This is not new, but it is still amusing and enlightening. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in 2017, took a few minutes before a daily White House press briefing to tell a story that explains how our tax system works. For her example, she used reporters and beer.

It is a tale of taxes and entitlement, and there’s beer.

In some browsers, you may need to give permission to view this Facebook video. Direct link.

 

The post “And That, Ladies and Gentleman, Is How Our Tax System Works” 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 Jew hate 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: 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

 

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

 

Several videos showing the extreme conditions of “Concentration Camp Gaza” before Oct. 7:

 

Luxury mall opens in Gaza

 

 

 

Gaza swimming pool , very nice activities … 2009

 

 

 

Gaza Water Park and luxury restaurants Arab Palestinians enjoy

 

 

 

Roots The Club

 

 

 

Gaza’s proserous economy: Al Jazeera shows a side to Gaza that Western media won’t

 

 

HT Bare Naked Islam

More videos that were on the sidebar showing how much like a concentration camp / open air prison Gaza is (links only):

Shopping mall opens in Gaza (youtube.com)

Ramadan: Gaza’s green markets are alive with colour (youtube.com)

I wonder what my great uncle and his family would say about their “stay” in Auschwitz vs. the abundance above.  Or pools at a luxury resort:

First luxurious resort opens in Gaza Strip (youtube.com)

Gaza City 2022 | Palestine | Cities Around the Globe |Travels with Imam (youtube.com)

A Stroll Through Gaza | Islamic Relief Canada (youtube.com)

Notice the part showing agriculture in Gaza.

Gaza Palestine Walking Tour | Gaza Strip Before The Attack 2023 | فلسطين غزة (youtube.com)

Watch with the sound OFF.  Not the cleanest of places, but there’s clearly abundance of food, clothing, and other things (actually reminds me, broadly, of some parts of Jerusalem).  Not anywhere close to a “concentration camp”.  And one glimpse of Nablus in Judea and Samaria.  Again, the hardship makes my heart break… /sarc

Explore Palestine’s Huge Local Market // Behind The Wall (youtube.com)

And an interesting point:

Gaza War: It Isn’t Over Until It Is Over | United with Israel

Before October 7, Gaza had a lower unemployment rate than the West Bank, Jordan and Egypt. In the first two quarters of 2023, the Gaza economy grew by four percent while that of the West Bank remained almost static.

Thanks to generous donations by UNRWA, the European Union, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority, repatriated income by some 100,000 Gazans working abroad, including 25,000 working in Israel, and customs revenue from Israeli governments, Gaza had 36 hospitals and 3,500 hospital beds, figures that are per capita higher than those of Egypt and Jordan.

Thanks to international aid and donations by wealthy Palestinians in Europe and the Americas, Gaza ranked ahead of the Islamic Republic of Iran as percentage of GDP allocated to health and education.

 

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

 

TOP OF THE FOLD

The Morality of IDF Operations in Gaza | United with Israel

By a British Colonel, who has seen war up close.  Related to Israel’s morality:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/tank-crew-helps-old-woman.mp4

 

Tank crew helps old woman and family.  Ends by giving them directions.

—

 

 

 

WAR & WHEN WILL IT END?

Should the US Try to Halt Israel’s War Against Hamas? | Opinion – The Messenger

Israel must come out of this war as the victor. That is essential for its survival and that is in America’s security interest — but will presidential and domestic politics take precedence in the United States?

Gaza War: It isn’t Over Until it is Over :: Gatestone Institute

Israel needs to start fighting to win against Hezbollah – JNS.org

—

Israeli PM Netanyahu issues a warning: “Israel might act ALONE against Iran” (barenakedislam.com)

Ultimately, yes, Iran needs to be dealt with.

Three Things the Biden Administration Must Do Now to Stop Iran’s Mullahs :: Gatestone Institute

2024: The Year Iran Will Go Nuclear If Western Powers Do Not Act :: Gatestone Institute

Remember… while Israel is the “Little Satan” – America is the “Great Satan”.  Iran has written about the effectiveness of an EMP against America, and practiced launching rockets to EMP altitude from ships in the Caspian Sea.  Leading to this nightmare scenario:

 

EMP: A Terrorist’s Dream

 

 

Do not forget – in Shia Islam their version of the Messiah can’t come until there is a worldwide conflagration.  Thus, to them, WWIII is a feature, not a bug.  On the plus side, and I have no real way to verify this, this is good news:

WONDERFUL NEWS (if true) FROM IRAN…for a change (barenakedislam.com)

I do know that over the years I’ve seen videos of people in Iran burning the Koran.  One woman’s translated words as she did so, face unseen, said something like “The Arabs brought this to us and we don’t want it”!

—

The “innocent” residents of Gaza are celebrating the barrage of rockets launched this evening (a statistical weapon) towards the concentrations of the civilian population in central Israel. – Launching a statistical (inaccurate) weapon at population concentrations is considered a war crime according to international law.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/gazans-celebrate-new-rocket-attacks.mp4

 

“Peace partners”.

—

Does Gaza Belong to the Jews? (Judean Rose) ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

Yes, but there are practical difficulties.  And on the Gazans:

Leaders of the PA, Jordan and Egypt agree: We prefer dead Gazans to a single one on our territory ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

 

 

ISLAM: PRACTICES, HISTORY, AND MENTALITY

Why does Hamas go into battle wearing civilian clothes? (barenakedislam.com)

Because in Islam it’s TOTAL WAR.  They fight without regard to what we, in the modern world, have established as (imperfect) rules for war.  And then demand we obey those rules while they ignore them.

 

 

ATROCITIES

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Four-kidnapped-girls-over-90-days.mp4

 

Agam Berger (19)
Liri Elbag (18)
Daniela Gilboa (19)
Karina Ariev (19)

—

WATCH: Palestinian civilians laughed while they raped and butchered Israelis | World Israel News

Related to that is this interview of an eye witness.  Note what he says…

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/terrorist-admits-there-were-rapes-and-beheadings.mp4

 

—

 

 

 

ON INTERSECTIONALITY / LEFTIST SUPPORT

THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS: Hamas exploits children for terrorist acts

For all the It’s for the children types.

—

 

 

I count it the same as those “useful idiots” that wear Che shirts.  Not knowing what a monster Che actually was.

—

 

 

—

“CANCEL CULTURE” comes back to bite these far-left celebrities in the ass (barenakedislam.com)

It works both ways.

 

 

PALLYWOOD & MEDIA IN GENERAL

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Russia_and_Assad_just_dropped_white_phosphorus_on_residential_neighborhoods.mp4

 

Assad unleashes white phosphorus on residential areas (Idlib).  Not Jews, so not news.

—

Links only to my Rumble channel on how the media – enemedia – distort how Israel is viewed:

Enemedia taking sides in Israel 1 (rumble.com)

Enemedia taking sides on Israel 2 (rumble.com)

Enemedia taking sides on Israel 3 (rumble.com)

Enemedia cuts interview short after damning point made (rumble.com)

Remember, those who control the information flow control what people think.

 

 

—

Important to remember history:

 

 

And a few other memes:

 

 

 

 

 

—

Jewish Man Blamed for Clash After Palestinian Demonstrator Snatches Prayer Book (VIDEO) – Algemeiner.com

This is from a few years ago… but reading through the details you find out that the woman stole the man’s prayer book, and the picture of him screaming at her was used to show how nasty Jews are.

—

Antisemites have been accusing Israel of “genocide” since the term was coined ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

The same smears, repeated over and over.  And yet the Arab population grows.  Israel clearly sucks at genociding people.

 

 

TERROR COMING HERE?  TO THE WEST?

THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS: 2 Mohammeds raped woman in Brooklyn

Here, already.  More:

‘CALIPHORNIA’ Hate crime investigation launched as woman with Israeli flag attacked during pro-Hamas ceasefire rally in El Cerrito (barenakedislam.com)

Jihad Jamboree Coming to Washington DC – Geller Report

THIS IS TERRORISM: Jew-Hating Jihad Rioters Shut Down Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, and Holland Tunnel – Geller Report

—

ISIS Quotes Quran, Calls for Global Attacks on Jews: ‘Kill Them Wherever You Find Them’ – Geller Report

The Qur’an: “And kill them wherever you overtake them and drive them out them from wherever they have driven you out.” (2:191) “And fight them until there is no fitnah and religion is all for Allah.” (8:39)

Note, especially, 2:191.  As I keep saying, this is universally understood to mean that Islam MUST reconquer any lands that were once controlled by Islam.

—

“Not all Jews are bloodthirsty, treacherous criminals, terrorists, and monsters…just MOST OF THEM” (barenakedislam.com)

In Australia.  And in the UK:

WATCH: London Police Under Attack By Jew-Hating Jihad Rioters – Geller Report

 

 

TREADING ON THE POLITICAL

Anti-Israel Girl Who Attacked Teenager in IDF Sweatshirt Graduated From Barack Obama School for Social Justice (legalinsurrection.com)

IMHO that woman was begging for a face full of pepper spray.

Now… just where did she graduate from again?

