Well, it is exciting to report to our friends that Raymond has had some wins from the recent town elections. There has been a group of us that have been working to maintain traditional values in our town and right now we have been concentrating on our library. Last year I won a seat on the school board.

We want to thank Cindy Bennett for this Op-Ed. If you have an Op-Ed or LTE
you would like us to consider, please submit it to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

Honestly, I have had a lot to learn. I am still on the learning curve. I do see things in a different light being on this side of the proverbial fence. I am listening and learning and hoping to be a voice for good in my town.

I have also realized that there is a lot going on at the public library. A small group of concerned taxpayers/ concerned parents have been conversing with the local librarian and current trustees as to some of the adult content topics that are in the children’s section of the library. Two of the folks attending these meetings include Mike Drago (a current state representative) and Julie Laughner (budget committee member and author of articles on GraniteGrok and long-time pro-life activist).  Several parents have gone to monthly meetings between the trustees and the librarian.

Since this was the only public meeting that has been untelevised by the local cable station, we have requested to have this meeting recorded and put up on RCTV as of last November. This has been great for the town’s people to ask questions, and we have been able to send the link of videos around so that more citizens were able to see the questions and answers personally.  The conversations have been difficult and sometimes debate has occurred. We have had to bring out polar opposite views and discuss them. We have found that the opinion of the current board is very close to the American Library Association and the modern agendas that, in traditional and moral opinion, are damaging to children.

We are specifically concerned about the sexualization of our children. Our group has been supporting Viriginia Fernold who has volunteered to join the board of trustees of our library and she has some great ways to help ensure the safety of children from the sexualized topics that are being put out in the open for children. I personally supported her by creating her campaign video which we put on RCTV and spread around social media, I collected money to help make signs to put around town and we all helped to place those signs all around town. Along with our candidate, who has now won the seat, we proposed 2 citizens petition warrant articles for the ballot. We were surprised at the opposition that we endured.  Article 43 states:

“The Citizens of Raymond hereby declare, from this point forward, that the downstairs children’s library room in the Dudley Tucker Library will be free of any books with content containing nudity, gender identity, sex or sexual references in writing or illustrations”.

We have been scoffed at by local citizens and we have even endured ridicule from the Union Leader. We were called book banners and other names by those who opposed us. At the Deliberative Session in Raymond, our librarian countered our warrant article with some potty training books and other books that she felt would be terrible to do without and that our warrant wording would make it so that they would have to get rid of 93% of the books in our children’s collection. It was a very weak argument because everyone on both sides knew what the article was concerned about. In my opinion….even in potty training books we don’t need nudity. It seems to be trivial to feel like we won big as a town that our Warrant article 42 passed. And this is where we are at.

It’s a win to keep damaging content out of the children’s section of the library. It’s hard to imagine we are here.

We also had another article which requested to pull out of the ALA (American Library Association); that article did not win. However,  I hope that as we proceed, more people will realize that our library is owned by the citizens, and we do not want to support an entity such as ALA which is against parents, and even against the innocence of the minds of children. The truth is, the reason that we are in this difficult place, is that conservatives have taken our hands and eyes off the public libraries .

WE have not been involved and we did not speak up sooner. I hope that seeing the extremes that the library is going to, into the realms of immorality and modern agendas, will get the attention of many taxpayers that do not agree with this. I have heard from many conservatives that “nothing works,” or “ we have to accept this because it’s the current trend.”

This sounds like giving up to me. For a true American Patriot, giving up is not an option. Protecting children should be our highest priority.  I hope that more taxpayers take part in their communities and get back some control of their towns by standing up for their constitutional rights and freedoms. The best way to deal with what is flooding our country is to get to the root of the trouble. We need to restore love for God and our Country. Love for humanity and respect for the human race and the Almighty God who created us.

Not only do we warn about damaging content, we need to also suggest good content that will encourage and strengthen our youth. Our library has purchased the Tuttle Twins books as we have also recommended many other excellent resources that kids can grow by.  We also  need to find the forums available to us. We pay into this system and it’s time to speak life into it. Speak up at the library, school board meetings, town meetings and whatever meetings are open to public comment. Do it with grace and dignity. Don’t go in mad and angry at anyone. We can’t expect those who hold the seats to do what we want them to do if we have been unavailable and unseen up to this point. We can do better .

The most important thing…we need to do something. Get off the couch, cancel an appointment, meet up with a fellow Patriot, speak up in person. Right IS right and WRONG IS wrong and we need to stop acting like nothing works. Edward Everett Hale wrote:

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

I am very excited to see this progress to do what is right in our community. I hope that it encourages you and inspires you to also get involved. Face to face is really the best way. If you are doing your thing, please be encouraged to stay faithful and don’t give up. Seek for the small ways to find real progress. Don’t stop trying to inspire others. Thanks for reading.

