Island nations like the Maldives quickly lined up for handouts when the Global Warming Cult got its sea legs. In the decades since that overlubricated wheel still grinds and screeches despite the very real fact that these places are not getting swallowed by Poseidon’s climate rage—quite the opposite.

The sea level rise narrative has had a bad few years all around.

East Coast beaches haven’t changed much at all in seventy years, and in some cases, like Jones Beach on Long Island, they’ve gotten bigger. This is good news for people in Manhattan who were supposed to be underwater by 2018, but years later, sea-level-wise, things look a lot like they did in 1918.

And the Maldives? They were supposed to be underwater by 2018 as well, which should have slowed the grand opening of a $500.00-a-night 120-villa resort project that opened on Raa Atoll in 2019. It’s still there, but there is one difference. It costs about $1000.00 a night to stay there now and not because the sea is coming to take it away. The same year that the pricey resort opened, researchers were conducting a global analysis of beaches and islands around the globe.

A 2019 global-scale analysis of 709 islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans revealed 89% were either stable or growing in size, and that no island larger than 10 ha (and only 1.2% of islands larger than 5 ha) had decreased in size since the 1980s (Duvat, 2019).

Likewise, the globe’s beaches been growing by 0.33 m/year since 1984 (Luijendijk et al., 2018).

In a press release for a 2016 paper on coastal land area changes from 1985 to 2015, scientists acknowledged this:

“We expected that the coast would start to retreat due to sea level rise, but the most surprising thing is that the coasts are growing all over the world“ – BBC

I guess the resort investors knew more than the so-called experts (emphasis added).

The scientists observed that despite rising sea levels, many shorelines in Tuvalu and neighbouring Pacific atolls have maintained relative stability, “without significant alteration”. A comprehensive re-examination of data on 30 Pacific and Indian Ocean atolls with 709 islands found that none of them had lost any land. Furthermore, the scientists added, there are data that indicate 47 reef islands expanded in size or remained stable over the last 50 years, “despite experiencing a rate of sea-level rise that exceeds the global average”. ..

That has to be disappointing but look on the bright side. You said global warming was going to affect island nations, and it has. Many of them are getting bigger. So, do you know less about ocean and island mechanics than you do climate? Is that even possible?

 

The post ‘Experts’ Said ‘Global Warming’ Would ‘Affect’ Island Nations And They Were Right… appeared first on Granite Grok.

It is not easy, and it may be very uncomfortable, to change your political affiliation because you finally realize that it is not you who is leaving the Party, but the Party has left you. I grew up in Massachusetts, where everyone joined the Democrat Party at birth. Those many years ago, John Kennedy personified the Democrat Party.

They were the Party of the little guy, unions and workers, social safety nets, and legal immigration. It is easy to see that today’s Democrat Party is not JFK’s Party. When I graduated college, I recognized that the Democrats and Massachusetts were changing, and it was not for the betterment of the state or its people. That is why I packed up the family and escaped to New Hampshire. Unfortunately, many people made that same pilgrimage over the border. Still, many brought the Massachusetts political philosophy with them and contributed to changing the Granite State from Red to Blue.

The morphing of the Maine Democrat Party has been happening for years, and this new Progressive version has been gutting Maine like you would a boiled lobster. It is past time for Maine Democrats to stop pulling the D lever out of habit and recognize the Republicans align better with your old-fashioned views. Don’t be alarmed when you look into the mirror one morning and a Conservative is staring back.

To look at some of the recent bills passed by the Democrat-led Maine Government in Augusta, one would gaze into the Progressive Playbook. It is a path that does not reflect the hard-working, traditional Mainers who built a beautiful, diverse state that was a magnet for vacationers everywhere. The motto of Vacationland is being changed by Democrats who now want people to come to Maine for late-term abortions and transgender counseling and surgery. The Dems want to take children away from parents who are not supportive of their children’s wishes to re-gender.

The Dems are diverting housing and resources meant for Mainers who need help to illegal migrants who should be deported. Dems have put Maine at the top of the list of the highest real estate taxes in the country and fourth on the list of highest income taxed individuals. The Dems are restricting the Maine Lobster Industry to extinction while promoting marijuana usage and sales because they see the tax revenue that industry can generate. The state is doing little to stem the growth of illegal Chinese Cartel marijuana farms. It identifies laws that the justice department will no longer enforce because of a shortage of staff in the Justice and Law Enforcement agencies. These decisions are making Maine a less safe environment for Maine’s citizens but more attractive for illegals and criminals.

It may seem like a giant leap to leave the Democrats that have been your Party for a lifetime, but not so big when you look at the facts. Does the Democrat Party in Maine today reflect who you are, or is it time to let them go and look across the aisle. You will find those folks ready to welcome you to their Party, and I assure you that you will feel right at home. Like the feel of your favorite slippers, you will fit right in and wonder why you took so long to take the leap. Welcome home, my friends. Now, let’s make Maine back into the state we love.

The post Wake Up Maine Democrats, This Is Not Your Parent’s Party appeared first on Granite Grok.

Tell Your Representatives to Prioritize Students over Harmful DEI Initiatives. SB 219 – Act now to:

1. Sign in in support of the bill, next scheduled for a hearing in the House Education Committee Tuesday, 4/16/24.

2. Consider attending the committee hearing to testify in support of the bill, 4/16/24, at 9:30am in the Legislative Office Building room 205-207.

SB 219, The Students First Act, is an important bill that will crack down on sprawling and expensive school administration in New Hampshire to ensure that our education spending puts students and teachers first.

As amended by the Senate, SB 219 would require school districts to report six-figure salaries of diversity professionals and other high-paid administrators before school budget meetings.

These reports will prove to voters that they are being deceived. Despite decades of increasing school expenses around New Hampshire to reportedly benefit our students, no school tax increases are going to teacher pay. Instead, school districts are creating well-paid, left-wing administrative bureaucracies focused on expensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and staffing, all at the expense of teachers and students.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: 

1. Register your support of SB 219 by signing in in support of the bill here.

You can find step-by-step instructions on how to sign in here.

2. Submit written testimony. You can do this when you sign in. Simply hit “choose file” under step number four to upload a document with your testimony, or type your testimony into the provided box.

3. Come testify in person. We have step-by-step instructions on how to testify here. You can also reach out to us at cornerstone@nhcornerstone.org if you have any questions about the testifying process.

Important Note: Some have issues with the House remote sign-in page. If you are encountering problems, you can also email the committee directly to register your support of this bill and/or submitting written testimony. You can find their contact info here.

Please Submit Group communications or Press Releases to steve@granitegrok.com.
Submission is not a guarantee of publication – Publication is not an endorsement.

The Importance of State Recognition of Biological Sex

Several pieces of legislation seeking to address the issue of protecting women’s sports are being considered by the New Hampshire General Court with one, HB 396, uniquely positioned for passage. HB 396, permitting classification of individuals based on biological sex under certain limited circumstances, narrowly survived the House and is now headed to the Senate for review.

While other pending legislation focuses on sporting events alone, HB 396 provides for broader application by allowing “any person or organization, public or private” the opportunity to make a classification based on biological sex. This level of classification flexibility and protection is not present in any of the other bills.

HB 396 provides the most expansive framework to address these issues and has the greatest success of becoming law in New Hampshire. It is of vital necessity that the Senate pass HB 396, unamended in any way, as an important first and needed step in clarifying the state’s ability to differentiate based on biological sex. This bill will pave the way for any person or organization, public or private, to protect women in the areas of sports, prisons and places of intimate privacy.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
We encourage you to stay tuned for any updates on HB 396 as it advances to the Senate. Read more about this important issue and its priority in our blog post here.

Oppose State-Sanctioned Suicide in the Senate

On March 21st, the New Hampshire House of Representatives, including many Republicans, ignored the voices of the disabled community, veterans, and concerned New Hampshire citizens of all ages and cast their vote to legalize state-sanctioned suicide. HB 1283, relative to end of life options, passed by the closest of margins in the House, 179-177.

HB 1283 poses a risk to all Granite Staters, but especially to young citizens, already at risk for suicide. You can read more on this risk and how assisted suicide, in all forms, must be opposed in this op-ed from Mary Fahey: Young People Need Suicide Prevention, Not Promotion.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
As the issue of state-sanctioned suicide advances to the Senate, we urge you to continue strong opposition to the bill, and stay tuned for more Cornerstone updates on key dates, including when the bill comes up for a hearing before the Senate HHS Committee.

