program to attend a private, religious, or home school.

EVERY PARENT who utilizes the EFA program for their children NEEDS to attend this hearing! Their children already take a standardized test given by their private or religious school. They do NOT need to take the dumbed-down Common Core assessment.

LOOK at the ten dumbest Common Core math problems here. The private, religious, and home-school families will be forced to teach Common Core math. We already have a crisis of illiteracy in math and science !! This will only get worse.

ATTEND the hearing on 03/04/2024 at 12:30 pm Legislative Office Building room 205-207
SIGN in to speak and oppose HB1610 

Tell the House Education Committee to ITL HB1610.

If you cannot make this important hearing, please send an email to the committee asking them to ITL HB1610.
HouseEducationCommittee@leg.state.nh.us

Also, please sign in here: https://gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx.

Put in your personal information
Click on March 4th
Click on House Education
Click on 12:30 HB1610
Click on I am a member of the public
Click on I am representing myself
Click on I oppose this bill
Add any testimony you’d like to send
HIT SUBMIT

The post WARNING: State Take Over of Private, Religious and Home-Schools if HB1610 Becomes Law! appeared first on Granite Grok.

We are reaching out to you with an urgent appeal. As a leader in local independent media, we are dedicated to providing you with unfiltered news and opinions you can only get at GraniteGrok.com. Every day, we strive to make a meaningful impact on cultural and political debate in defense of free speech and free people.

However, we need your help to continue our work. We are actively fundraising in order to keep GraniteGrok.com operating through the end of 2024 and well into 2025. Your support will enable us to continue to deliver original content every day, expand our reach and influence, improve reader experience, report and broadcast live from local events, share your voice through Op-Eds and Press Releases, and respond in real-time to your input from the state house, town meetings, and issues important to liberty.

To protect free speech and independent media voices.

Here’s how you can make a difference:

1. Donate: Your contribution, no matter the size, will directly support our efforts. Even a small monthly donation can have a big impact. Please Visit our Donation Page to make a secure online donation via PayPal, GiveSendGo, or Stripe. (See below to give by check*)
2. Spread the Word: Share our content and mission with your friends, family, and social networks. By raising awareness, you help us reach more people who may be able to support our mission.
3. Sponsor: If you, your company, or organization consider free markets, free voices, and free people a shared value, consider an annual financial sponsorship to support free media on topics important to New Hampshire, New England, America, and the World.
4. Advertise: Promote your products or services to the thousands of readers who visit us every day.
5. Support our Sponsors:  Your support encourages them to continue supporting us.

Every contribution, whether big or small, brings us one step closer to our goals, which we can only achieve together.

Your support means the world to us and to the growing audience we serve.

With many  thanks,

Steve MacDonald
GROK MEDIA & GraniteGrok.com
*To donate by check, please email steve@granitegrok.com

 

The post In Defense of Free Markets, Free Speech and Free People appeared first on Granite Grok.

So here is a little secret … “Red States” are not really that “red.” More specifically, Wyoming, a State that is thought of as a Red State among Red States, just refused to protect girls sports.

TWENTY Republicans in the Wyoming legislature helped kill a bill that would have prevented biological males from playing girls sports.

Riley Gaines is absolutely right … HAVING AN R BY YOUR NAME DOESN’T MAKE YOU A REPUBLICAN. We see the truth of this statement all the time in New Hampshire. The NHGOP is not really that GOP. The mantra of “economic prosperity” is a smokescreen to hide that the NHGOP, despite controlling State Government for most of the last eight years, has FAILED to remove DEI in public schools to prevent biological males from competing in girl’s sports or to prevent radical-ideologues masquerading as educators from withholding information from and lying to parents.

TWENTY house republicans voted to kill a bill that would define & codify words like "woman" in state statute this week. No this isn't California, it's Wyoming.

Having an R by your name doesn't make you a Republican. A bunch of squishy cowards even in the reddest of states. https://t.co/bnxTDklvZj

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) February 19, 2024

 

The post So Many Cowards And Losers appeared first on Granite Grok.

The government injecting itself into the health care system or getting between doctors, insurers, and patients has been driving up the cost of care for decades. The knee-jerk response to complaints about the cost of health care is to meddle some more, resulting in more expensive health care.

Democrats in Vermont have been pretending to know better for years, but more recent veto-proof majorities have a way of inspiring. They are health Care’s worst enemy, but that’s not how they see it. Instead of tearing down barriers and opening markets, their solution is predictable progressive pablum.