—

Biden Promised Gaza Aid Wouldn’t Go To Hamas. He Lied. (jihadwatch.org)

Money is fungible.  More:

Your Taxpayer Dollars Are Paying Islamic Terrorists – Geller Report

—

Jews have a home in the conservative movement – JNS.org

Most Jews do not agree with every aspect of religious orthodoxy, but still consider themselves Jews. They do so because being a Jew is a core part of their identity. Similarly, most Jews do not agree with every aspect of conservative orthodoxy, but they can recognize that their core interests and values are best served by the conservative movement.

It is time for Jews to recognize that they are not politically homeless. They are conservatives.

—

Shots:

Group of 3,000 UNRWA teachers celebrates Hamas massacre and rape – UN Watch

UNRWA teachers celebrated massacre of Jews on Telegram group ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

And a White House chaser:

White House forcefully defends UNRWA amid alleged terrorism ties: ‘They do great work in Gaza’ – Washington Examiner

—

DOUGLAS MURRAY slams ‘shit for brains’ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for continuing to push Israel to agree to the leftist fantasy of a two-state solution which has failed every time it’s been tried (barenakedislam.com)

Obsessed with a “solution” that cannot work.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

 

IMHO one way to improve Israeli security to vastly liberalize the carrying of weapons in Israel.  Not just that… but time made available for regular training.  My children are still well under 18 but I’ve had them to the range already and need to get them back.  The younger one is in martial arts (not the best school but still, close by the house) and the older one has expressed an interest too.  If I can get both ready and willing, I’d like them to take Krav Maga with me.

 

 

2000-odd years ago, the Romans had it right:

“Si vis pacem para bellum”

– Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus

Situational awareness is also key.  I highly recommend this book:

Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life

Just plain observation is also key.  I recommend Kim’s Game:

Using Kim’s Game to increase your observational skills (graywolfsurvival.com)

—

How can Jews keep their faith amid the Israel-Hamas war? – opinion – The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)

A good question.

—

Do Jews still have a place in American society? – JNS.org

A good question.

 

 

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

 

 

A CONCLUDING THOUGHT FOR THIS POST

I’m on Gab; it’s a cesspool of Jew hate there – I’m there in part to watch what people say… know your enemy.  And, I’m ashamed to admit, they do have some points.  (Liberal) Jewish support for mass, indeed unlimited migration, condemns us… not that we Jews are the only ones doing it, but attention often gets focused on us because we’re so damned loud and proud of it.  Even as Sweden issues civil war alerts, Britain and other European countries are turning Islamic through conquest-by-migration, Hijra, Jews continue to advocate for unlimited migration – unto civilizational death, it seems.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1200-rabbis-1.mp4

 

Welcome the stranger has limits.  And Israel is seen as being incredibly hypocritical – with Israel attempting to have secure borders while Jews advocate for open borders everywhere else.

An Open Letter to Pro-Migration / SJW Jews – Urban Scoop

 

 

In parallel, Jews are often seen – not without justification – as major drivers in the LGBTQP area:

 

 

 

Since when?  Leviticus 18:22 is pretty clear about this whole thing:

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

Also, Jews are seen as advocating for the destruction of whites:

 

 

And mistreating Christians who, globally, are some of our staunchest supporters.  I’ve seen videos of Christian pilgrims being spat on or threatened with death.  And this… this is a custom I’ve never ever heard of – but it’s being used to smear us:

 

 

And there is a certain stench of arrogance about being His chosen people – arrogance that rises to hubris as so many scramble to place themselves above all the other peoples of the world.  Consider one rather “indelicate” example that truly sticks in my craw – a young woman was discovered on OnlyFans to have been… “engaging” with the canine persuasion.  Yuck.  It then turned out that she was Jewish, and defended herself saying that she was one of the Chosen and that nothing any non-Jew said would affect her in any way.

Never mind that her act, in ancient Israel, would have had fatal consequences.

Leviticus 18:23 –

“A man must not defile himself by having sex with an animal. And a woman must not offer herself to a male animal to have intercourse with it. This is a perverse act.

Leviticus 20:15-16 –

15 “If a man has sex with an animal, he must be put to death, and the animal must be killed.

16 “If a woman presents herself to a male animal to have intercourse with it, she and the animal must both be put to death. You must kill both, for they are guilty of a capital offense.

So abhorrent it’s mentioned twice!

If we are to survive as a people, if Israel is to survive as a nation, we must return to the Torah as the root of all good and our pole star for guidance.  For multiple Golden Calves, including a twisting of Tikkun Olam, have caused us to seek other gods as we raise ourselves up in arrogance.

 

 

Pride is a sin.  Humility is a virtue.  Let us abandon the former, and return to the latter.

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

Going back to 2017, there was a Senate Bill (SB121) that created a Study Commission, chaired by Senator Jeb Bradley, to look at having NH assume responsibility for portions of the federal Clean Water Act. If it had occurred, this would have removed regulatory authority from EPA Region I and bestowed it to NH DES Staff in Concord.

An unsigned copy of the SB 121 Report (copy attached). From that SB 121 Report, there was another effort, SB450 – that created a Study Commission on the topic. And while that made some headway, nothing ever came to fruition as it had a fiscal impact of $350,000 for funding – and the effort waned.

On 1/8/2024 a new bill was presented to start the conversation on the EPAs role in NH – HB1294

The bill sponsor, Michael Granger of Milton, admits the bill will need study and an amendment, but with all the recent overreach from the EPA, it is necessary for NH to revisit. This bill with put our own NHDES in charge and not the EPA. There are a lot of monies that come from the EPA, but if we look closely enough, it will offset the cost of each town’s expenses on regulations and impacts they require. We need a study commission to investigate this bill.

The EPAs overreach, without cause or proof, to stranglehold NH people, businesses, and natural resources without science to back up their claims, just assumptions. There are not enough words to get into all the details. The internet links involved in this effort, which include dozens more links, are the culmination of years of posturing from NH towns to appease the EPA. The focus here is on farming, but many other professions, people, and natural resources are at risk from the EPA.

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Farming, big and small, has always been the NH way. The lands have flourished with food and livestock to feed us through time, yet the EPA has only been around for 50 years. While farmers are trying to keep NH’s natural resources, the EPA comes along and does the opposite. UNH extension has spent over 100 years developing best management practices for the best yield and the ecosystem for farmers to coexist with the land. After all, why would farmers want to destroy the lands and water they depend on? One of those is buffer zones for wetlands, to filter possible contaminates into runoff. The environmental area of UNH is telling us to take nitrogen from the land, and the extension is telling us to put it back in the soil.

No one wants dirty water or dirty air, no one. So why has the government become so blinded by this special interest project they can’t see the forest through the trees! Since when can large corporations get permits to drain and fill NH wetlands overnight, and the people get the shaft for having large impervious surfaces, pole barns, and driveways?? The EPA has become an arm of big government to do the bidding of lobbyists. So, when it comes to the actual environment, they failed the land and the people of NH. How can someone in DC or even Boston possibly have a clue what lands and water in NH need by sitting at a desk looking at satellite imagery from UNH environmentalists that tell only half-truths about the land? They show no BMPs utilized or even a homeowner using a rain barrel. And why is the EPA spending so much of our money on guns and combat equipment? https://mustreadalaska.com/armed-and-dangerous-epa-spends-millions-on-combat-equipment/

Dover just put to rest, for now, the first in the state “rain tax,” aka stormwater utility. This effort was forced upon taxpayers to appease the Municipal Alliance for Adaptive Management (MAAM) /EPA/CLF contract dated 3/21 with Portsmouth Dover and Rochester.

The city basically tried to enact a restrictive, unjustified burden upon property owners in an effort to help pay for costs associated with the EPA contract and the shortfall in the city budget (-3m) for sewer due to overdevelopment. The impact on small homes was minimal, but to farms, apartments, businesses, and nonprofits, it was in the tens of thousands per year. The “tax” was going to double tax square footage and include impervious surfaces. Even nonprofits were not exempt. In fact, the only exemption was the state highways.

It died because it was done clandestinely. No one believed it; no one seemed to pay attention until the day before the vote when people woke up and showed up, schooled the city council in ways of notice, illegal taxation, unfair practice, and more. The mayor and several city council members agonized and then voted 6-3 to kill the tax.

There was so much wrong with this effort that it would be a nightmare for property owners, renters, businesses, open spaces, and farms. Several of the items on the EPA’s list are for those on septic systems to replace them with nitrogen-free systems, yet the state NHDES has not approved such a system! The link to all seacoast towns and each land impact is on the list of links. The “tax” is dead, but the EPA contract is still active. This is an overreach that the Dover Meeting on Stormwater voted down on 12/13/23. Listen to the public comments and the apologies from the mayor!

The EPA wants the city of Dover to pay $20 million for a new wastewater treatment plant, and they don’t know if it will work to reduce nitrogen in Great Bay!? The effort the city has made to nearly eliminate nitrates at the wastewater treatment plant from discharge into the rivers is about 90%. Yet the EPA is demanding a 20m new plant! They don’t even know if nitrogen is the issue! If the monies from EPA to state agencies are a factor, just think of all the property tax dollars spent on their ridiculous demands! It will only get worse.