The post Raymond NH Wins for Conservatives. appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Baby Killers in the Lump of Cells Collective just took a shot to the head. A young lady named ‘Winner’ just went home with her family. She was born prematurely at  Maine Medical Center. At 22 weeks and one pound, two ounces, she is the youngest survivor on state record.

 

Medical professionals credited technological advancements for Winner being able to survive.

The NICU team at Maine Medical Center, including 140 nurses, decreased stimulation in the room to give Winner a comfortable environment.

MaineHealth says Winner will continue to need specialized care, but they say they’re excited to see her grow up with her loving parents by her side.

 

Talk about a conundrum.

Party of Science vs. viable human life. Twenty-two weeks. Happy and home with her family. Born less than six months into a pregnancy. And New Hampshire Democrats just did widdershins around the abortion bonfire over passing a bill in the NH House that would make killing babies like Winner a ‘gimme.

Nothing to see here. It’s not human (except for organ harvesting, but they like to wait until 30+ weeks for those if they can).

Nice party you’ve got there. Be a shame if you all burned in eternal damnation for the millions of lives you sacrificed in exchange for campaign contributions.

I know, you keep insisting it’s about women’s rights or health or some such thing, but we know that’s a bin full of crap. You came for women’s babies, and thanks to the trans-agenda, now you’ve come for them and their living children.

 

 

The post The Baby Killers in the Lump of Cells Collective Just Had a Narrative Aborted appeared first on Granite Grok.

There are growing concerns about the appearance of John Kerry, one of the Democratic Party’s premier politruks, former presidential standard bearer, George W. Bush’s burr under the saddle, and Joe Biden’s Climate Tsar, er, without portfolio.

We want to thank John Burtis for this Op-Ed. Please submit it to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

It has been reported that the former Winter Soldier “looked terrible” in a recent public appearance, with fears that he was “suffering from some illness that has been or must be kept secret,” such was his unhealthy pallor.

First of all, Mr. Kerry has been an excessively busy lad, jet-setting back and forth between Washington D.C. and his beloved Europe, decrying the ongoing and permanent collapse of the Earth’s ecosystem, the melting of the Earth’s ice, the decreasing pressure on the Earth’s crust, while conveniently forgetting the increasing number of dead cetaceans clogging beaches already suffering from erosion from the robust ocean currents which carry heat away from the tropics to locales like Iceland and Ireland and make them liveable.

Mr. Kerry has recently enquired about the purchase of vast swaths of the Arabian desert, especially the Nafud region which is jocularly called the ‘Sun’s Anvil’ in the works by T.E. Lawrence and is plagued by miles of hot red sand.  Mr. Kerry believes that gigantic sea-going vessels powered by electrical screws and steered by AI should soon be silently crossing the increasingly vast oceans due to the ceaseless melting of ice while bulging at their welded seams from their hundred thousand tons of sand.  These costly untested and yet-to-be-constructed leviathans should be preferred by every one of us instead of the use of Arabia’s destructive petroleum, if not our own, because they represent the future electric.  They are needed to rebuild God’s own Cape Cod beaches and those on the island where both he and Barack Obama each occupy an incredibly opulent chateau totally beyond the price range of even Brentwood – Nantucket.

But all this policy wonking and calculator button pushing is fatiguing for Mr. Kerry, a man not used to sitting down and hammering out the smallest of ecological details, the everyday hurly-burly which is usually left to his operatives, his swelling personal staff and his pilot.

Nope, being on the road, ensconced in cheap five and six star hotels without the services of dedicated wonkeroonies like Br’er Pete Buttigieg to explain things and get the stuff needed to remain a gentleman, is doubly taxing on a man who is used to farming out all of the menial assignments.  Now, having to learn the intricacies of governmental involvements, internal rates of return, paybacks, quid pro quo’s, all about a big sister and the he/she/it/me ragtime, and the exceedingly treacherous working Catholic families who prefer the liturgy in Latin–the latter an anathema to Mr. Kerry and to his confrere’s in Davos and the White House.  Managing these expectations is just plain stultifying to the very man who put the word stultifying on that “auld” map of the island hanging on the interior wall of the Shell station on Sparks Avenue on Nantucket.

But it is tiring for a man of his advanced years with all those miles on his well-worn and highly buttressed chassis and on his perfect hair which requires the treble wash made famous by studious Gwyneth Paltrow wannabes.