We will keep you informed on any additional opportunities to help halt this dangerous legislation.

The post Tell Your Representatives to Prioritize Students over Harmful DEI Initiatives appeared first on Granite Grok.

March 27, 2024
R H     Source: louisianaradionetwork.com 3/26/24

A bill SB371 to give judges the discretion to punish individuals who sexually assault a child with surgical castration advances from Senate Judiciary C. Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow’s bill allows for the sentencing of surgical castration if the victim is under the age of 13.

read more

March 21, 2024     Source: qz.com 3/20/24

A federal court says privacy rights are diminished due to the proliferation of video cameras throughout society

Law enforcement in Kansas recorded the front of a man’s home for 68 days straight, 15 hours a day, and obtained evidence to prove him guilty on 16 charges. The officers did not have a search warrant, using a camera on a pole positioned across the street to capture Bruce Hay’s home. A federal court ruled on Tuesday that it was fine for law enforcement to do so, in what’s potentially a major reduction in privacy law.

“Mr. Hay had no reasonable expectation of privacy in a view of the front of his house,” said the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in its decision on U.S. vs Hay. “As video cameras proliferate throughout society, regrettably, the reasonable expectation of privacy from filming is diminished.”

Read the full article

• These are the most liberty-critical hearings for the week
• Click on the bill number to read the bill.
• Click on the committee name to email the committee your thoughts.

Of the 46 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 4 and opposition of 4 with 5 being of interest.
Of the 52 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 11 and opposition of 6 with 1 being of interest.

Position	Bill	Title	Committee	Day	Time	Room	State Analysis
Of Interest	SB449	relative to the permit issuance timeline for state air permits.	Science, Technology and Energy	Mon 4/15	10:30 AM	LOB Room 302-304	This bill provides the commissioner 180 days to act upon an air pollution control permit application.
Support	HB1076	(New Title) relative to wine manufacturer licenses and relative to on-premises licenses for beverage manufacturers.	Commerce	Tue 4/16	10:00 AM	SH Room 100	This bill enables a wine manufacturer licensee to hold an on-premises license on the premises of the wine manufacturer facility or on the premises of the wine manufacturer retail outlet. This bill enables the holder of a beverage manufacturer license to have an on-premise license either on the premises of the manufacturing facility or on the premises of the beverage manufacturing retail outlet.
Oppose	HB279	increasing the penalty for on-premises licensees overserving alcohol.	Commerce	Tue 4/16	10:20 AM	SH Room 100	This bill increases the penalty for on-premises licensees overserving alcohol.
Support	HB1540	relative to the definitions of full course meals and full service restaurant for purposes of alcohol licensing.	Commerce	Tue 4/16	10:40 AM	SH Room 100	This bill revises the definition of full course meal and full service restaurant for purposes of alcohol licensing.
Oppose	HB546	relative to the school building aid program.	Education	Tue 4/16	9:00 AM	LOB Room 101	This bill requires a minimum of $50,000,000 per fiscal year to be transferred to the school building aid fund, in addition to any debt service payments, for school building aid grants.
Support	HB1665	relative to student eligibility for the education freedom accounts program.	Education	Tue 4/16	9:20 AM	LOB Room 101	This bill changes the annual household income limit to qualify for the education freedom account program.
Support	SB219	(New Title) requiring mandatory reporting by school districts of school expenses.	Education	Tue 4/16	9:30 AM	LOB Room 205-207	This bill requires school districts to post mandatory reports of school expenses, including average cost per pupil, average teacher salaries, and top administrator salaries. It also creates a civil remedy for the enforcement of this requirement.
Oppose	HB1713	relative to a defendant’s presence during certain criminal proceedings.	Judiciary	Tue 4/16	1:15 PM	SH Room 100	This bill requires that a defendant who is charged with or awaiting sentence for an offense punishable by life imprisonment or imprisonment of a maximum term of 15 years or more be present at the return of the verdict and at sentencing after trial, subject to excusal for cause. The bill further permits a court to order the use of reasonable force in carrying out a transport order issued pursuant to this section of an incarcerated defendant who refuses to comply with that order. The bill further makes it a class A felony to knowingly violate this provision.
Oppose	HB1711	authorizing the state to report mental health data for firearms background check purposes and providing for processes for confiscation of firearms following certain mental health-related court proceedings and for relief from mental health-related firearms disabilities.	Judiciary	Tue 4/16	2:00 PM	SH Room 100	This bill authorizes the state to report mental health data for firearms background check purposes and provides for processes for the confiscation of firearms following certain mental health-related court proceedings and for relief from mental health-related firearms disabilities.
Of Interest	HB2024	relative to the state 10-year transportation improvement plan.	Transportation	Tue 4/16	1:40 PM	LOB Room 101	This bill: I. Adopts the 2025-2034 10-year transportation plan. II. Adds certain projects to the 2025-2034 10-year transportation improvement plan. III. Removes certain projects from the 2025-2034 10-year transportation improvement plan. IV. Increases funding for certain projects in the 2025-2034 10-year transportation. V. Requires that all rail removed from a portion of the Conway Branch rail line be used to offset construction costs of the portion’s rail bed VI. Reclassifies Continental Boulevard in the town of Merrimack as a class V highway.
Oppose	SB563	relative to federal immigration enforcement.	Criminal Justice and Public Safety	Wed 4/17	11:30 AM	LOB Room 202-204	This bill prohibits state and local government entities from adopting sanctuary policies to prohibit or impede the enforcement of federal immigration law and prohibits a tenancy at sufferance to be created by those without a written agreement permitting them to occupy a property.2024 SESSION 24-2873 12/05SENATE BILL 563-FNAN ACT relative to federal immigration enforcement.SPONSORS: Sen. Gannon, Dist 23; Sen. Gendreau, Dist 1; Sen. Lang, Dist 2; Sen. Abbas, Dist 22; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Rep. Piemonte, Rock. 9; Rep. Bernardy, Rock. 36; Rep. Hobson, Rock. 14; Rep. L. Walsh, Rock. 15COMMITTEE: Judiciary—————————————————————– This bill prohibits state and local government entities from adopting sanctuary policies to prohibit or impede the enforcement of federal immigration law.
Support	SB563-2024-1484h	non-germane Amendment #2024-1484h to SB 563-FN, relative to federal immigration enforcement.	Criminal Justice and Public Safety	Wed 4/17	2:00 PM	LOB Room 202-204	The amendment prohibits a tenancy at sufferance to be created by those without a written agreement permitting them to occupy a property.
Support	SB302	adding an additional exemption from the regulation of physicians and surgeons.	Executive Departments and Administration	Wed 4/17	1:00 PM	LOB Room 306-308	This bill exempts from application of the chapter a physician licensed in another state providing care to a patient in New Hampshire when there is a physician-patient relationship in the physician’s home state of licensing with in-person examinations conducted by the physician at intervals appropriate for the patient and the patient’s medical condition, but not less than annually.
Of Interest	SB480	relative to the administration of professional licensure and certification and the regulation of real estate practice.	Executive Departments and Administration	Wed 4/17	2:00 PM	LOB Room 306-308	This bill requires: I. Any board or commission whose total number of active licensees exceeds 7,000 to have a dedicated, trained, and knowledgeable customer service administrator that works for the administrative section of the office of professional licensure and certification to respond to inquiries from the public and licensees. II. Makes various amendments to allow for inactive real estate licenses. III. Amends the education approval process for the real estate commission.
Support	SB372	relative to plumbing apprenticeships.	Executive Departments and Administration	Wed 4/17	2:30 PM	LOB Room 306-308	This bill establishes requirements for the employment of plumbing apprentices.
Oppose	SB499	relative to reduction of hunger for children, older adults, and people with disabilities.	Finance	Wed 4/17	2:30 PM	LOB Room 210-211	This bill directs the department of education to expand options for free and reduced priced meals to students and directs the department of health and human services to implement a summer EBT program to provide assistance to families with children eligible for free and reduced price meals over the summer. The bill also directs the department of health and human services to participate in the elderly simplified application project within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to provide food assistance to eligible older adults and people with disabilities.
Support	HB1213	(New Title) relative to immunization requirements for child care agencies.	Health and Human Services	Wed 4/17	9:00 AM	SH Room 100	This bill removes the immunization requirements for child care agencies.
Support	HB1616	relative to parental consent for student participation in Medicaid to schools program.	Health and Human Services	Wed 4/17	9:30 AM	SH Room 100	This bill requires schools to obtain parental consent for each service [sic] is provided to a student under the Medicaid to schools program. The bill also requires certain legislative policy committees to receive reports regarding the Medicaid to schools program.
Support	HB1093	prohibiting mandatory mask policies in schools.	Health and Human Services	Wed 4/17	9:45 AM	SH Room 100	This bill prohibits school boards and other public education agencies from adopting, enforcing, or implementing a policy that requires students or members of the public to wear a facial covering.
Support	SB357	relative to expanding the definition of providers who can certify patients of the therapeutic cannabis program.	Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs	Wed 4/17	11:00 AM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill expands the definition of provider under the therapeutic cannabis program to include a provider licensed to prescribe medication and who is primarily responsible for the patient’s care related to his or her qualifying medical condition. The bill also requires, for issuance of a registry identification card to a minor, certification from 2 providers, one of whom shall provide pediatric care.
Oppose	SB505	relative to the prohibition on the sale of hemp products containing certain levels of THC.	Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs	Wed 4/17	1:30 PM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill repeals the prospective repeal of the prohibition on the sale of hemp products containing certain levels of THC.
Of Interest	SB605	relative to ethical standards for members of the general court.	Legislative Administration	Wed 4/17	10:00 AM	LOB Room 203	This bill defines “organization” for the purpose of determining the ethical duties of members of the general court.
Of Interest	SB531	relative to background checks of municipal health officers.	Municipal and County Government	Wed 4/17	10:30 AM	LOB Room 301-303	This bill provides that municipalities shall be responsible for reviewing criminal background checks of nominated health officers, with oversight of appointments by the department of health and human services. The bill is a request of the department of health and human services.
Of Interest	SB383	relative to local tax caps.	Municipal and County Government	Wed 4/17	1:30 PM	LOB Room 301-303	This bill creates an additional adjustment to local tax caps based on inflation and population changes. The bill also establishes procedures for adoption of a budget cap by school districts.
Oppose	HB1504	relative to architectural paint recycling.	Energy and Natural Resources	Thu 4/18	1:00 PM	SH Room 103	I. Establishes a paint stewardship program wherein a nonprofit organization approved by the department of environmental services organizes a program for the reception of discarded architectural paint. II. Establishes an assessment to fund the paint stewardship program. III. Requires the department of environmental services to propose changes to the assessment for approval by the joint legislative committee on administrative rules.
Support	HB1565	(New Title) relative to the definition of potentially hazardous food.	Energy and Natural Resources	Thu 4/18	1:10 PM	SH Room 103	This bill removes “processed acidified” food from the definition of potentially hazardous food.
Oppose	HB1145	prohibiting the private ownership of landfills.	Energy and Natural Resources	Thu 4/18	1:40 PM	SH Room 103	This bill prohibits new solid waste landfill permits in the state for facilities owned by any person other than the state of New Hampshire or a political subdivision thereof.
Support	HB1278	relative to qualifying medical conditions for purposes of therapeutic cannabis.	Health and Human Services	Thu 4/18	1:15 PM	LOB Room 101	This bill adds debilitating or terminal medical conditions to the qualifying medical conditions for therapeutic cannabis if a health care provider certifies the potential benefit to the patient. The bill also removes certain limitations on a qualifying visiting patient’s access to cannabis.
Support	HB1231	permitting qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use.	Health and Human Services	Thu 4/18	1:30 PM	LOB Room 101	This bill permits qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use.
Support	HB1349	relative to generalized anxiety disorder as a qualifying condition for the therapeutic cannabis program.	Health and Human Services	Thu 4/18	1:45 PM	LOB Room 101	This bill adds generalized anxiety disorder as a qualifying medical condition for the use of therapeutic cannabis.
Support	HB1581	relative to cultivation locations for alternative treatment centers.	Health and Human Services	Thu 4/18	2:00 PM	LOB Room 101	This bill allows a second cultivation center to be considered for alternative treatment centers.
Oppose	SB404	(New Title) directing the department of health and human services to submit a report regarding the establishment of a child care workforce child care assistance pilot program.	Special Committee on Childcare	Wed 4/17	10:00 AM	LOB Room 101	This bill directs the department of health and human services to submit a report and budget proposal regarding the establishment of a child care workforce child care assistance pilot program.