The EPA’s latest pet project is “nitrogen.” Like CO2, The EPA is going after nitrogen, which is one of the basic elements of growing food. The EPA claims it is causing problems in Great Bay. In 2006, see chart, there was a 100-year flood on Mother’s Day (See photos). This massive flood caused the wastewater treatment plants along all the rivers in the seacoast to overflow effluent into Great Bay. Since then, NHDES has worked with towns to mitigate the plants so it does not happen again. You can see on the chart from NHDES (below) the spike.

Since testing started in 2000-2016, the nitrogen levels have righted themselves, as what happens in a fast-moving tidal river. According to the EPA, it isn’t enough. There have been zero studies to determine what is causing eel grass in the bay to decline. Not one study had been done to determine if it is, in fact, nitrogen or something else entirely or maybe it’s the natural life cycle of eelgrass. Not only eel grass, but the EPA is telling people in Milton it’s snails. They don’t even know or care.

So, let’s call it nitrogen, and all the EPA and environmentalists will be happy. Wrong. This issue is far more compelling. I’ve asked the powers to be at all the agencies what if the nitrogen tanks go too low to support life in the bay and kill the bay. No one knows or has a failsafe to ensure this doesn’t happen! Checks and balances! The city of Dover and MAAM are going to actually start studying why to try and find answers, but the EPA won’t stop or wait.

 

Great Bay is an amazing resource. There’s also Little Bay. Both are fast-moving tidal saltwater bodies. The 60s and prior saw sewerage dumped into the rivers and bay, thankfully stopped through local pressure. An oil spill in the 70s was when a tanker in Newington leaked its cargo into the bay and was swept into the rivers upstream. The 2006 Mother’s Day flood. The point is, throughout time, the bay has corrected itself, fact. We should not down play importance of responsible stewardship, quite the opposite! We want assurances all these programs will work, why and how to prevent a worse crisis. That is what all of us should demand before we have to start dumping nitrogen back into the bay.

Farmers have maintained a healthy balance with nature. They know how the land works and how to make the land prosper and wildlife flourish efficiently. Rural character, large and small farms were encouraged, and now farms are the newest EPA punching bag! Several farm properties have been tested after a large summer rain storm and zero excess nitrogen. Yet, they would have to pay a penalty for what exactly? Where/what is the EPA doing?

Let’s talk about eelgrass. According to the authorities, eelgrass is declining. Frankly, I do not recall eel grass in most of the bay. Some of the things listed to its decline are humans, changing conditions, runoff of wastewater, etc., so EPA and others go after the wastewater treatment plants, but are not absolutely sure they are the cause!

If effluent is a factor in the health of the bay, then why do boats dump raw sewage in the bay? Why are golf courses and beautiful lawns exempt? Why is waterfront development allowed at all? Why are lawns allowed to add harmful pesticides that live on the bay? So many questions and no one will answer. For hundreds of years, farms are the caretakers of the land, yet some suit in Boston will take this away.

Huge corporations get drain and fill permits on our dwindling wetlands, changing NH with help from the EPA. Large landowners will succumb to the pressures or expenses and sell to large corporations for development. Does anyone believe all their programs will retain the natural resources or keep open space and farms? Our children’s children deserve the natural resources NH has in every town, not just state parks. We’ve done a crap job compared to other states. Getting the NHDES in control without the overhanded EPA is a start. Maybe we can heal what’s left of our lands.

Timelines:
Prior to this, Native Americans farmed these lands
First colonies 1640
NH 1776
UNH, 1866, as agriculture and mechanical arts
Extension, est. 1917 to bring education to the public land grant university
EPA, 1970

We need better studies before jumping into possible irreversible programs. Having our own NHDES in control of NH natural resources is a start. We must be careful before we proceed.

The post We Need to Take Control Of Our Land and Water Back from the EPA appeared first on Granite Grok.

Chris Crispy-Creme-Christie has left the building. He’s done. Finished. Fini. No longer will he run for President. He’s still running (to be Nikki Haley’s AG if you are familiar with my presidential campaign conspiracy theory), and he still has campaign money to burn. And he’ll do almost anything to stop Mr. Trump.

That’s why he dropped out, or so he says.

He polled fifth in Iowa, fifth (ish) nationally, but third in New Hampshire. Polling third in New Hampshire in any contest can take you places, but he has decided to bail.

I think it is safe to say that anyone who would support Chris Christie will likely not migrate to Trump. That leaves Haley and DeSantis (Christie supporters will not sidle over to Vivek).

The Daily Caller reports that,

 

“I’ve always said that if there came a point in time in this race where I couldn’t see a path to accomplishing that goal that I would get out, and it’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I’m suspending my campaign tonight for president of the United States,” said Christie. “It’s the right thing for me to do. Because, I want to promise you this — I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again.”

Christie had been facing pressure from Republican Gov. Chris Sununu to drop out of the race so that the non-Trump field could consolidate around former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, whom he endorsed in mid-December.

 

Okay, but I’m stickin’ to my theory. Christie was always a bad cop to Nikki’s good cop. Even when Christie “went after her” on “the campaign trail,” it was to criticize her. It was about the willingness to be Terump’s VP if he claimed the nomination and asked. That’s not exactly a blistering attack. And Christie’s departure – which won’t do much for anyone but Trump in Iowa, leaves 12 polling points on the table, give or take, in New Hampshire.

If the lying liars can be believed, that could put her over Trump in the Granite State if they all chose darling Nikki, but nowhere else. And Gov Chris (NJ) isn’t asking them to vote for DeSantis. I’d rather they did, but Haley has the momentum. She’s got good messaging. You can’t blink without seeing an ad on TV, and the glossy mailers with her name on them are piling up like snow during a New England Nor’easter.

Haley could do well in New Hampshire and South Carolina absent Christie, but the rest of the map is not in her favor. Not yet. And time is running out.

 

The post Now That Chris Christie Has Dropped Out … appeared first on Granite Grok.

This year started with two days of session to consider all the bills held over from last year. As usual, the consent calendar of 146 non-controversial bills passed on a voice vote, after five were removed. Those bills would be considered individually at the end of the session.

A great many of these bills were debated only briefly or not at all; the committees had generally done a good job of amending and clarifying the bills they wanted to pass.

HB 185, setting “approximately equal parenting time” as the starting point in divorce cases, was debated on whether or not the change was necessary. Apparently, most judges do this now, but a definite minority doesn’t. The bill passed 202-172. HB 475, amended to require family court judges to specify in writing why evidence or testimony is not heard, passed without debate, as did HB 535, requiring an attorney to represent a child who might be committed to a group home or institution.

HB 225, prohibiting currency that would damage privacy rights, such as some digital currencies that report transaction details to the government, or block some legal transactions, passed without comment. HB 227, prohibiting unfair discrimination by financial businesses, had been recommended for interim study. This was debated, and that motion was defeated 182-193. Opposition to interim study was both by nearly all Democrats who wanted to kill the bill and a handful of Republicans who wanted to pass it… but the next motion was to kill the bill, and it passed on a voice vote. HB 645, establishing “decentralized autonomous organizations” as legal entities, was debated between someone who understood the concept (and the bill!) and another member who was opposed to cryptocurrency or anything relating to it. Since the report was that the agencies involved in this recognition (Revenue and State) were in favor of the bill, it passed 340-33, even though most of us have only a superficial understanding of what a “decentralized autonomous organization” actually is!

We want to thank Rep. Carol McGuire for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
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HB 113, deleting the physical fitness requirements for police officers, was not tabled, 159-212, then debated. The supporters pointed out that New Hampshire is the only state with a three-year retest requirement, and that retirees (or other older hires) could do accident investigations or prosecution without needing to meet these requirements, and that local police chiefs know what their needs are. Opponents pointed out that being a police officer is a strenuous job. The bill was not passed, 178-195, then killed on a voice vote.

HB 470, expanding the drug testing equipment that can legally be possessed, had a floor amendment to delete the phrase “harm reduction,” as this has been abused to include things like “safe injection centers” that promote drug use. After some debate, the amendment failed, 178-194. The bill was debated again, then passed 212-161. I voted for both the floor amendment and the bill. I can hope that “harm reduction” will not be abused! SB 249, on the release of a defendant pending trial, was completely amended by the committee to establish a system of magistrates who would hold bail hearings within 24 hours even on weekends! This seemed so common sense that the bill was amended on a voice vote, and passed 361-7 without any discussion.

The Education committee had agreed to tablevnearly all of their partisan bills, to focus the debate on only three of them. Since a motion to table cannot be debated, this sped things up significantly. HB 147, on membership of the advisory committee on students with disabilities, and HB 267, expanding criminal records checks for school employees, were quickly tabled.

HB 354, making charter schools eligible to apply for school building aid, was debated and passed, 190-177. HB 437, requiring reading be taught by evidence based methods; HB 439, allowing town tuitioning programs to include religious schools; HB 505, adding a requirement for mental health education; HB 553. requiring school salaries be posted on their website; and HB 577, revising state aid formulas for special education students, were all tabled without comment.

HB 628, requiring education providers for students receiving Education Freedom Accounts to perform background checks on all employees and volunteers, was debated at some length. One significant issue was that parent-directed studies (home schools, micro schools, tutors, parent cooperatives…) are legally unable to get these checks on other private individuals! Private schools work around this ban by hiring third party investigators, but individuals cannot. The committee amendment failed, 181-189, then the ought to pass motion also failed, 174-199. The bill was killed, 195-178.