The highly onerous task of convincing, and later ordering, dukes and paupers alike to give up everything that he never will is fatiguing and a waste of time because as the sworn appointee for the protection of the entire planet, he should be believed about everything he says and never questioned. After all, he IS  John Forbes Kerry. After all, he’s a Boston Brahmin aristocrat and a peer of the realm who has moved, from sheer dint of will, from sleeping in his car while keeping ahead of those street cleaning tickets and those equally surly Boston meter maids to slumbering on the cool pressed silk sheets in the AlpenGold Hotel in Davos, where a personal assistant irons his skivvies, his sheer black hosiery and garters, his NY, LA, and London Times and buffs his bespoke cap toe oxfords to a high gloss.

Of course, it’s also extremely exhausting to watch the incredible worship heaped on poor old Biden despite Joe’s gaseous eruptions before the dreaded Camilla Parker Bowles and how Mr. Biden really embarrassed the free world by breaking wind loud enough to cause noticeable tittering in the fawning crowd of high borns from whom Joe aspires to receive that exclusive invitation.

Imagine a man from Scranton garnering that many kudos from the Pelosi side of the aisle. It’s an affront to a man with Mr. Kerry’s accomplishments at sea, at home, in preparatory school in the same state where the damnable GHW Bush attended Exeter, in front of the camera, in the marriage aisle, and once or twice upon the floor of the Senate. It has to be a put-up job by the turncoat media the way they slaver over Joe and petulant Dr. Jill who are just grifting plebeians who must depend on Uncle Sap’s jets for travel to the hot spots instead of Kerry’s oh-so-plush Gulfstream IVG with the Windsor leather pilot seats, personal vanity mirrors and heated towel racks.

Then there’s the Mr. Smallweed business. People chuckled about it because of his past traipsing around Boston, throwing himself in front of any live camera he could, being called “Live Shot” for his troubles, passing off grave comments on any inconsequential situation he could locate, then doing exactly the same thing nationally when afforded that capability.

But what do they know?  Nothing!

He’s tried his damnedest to get felons the vote. He’s pontificated on the prolonged follies of the Afghan War and the crying need for electric autos. He’s supported Honest John Murtha in his endeavors and John’s jump to war crimes investigator, judge, and jury. He’s worked hard to make illegal aliens instant citizens and Democratic voters just as he has kept them off Nantucket. He’s toed the unpopular lines to make America smarter and more survivable. He’s exposed America’s sins first to Boston and then to the whole world. He’s called President Bush a fool of a man and President Trump an irredeemable lout. And Mr. Kerry has always offered to cut and run on a specific timetable to give our enemies a date certain for their victory.  Though it now appears that old Joe Biden beat him at that game in Afghanistan.

Then again, the prolonged and excessive use of botox is said to be unhealthy with those frozen facial muscles, squinting eyes, and that manic deer-in-the-headlights look.

Who can really say why Mr. Kerry is looking so poorly lately? Maybe he is ailing. But if he is, I suspect one of the real reasons is due to the prolonged exposure to the hogwash he is continually prancing through in the name of Democrat politics. That stuff’ll give you the grippe and things even botox can’t fix or hide.

 

[and of course, my favorite – Lurch!  -Skip]

Or, with all his surgery | Botox, how’s this comparison with Star Trek’s Deep Space Nine Security Chief Odo. Same flat and smooth face?]

But only one is unabashedly wearing make-up…

 

The post Things Botox Can’t Fix or Hide appeared first on Granite Grok.

The left’s culture war against women has been troublesome for many, including progressive feminists (TERFs) and even Democrats, who can’t see a way to get these two victim-class war “ends” to meet. The so-called party of women erased their safe spaces and robbed them of accolades while undermining Title IX.

It’s as if they defaced their relief on the victim class totem with some facial hairs and Adam’s apple. Any man who says he is a woman gets top billing at their expense. How could this happen?

A 2019 article from The Standard may hold the answers. Millionaires and billionaires, all Lefties, and all biological men fund the entire transgender agenda.

 

Who Is Funding the Transgender Movement?
I found exceedingly rich, white men with enormous cultural influence are funding the transgender lobby and various transgender organizations. These include but are not limited to Jennifer Pritzker (a male who identifies as transgender); George Soros; Martine Rothblatt (a male who identifies as transgender and transhumanist); Tim Gill (a gay man); Drummond Pike; Warren and Peter Buffett; Jon Stryker (a gay man); Mark Bonham (a gay man); and Ric Weiland (a deceased gay man whose philanthropy is still LGBT-oriented). Most of these billionaires fund the transgender lobby and organizations through their own organizations, including corporations.

 

Why are gay, trans, and straight men so invested in wiping out safe spaces for women and denying them opportunities their party of preference has claimed to defend for decades? How about money?

What if you found out that the catalyzing force that pushed the transgender agenda past a cultural tipping point was not compassion or discrimination but wealth? That’s the case Jennifer Bilek makes.