The post Bill Hearings for Week of April 15, 2024 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Dear Mayor Ruais, this post will serve as my application for “Housing Stability Director.” And have I got a deal for you! I will work for FREE … provided I have plenary power to implement my plan. Here are the details!

PHASE 1 … the put up (and I mean this literally) or shut up phase. Every local politician running his mouth about how Manchester needs to “do more,” etc., etc., etc. for the homeless (lovely euphemisms all for increasing the size, scope and power of unelected bureaucrats like the Communist lunatic you just paid off to walk away) MUST house a minimum of two homeless in their residence. These local politicians are constantly extolling their virtue and compassion so I cannot imagine I will need to exercise the powers of my position as “Housing Stability Director” to open their doors … but needless to say I stand ready to do so whenever and wherever necessary.

PHASE 2 … the shared sacrifice phase. Every Democrat State Senator and State Rep will be asked to house a minimum of two homeless in their homes. I can’t imagine, given how relentlessly these Democrat politicians remind us that they are our moral compasses that even one would refuse. But in each and every case that a Democrat State Senator or State Rep refuses, a minimum of two homeless will be relocated to their homes along with tents to be pitched in the front or back yard.

PHASE 3 … this is part two of the shared sacrifice plan. All remaining homeless will be transported to BLUE towns and cities. We endlessly hear FROM THEM about how virtuous and compassionate they are so I have no doubt that these BLUE towns will welcome the homeless with open arms. But they’re coming whether or not our moral superiors in Hopkinton, Exeter, Concord, etc. like it or not.

What a great plan, eh! Let me know when I start!

The post Dear Mayor Ruais … My Application For “Housing Stability Director” appeared first on Granite Grok.

Political meddlers like to mess with everything, including ride-share companies. Early on, it was to protect cab companies that exercised political power to retain their cartel. Later, when and where that didn’t work, the busybodies put their dirty fingers in the wage pie. You don’t pay your drivers enough. We’re making you pay them more.

Did rideshare operations not have enough people choosing to work for them? That does not appear to have been an issue, but like any gathering of Democrats, the Minneapolis City Council knows better. They passed a city ordinance that would require ride-share companies to pay drivers $1.40 per mile and 51 cents per minute. The thinking, as if there was any involved, is that this would raise their “minimum wage” to over $15.00 an hour, as required by the city. Democrats are bad at math, but that doesn’t stop them from trying.

Uber and Lyft made it clear that if the new rules go into effect—slated for May 1st—they will stop doing business in Minneapolis. Thanks to busybody Democrats, the new minimum wage for their drivers would be the only true minimum wage—zero.

In early March both Uber and Lyft threatened to leave Minneapolis by May 1, after the council upped driver-pay requirements to $1.40 per mile and 51 cents per minute. Councilmembers said it was necessary to ensure drivers earned the equivalent of Minneapolis’s $15.57 minimum wage. But they determined the new pay rates without getting local data from Uber and Lyft and they didn’t invite company leaders to engage in their process.

Not everyone on the city council drinks from the same bucket of stupid.

[Councilwoman LaTrisha] Vetaw said her constituents have been living with “fear and anxiety” over whether they’ll be able to get to work or pick up their children from school, and called on her colleagues to find the “courage” to fix the policy.

“In this work, we all need to be willing to admit when we get things wrong,” she said. “I think this is just a bad policy and we need to go back and fix it.”

Ride-sharing has become a thread in the fabric of modern existence, something people rely on, like electricity and water. From the work itself, turning idle hours into income, to the ubiquity of knowing you can get a ride at a reasonable rate with a few taps on a smartphone. I suppose that explains it. Meddlers have done their best to make water and electricity unaffordable. Why not rideshare? And they tried, but you can’t make them stay (Uber or Lyft), and their promise has encouraged Minneapolis to slow its roll. The city council voted this week to delay implementation for two more months.