HB 651, allowing schools to contract with transportation network companies (like Lyft or Uber), was tabled before the debate. SB 151, which adds mental health education to the definition of an adequate education, was debated, did not pass, 183-186, then was killed on a voice vote. Finally, SB 218, creating a grant program for teacher development, was tabled without comment.

HB 115, changing the state primary election to the third Tuesday (the 17th this year) in August, was amended and passed, 281-82, without debate. HB 116, on fees for primary elections, was amended to simply delete the $2 filing fee to sign up for state representative, and passed on a voice vote. Nobody declared a conflict of interest – but of course, the fee can be eliminated by collecting 10 signatures, and I know some very thrifty people who’ve done so! (the Epsom town office never seems to have that many people on hand when I sign up.)

HB 345 and HB 350, both about ranked-choice voting, were both debated (somewhat repetitively) and killed, 207-170 and 248-128. I voted to kill both since I’m not a fan of ranked choice voting: it’s too complicated and much less transparent than our current system. Not to mention that in a crowded primary field – one of the prime applications – I tend to know who’s first and who’s last – but ranking seventh, eighth and ninth? No way. I prefer approval voting, which simply eliminates the penalty for overvoting and allows you to say which of the candidates are acceptable. Top vote getter wins!

HB 447, allocating federal Help America Vote funding to buy new vote-counting machines, passed 311-62, without debate. HB 463, establishing an online voter registration portal, was debated and passed, 195-172. I was opposed since such a portal raises questions of data security.

HB 369, creating a task force to relieve farmers from high energy costs, was amended to create a UNH – Department of Agriculture joint program to give advice and get federal grants, with a $100,000 allocation to set it up. A floor amendment corrected the definition of “farm,” then the bill was debated. It was not passed, 186-187, then tabled, 322-54. I voted against the bill and against tabling it – I’d rather just kill it now!

HB 602, on the process for landfill siting, adopted the committee amendment and a floor amendment (sponsored by the committee) without comment, then was debated at some length. It passed, 226-145; I voted against because I thought the bill gave Environmental Services too much authority via their rulewriting authority.

HB 559, Dan’s bill creating a defined contribution plan for new state employees, was debated on the committee amendment, which showed how much the opponents hadn’t read the amendment: they cited the administrative cost and complexity (of the original bill!) which had been minimized or eliminated by the amendment. The amendment failed, 181-192, largely on party lines plus the Republican firefighters and police in the legislature voting with the Democrats. Then, they moved indefinite postponement, an unusual legislative maneuver that would prohibit bringing back the concept of the bill for the rest of the session. This passed, 201-174, so no defined contribution plans can be considered this year.

The other bill from my committee, HB 644, which exempted a number of beauty treatments (eyebrow threading, hair styling, makeup application) from licensing, was not debated and passed, 196-178.

HB 436, amended by Finance to simply put $50 million from the surplus into the retirement system, was not tabled, 176-198, and passed on a voice vote, with minimal discussion. HB 468, appropriating funds for the department of education to recodify the education statutes, passed without comment. These statutes have portions as old as 1906 and have been amended almost every year since, so the cleanup is necessary.

HB 546, on the school building aid program, was debated at length about whether or not the budgeted amount ($50 million per year) should include debt service to pay off the funds borrowed in 2009 (I believe; it could have been 2007.) The bill was not killed, 186-189. then tabled, 190-187.

HB 601, requiring the Department of Education to share data with Health & Human Services to sign children up for the free or reduced lunch program if they receive Medicaid, was thoroughly debated. Opposition was based on privacy concerns (sharing this sort of person data between agencies without consent); and parents’ authority (many children, particularly high school, don’t like or want these meals, and their parents tend to support them.) Not to mention that the funding for qualifying children was dramatically increased in this session’s budget, and this would result in duplicative spending. The bill was killed, 189-188.

HB 620, creating a Head Start like program for pre-kindergarten children, was debated and killed, 188-185. SB 239, amending the scope of the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery to include “harm reduction services,” had a long debate before going to interim study, 186-185.

SB 263, extending the expanded medicaid indefinitely, was debated and killed, 191-183, and not reconsidered, 183-193. This allows the current seven year sunset to occur, as negotiated in the budget. SB 267, requiring “cumulative impacts analysis” in environmental rules and analyses, was debated and killed, 189-188. The opposition, including me, was concerned that this would be unduly expensive and delay permitting beyond the current leisurely process.

HB 264, permitting one to change the gender on your birth certificate, was debated, not passed, 186-190, not tabled, 185-191, and killed, 191-185. The debate was in maintaining the integrity of vital records versus the convenience of transgender individuals, and most of us were not convinced that it should be easier to change gender shown on a birth certificate than the parents for an adopted child. HB 368, increasing privacy protections for transgender services performed in New Hampshire, was debated briefly, not passed, 186-188, and killed, 190-185.

The last and most sensitive transgender bill, HB 619, was debated on the committee amendment, which simplified the bill to only forbid genital reassignment surgery on minors. There was a lengthy and intense debate, started by a liberal Democrat who stated that while he strongly supported transgender rights, surgery on children was a step too far. The amendment passed 209-167, and after more debate, the bill passed 199-175. Twelve Democrats joined all but two Republicans in support, and rumor had it that the other Democrats harassed them for taking this stand.

HB 283, requiring landlords to refund application fees to denied tenants, passed without comment, as did HB 314, defining what the constitutional right to privacy required for utilities, Internet service providers, cable, insurance, banks, and other services. HB 396, on allowable discrimination by biological sex, had a long debate about the amendment, which limited the areas to bathrooms, sports, and prisons. It passed 194-182, then after further debate, the bill passed 192-184. The opponents carped that “biological sex” was not defined, forgetting that only four bills ago, we’d ensured that it stayed on one’s birth certificate…

HB 652, on non-public sessions under the right-to-know law, was killed by a voice vote after a short debate. SB 355, on the expectations of privacy in business transactions, passed without discussion.

HB 190, changing the duration of unemployment benefits based on the unemployment rate, was killed without debate since it would be a nightmare to implement. HB 232, adopting federal OSHA standards for public sector workers, was debated over the amendment, which would instead require the Department of Labor to develop rules for workplace safety. The amendment failed, 184-186. and the bill was then tabled, 190-182.

HB 301, on recusal standards for legislators, was tabled, 359-13, since exactly defining what level of conflict of interest was appropriate to mandate recusal turned out to be much harder than anticipated. (also, it was lunchtime!)

HB 313, tweaking the default budget in SB2 towns, had a very dull debate before being killed, 188-184.

HB 194, requiring the division of historical resources to compile and maintain a public list of public monuments, was debated and passed 194-179. I was in the minority that thought the bill unnecessary. HB 434, on flying drones in state parks, was killed without comment.

HB 166, eliminating wood heating as a class of renewable energy, was debated and killed, 319-53. I was opposed because even if towns, school districts, and counties benefit from their biomass heaters, the ratepayers who cover these costs aren’t necessarily the ones who benefit from the lower expenses: the Rockingham County complex, for example, benefits from its biomass system, but not all Eversource (I think) ratepayers live in Rockingham County.

HB 381, revising the systems benefit charge, was killed without comment. HB 458, amended to simply revise the membership of the existing study committee on power generation, passed without debate, on a voice vote, as did HB 609, on the site evaluation committee.

HB 631, allowing people to install, at their own expense, smart meter gateway devices was debated on the usefulness of installing such devices when no utility in New Hampshire supports them. It was killed, 192-180, even though nobody mentioned that in Colorado, such devices were used to turn off air conditioners during a heat wave…

HB 229, the “defend the guard” bill, had two clarifying amendments to define which federal conditions would apply, then debated. It would prevent the National Guard from being deployed to foreign wars without a formal declaration of war, by Congress, not the president. It passed, 187-182.

HB 375, on licensing nonresident aliens, and HB 570, adopting minimum requirements for identity when issuing drivers’ licenses (so as to be able to license more aliens) were both tabled, 185-179 and 187-180.

HB 121, re-adopting (since the 1980’s) worldwide combined reporting under the business profits tax, had a long, rather dull debate before being killed, 192-176. What I got from the debate was that this accounting scheme has been rejected by the US Supreme Court at least twice, is too complicated for the IRS to oversee, and any tax revenue increases have probably been minimized by international agreements and business tax cuts HB 450, removing the net operating loss deduction limit under the business profits tax, essentially restoring it to previous levels and not following late changes in the federal tax code, passed without comment, as did HB 494, revising the dedicated funds involving fertilizer fees, and SB 112, updating the charitable gaming laws to eliminate venue rental fees. SB 190, regulating advanced deposit account wagering, was quietly killed.

Most of the bills removed from consent were debated by a sponsor or other activist aggrieved by the committee’s decision to kill the bill.

HB 499, requiring the rules of evidence to apply in family court and evidence favorable to the respondent be admitted, was debated by the sponsor, who had evidence in his case that was not admitted by the judge. After the committee chair pointed out that the bill was self-contradictory, and that the written rejections required by HB 475 would solve some of the problems, the bill was tabled, 200-164, by mutual agreement.