Allow more people on Medicaid.

New legislation would expand Medicaid services to more people without telling taxpayers how much this will cost them.

One idea, which would require coverage for obesity drugs (where it is bravely inferred that the body positivity movement is detrimental to public health), has an estimated cost of 100 million. Government watchers will know this is likely a gross underestimate but not nearly as blatant a disregard for other people’s money as expanding eligibility to age 26 or anyone in a 4-person household with income up to 7,925.00 a month. That’s 87,540 a year.

Median household income in America (2022) is $67,521.00. The average salary in Vermont is just over 59K a year. Are we admitting that the state has so bolloxed up health care with its meddling that the average Vermonter should be on Medicaid, or are we saying we want everyone on Medicaid because cradle-to-grave government-run care was always the plan?

That was the goal of Obamacare, which is still around, but it never managed to do anything to make care more affordable (if it had, we wouldn’t be having this discussion).

New Hampshire’s problems began when legislators led by Democrats made it impossible for insurance companies to compete. We went from more than a dozen insurers to fewer than five. We may have fewer today.

The hospital cartel has used the legislature to ensure its good health by promoting rules and laws that make it harder for private non-affiliated medical practice to thrive, which would create competition and drive prices down.

Legislators, pockets filled with donations from the medical Industrial complex, aid and abet the monopolies instead of going out of their way to get government out from between patients and providers, including health insurers and nothing Vermont (or New Hampshire, as far as I can tell) wants to change the trajectory.

The only thing legislators can do to help healthcare costs go down is to open up markets that allow for competition. Permit any insurer to do business with anyone (patient, practice, whomever) and watch them compete like Geico, Progressive, and State Farm on plans and pricing. Let private practice negotiate with insurers and patients for the cost of care and coverage and watch access improve..

Drugs? The US does pay too much, more than most other nations, but the internet (as with telehealth’s potential) is waiting to solve that problem if licensed healthcare professionals and pharmacists are freed up to help consumers find the drugs they need at the lowest cost instead of at the inflated cost insurers won’t cover.

That’s a very loose 30,000-foot analysis, but in almost every case, the problems were created by legislators, and stakeholders leverage influence to create monopolies, and these solutions are nowhere on their radar.

So, Vermont Legislators are looking busy but not for ways to bring down costs. They are hoping to provide the appearance of doing something even when everyone should know it will only make matters worse so they can keep looking busy, and so on.

 

The post After Years of Making Medical Care Cost More VT Legislators Pretend More Meddling Will Lower Costs appeared first on Granite Grok.

I was thinking some more about HB 1308, Arlene’s bill for parental access to library records, and thought about an old Ian Underwood article that should be in the Grok archives and found in a search.

He discussed the difference between a beneficiary and a customer, using an example of giving money to a (grand) kid to purchase a bike.  He explained how the future owner of the bike is the beneficiary, but the donor of the money to pay for the bike is the customer. Without rewriting his article, the take-home talking points were about who gets to decide certain things, like the bells and whistles and price tag.

When I read that, three situations came to mind.  One of them is when a landlord hires a handyman or contractor to make repairs or improvements to the rental unit.  The tenant is the beneficiary, and the landlord is the customer.  As a tenant, I remember complaining to the management office about a contractor making a mess and not cleaning up after himself and another one doing low-quality work. If I complained to that contractor myself, I would be told to go pound sand because I wasn’t the one paying him. If I was a property owner, my recourse could be refusing to pay my balance until the problem is rectified.

Another example is when you order something online and free shipping is included, for whatever reason. You, the customer(of the goods being purchased), are NOT the customer of FedEx, UPS, USPS, or whatever 3rd party carrier is used. You are its beneficiary. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has spent countless moments (or whatever other embarrassing units of time) furious about lies and broken promises when the merchandise fails to arrive when it’s supposed to.  Again, you, the consumer, can’t sanction that delivery company for doing a bad job, but Amazon, Chewy, or whoever the sender is can!

The 3rd example is you, the patient, and Blue Cross (or other 3rd party insurance). A cash patient is a customer and s/he can see any provider in any zip code that’s accepting new patients. As an insured patient, it’s the insurance company that is the customer, and you are the beneficiary. You don’t get to choose treatments, drugs, procedures, schedules, etc., that are outside its clinical policy bulletin.  If you do, guess what? You either get a big bill from the provider or are refused by that provider up front (in an approval-required situation).