The decision to delay the implementation of the city’s rideshare pay rules from May 1 to July 1 was intended to buy time for the Minnesota legislature to implement a statewide policy that could override the city’s ordinance and for upstart rideshare companies looking to replace Uber and Lyft to enter the market.

I’m not familiar with the unnecessary rules the state has implemented to meddle, but I like the idea of opening up the marketplace to competition. More is better, but that doesn’t change the problem created by the mandated pay hike. Rideshare companies aren’t going to eat that; consumers will bear the mandated costs. But the real cost of meddling doesn’t stop there.

“This ordinance started with a good intent to ensure that every rideshare driver earned the city-mandated minimum wage. But it is now so tainted with negative public opinion and outcry that I find it unsalvageable,” Palmisano said, adding that her constituents are “upset, angry, frustrated, and downright despondent over this ordinance.”

She said there have already been negative effects: some drivers who had financed their vehicles have had them recalled, and one of her constituents who is nearing completion of a college degree is losing tuition assistance from one of the companies.

“These aren’t hypotheticals,” she said. “They’re already happening.”

Isn’t there a saying about government and good intentions?

The post Uber and Lyft Promise to Leave after Democrat City Council Meddles With Wages appeared first on Granite Grok.

I’ve written about sports mascots several times over the years, usually lamenting progressive bullies who’ve “canceled” so many symbols and nicknames. Some fair points were raised about some Native American Indian Indigenous symbology perhaps being culturally insensitive. So, despite respectful compromise proposals, politically correct bullies still defined nicknames on their negative terms, so it was goodbye Indians, Redskins, Chiefs, et al., and hello Big Green and Blue Pride et al.

Kudos to the Atlanta Braves, Laconia Sachems, Colebrook Mohawks, et al. for standing up to the bullies and retaining traditional nicknames—which most real Indigenous Native American Indians actually support.

Anyway, I noted with interest an MSN.com piece by commentator Noah Smith concerning a new nickname controversy involving a minor league baseball team in Minnesota—the St. Paul Saints.

No, the progressives haven’t yet canceled the “Saints” nickname to replace it with Blue Devils or Red Devils et al. At issue is the team mascot, who happens to be a pig.

According to Smith, the Saints hold a “Name the Pig Contest” each year, which draws thousands of submissions from fans eager to christen a porcine personality who’ll then be a regular at Saints games. This year’s selection, “OzemPig,” emerged victorious from nearly 2,300 entries, beating out contending proposals aimed at reflecting current events, pop culture, or humor.

Apparently, Ozempic is a medication prescribed for diabetics. Some folks take Ozempic (and its sister drug Wegovy) to address weight issues et al.

So, OzemPig generated an unexpected backlash. Despite the outcry, the team bravely stood by its choice, claiming no harm was intended with the playful twist on the medication name. OzemPig himself had no comment.

Sean Aronson, the Saints’ vice president and director of media relations, expressed surprise at the reaction to the name, which was immediately met with criticism upon its announcement. Social media platforms became battlegrounds as commenters voiced concerns that the name was hurtful and insensitive, seeing it as a form of fat-shaming. But Aronson cited the team’s history of offbeat humor and insisted that there was no ill intent.

“In today’s world, people don’t want to be diminished or be made to feel a certain way and I’m not going to tell them how they feel is wrong,” Aronson said. “But I can tell you there was no maliciousness involved here. No one thought this name might offend some people.”

Kudos to the Saints and OzemPig for not being “cowed” by the thin-skinned, easily-offended, virtue-signaling, intolerant, judgmental progressive bullies et al.—the folks who brought you the Dartmouth Big Green, the Cleveland Guardians, the Washington FT, and the Stanford Tree.

(Yes, Stanford University—née Indians —now has a tree as a mascot. But don’t try to hug it, lest humorless progressives charge you with assault. The Tree itself was recently suspended for waving an unauthorized sign. So much for free speech on campus. But I digress.)
Perhaps it “bears” mentioning that while pigs are generally good-natured, more people are killed annually by pigs than by sharks. (So don’t mess with OzemPig!)

In 2025, we’ll have to check in with the team to learn the name of next year’s pig, assuming OzemPig moves on to greener pastures—or outfields.

How about just naming the pig “Saint Paul?”

Except that would certainly offend progressives, non-Christians, and secular humanists, et al. Maybe just Paul? Paul the Pig? Or Paula. But female pigs are probably not de rigeur—for reasons I won’t try to explain here.

How about Boss Hog? Or Chief? Or better yet, Geronimo! (Pigs will fly before any porcine mascot is named Geronimo.)

Maybe Mike? But Mike the Pig would likely be too masculine—for reasons I won’t try to explain here.

Porky Pig might work, being alliterative and gender-neutral. But I think it’s trademarked.

An aha moment:

Name next year’s pig “Virtue-Signaler!” Dress him/her/in a tee shirt saying “Climate Action Now!” and announce that Virtue Signaler will only be fed organic greens, distilled water, and CBD gummies.

Pig problem solved.

“Go Saints!”

The post More #Woke Mascot Mania… And a Pig! appeared first on Granite Grok.

If you have followed along with what is happening in Brazil, you might start reflecting on what is going on in New Hampshire and see how fascism starts. It’s not a left versus right problem, even if it ends up resulting in far-right totalitarianism. It’s a problem that spawns from a need to control the narrative to cover up gross corruption—kleptocracies.

Kleptocracy — “a society or system ruled by people who use their power to steal their country’s resources.”

Alexandre de Moraes is the president of the Superior Electoral Court and a justice of the Supreme Federal Court in Brazil. He’s been labeled a “dictator” by some. Even though he is not the president of Brazil, he has been accused of having the president on a leash by Elon Musk.

De Moraes is criminally investigating Elon Musk and “X.” Employees of X have been told they will be arrested. Starlink has been disabled, cutting off internet access for remote communities.

It all sounds extreme and a far cry from the forests, mountains, lakes, and politics of New Hampshire. But it is not. When you look at “global” it would be foolish not to consider “local”.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/world-on-cusp-of-woke-totalitarianism-as-governments-act-to-end-free-speech

To understand what is going on today, we have to look at history.

We want to thank Claire Best for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
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Alexandre de Moraes is an extreme far-right judge, and Lula Da Silva, Brazil’s president, is left-wing. They are bound together by “Operation Car Wash” — a massive money laundering scandal at the center of the Panama Papers trial, which commenced yesterday.

“The case centers on allegations the firm set up shell companies to acquire properties in Panama with money from a sprawling corruption scheme in Brazil known as the Car Wash, or Lava Jato in Portuguese.”

Lula Da Silva went to prison for “Operation Car Wash,” but Supreme Federal Court Judge Edson Fachin overturned his convictions because, he argued, the case had been tried in the wrong state in Brazil.

Lula Da Silva was thus able to run for president and win the election in 2022. Alexandre de Moraes was a “vice” or deputy judge under Edson Fachin but he was also accused of being paid $4 million for work relating to Operation Car Wash.

Left wing Lula needs right wing De Moraes and De Moraes, who needs his own corruption covered up in the same graft scandal, is a disciple of Edson Fachin. A Faustian bargain.

When you read about this interdependence in order to cover up political corruption in Brazil, you would be forgiven if you were reminded of the club at the top of NH Politics and Courts: The one that a Washington Post article referred to in 1999 following the divorce of Chuck Douglas (a former member of Congress and former New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice) from his 4th wife, also an attorney:

“The judges, who are all Chuck’s friends, rule against my clients just because I represent them.”

Other lawyers in Concord say Caroline Douglas’s argument is not without merit. But they say the situation is nowhere near as simple as she implies. There has been widespread dissatisfaction for some time in New Hampshire, they say, with the state’s clubby, closed-door method of handling complaints against judges and other lawyers. Her scattershot charges of a self-protective judicial old-boy network, they say, have clearly touched a nerve and accelerated moves toward reform.”

The timing of Alexandre de Moraes’ pursuit of Elon Musk is interesting, given that the trials for the Pandora Papers started this week. One wonders if the real reason he wants to go after X is to protect Brazil’s elections from foreign interference (as he professes) or is it that he and Lula don’t want critics of corruption to be speaking up on X or for details from the Pandora Papers trial to leak out — details that would most likely implicate him and Lula and their activities in “Car Wash”?