HB 144, restoring firearm rights to ex-felons, was argued by the sponsor, who is an ex-felon. The committee pointed out that New Hampshire had a robust annulment process that restored firearms rights, but that we can’t affect federal laws – and they have no such process. The bill was not tabled, 149-209, then killed, 297-63.

HB 512. exempting firearms manufactured in New Hampshire from federal laws and regulations, was also not tabled, 143-218, debated and killed, 206-69. A nice idea, but the implementation needs more work.

HB 518, from my committee, had the committee amendment adopted, which completely rewrote the bill to make it cleanup of the statutes governing the office of professional licensing and certification. A floor amendment added a clause that had been inadvertently omitted (about reporting continuing education to the medical board) and was approved on a voice vote, as was the bill.

HB 526, regulating the use of temporary traffic control, was recommitted to the committee, 203-145, after a short debate.

Representative Carol McGuire
carol@mcguire4house.com

The post Your NH State House – A Legislative Round-Up appeared first on Granite Grok.

A Putney lawmaker and three other Democrats have introduced a bill that would ban possession of ‘semi-automatic assault weapons.’ Under H582, police and soldiers would be exempt.

The bill defines a ‘semi-automatic assault weapon’ as a semiautomatic rifle that has the ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least one of the following features: “a folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon” and several other features.

The lead sponsor is Rep. Mike Mrowicki (D-Putney). Other sponsors are Rep. Daisy Berbeco (Winooski), Melanie Carpenter (D-Hyde Park), and Leslie Goldman (Bellows Falls).

Flood control and resilience is clearly on the minds of lawmakers, including many who live in flood-ravaged central Vermont. And, they’re linking flood control with “climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience.”

H586, sponsored by Kari Dolan (D-Waitsfield) and 25 others, would create the Climate Infrastructure and Resilience Fund, including a board and staff. It would be funded by 2.5% of the state’s cash balance plus gifts from private or private sources. The Fund would “establish or authorize additional activities for the financing of climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience projects.”

H582 and H586 are among the 100+ new bills introduced on the first day of the 2024 Legislature.

 

Guy Page | Vermont Daily Chronicle

We want to thank The Vermont Daily Chronicle for being a partner and supporter of  Independent Media. You can support us here, or if you prefer to donate by check, email steve@granitegrok com for details.

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It won’t stop you bitter-clingers from believing, despite all the contrary evidence, that it’s Democrats versus Republicans. That Democrats want open borders and Republicans want secure borders. Blah, blah, blah.

But Speaker Johnson just gave Biden, Schumer, and McConnell every penny of spending they demanded and got NOTHING substantive in return on the border.

 

Republicans agreeing to spending levels $69 billion higher than last summer's debt ceiling "deal", with no significant policy wins is nothing but another loss for America. At some point, having the House majority has to matter. Stop funding this spending with an open border!

— Congressman Bob Good (@RepBobGood) January 7, 2024

The post Meet The New Boss … Speaker Johnson Caves On Spending And Border appeared first on Granite Grok.

The latest meter-pinging corporate outrage has landed. Vermont’s King Arthur Baking Company has announced an initiative to help small business owners of color. “Baking Pitchfest 2024” includes a baking contest and incentives for contest winners.

 

“Half mentorship, half competition, Baking Pitchfest is an accelerator program designed to foster greater inclusivity and creativity in the baking world by providing equitable opportunities for People of Color entrepreneurs,” the website states, adding that winners will receive financial support, mentorship, and exposure.

 

The social media multi-verse has erupted with the usual amount of outrage at the deliberate exclusion of white people.

 

King Arthur Flour in Vermont is having a baking competition. Only non-whites can enter the competition.
I’ve bought King Arthur Flour for years. No longer. You just lost a faithful customer.https://t.co/yFa4TuSUeF

— Ann Marie (@Political_QRM) January 8, 2024

 

I get what would happen if any business excused people of color, and they’d be right to get bent about that, but I am having a hard time getting wound up about what King Arthur has done.

I am not being dismissive of the protest or arguments against it. We cannot ignore the blatant racist overtone, but I’m more offended by the pandering and virtue-signaling to which this speaks. For decades, state and federal governments have offered special loans and incentives to black or minority-owned businesses, even in places where white folk are in the minority. It’s a guilt thing. Not for slavery – none of those folks have ever owned a slave, and none of the people they claim to want to help have been slaves. This is about something else. And that something else seems more important to me.

Modern progressives and those obsessed with reparations (or minority-only baking contests?) have a legitimate reason to feel guilt. Their policies continue to destroy families and lives in those communities. The money they have redirected ends up lining the pockets of connected insiders and despots, much like food aid to Africa. The modern progressive urban plantations are death traps littered with broken families and lives as the left focuses on pandering instead to the illegal alien invaders.

It’s as if the Criminaliens represents better value in the Elite’s pursuit of absolute power, and don’t say we didn’t want you.

A friendly baking contest designed to elevate opportunities for minorities in New England and across America isn’t going to fix that, even if you invited whitey.

King Arthur, by the way, has been around since 1790, so maybe there is some guilt buried deep down, and this is Vermont, which is full of #woke libs, so, for all we know, the King Arther Baking Company owners (it is employee-owned if you’re interested) are #woke posers looking for some corporate street cred, and hey! – this may be their Bud Light moment. If it is, they deserve any commercial collapse that comes their way because you could never have a no-people-of-color baking contest.

I’m just not all that offended by it.

I don’t know. Maybe it’s my so-called white privilege talking.

 

The post King Arthur Flour Promotes Bakers of Color (No Whites) and I’m Having a Hard Time Getting Bent About That appeared first on Granite Grok.

You can pretend all you want. Women don’t have a prostate, and men don’t lactate, so let’s call the whole thing off. Sorry, not so fast. Marxist dogma demands the destruction of everything, including gender roles, and tens of thousands of years of women breastfeeding babies is not so monolithic a thing it can’t be toppled.

The Left’s war on women and all that, don’t you know, because at least one man wants to believe he can chest feed a baby, so we’ve got to toss it all in a bin and inculcate the commoners until they’ve adopted the correct terminology. Breastfeeding shall not be gender specific, which makes no damn sense. Men have a ‘Breast’ they don’t have breasts.

Infidel, how dare you – also amusing because the folks calling us infidels, for all their faults, can tell you what a woman is. She is property, and if you die for Allah, you get 72 of them, their breasts untouched by any other man (and they know what those are, too).

Here in the mind-tripping west, well – read this.

 

“We are concerned about breastfeeding promotion that praises breastfeeding as the ‘natural’ way to feed infants,” wrote Jessica Martucci of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and Anne Barnhill of Johns Hopkins University in the journal Pediatrics. “Promoting breastfeeding as ‘natural’ may be ethically problematic, and, even more troublingly, it may bolster this belief that ‘natural’ approaches are presumptively healthier.” …

“Referencing the ‘natural’ in breastfeeding promotion, then, may inadvertently endorse a controversial set of values about family life and gender roles, which would be ethically inappropriate,” they state.

Funny thing about that. Indigenous populations around the world, many of them consisting of brown people, disagree, and in the end, they would win. The birthing people would immediately default  – in the absence of a manufacturing base or supply chain capable of stocking abandoned store shelves – to the solution nature provided them at birth. You have a baby, and you breastfeed. Ask any mammal, and they’ll show you it doesn’t get more natural. I’d go so far as to claim it is a natural right. One of those things that, absent any other affectation of human existence, would self-manifest. How about obvious?

Baby can’t chew roots or venison. Wait a minute. What are these swollen things on my chest leaking this white stuff?

And just so you understand. These intellectuals A**h*les are free to collect themselves in a community with men who can be women, and breastfeeding is unnatural. If that’s what you’re into, you go -guy-girl ze xe inclusive master of your mentally unstable universe. Mate with like-minded they/thems, abort your babies, and we will watch your cult self-extinguisher (which, as I understand, is good for the planet) in a generation, maybe less.

Just keep your dementia to yourselves.

By the way, there (cough-cough) “researchers were also concerned that such rhetoric “may ultimately challenge public health’s aims in other contexts, particularly childhood vaccination,” so this may be more globalist-pharma – one-world money laundering propaganda. Jessica and Anne may have some pharma-funding skeletons in their chest-feeding closet.

I’m not going to chase that down. Let’s assume it’s valid until they prove otherwise.

 

 

The post Breastfeeding Under Fire From the Left – Well, Of Course It F#!@?%& Is! appeared first on Granite Grok.

Are today’s interests really that important and beneficial, or is it just a ruse when being so attracted to incidentals that are inappropriate and exaggerated nonsense? Whatever the urgency, we are all guilty to a degree of magnifying what is simply a nuisance or just trivia.

In the midst of it all, we lack even the slightest chance for a “downtime” to reconnoiter our thoughts. This is largely due to that hand-held gadget being a demanding call to all the world’s problems and answers. Given this lure, when was the last time we sat idly by and reminisced about a family event, a certain friend, or just talked to each other? Or doesn’t that still matter?

This is a crucial loss since relief is a natural need. Even at work, there are coffee breaks, or at least there were years ago. The difference today is that such leisure time is filled with the quiet catch-up of texting! During today’s Java breaks, it’s even probable that conversational chatter just isn’t anymore.