So this brings me to a 4th example, which is the library. It could be a school library or your local Anytown USA public library. Your kid (or someone else’s) is the beneficiary, and you are the customer. Your kid might want to check out a Nancy Friday book, but you disapprove, just like the kid with the cash gift might want the bike with the $1000 price tag, but you only gifted $200.

As it stands now, my guess is that parents can refuse to sign off on a library card for their kids, but that could be complicated and inconvenient for a variety of reasons that we all can think of. But with HB1308, parents would have an extra tool in their toolbox to keep a watchful eye on their kids’ library records. Of course, there are still other issues to be dealt with, such as what materials are available to kids, but remember that YOU, parent, taxpayer, or both, are the customer, and the customer is always right.

If you, unlike Nashua and Hollis, happen to have decent reps, you might consider telling them to vote against the committee recommendation and support HB1308 next time the House meets, which appears to be tomorrow! (Thursday, 2/22).  Remember that you are their boss, and this is an election year. Contrary to what Nashua’s former BoE member Ray Guarino wants you to think, they work for you.

 

The post YOU, Property Taxpayer, are the (Library’s) CUSTOMER appeared first on Granite Grok.

Despite prompting from House Rs, the leadership refused to reconsider HB1212, which Republicans won and had ITL’d. That was the first of a waterfall of mistakes that cost big losses in the House for conservatives, solely due to inadequate House leadership.

That bill was later reconsidered by the Dems and passed. How many more times do we have to lose before we get competent republican leadership?

Don’t even get me going on the whipping. When you send out a whipping sheet and then don’t even take a minute to have a conversation with those telling you they don’t know how they’re voting or that they’re voting against you on your PRIORITY bills… You’re not a whip. You’re self-demoted to a flag waiver, especially when leadership admits to two freshman reps single-handedly flipping the EFA votes at lunch last week.

It’s pretty bad when freshmen are more effective than “leadership.”

I couldn’t say it better than Rep True –

The post Op-Ed: House Leadership? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Starting in January, I have begun writing sermons or as we say in Judaism “drashot,” about my religious beliefs regarding blockchain technology. I believe that in the current age, my religious beliefs are under attack and so I believe it is my duty to articulate my beliefs to normalize them in the hopes that they will be normalized as I continue to articulate them. 

The post Zephan’s Bitcoin Sermon – January appeared first on The Liberty Block.

The Machine Media is so busy engaging in a post-Trump 350+ Million dollar decision circle jerk they seem to have missed who got screwed. Donald Trump is going to appeal and win. It won’t even be close. The city used a political vendetta to attack a developer and was deliberately a public takedown.

But they had no cause other than their Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). I can almost hear the progs screeching; what do you mean by no cause? I mean, no cause! No one else could find a reason to charge Trump with any wrongdoing because he didn’t do anything wrong.

The feds declined to file charges as did the previous AG. And the reality is, this should have been heard by the Commercial Division, however, they had already declined to file.

Why do you suppose the real experts in complicated commercial cases, part of the Supreme Court of New York State would decide not to pursue?

To borrow from cheatin’ star-crossed Crossfire Hurricane lover Peter Strozk, there was no there there, but someone with a political agenda (and chronic transmissible TDS) encouraged it. And while that ruling went against Trump, it will cost NYC exponentially more than The Donald, even if he doesn’t win on appeal (which he will).

More from the Tweet (shared below)

I know many reading this think they are experts in everything. You’re not. Those of us who actually attended law school and have been doing commercial real estate for over 40 years, you’ve been lied to. You do not have the facts. You do not know what you are talking about. We employ two of the largest law firms in the country and they’ve been in meetings 16 hours a day in order to determine just how bad this all really is. Every one of these companies, representing trillions of dollars in real estate, is carefully evaluating whether to stay or exit.

Chetrit Group
Vorea Group
Turnbridge Equities
Extell Development
Bldg Management Company
Vornado
Realty Trust
L+m Development Partners
United Construction And Development Group
Beb Capital,
Totem Howard Hughes Corporation
Starrett Corporation
Rfr Realty Jay Group
Property Markets Group
Rabsky Group
Two Trees Management
Heartfelt Townhouse Builders
Lonicera Partners
Taconic Partners Beitel Group

Whether Trump wins on appeal or at SCOTUS, the precedent has been set. A wall has been broken and there are no take backs. Any company can now be targeted and have their assets seized at the whim of an over zealous AG or politicians. I don’t expect you to know or understand standard CRE practices, but every company below could be found guilty of the exact same actions the Trump Organization was accused of and found guilty, because it is NOT a crime.