Meanwhile, on the home front, this week sees the start of the first civil case against the State of New Hampshire for abuse at the Youth Detention Center. More than 1000 cases are to follow. The State had originally dismissed claims of abuse as “victim negligence.” Now, the public is funding over $100 million (of which attorneys will get between 30–40%) for settlements to claimants against the State. The abuse didn’t start recently. It’s been going on and ignored for decades.

The criminal cases have been pushed back to later in the year. There have been multiple reports on the conflicts of interest for the State Attorney General’s Office, judges, and attorneys involved. Elected Republicans and Democrats all have their hand in the ugly mess from Governors (now Senators) to Attorneys General appointed by Governors, to members of the State’s Executive Committee, City Mayors, Police and DOC Officials, to the Department of Children Youth and Families and “non-profit” affiliates.

To actually come clean on what happened could (and should) send dozens of officials and others to prison, but there’s a kleptocracy to protect, federal grants to keep, and an enterprise to sustain. Control of the narrative, as it is with Alexandre De Moraes, is key. Brazil was on the brink of financial collapse when “Car Wash” was going on.

It could be argued that New Hampshire would be on the brink of financial collapse if the full and ugly truth were to come out regarding abuse of public funds to abuse, use, and harm children.

Nobody has asked for a Grand Jury Criminal Investigation into the New Hampshire Youth Detention Center. These trials will be a dance to appease the masses, split the baby, and protect the corruption. Judges aren’t going to rat on each other. Attorneys won’t rat on former judges or attorneys general because they all circulate in the same murky incestuous pool, feeding from the same teet now as they did in 1999 when the Washington Post touched on it. Public Officials won’t call each other out because none of them want to go to prison for cover-ups of abuse, which involved collusion across state agencies. I would not be remotely surprised if there was a secret code between each Governor and the next, each Attorney General and the next, to not expose the past.

Like Brazil, New Hampshire’s news media is censored. Elected officials in New Hampshire are intermediaries between the media, police, prosecutors, attorneys, and the courts. It’s all about control, just as it is in Brazil.

Manchester Police hired a reporter from WMUR to be their spokesperson. Concord Police and Merrimack County Superior Court work with elected officials and the NHCADSV to create and control their message. They have the ability to restrict media access to the courts so that only their trusted friends cover what’s going on. State laws don’t apply to public officials or when they do, the punishment is light.

The only DA who criticized the police’s use of media in investigations (Robin Davis) got smeared with a hostile environment suit and voted out in 2020. She had been a public defender and a Democrat, yet the Dem Caucus rep on the Concord City Council and NHCADSV preferred to have a Republican Juvenile Prosecutor in place. Chuck Douglas filed the hostile environment suit against the DA. The trick worked. She was gone from their business after just two years. Her complaints about the police were dismissed even though her concerns were probably well rooted in just cause.

We know what the police and prosecutors have said about the disappearance and death of Harmony Montgomery but since they couldn’t get their own timeline and story straight, that doesn’t mean we should trust Manchester Police’s media expert to tell the truth. Her body has not been found. Her father, Adam Montgomery, was convicted of her murder but refuses to show up to sentencing as he is denying that he is guilty. His girlfriend committed suicide, and the Manchester Police PR person said that it was not a suspicious death.

“Small’s death is not considered suspicious, according to police, although officials said the exact cause of death has not been determined.”

If you question the official narrative coming from police and courts, you are likely to be pursued, stalked, spied upon, or threatened. Is there any reason to trust the official narrative any more than the person in the court dock?

New Hampshire is really no different in many ways than Brazil:

Brazil’s leaders are implicated in the Panama Papers to the tune of $5.3 billion, while New Hampshire is the home to $932.5 billion in Pandora Papers secret accounts

The Pandora Papers followed the Panama Papers and the Paradise Papers. We wouldn’t have known about any of them if it wasn’t for the dogged pursuit of independent journalists who have managed to avoid censorship.

Autofair, which was based in Manchester, New Hampshire, and Bedford, is listed in the Paradise Papers.

Andrew H Crews was CEO of Autofair. He stepped down and the business was sold around the time that the US Senate Ways & Means Committee started asking Governors about the Pandora Papers.

Crews is on the board of Children’s Advocacy Centers, on the board of Primary Bank, on the board of Granite One Health, and President of the New Hampshire Lottery. Former US Attorney Bill Shaheen’s law firm handles lottery winners — Shaheen & Gordon argued to keep the identities of lottery winners private.

The law firm also represented Ghislaine Maxwell when she was arrested after being tracked down to a house she bought in cash through a shell company in New Hampshire. The house was registered by the Registrar of Deeds (an elected official) whose office appears to be adjacent to that of the Sheriff of Merrimack County whose son was arrested for domestic violence and tampering with evidence.

The previous sheriff was arrested for a DWI, and the Attorney General didn’t think he should be on a list of corrupt police officers.

The same AG (Gordon MacDonald) is now Supreme Court Chief Justice and argued to keep the list of corrupt police officers private.

Whenever judicial decisions take place behind closed doors in New Hampshire, you can guarantee that it is done in order to protect corruption from being exposed. Whether it is Rep. Troy Merner’s plea deal, Police Officer James F McLaughlin’s suit against the City of Keene Police, decisions by AG to delete police files or rulings by judges to keep publicly paid-for reports private.

Judges, police, and public officials are all getting secret deals that no ordinary citizen could ever hope for:

As with Alexandre de Moraes, Edson Fachin, Lula da Silva, and their cronies who range across the political spectrum, what’s really being protected when it comes to censorship in Brazil and New Hampshire is a wall against the public’s right to know and the public’s right to criticize its government.

According to Wikipedia:
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation and/or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.

The post Night Cap: Fascism Starts With Censorship appeared first on Granite Grok.

Is State Rep Alissandra Murray afraid of  GraniteGrok? I think Ali probably HATES GraniteGrok. You could see the hate all over Ali’s X before Ali made it “protected,” i.e., not public … which happened shortly after GraniteGrok began exposing Ali’s EXTREMISM and HATE using Ali’s own Xs (formerly tweets), e.g.: Support Anti-White Racism … Vote For Rep Alissandra Murray.

But now the HATE is hidden:

It’s such a shame. I was about to do a post called Manchester’s MYSOGYNIST State Rep regarding the hate Ali spewed on her X toward Riley Gaines. But apparently, Ali was afraid that the voters might see the real Ali—that is, see beyond the camouflage and mask that the Manchester Democrat Party outfits Ali with during election season.

So, is Alissandra Murray afraid of GraniteGrok? Well, I believe that Ali is afraid that GraniteGrok might expose enough of the EXTREMISM on Ali’s X that the voters will know that candidate Alissandra is a FAKE.

ESTAMOS AQUI! WE ARE HERE! Except you can’t see Ali because Ali is hiding.

 

The post Who’s Afraid Of GraniteGrok? … Manchester State Rep Alissandra Murray, That’s Who appeared first on Granite Grok.

Iran’s Mullah Military (IRGC) has acknowledged sending scores of military drones in targeted attacks on Israel in response to Israel’s attack on Iranians in Syria. The game is on people, and escalation is the word that matters.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has issued a statement confirming its launch of an attack on Israel, saying it is in response to the IDF’s earlier strike on a consular compound in the Syrian capital of Damascus. The April 1 airstrike killed several high-ranking Iranian commanders, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, among several other IRGC members.

The IRGC said it will hit specific targets in Israel with dozens of drones and missiles, reported Iranian state media.

Iran is also alleged to have seized a container ship in the straight of Hormuz linked to Israel, and of course, we have some thoughts.

After years of doing whatever it could to help fund and encourage Iran to militarize nuclear capability, the Obama/Biden administration did an about-face in recent months and turned antagonistic. The saber-rattling leads us to believe they wanted an all-out conflict, which the targeting in Syria has escalated.

I would be shocked if Biden’s CIA isn’t deliberately making hay on both sides of this conflict.

With a ship seizure at Hormuz, we get the double-edged sword of international involvement. At least a few Gulf States object to Iran’s long-time pursuit of regional hegemony. Saudi Arabia, for example, prefers the title, while the emirates want to be able to move oil. If Hormuz is a battleground, is it in the interest of the Gulf States to pick a side and go to war if it comes to that?