So, within such lifestyles, how does one, if so inclined, find time to read our past history, which is so beneficial to our citizenship duties and country alike? This preoccupation of one’s time and interests greatly enhances the deeds of the opportunist and the unscrupulous. Such a scenario is not as far-fetched as one would think.

To further confound are the progressive curriculums and lesson plans at all levels of education, which ignore, deny, and revise America’s factual history. Basically, we, “the free,” have been mentally corralled into a proud and defiant state of “know-it-all” ignorance.

This might seem exaggerated but look around; how many books are in sight, let alone are being read versus how many fingers are kept busy! Also unnatural is this lack of conversation. At some point, the words “robotic” and “programmed,” as in “being programmed,” become relevant!

This atmosphere is a retardant against ever reclaiming our American pride, being familiar with our country’s history, or for any attempt at independent thought. Americans had better shed this state of passivity and recognize their misguidance so that the reality of their misconceptions can be addressed and reversed. Of course, this requires a time out from their hand-held connection to the world, which currently would be unthinkable.

This anti-Americanism has been the agenda for more than half a century; when it first tested the college and university level, but now, with daycare firmly in place, it’s sort of “Katie bar the door” time as indoctrinating could be the next step after learning how to walk! This tweaks the ancient adage, “As the twig is bent, so grows the mighty oak!”

That long ago truism is typical of such advice and “why” it is so feared and ignored. Common sense points to the obvious worth of those Founding thoughts and principles when America was at its best. So from that long ago time, think and savor the following; from the aspect of answering “why;” why it’s such a fearful message for America’s young to learn.

“Everyone shall so exercise himself in reading the Scripture twice a day that he shall be ready to give such an account of the proficiency therein.” Harvard 1636 Student Guidelines

“All the scholars are required to live a religious and blameless life according to the rules of God’s Word, diligently reading the Holy Scriptures, that fountain of Divine light and truth, and constantly attending all the duties of religion. Yale 1787 Student Guidelines

Finally, from Congress, “We are a Christian people, not because the law demands it, not to gain exclusive benefits or to avoid legal disabilities but from choice and education; and in a land thus universally Christian, what is to be expected, what desired, but that we shall pay due regard to Christianity?” – Senate Judiciary Committee Record, January 19, 1853.

Need we ask, “What the hell happened?” Very simply, in the twentieth century, a devaluing of Christianity coupled with an instituted unknowing that weaves through and strengthens this blanket of abusive governing, globalism, corruption, and Marxism.

A final judgment: these three quotes from yesteryear were part of an entire page in the July 4th, 2017 issue of the Daytona News Journal. What’s the odds of it ever being reprinted?

The post Distracted and Misled 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 war on food, and the war on high-quality animal protein in particular, is very real.

 

 

 

I remember a few years ago when he first said this, I thought it had to be just a few “bad apples”; looking like the whole barrel is rotted out at this point.

 

 

And I still like the idea of dipping your finger in indelible ink so you can’t go vote somewhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

I still see people in masks.  Sigh.

 

 

I know people who have been Jabbed up like crazy… but still get Covid and say “Well, it’d have been worse if I hadn’t been vaccinated”.  I want to cry.

 

 

 

 

 

At this point, no crime is… if a Democrat does it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve come to like something simple, like getting at least 3 out of 5 of the US Citizenship exam correct.

 

 

 

 

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

 

PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA

 

 

 

 

Would Nikki Haley Pardon Hunter Biden? You Won’t Like Her Answer. – PJ Media

I sure don’t like her answer.  More from PJ Media:

Nikki Haley Forcibly Renamed Her Husband – PJ Media

Closing with Tucker’s analysis:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/tucker-on-nikki-with-vivek.mp4

 

Now, I’ll admit Vivek – in the latter part of the video – seems to sound good and has said some things I like, but I still don’t trust his rapid appearance out of, literally, nowhere.

I’ve made clear my intent to vote for Trump.  But irrespective of her actual eligibility issues, e.g., here, I see a deep cause for concern in the amount of support and funding she’s getting from the Left and GOP Elites.

My suspicion is simple: they – the Left, the Globalists, the GOP Elites, the enemedia – will do everything possible to drag her across the GOP nomination line.  And once she’s secured it, the suits over her natural-born citizen status will be unleashed.  It will be 24-7 news.  And thus the Right will be thrown into utter chaos.

 

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

 

 

OK… I know it makes her ineligible to be elected to the Presidency; what about in a succession event?

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, I don’t like the idea of The Purge.  But… a day of open season on politicians specifically?  That I might get behind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From a Telegram contact in Israel!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t think the Democrats have forgiven the GOP for setting the two-term limit after FDR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Pick of the Post:

 

 

Except, very often IMHO, you don’t know this until you are already in the thick of things… and you see your facts, logic, evidence, etc., bouncing off their cognitive shields.  There’s a reason I coined the term Teflon Intellects.

 

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

 

I’ve promoted My Tree in Israel‘s olive oil multiple times.  I just got one bottle – as a gift for my long-time support – of their whisky offering from Israel.  Damn good stuff.  Not cheap, but excellent as a private label item and a nice gift to give too.

Case of 6 bottles of Golani Black | My Tree in Israel

 

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

 

Palate cleansers:

 

 

Way back when, at the first company I worked for, the error message sound on the community Mac was set to this.

—

—

 

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

 

Come back on Friday for more memes.  Same meme time.  Same meme channel.

 

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

 

 

 

The post Meme Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.

Okay, these Greenies have to get themselves a hobby. I have no idea what their endgame is, but all of us moving back into caves might be a good guess. But don’t even think about starting a campfire to cook or keep warm. No fire is allowed in the Green Utopia. These people are simply insane, and if they believe all they tout, then stop pushing your ideas on the masses and go live in a yurt.

There were three stories this month telling us what we need to drink, eat, or fill our homes with. Bill Gates is involved with the first two. I realize a lot of people hate Microsoft. I am not one of them, and I think Bill Gates was a genius. And what he created in his garage was the impetus for the most dynamic period of growth in our lifetimes. But notice I wrote he was a genius. That was deliberate, as I think Bill has crossed that fine line between genius and insanity. When Gates left the world of computers to save the world, I think he lacked focus on what world he was saving. It appears he wants to transform rather than save it, and I believe his transformative ideas should have been moved to the Trash or Spam folder.

His first target was eliminating methane gas by doing away with cattle, pigs, chickens, face it, anything we humans love to eat. It is still up in the air if he wants to ban fish, too. Gates believes we can replace all of our delicious proteins with plant-based alternatives. To Bill Gates, I say, take your paws off my medium-rare fillet. I will not eat a burger made out of any green plant. But wait, it gets worse as Gates has moved on from Vegan Meat to Manufactured Meat. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

UPSIDE Foods, a California-based lab-grown meat company, recently announced that it received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In November 2022, the company received the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). UPSIDE Foods has the financial backing of Bill Gates.

Upside is starting with cultivated chicken. The manufactured “meat” will be created in a factory, starting with chicken stem cells. This process will not do away with animals as long as there is a need for their cells. The only idea that is more ludicrous would be 3D printer-meats. Trust me, they are not far away. And we didn’t even get into purified drinking water from septic tanks.

The Washington Post reported this week the new claim by the Greenies that houseplants are harmful to the planet. I do not know of any house void of plants, and now you are dipping into the control of women’s lives as most household horticulturists are women, and you do not want to continue messing with women’s rights. There is no actual data as to what houseplants are doing to the environment, but when are we going to realize that America alone cannot control weather trends? This is the fact that destroys most plans. America is only about 10% of the earth’s landmass. If we are the only country to adopt a health remedy, it may show virtue but will not make an appreciable dent in climate change. Also, everyone admits the air quality above the U.S. has improved dramatically over the last few decades without vast government mandates. But if banning whoppers and the family geranium is the goal, you may have issues.

This is not the last effort to change and restrict our lives. If these misguided souls even give a quick glance at one of our dogs, you will meet resistance like you only dreamed of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Houseplants? Is The Family Dog Next appeared first on Granite Grok.

This is another example of that fifty-state laboratory business. The notion is that each state can try a thing, and when they work or fail, other states can learn from that. With the Blue States, failure is the goal, and it is what they emulate. Red states, on the other hand.

Emphasis in the original.

 

When Texas college students return to their campuses after the winter break, they’ll discover the lights are still off in their campuses’ diversity offices.

That’s because a new law that outlaws such work at the state’s higher education institutions goes into effect, Jan. 1. …

Dissolving diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at public universities: Senate Bill 17 requires public universities to end so-called diversity, equity and inclusion work. Universities will also be unable to offer training on diversity and inclusion for its faculty and staff, or require diversity statements in hiring processes. Universities must also confirm to the Legislature between legislative sessions that they are in full compliance.

 

This could be a win for liberty and actual diversity. Diversity of thought, for example, creates the breeding ground for a depth of understanding that DEI makes impossible. The latter focuses on differences and division, while the former allows individuals to discover what they share in common as people on the planet and develop relationships that bridge demographic gaps.

You can’t bring people together by fixating on what makes them different while looking for more ways to insist they all talk, act, and perceive the world the same way—the way you want. To a Democrat, as I like to say, Diversity is a room full of people who look different but think the same, speak the same, and act the same. Anyone who speaks out is excluded, ostracized, and perhaps even canceled.