The feds declined to file charges, as did the previous AG. And the reality is, this should have been heard by the Commercial Division, however, they had already declined to file.

Why do you suppose the real experts in complicated commercial cases, part of the Supreme Court of New York State would decide not to pursue?

I know many reading this think they are experts in everything. You’re not. Those of us who actually attended law school and have been doing commercial real estate for over 40 years, you’ve been lied to. You do not have the facts. You do not know what you are talking about. We…

— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) February 21, 2024

No one is safe from malicious political prosecution. The obvious problem aside from the trucker strike this inspired is that billions in investments don’t leave without someone feeling it. New York (Little Letitia) and New York City (Engoron) just F***** itself, and I’m not even sure they (the TDS political cranks) know it yet or care.  I’m sure they can move away, too, if the need arises.

But who wants to bet that when they figure it out, and it’s all going south, they blame Trump?

The post Night Cap: NYC Has F***** Itself With 350 Million Dollar Trump Ruling appeared first on Granite Grok.

IN EARLY 2021, our New Hampshire House Education Committee held a hearing on a transgender sports measure. I had serious concerns about biological (XY chromosome) boys playing contact sports against biological (XX chromosome) girls but naturally wanted to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Of the 33 folks who testified (mostly moms), 32 passionately advocated for their trans kids. And their testimony “moved the needle” for some of us.

Moms (and dads) want their trans kids to have full opportunities to experience all that they can as they grow up — including sports. The hearing raised much awareness.

But there are other moms and dads out there similarly advocating for other kids as well. They also have strong feelings about what’s best for their children that can conflict with feelings of other parents. The schism reminds us to be wary about messing with momma bears.

Some would counsel that this subject is a minefield to avoid. Why step into it and opine at all and then get blown up? But as a parent, grandparent, sports columnist, and elected official, I’m going to enter this dangerous and complicated minefield, and hopefully emerge without getting blown up. We’ll see.

Parents experiencing more traditional circumstances need to understand how parents of trans kids see their worlds — as we learned at that 2021 hearing. And conversely, parents of trans kids need to do likewise. Folks on various sides of this issue surely honor parental love.

This year, after much deliberation, I accepted an invitation to co-sponsor HB 1205, which “prohibits biological males from participating in female athletics.” Given the number of people seeking to speak at the Education Committee hearing, testimony was limited to two minutes. I used my time to speak of safety and 50/50 balls.

A 50/50 ball (or a 50/50 puck) involves two players heading toward each other at full speed. I specifically recalled a high school soccer game where my daughter and another girl banged into each other while going for a 50/50 ball. The violent collision was followed by a scream and soon an ambulance was on the field to take a broken-legged girl to a hospital. (Not my daughter.) The imagery always stayed with me.

The two soccer players each weighed 115 to 120 pounds. But what if a 100-pound (XX) biological female has a violent 50/50 run-in with a 160-pound (XY) biological male? Ouch.

There are many more pieces to this beyond 50/50 balls. For example, the NCAA requires trans athletes to take drugs. A male-to-female transgender student who is not doing hormone treatments may not compete on a women’s team.

This mandated drug use requirement is unsettling and complicated. Then there’s the debate over minors undergoing gender reassignment surgery. We recently had a big kerfuffle at the State House over HB 619, which would ban the practice.

Regarding yet another (bathroom) bill, many folks testified about fears relating to biological males in female bathrooms and locker rooms. A proposed criteria for bathroom use essentially came down to what gender a person claimed to identify as. And while most trans kids are wonderful people, there are examples of miscreants exploiting the “identification” situation with nefarious intent. Related concerns deserve attention.

Inconveniently, some folks’ “identifications” also change over time — not just in adolescents but, in some cases, folks who are 50 or 60 years old.

Caitlyn Jenner is perhaps the world’s most famous trans athlete. As Bruce Jenner in 1976, Caitlyn won the Olympic Decathlon. Jenner is a strong and articulate opponent of XY trans athletes competing against XX athletes at any level.