Biden is heading for a beating in November if he is indeed at the top of the ticket, so distractions are to his advantage. Hormuz gives the US an excuse to escalate and respond, as do recent pronouncements of support for Israel (if for no other reason than to use them to advance other aims), but there are a lot of Democrats who don’t like Israel and won’t like that.

Iran and Russia are allies (Russia and China have expressed shared interests against the US). Russia will use that to its advantage in any conversation about Ukraine.

The Mullahs are unpopular in Iran, and this could be used as an excuse to pursue regime change. Still, Democrats have never expressed much interest in benefiting anyone but the Mullahs.

Democrats ranted about Trump starting WWIII, but Trump didn’t start any wars, while Biden has supported several military conflicts and is on the verge of a third (fourth?) that could find the entire region in turmoil if not – at least technically – the world (and several of the nations involved have nukes). Nice job, Joe.

Watch the corporate media. Whatever they do or say odds are good, it’s the opposite of the truth.

And yes, this just scratches the surface (one comment elsewhere noted that Iran and other anti-IS factions) have terrorists in our country (thanks to Joe!).

Update from a reader.

I personally think that Hamas and now Iran are lighting things up because of the prophesy associated with the Red Heifer. Hamas admitted as much.

This attack by Iran is intended to stop the Red Heifer sacrifice this weekend or next. This is when the appropriate prayer will be said on the Sabbath.

The Iranian’s are desperate to stop it!

Reference: Red Heifer, Amalek, and Reactions of Nations

The post Iran’s Mullahs Are Retaliating Against Israel – How Does Biden Benefit? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Controversial new SEC Rules compel corporations to report the climate impact of each step of the supply chain. It’s complex, convoluted, and confusing at best – but is it constitutional? That was the question asked during a powerful hearing on March 18, 2024, before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Regulations.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler is accused of overstepping constitutional bounds in his zeal to weaponize the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate greenhouse gases, a far stretch from the agency’s mission to protect investors and ensure financial integrity in markets. Burdensome new rules do the opposite, threatening to inflict net-zero business profits in a kamikaze effort to achieve impossible net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide.

In a divided 3-2 decision on March 2, 2024, the SEC issued the controversial new “climate disclosure” rule as an 886-page amendment to S-K, which governs required disclosures in Form 10-Ks and other public filings. The rules purport to improve investor awareness, instead feeding the fantasies of climate ideology over investor concerns and imposing billions of dollars of compliance costs on businesses for a hazy effort to track every aspect of climate impact in each step of businesses’ complex supply chains. An even more ambitious plan under proposed “Scope 3” disclosures was curtailed.

An Unconstitutional Climate Regime

The US Constitution (Art. 1, § 1 and § 7, cls. 2) provides that “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States.” The SEC was given the power to oversee financial markets, including “material” investor disclosures. The question in dispute is whether this extends to high-cost compliance efforts that will increase consumer costs for products and even close many businesses – including down-chain farming operations – that are already struggling with weak margins. This rule change is just one of many so-called climate initiatives under the Biden administration that exceed traditional administrative authority as defined by the courts.

Tennessee Republican Andy Ogles expressed this at the hearing:

“[W]e’ve seen these regulatory regimes come in and essentially function as members of Congress, as the body of Congress, by creating legislation and burdens by rulemaking …[through] SEC’s climate rules, which play to the tune of the administration’s obsession with the climate change religion, and that’s what it’s become, is a religion. Simply put, this rule will bully publicly traded companies into reporting environmental information that has no relevance to the financial concerns that matter to investors.”

The POTUS defied SCOTUS when he bypassed Congress to erase student debt, signaling that he seeks to escape the surly bounds of the Constitution and representative democracy in favor of tyrannical edicts and executive orders. The list of such episodes grows daily, including stricter EPA rules for gas emissions and expanded rules for wildlife protection that undermine farmers. Another sneaky initiative would create an international building code applicable to the entire nation, drafted by an unelected organization governed by “industry stakeholders” rather than We the People.

An Attack on Farming and Food Supplies?

The Scope 3 disclosures originally proposed by Chairman Gary Gensler would have dramatically impacted farmers economically downstream from publicly listed companies subject to its provisions. California now seeks to impose Scope 3 rules in the SEC’s stead, a back-door assault on states’ rights akin to its Proposal 12 governing pig farming.

The legal term for a government or corporation exceeding its authority is “ultra vires” – Latin for “beyond the powers.” It describes an act requiring legal authority but done without it. The Scope 3 disclosures – abandoned for the moment by the SEC but eagerly embraced by California – are precisely that. Their impact on farming operations was summarized at the hearing by third-generation Tennessee tomato farmer Renea Jones, of Jones and Church Farms:

“Scope 3 emissions – as proposed in the original rule – are emissions which are the result of activities not owned by the company but are in its supply chain. Naturally, this includes family farms as most farm products, including the tomatoes grown on my farm, end up in the value chains of these companies….

“To comply with Scope 3 reporting requirements, we would need to hire a legal consultant and a chemist to keep up with all that would be required of us. Looking across the entire tomato supply chain, there are approximately 6,000 inputs involved in the growing of one tomato. On average, my farm produces 38.5 million tomatoes every growing season. From a record-keeping standpoint, my small family farm operation would have to hire extra staff just to keep up with the data the SEC is asking for. A rule with requirements this extensive would cause us to consider closing our doors. Profit margins for farm operations are already tight due to inflated input costs, and hiring extra help to navigate these requirements would make those tight margins even tighter, if not nonexistent.”

Scope 3 requirements would ensure net-zero carbon emissions for Jones when tomato production hit net-zero. This is not just throwing the baby out with the bathwater; this is shoving its head underwater in the name of a rescue effort.

On the other side of the climate-nut food-attack spectrum, New York’s now-infamous Letitia James has sued JBS Foods (the world’s largest producer of beef) for fraud for claiming it is implementing GHG-reducing regenerative agriculture policies. This “damned if they do, damned if they don’t” insanity is insouciantly ignored by fearmongering alarmists who have their regulatory cake and eat it too. The complexity of the case against JBS displays the near-impossible reporting burden being foisted on companies by the SEC’s new 886-page rule.

Hiding Elephants in Mouseholes

Subcommittee testimony from Whitney Hermandorfer, an attorney and Director of Strategic Litigation with the Tennessee Office of the Attorney General & Reporter, laid the SEC out in legal lavender, invoking constitutional protections and extensive case law to aver that the new rule lacks statutory authority, distorts existing “materiality” principles, and imposes undue compliance and speech burdens, all accomplished through a flawed process of enactment. Hermandorfer claimed Congress never granted broad power to the SEC or unelected Gensler, especially in such clear derogation of reserved states’ rights, and that the rule’s “ambiguous statutory language” will harm consumers and the economy:

“Under the Supreme Court’s major-questions doctrine, an agency must come forward with ‘clear congressional authorization’ before using a rule to settle an issue of great ‘economic and political significance.’ This principle reflects the commonsense presumption that Congress ‘does not…hide elephants in mouseholes’ when delegating agency authority.

“The lack of clarity around what it means for climate risks to be material will no doubt subject companies to costly litigation that would detract from innovation and investor value—thus harming rather than helping consumers on balance.”

Dogmatic Policies Eclipse Common Sense

Climate policies have interfered with power grid maintenance, creating grid fragility even as the electric vehicles that will spike demand are touted as salvific. Corporations have been granted massive tax subsidies to “store” liquid carbon dioxide underground with little hope it will stay put, while billions of dollars are “invested” into other corporate winners who manufacture renewable energy darlings that are presented as inflation-reducing but are regressively pumping up the national debt. This corporate favoritism is unavailable to small and mid-sized farms compelled without subsidy to comply with a Kafka-esque panoply of vague or burdensome regulations. Americans cannot eat solar panels, heat pumps, or EVs, no matter how much they are subsidized.

 

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

The post New SEC Climate Rules Are Burdensome – But Are They Constitutional? appeared first on Granite Grok.

People who think that cannabis should not be legal in New Hampshire are fond of quoting the governor of Virginia’s statement justifying his veto of a legalization bill in his state.

But here’s the thing about that statement: Nowhere in it does he address the question of where the government supposedly gets the power to tell people what substances they can’t ingest. The whole American system, from top to bottom, is based on the idea that governments can only exercise powers that are delegated to them.