DEI offices on college campuses insert this worldview into everything and police it with the help of an increasing drift of snowflakes. Their dissolution or departure is a great win for intellectual Diversity, including all opinions, and the education equity that follows from allowing civilized and open debate.

More states need to untangle education and children from the tentacles of cultural Marxism in k-12, not just college campuses before there are not enough open-minded thinkers left to protect the American Experiment. CRT and DEI should be fringe disciplines—oddities along the manifold of human interaction. Like flat-earthers. Giving them offices and authority and power? That’s a bad idea, but not one with an easy remedy. The cancer of DEI was left unchecked for too long. It seeped into everything. Ohio banned DEI, and Kent State recreated it as a Division of People, Culture, and Belonging. The DEI people moved into existing offices with another department, so DEI is still alive, but the new name is accurate. “Division is in the name, and that’s what we’ll get. So, more of the same.”

Banning DEI just forced a rebrand. That’s no reason not to try. Cut their funding if you want to stick the landing. Do to them what DeSantis did to Disney – change their tax status – Florida also prohibits public funding for campus DEI offices and initiatives. Engage in lawfare if they charge conservative speakers more for permits or security than liberal speakers. Sue for violations of free speech or incidents of compelled speech. Punish fake hate crimes the way you’d punish real ones. You’ll need a governor and AG or a good District Attorney willing to fight that fight, but you’d need that to enforce the DEI ban.

Assuming you are serious, but that’s a problem too. How much of this right roughshod over First Amendment rights?

 

 

The post Outlawing Diversity Offices on State College Campuses Won’t End DEI appeared first on Granite Grok.

For my friends in New Hampshire, you all recognize the New Hampshire Union Leader as a demagogue in the Left-leaning (fake news) media, supposedly representing all NH readers and voters. To my friends around the country and the world, the NH Union Leader used to be a respectable, somewhat conservative-leaning newspaper that wasn’t afraid to publish opposing Liberal views.

Not now.

In the past several months, the UL has printed at least a dozen op-eds (editorials), political columns by known Trump-hating operatives, and dozens of LTE’s (letters to the editor), all bashing President Trump with their continued lies about him. It’s the usual bull crap…opinions without evidence. The media controls the message, the same message to which they “expertly” give their own interpretation, and then ultimately mislead the uninformed reader or viewer because they know if people hear a story so many times, they begin to believe the story. Thus, they control the people.

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

I wrote a rebuttal Op-ed (see below) and asked the UL to be fair and balanced and not afraid to publish differing viewpoints. They asked me to prove my statements and even suggested adding “I believe” to each of my points. What? I told them it was inappropriate because each of my rebuttal statements are ALL public record, and I don’t recall seeing “I believe” after the false and misleading Trump-hating rhetoric by the others listed below. I took my crusade to the President and Publisher, and he refused to print my brilliant op-ed. What is he afraid of?

Well, there’s more than one way to skin a rat. I’m taking it TO THE PEOPLE! You don’t have to be a Trump supporter to acknowledge what is happening in the media now. It can also happen to YOUR candidate!

I’m asking everyone to please post this to their social media and email it to everyone on their lists and send a message that we won’t be controlled any more. We won’t be told who to vote for and who not to vote for. Ask yourself, does principle matter? It’s the very foundation of the system of our beliefs. If you care about protecting our individual democracy, not just the democratic version of democracy, I ask you to please take the time to forward this.

My humble thanks to you all. May this year be THE ONE!

 

<begin op-ed>

The Declining Public Trust in the Judiciary and Making a Mockery of the Rule of Law

Did we ever think a former Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court would be partisan?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes.  We can thank former President Obama for that.

We, the people, are increasingly concerned that judges and justices are more broadly seen as unelected political figures who make decisions to achieve outcomes rather than as neutral arbiters of the law.

Obama punctured the myth of total impartiality when he began his crusade to pack the federal court system with liberal partisan judicial appointees. Even the U.S. Supreme Court didn’t escape Obama’s regime-building.  Randall Kennedy, a Harvard professor, once said, “It seems to me it’s quite clear that the Supreme Court of the United States is political. How could one explain the fights over confirmation if this is not political?” he asked.

Judicial impartiality now seems to be a thing of the past.  A judge or justice who favors one party or gives greater weight to that party’s claims is not behaving neutrally.  Former NHSC Justice John Broderick’s sentiments in his column (UL Dec 17, 2023) are totally off the rails in his baseless claims and crazy conspiracy theories against former President Trump.

Hold onto your MAGA hats…Broderick claims:

·      Trump called American soldiers “suckers and losers”.  FALSE. It was alleged by a liberal reporter at The Atlantic in his 2020 article whose supposed “sources” never materialized.

·      Trump’s “indictments and 91 felony counts” are all based solely on accusations by a few state federal prosecutors and district attorneys all of whom are Democrats and all on public record announcing their hatred of President Trump.  Their judicial appointments were all based on “getting Trump”.

·      Trump did not sit silently on J6 as Broderick states; he authorized 10,000 National Guard troops but former Speaker Pelosi refused them.

·      Trump did not interfere with presidential confirmation.  He CHALLENGED electoral votes.  Just as Democrat lawmakers challenged the votes 3 times in the last 20 years.  In 2001, 2005, and 2017.  Their objections did not pass because they could not find a Democrat senator to certify their challenge.

·      There are indeed mounds of evidence of massive election fraud throughout the country in 2020, but liberal judges refused to introduce the evidence into their courts; that way, they can claim not to have seen the evidence.  Former Justice Broderick knows this is how it works in our subversive judicial system,  but he conveniently turns a blind eye.

In his rantings, Broderick claims if Trump wins back the White House, he will exact revenge on his enemies and he’ll be a dictator.

But that is exactly what we have now against Trump.

Biden’s DOJ is relentless in their pursuit to prevent Trump’s re-election.  They are resorting to fear-mongering and rhetoric inflammatory in their desperation.

Liberals, like the recent Colorado Justices who unlawfully seek to remove Trump from the Colorado state ballot on a crime that he has not been charged or convicted of, who have invaded our current court system, are making a mockery of the Rule of Law, and that is the real threat to our Democracy.

<end op-ed>

The post The Union Leader Wouldn’t Publish My Op-Ed, So Here It Is! appeared first on Granite Grok.

Who will be on the Epstein list? Israel (?) killing prominent Hamas leader in Lebanon?; is SWATing out of hand? Is it the FBI that refuses to follow up on these incidents? Trump saying FBI should get a spectacular new building; why do republicans continue to do debates with liberal moderators? Claudine Gay’s resignation; shipping lanes being blocked by the Houthis; will illegal immigrants be invited into the military? Why do NGO’s continue to seduce immigrants to enter the U.S.?

The post The Conservatarian Exchange Podcast #187 appeared first on The Liberty Block.

The White House announced earlier this month multi-billion dollar spending on a high-speed rail system for the nation. But President Joe Biden has already participated in a project with this exact promise – without delivering results. Indeed, some of the Barack Obama-Biden rail projects have been abandoned; most have run over projected costs.

Biden calls his Investing in America agenda a “key pillar of Bidenomics.” A White House press release proclaimed his plan “is delivering world class-infrastructure across the country.” These promises have been made for a long time, yet the vaunted infrastructure has not been delivered. Ironically, the POTUS who attacks fossil fuel pipelines is replacing them with one full of taxpayer pork to California and other states that have a proven track record of not installing a single stretch of functioning high-speed tracks: “The Biden-Harris Administration is building out a pipeline of passenger rail projects in every region of the country in order to achieve the President’s vision of world-class passenger rail.”

The Obama-Biden Legacy Blending pledges of environmental rescue, reduced traffic congestion, and “good-paying union jobs,” Biden is simply echoing the empty playbook of his former boss. After “investing” billions of taxpayer dollars in high-speed rail 14 years ago, Obama committed to the very same thing. Expressing his spending plans, the 44th president announced:

“And so far, we’re ahead of schedule, we’re under budget, and adhering to the highest standards of transparency and accountability …

“What we’re talking about is a vision for high-speed rail in America … And with this strategy for America’s transportation future, and our efforts across all fronts to lay a new foundation for our lasting prosperity, that is the challenge we will meet.”

Standing beside Obama was then-VP Biden, touting his passion for this rail-vision thing:

“I have, like many in this room, devoted most of my career to doing what I can to support America’s rail systems. So I’m really proud to be part of an administration led by a man who has real vision; real vision about how to not only transform this country generally, but transform our transportation system in a fundamental way.”

A High-Speed Train Wreck

The vision is dystopian: sap the taxpayers and drive up debt to fund fantasies that generate short-term wealth for technocrats and no demonstrable results. Obama claimed his administration’s progress was ahead of schedule, under budget, and held to high standards. All three claims have now been debunked.

Back in 2014, Time magazine noted that “the bullet-train rhetoric from Obama and the White House’s main train buff, Vice President Joe Biden, has not lived up to the bullet-train reality.” With the benefit of hindsight, Fox News described the results of this decades-long debacle:

“The project was originally planned as a $33 billion project consisting of 1,955 miles of railway connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. Since then, the cost has swelled to $113 billion and the project’s scope has been dramatically scaled down to a 171-mile railway … Overall, if the project is completed in 2030, it will have taken a decade longer than expected, while costing $80 billion more and being 91% smaller than originally planned. Because of its repeated shortfalls, the project has been dubbed by critics as the ‘train to nowhere.’”