There is a simple (though not easy) answer to this complicated transgender sports participation question. XX’s compete against XX’s. XY’s compete against XY’s. Admittedly, this would preclude some trans athletes from competing on their desired teams. Sport, like life, is not always fair. And while sport can yield ecstatic victory thrills, sport is also about dashed dreams and disappointment. Such is life. At some point, I accepted that I was never going to play for the Celtics.

Any other policy would guarantee ambiguous grey areas, endless conflict, drug mandates, bathroom/locker room danger and drama, and untold avoidable injuries as players pursue those 50/50 balls.

Can we ever get through this minefield to a promised land with clear definition and safety? We need to try. It wasn’t Yogi Berra but Geoffrey Chaucer who first said over six centuries ago, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

The post 50/50 Balls and Transgender Sports appeared first on Granite Grok.

In terms of judicial activism, New York’s infamous Judge Engoron has got nothing on New Hampshire’s Judge Ruoff. Engoron has abused his position as a judge in order to destroy one man … Donald Trump. Ruoff has abused his position as a judge in order to destroy democracy in New Hampshire.

I am not going to waste my time (at least for the time being) explaining how dishonest and absurd Ruoff’s education-funding decisions are … because such an explanation would fall on deaf ears. The majority of the NHGOP State Reps and State Senators are SHEEP, who do and think as their “leaders” tell them to do and think.

You can explain to them over and over and over and over again how the State Constitution does NOT contain a right to an “adequate education” and does NOT empower the judicial branch to be the final arbiter of that right (including the power to stealth-order the legislature to raise taxes) … and you would just be wasting your time.

Ruoff’s latest assault on democracy is to order that “the State” … a lovely euphemism for taxpayers … must IMMEDIATELY pay an additional half a BILLION dollars into New Hampshire’s education funding black hole in order to meet the totally fictitious, totally judicially fabricated obligation to “fund an adequate education.” Everything else can remain the same … the same teachers, the same curriculum, the same etc., etc., etc.. If this seems absurd … THAT’S BECAUSE IT IS.

So keep your heads buried in the sand, dear NHGOP. Until your “leaders” tell you to lift them and run around like chickens with their heads cut off, repeating “ONLY A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT,” which represents a capitulation to Ruoff’s assault on democracy.

But be on notice … once you comply with Ruoff’s decision, there will be no going back. The Sununu Supreme Court will interpret your capitulation to mean that they can affirm Ruoff’s assault on democracy, and you will do NOTHING.

The post Another Day … Another Assault On Democracy In New Hampshire… And Yet More Denial By The NHGOP appeared first on Granite Grok.

Senator Sharon Carson is the state senator for the Republican towns of Auburn, Hudson, and Londonderry, New Hampshire and she is the prime sponsor for bill SB422  which would remove the words “mother” and “father” from birth records and replace them with “birth parent” and “non-birth parent.” 

In her testimony for the bill, Sen. Carson said that it would help those using assisted reproduction and gamete donation so they wouldn’t have to go through the extra step of establishing parentage of the babies. That means that the baby is created in a test tube from an egg and a sperm and then implanted in a woman. The egg may be donated. The sperm may be donated and the pregnant woman may be a surrogate.

In my testimony I said:

Removing the words mother and father from birth records denies our very humanity. Every child has a mother and a father and this change would create a fiction that a child was created by two people who have may have nothing to do with his or her conception. This bill also furthers the lie that biological sex doesn’t matter when we know that only women can birth children and only men can father children.

In Cornerstone’s testimony, they pointed out this bill would allow the mother of a child to put anyone on the birth certificate as the “non-birth parent.” It could even be the child’s grandmother and it would cut out the father and leave him with no rights.

This bill puts adults’ needs over children’s needs, which is backward to the way it should be. Senator Carson is sponsoring this bill for the sake of corrupt special interests like GLAD and Dartmouth Health and not for the sake of protecting children.

Contact the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask them to vote ITL on SB422. 

 

“We should strive to prevent situations where a child is separated from a birth mother or birth father, not give them legitimacy.” @BethRS62 testifies against SB422, which would remove the words “mother” and “father” from birth records. #NHPolitics pic.twitter.com/0GVBrvq1w1

— Sidewalk Steve (@Sidewalk_Steve) February 8, 2024

The post Republican NH State Senator Wants To Remove “Mother” and “Father” From Birth Certificates appeared first on Granite Grok.