Do you know of any individual who could go to his neighbor as an individual and insist that he stop ingesting any plant, whether that’s marijuana, chamomile, or lettuce? I don’t.

If individuals don’t have a power, how can they delegate that power?

Suppose we change the topic of the governor’s statement from pot to guns:

The proposed legalization of retail firearms in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety. States following this path have seen adverse effects on children’s and adolescent’s health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, … and significant costs associated with retail firearms that far exceed tax revenue. It also does not eliminate the illegal black-market sale of firearms, nor guarantee product safety. Addressing the inconsistencies in enforcement and regulation in Virginia’s current laws does not justify expanding access to firearms, following the failed paths of other states, and endangering Virginians’ health and safety.

If you oppose legal cannabis, are you still on board with that reasoning? Or do you just pretend it’s valid when you agree with his conclusions? Because if the reasoning is valid for restricting access to pot, then it’s also valid for restricting RKBA, speech, religion, privacy, property, and every other ‘right’ that you might think you have.

The argument he’s making boils down to this: If some people exercise a right in ways that cause harm, then we are justified in taking that right away from everyone.

Do you support that premise? Because if you think about it carefully, it’s equivalent to this: There are no rights, only permissions.

The post Rights, or Permissions? appeared first on Granite Grok.

I will start by sharing a video link for the readers to bookmark, though I don’t recommend wasting 98 minutes of your life listening to the insufferable drivel of the Nashua local swamp.

If you mute the sound and just look at each graphic presentation, it clearly reeks of Agenda 21/2030, NRPC, and much of the usual fare that’s being pushed. Look for words like climate, emissions, equity, and sustainable, and you’ll get the picture.

During our mayor’s campaign, he regularly boasted Nashua’s AAA bond rating. I offer to the readers, especially ones from Nashua, a mental image.  Think of the parents of some 30-year-old who’s living in their basement.  Don’t sweat the intricate details of that arrangement, but the wheels start turning when you’re told that said person brags about having a credit rating of greater than 800.  You know darn well, without getting into the weeds of the “what if” questions, that this person didn’t earn it the old-fashioned way.

Remember HB 1080, which died 19-5 on 5/5/22 in the Senate? I mentioned Jeb’s beloved CMS money. NH, at the state level, and many of its political subdivisions have similar examples of being yoked to the strings attached to money coming from higher political entities, usually the federal government and usually in the form of “grant money.”

This is another good site to visit to follow financial connections. The graft on display comes from private sources with their own nefarious agendas.

Back to Nashua

I’d like to compare the local government to workers in the Oldest Profession, but I have to keep the content clean to keep it suitable for all readers, so I will mention Homer Simpson becoming the “prank monkey” for Mr Burns (the nuclear plant owner, not the new executive council candidate who failed to unseat Annie Kuster 2 years ago).

Nashua is a 15 Minute City wannabe, change my mind!

Millions of dollars of grant money fund its social programs and the bus system is almost entirely federally funded.  If you want to check for yourself, it’s on the City’s website, but if you choose to dig deeper, let the rest of us know how you rate the user-friendliness of the local RTK process. Our mayor keeps pushing for commuter rail despite repeated studies indicating it’s a boondoggle, but he wants it anyway because federal grant money is available and with Mayor Pete’s blessing to boot.  In fact, the two mayors have been photographed together and together with my own House swamp rats, Mr&Mrs Newman.

If you’re reading this and you have the good fortune of NOT living in Nashua, consider the alarm sounded, perhaps not for the first time.  If you have decent people in office in your community, support them.  If not, just be a good watchdog whether or not you’re available to attend town meetings and/or committee meetings. At least look at the agenda and give instructions to your elected officials.  They work for you.  Do NOT let your community lose its dignity by becoming another Nashua.

The post Do Not Let Your Community Lose Its Dignity by Becoming Another Nashua. appeared first on Granite Grok.

Despite what the union leader says (and later had to correct), Lily Tang Willaims was the first Republican in the race for New Hampshire Congressional District Two. She’s been campaigning for a long time in the run-up to the 2024 contest without much support from the GOP or attention from the local media.

It is not a secret that the establishment does not think she can win, even after incumbent Democrat Ann Kuster announced her retirement. Lily’s presence, much like the original Landrigan article announcing Vikram Mansharamani’s entry, has been invisibilia. CD2? What CD2? There’s nothing there to see; move along.

Why are you not reporting accurate information @KlandriganUL ? You obviously know that @Lily4Liberty has been running for this seat since last year? You want to provide accurate coverage, right? Probably a simple oversight, right? @UnionLeader @AdamSextonWMUR pic.twitter.com/qy9nEBT42L

— Nikki For NH (@NikkiforNH) April 11, 2024

The RNC had ceded the seat to the Democrat, but Ann Kuster’s retirement announcement kicked the RINO bee’s nest, coughing up a list of names rumored to have taken an interest. Suddenly, NH CD2 was something they thought they could win. Vikram is but one of a handful of primary contenders looking to be the non-Lily candidate to appeal to what appears to be a very moderate district that no real Republican could win.

Lily has rightly been a bit miffed about the sudden attention to a race she’s been running for over a year, but that hasn’t stopped her from campaigning or taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves to be the real Republicans.

Dartmouth College, a premier #woke Ivy League wasteland, held a gun control debate featuring David Hogg and Libertarian vice presidential candidate Jeremy “Spike” Cohen.

At some point, Lily Williams stepped up to the microphone to ask D. Hogg a question. The question.

“Hi, my name is Lily Tang Williams. Welcome to my ‘live free or die’ state,” she began.

“Actually, I am a Chinese immigrant who survived communism, and under Mao, you know, 40 million people were starving to death after he sold communism to them. And 20 million people died … murdered during his Cultural Revolution,” she continued.

She then specifically addressed Hogg: “So, my question to you, David, is that can you guarantee me, a gun owner, tonight, our government in the U.S., in D.C., will never, never become a tyrannical government? Can you guarantee that to me?”

“There’s no way I can ever guarantee that any government will not be tyrannical,” Hogg replied.

“Well, then the debate on gun control is over, because I will never give up my guns. Never, never. And you should go to China to see how gun control works for the dictatorship of the CCP.”

The exchange quickly went national, appearing on The Blaze, ZeroHedge, and elsewhere as the center-right rushed to share what to 2A advocates and defenders is the crux of the matter. It is the matter—the question.

The Second Amendment exists to protect us from a tyranny that David Hogg admits the gun grabbers cannot promise will not come to be if they get their way.

As Lily implies, tyranny is likely inevitable absent those rights so why risk it? In fact, why not try it out first and see how much you like it?

We do not expect Hogg to take her up on the suggestion.

David Hogg torched by a Chinese immigrant warning against gun control.

This is what happens when liberals do an open mic. They get wrecked. They can’t defend their positions. pic.twitter.com/aeUGq0ff0c

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 11, 2024

The post In Lily Tang Williams vs. David Hogg – Williams Wins with 2A TKO! appeared first on Granite Grok.

Diversity is our strength! Diversity is our strength! Diversity is our strength! BULLSH*T. Not according to me, but according to the people who supposedly represent diversity. More specifically, Annie Kuster has endorsed WHITE MALE Colin Van Ostern to replace her in Congress.

If “diversity is our strength,” as Annie and all the Woke-Commie bots keep telling us … then why is Annie making Congress and America weaker by making Congress less diverse?

And note how our wonderful “press,” … who are always more than happy to amplify the Democrats’ attacks on the GOP for not being “diverse” enough … don’t hold the Democrats to the same standard. Because, needless to say, the “press” in New Hampshire is an arm of the Democrat Party. Please, Kevin, explain it to us slowly and using small words … why is “diversity” our strength only when and where the Democrats tell us “diversity is our strength.”

What a wonderful opportunity for the NHGOP to meddle in the Democrat primary. But don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen … “we’re better than that,” “focus the fiscal issues,” blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

 

The post Annie Kuster’s Endorsement Exposes The Diversity-HOAX appeared first on Granite Grok.

You’d have to have been trapped under a very large rock to have missed the months of debate over a handful of states trying to keep Donald Trump off their primary ballot. He led an insurrection, they said, so that Constitution-thing they typically loath demanded they act … like ignorant partisan children.