In 2009, Obama claimed that 220-mile-per-hour trains would decrease gasoline use, create high-paying jobs, and improve the economy by modernizing the nation’s infrastructure. Billions of dollars and nearly 15 years later, Biden is repeating the same script, line by line.

Can Biden Grease the Tracks? Watch-the-birdie visions of sugar-plum super-trains that benefit commuters from Los Angeles to San Francisco do not eclipse the endless debt incurred for do-nothing pork projects. When Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) was governor of Florida, he famously returned $2.4 billion of slotted high-speed train funds back to Washington. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) eagerly drooled over the new federal handout as “a vote of confidence in today’s vision,” claiming, “California is delivering on the first 220-mph, electric high-speed rail project in the nation.”

“Today’s vision” is simply Obama 2009 redux; the high-speed train has never left the station. Biden’s 2023 pitch is déjà vu, except voters see in their rearview mirror zero progress despite soaring promises (and deficits).

The Biden administration’s policies have been an economic train wreck, seeding inflation, volatile energy markets, and government waste. Shifting billions of dollars to Newsom’s visionary train coffers while that state tackles its $68 billion budget deficit may surface as an issue for the nation’s voters in 2024.

 

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

The post Night Cap: Biden Spending Off the Rails? appeared first on Granite Grok.

There’s nothing wrong with the idea that men could champion women’s rights. There are plenty of men who have done more for women than women. You’d be crazier than a bag of cats to think otherwise. So where’s the crime in ‘UN Women UK’ naming a transwoman as its champion of Women’s rights in the not-so-United Kingdom.

 

According to UN Women UK, it supports the “empowerment of women equality globally within civil society, government, and the corporate sector.”

However, the group of charities [Fair Play for Women, Sex Matters, Transgender Trend and the Women’s Rights Network] wrote: “We wish to register our dismay and disappointment at the appointment of … Munroe Bergdorf as a UN Women UK champion. Munroe Bergdorf is unsuitable in every regard.

“Munroe Bergdorf’s well-publicised activism is not pro-women. This person has objected to women making references to our female bodies.”

 

Munroe Bergdorf, born a man, believes he is a woman and goes to great lengths to achieve the physical appearance, mannerisms, and social behaviors of a stereotypical woman. Becomes a model as a woman but objects to “references to female bodies.” Let’s assume that’s true, and these charities have the receipts. What, then, is the issue? What is it about women to which Bergdorf objects?

Maybe he’s just a bitch? It wouldn’t be the first time someone went to great lengths to emulate female beauty and became catty. If the stereotype is to be believed, it’s quite common.

I’m going with womb envy, but that’s no excuse. There are plenty of actual men and women who are envious of their own sex for any number of reasons. Human nature makes us want things we have no interest in doing the work to achieve. It is easier to covet the finished product and the focus needed to achieve it than to do the work ourselves.

Look at Munroe. No small amount of work went into turning that guy into the person we see today. They are obsessed with a traditional standard of female beauty. Having achieved it is as subjective as attraction itself, but there is no denying the goal. Munroe’s vision for women is classic. But this is the sort of thing feminists have been working to escape since Elizabeth Smith Miller started wearing pants. Maybe escape is the wrong word, but you take my meaning, I hope.

Munroe is, therefore, retrograde. Nothing progressive about that.

Munroe is also a man. Removing and adding bits does not change that. Beneath the facade of flesh is the skeleton of a man who, if unearthed thousands of years from now, would be identified as such, and there’s no cure for that. So, the only thing UN Women UK has done is deny an actual woman something to which they are entitled by birthright – a well-known concept the English have preserved into the 21st century by tolerating their monarchy.

There’s nothing wrong with that or awarding a man with a title like “champion of women’s rights” if they deserve it. Still, by all accounts, Bergdorf is a Potemkin woman – pretending for points and attention, even deception, and little else, and by choosing him, that’s what UN Women UK has become.

 

The post Transwoman Named UK Champion of Women’s Rights appeared first on Granite Grok.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Department of Defense surprised me once again—this time involved General Austin in his role as Secretary of Defense. He checked himself into Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he was placed in the Intensive Care Unit for a week and never told anyone, while his staff lied about it.

What is troubling no one seemed to care.

It’s not like there is nothing going on in the world that would require his attention. Even his deputy was on vacation. He and his deputy took themselves out of the decision-making process. A great opportunity for our enemies to take advantage. This is truly bizarre behavior. For those of us who have served at senior levels within the military, we realize that something else is going on, that the normal operation of the chain of command appears not to be functioning, at least not as it should and certainly not in this case.

The foundation of the Armed Forces rests on a firm platform of Values and Morals. This is something instilled into every 2nd Lieutenant from the day they are commissioned—values like character, integrity, and honesty. You are also taught to find senior officers to serve as role models. Officers who, at the end of the day, will always do the right thing and will set an example regardless of the situation. Former Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall was my role model. Those who compromise these values normally are weeded out of the system.

We want to thank Dragon6 for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.

So why mislead and lie about being hospitalized? The answer, I believe, is that General Austin did not view his Commander-in-Chief as being an active participant in the Chain of Command nor in the decision-making process at the highest level of our government. He may even feel insecure in his position as SecDef. Both thoughts are troubling for the nation. I can’t recall any similar example of this dysfunction at such a senior level. Did General Austin tell his staff that, if asked, inform people he was working from home, or did he or his staff decide that outright lying was the best option?

We are now faced with a failure in individual character as well as in personal integrity and honesty. How can we trust anything that the SecDef and his staff tell us in the future or the guidance they provide in any future conflict? This also points to a deeper dysfunction in the Department of Defense that needs to be corrected. Subordinate officers would have suffered severe consequences had they done the same (Lying). To deflect from his shortcomings, General Austin’s only comment was, “I should have been more transparent.” I can think of a lot of words “transparency” is not one of them. Time to take responsibility for placing the nation at risk and failing to set an example for those under you.

The post Unravelling of the Armed Forces – Part Two appeared first on Granite Grok.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “took a week off” without anyone noticing, so the White House is running damage control. How could the Secretary of Defense disappear for a week? Because, like the White House, he’s not running it?

It is sad and mildly amusing in a tragic way, but this response to that is just comical.

AP Headline: ‘White House orders Cabinet secretaries to notify when they can’t perform duties after Austin illness.’

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House chief of staff on Tuesday ordered Cabinet members or secretaries to notify his office if they ever can’t perform their duties, as the Biden administration, reeling from learning of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s surprise illness last week, mounts a policy review.

 

You don’t have to be paying attention to know that no one on Biden’s cabinet can perform their duties. At all. Ever. Unless by duties you mean the dereliction of – they’ve got that nailed. Pete Buttigieg is their leader and the poster child for expective level seat-warmers. Antony Blinkin at least has experience, not that he’s used it to defend the American People or fulfill his oath of office.

In other words, the White House should expect a lot of correspondence. Wait. No, they won’t. This cabal of misfits isn’t capable of knowing how bad they are, which means you, the people, will need to help them out. Pen a little note or send an email. Dear White House, in response to your request, I would like to inform you that [insert Secretary’s name] can’t perform their duties.

Sign it, Epstein’s mother. No, not that Epstein.

 

The post White House Says It Now Expects Cabinet to Notify Them If They “Can’t Do Their Job” – Are They Trying to Be Funny? appeared first on Granite Grok.

In today’s Townhall.com Tip Sheet, there is an article by Sarah Arnold entitled, “DNC Turns Its Back on the New Hampshire Democrat Party.” The crux of the article is a recent letter sent by the DNC to Ray Buckley, informing him that the Democrat NH Primary will not be recognized as a delegate selection event.

Quoting the article, quoting the letter, “The NHDP must take steps to educate the public that January 23rd is a non-binding presidential preference event and is meaningless and the NHDP and presidential candidates should take all steps possible not to participate.”

Steve has been writing and sharing on this topic in recent months, and the articles about the attempt to get the GOP to change the rules are worth re-reading for their takes.

• Why NH Democrats Should Be Proud to Lose Their Primary
• Democrats Switched to Independent to Screw with the Republican Primary
• Response and Clarification to Chairman Ager About Our Closed Primary Resolution

What this means in practical terms is that you will get more Democrat Leftists changing their registration so they can vote (a.k.a interfere) in the Republican primary. Most of those changes will be to “Undeclared” so they can easily vote in the State Democrat Primary in September. I have been warning about this for years, as have many others.

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

It’s time for NH Republicans to grow some vertebrae and ditch the open primary system that allows this interference – get rid of same-day party selection for Primaries and require voters to register with a party.

I believe NH law allows this to happen up to 14 days before an election – the resolution in front of the NH GOP was 30 days, but in my opinion, it really should be 90 days.

You will also be cheered by a large cadre of Checklist Supervisors who currently have to process all those party changes and change them back after every primary election. It was always a painful task when I served in that role, especially when there were hotly contested primaries driving large turnout.

 

 

The post Republicans in NH: Be Warned! appeared first on Granite Grok.