Left-wing agitators petitioned states across America’s inflated plain to block The Donald. Their hope was that by limiting the states in which he could compete in what is effectively a private corporation’s nomination process, he might never achieve the delegates necessary to challenge their Democrat contender. The argument centered on the 14th Amendment and the supposition that Donald Trump led an insurrection and was, therefore, ineligible.

Whether you believe that or not is irrelevant. “States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency.” Neither Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Michigan, nor any other state has executive authority on these grounds. So sayeht many a non-partisan confirmed by a 9-0 ruling of the US Supreme Court.

Yes, all the so-called Liberal justices agreed—a truly bipartisan ruling, which pissed off the progressives to no end and set up the current outrage. States are charged with overseeing the execution of elections. They are to set up polling times and places, ensure access, the collection and counting of ballots, and they get to decide the dance steps to get on that ballot not otherwise established in the US Constitition.

It is a difference with a distinction.

The two cases … are completely different. The democrats tried to block Trump by accusing him of being an insurrectionist under a Civil War-era Constitutional provision that only applies to state officials. Ohio and Alabama’s issues relate to simple qualifying deadlines that apply to all candidates.

Trump’s call for peaceful protest and the lack of any weapons at what in progressive parlance is called the Capitol riot aside, the Constitution (apparently) does not give States the power to enforce Sec. 3 of the 14th Amendment, but it does empower them to manage the logistics of ensuring that elections – no matter who is on the ballot – happen. Both Ohio and Alabama have long-standing deadlines, which the DNC ignored when scheduling its nominating convention, and this is not their fault?

Like most of what goes wrong in America, this is a Demcorat-created problem.

And so far, the DNC has not sued either state, presumably because they would surely lose on the merits, not least because they control when their convention is held.

Hate Trump all you like, but neither Ohio nor Alabama established their rules based on his choosing to run for elected office. Everyone else who intends to appear on the ballot, regardless of party, needs to meet the same deadline.

[Alabama Secretary of State Wes] Allen sent a letter to Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Randy Kelley saying that the state’s Aug. 15 certification deadline is four days before the Democratic National Convention is set to begin. Allen indicated that Biden’s name will not appear on the ballot unless the deadline is met.

“If this Office has not received a valid certificate of nomination from the Democratic Party following its convention by the statutory deadline, I will be unable to certify the names of the Democratic Party’s candidates for President and Vice President for ballot preparation for the 2024 general election,” Allen wrote.

And it is not the crisis advertised, but there is a problem within the problem.

The State Party can request “provisional certification for Democratic and Republican nominees,” and the state can allow it. The issue for Democrats—who insist that despite this matter, Joe Biden will be on all 50 state ballots—is what if it’s not Joe come November. Disregarding his declining mental state, the man is increasingly unpopular even among Democrats. Rumors abound across the political spectrum about the plan to replace him before November. Biden sweeps the nomination, then voluntarily bows out for health reasons, and the DNC picks his replacement—someone younger and less disliked who can presumably distance themselves from the past four years’ worth of policies they all supported.

If state parties have already sent provisional certifications with Joe Biden’s name on them, any replacement on the Biden-Harris ticket won’t appear on those ballots.

The New Republic to the Rescue

The New Republic article notes the 82-day requirement, the scheduling snafu, and exceptions and past accommodations that might resolve the 2024 problem, but it can’t help but be what it is: a progressive press mouthpiece.

While both Allen and LaRose could well be trying to simply uphold state laws, the moves seem remarkably suspicious given recent lawsuits regarding Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. The Colorado state supreme court attempted to kick Trump off of the 2024 ballot due to his role in the January 6 insurrection, which the justices determined violated Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment.

While The New Republic notes the Supreme Court striking down Colorado’s unconstitutional effort to keep Trump off its primary ballot, it never notes the complicity of liberal justices in the 9-0 decision, including a Biden appointee. To them, it is the Roberts Court, which “will have to swiftly reinstate [Biden and Harris], since states don’t have the authority to remove federal officeholders, right? But that would require consistency from John Roberts’s Supreme Court, whose values are in question.”

Hardly. Were the matter not to reach a means for reconciliation (which we doubt) and head to the Highest Court, its ruling would likely acknowledge that States do indeed have that authority (as the Constitution is silent on the matter – not that this has stopped the court as often as it should) and that it is the DNC’s responsibility to work out their differences with the states.

Which it will, unless the Dems are truly throwing the dice on another Biden-Harris ticket and Joe’s ability to keep what is left of his wits about him until at least November. That’s how it sounds, and I’m curious to see if that’s true.

 

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Democrats reportedly are celebrating after passing their $20. hr min wage for many businesses. Yup, a victory for labor rights, they say, only there is a cost. As predicted, fast food chains are scrambling to adjust. Layoffs of full-time employment, cutting hours, some even closing up. Topping this off, prices are rising as we knew they would.

Welcome to California.

Burger King in Los Angeles reports a price increase. The Texas double whopper, which was $15.09, is now $16.98. The big fish meal, which was $7.49, is now $11.49. How will customers respond? I don’t think they will be thrilled.

Fosters Freeze was paying its crew $16.00 hr now – – nothing. The doors are closed. Pizza Hut laid off over 1200 delivery drivers, and many small businesses expect to see reduced profits. Wonder how much tax money the state will lose and how they intend to make up the differance? Of course, the democratic way is to raise taxes. With the increase in unemployment, those benefits will be more in demand, along with gratuities’ being given to illegals. Sunny Cal looks forward to a darter future.

Can things get worse, well yes of course, while politicians celebrate, whispers of $50.hr. have been heard in quiet corners of leftist strongholds.. If twenty has crippled the beast, then fifty is sure to kill it. While democrats ponder the side effects of their victory, there is then the question of population loss again affecting the state economy. Will citizens, even devout democrats of the working class, tolerate this absurd mismanagement for much longer?

Stay tuned for the next episode of We Told Them So, coming soon.

The post Leading the Nation in Making People Jobless and Homeless appeared first on Granite Grok.

Thank you, Soto. You served your purpose, but your time has come. You are 70, and, yes, that is twelve years younger than feeble Joe, but we need your robe for a younger dudette. BTW, we need this to happen soon so we can replace you before Joe loses to Trump on November 5.

This will not be a repeat of Merrick Garland (thank God we kept that evil man off the Court), as the Democrats have the White House and Senate. The only monkey wrench will be when Sotomayor says, no way. I think I still look good in black.

I have more respect for the Supreme Court but channeled Democrat discourse for that opening paragraph. The Democrats are treating her like bananas, too brown for banana bread. It’s time to throw them out. She was championed as the first Latino female justice, proving how diverse and WOKE the Democrats are for elevating her to the Court. They do not want to take any chances on Biden losing and Trump replacing Sotomayor with a young MAGA, abortion-hating judge that tilts the Court to 7-2. If the Dems cannot pack the Court, they have to replace Sotomayor now, years before she planned to exit.

This is not the first time the Democrats have called this play. They feared the Red Wave that everyone saw coming in 2022, so they looked to Justice Stephen Breyer and convinced him that he should take the gold watch and bow out gracefully/ The Democrats saw the Republicans gaining the Senate Majority in the mid-terms and had to act. They successfully convinced Breyer to retire and make room for the Black female that Biden promised he would deliver. The call went out to Ketanji Brown Jackson, who had clerked for Breyer. During her confirmation hearing, she could not define the term woman, but she favors abortion, and that is all you have to say to a Democrat to get their vote.

Democrats have become the One Trick Pony that Biden used to enjoy calling members of the press. They do not appear concerned about the economy, fentanyl poisonings, homelessness, Ukraine, or the chaos at the border, but have anyone intimate restrictions on the unfettered right for a woman to obtain an abortion, you will feel the wrath of Khan. Abortion is the singular issue that will stimulate voters of all ages to come out, vote, and support.

Ironically, Biden has shown little respect for the Supreme Court. In a classless act, he belittled the Justices during the State of the Union Address, and by defying their decision on Student Loan Forgiveness, he kept pushing on with his plan and enhanced it more every week. But he does recognize he needs the Court to support him. He wants it both ways.

I am not a fan of Justice Sotomayor, but I do hope that she resists this effort to replace her. She is still a young Justice and should be able to plot her own career path, including when it is time to step down.

 

The post Night Cap: Judge Sotomayor Was Great, But That Was Then, We Need Her Out Now appeared first on Granite Grok.