 

• The first gender clinic for children opened in Boston in 2007. In the past ten years, more than 30 clinics for children with purported gender dysphoria have arisen in the United States alone, the largest serving 725 patients.
• Over the past decade, there has been an explosion in transgender medical infrastructure across the United States and world to “treat” transgender people. In addition to gender clinics proliferating across the United States, hospital wings are being built for specialized surgeries, and many medical institutions are clamoring to get on board with the new developments.
• Doctors are being trained in cadaver symposiums across the world in all manner of surgeries related to transgender individuals, including phalloplasty, vaginoplasty, facial feminization surgery, urethral procedures, and more.
• Puberty blockers are another growing market. The plastic surgery arm of medicine is staged for an infusion of cash as well as organ transplants, especially womb transplants for men identifying as women who may want future pregnancies.
• Biogenetics is poised to be the investment of the future, says Rothblatt, who has headed a massive pharmaceutical corporation and is now heavily invested in biogenetics and transplants.

“This can hardly be a coincidence when the very thing absolutely essential to those transitioning are pharmaceuticals and technology.”

Bilek goes on to explore the big names and their connections, which you should browse in your free time. You’ll be amazed (or not) by the depth of connections to political power and money that is behind this endeavor which brings me back to the critical point. This machinery is not investing in a disenfranchised minority of the population. To quote Bilek, “only a fraction of [the hundreds of millions spent] trickles down to assist people who identify as transgender.

 

The massive medical and technological infrastructure expansion for a tiny (but growing) fraction of the population with gender dysphoria, along with the money being funneled to this project by those heavily invested in the medical and technology industries, seems to make sense only in the context of expanding markets for changing the human body.

The children are being groomed, drugged, mutilated, and castrated to launder money into the hands of 0.01 percenters who funnel some of it to politicians who protect their profit model (most of them Democrats).

I’ve been saying they are using the transgender agenda to facilitate the progressive depopulation agenda, and that’s still true – but they are doing it and making a fortune simultaneously. And the price is not just tax dollars or lost liberties. It is women’s rights, accomplishments, safe spaces, and their children’s lives.

All in service to wealthy leftists who don’t give a damn about gender, women, or children.

 

 

The post Male LGBT 0.01 Percenters Are Funding The Left’s Gender War On Women appeared first on Granite Grok.

(The Center Square) – New Hampshire features one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation, according to a new report. WalletHub released its report, “2023’s Tax Burden By State,” which shows only two states have a lower tax burden than the Granite State.

New Hampshire ranked 48th in the study that takes property tax, individual income tax, and sales and excise tax burdens into consideration.

The report, which uses data from Tax Policy Center, scored states on how those taxes affect residents’ income. It illustrates how the tax burden measures the proportion of what residents pay in state and local taxes.

Michael Simkovic, professor of law and accounting at the Gould School of Law at University of Southern California, said the relationship between state tax burden and economic growth is dependent on what is taxed and how that revenue is put to work.

“You tend to get less of what you tax,” he said. “Income taxes are generally thought to be more harmful to economic growth than property taxes. Spending on education, infrastructure and public safety tends to do more to promote economic growth than spending on retirement, disability or unemployment benefits.”

New Hampshire has a 6.14% total tax burden, according to the report. The state came in third in property tax burden at 4.94%; ranked 42nd in individual income tax burden at 0.13%; and came in last with a 1.07% total sales and excise tax burden.

Simkovic went on to say that income taxes, “especially on capital gains or focused on very high-end bonuses, tend to be more cyclical than sales taxes or property taxes.”

 

 

| By Brent Addleman – The Center Square – Mar 24, 2023

 

The post Report: New Hampshire Has One of the Lowest Tax Burdens in the Country appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at the University of Wyoming has a problem. “Guidelines set by the National Panhellenic Council … state that a sorority should be composed of ‘women and individuals who identify as women.” Have you guessed the problem?

A biological male asked to be admitted, and they didn’t want to be called bigots for refusing.

 

[T]he sorority admitted a biological male, Artemis Langford, into its ranks in October 2022. … Unfortunately, this decision has had serious repercussions for the sorority sisters. The complaint alleges that Langford has been “watching” girls undress around the sorority house, and that communal bathrooms do not lock. It also mentions that Langford has been seen to have an erection while watching women undress, and has refused to leave the house until “after you fall asleep.”

 

What Langford is doing could get him arrested if he were doing it from outside the sorority as a non “member.” As a peeping Langford. But the problem is not limited to Artemis. Lia Thomas, the C team men’s swimmer who became an A-Team women’s swimmer overnight, shares a locker room with an entire college women’s swim team and admits to being attracted to women. Young, healthy, athletic women, if I had to guess. And what better way to see and be with them than to be them?

William Lia Thomas is alleged at times to have exposed his male bits around these healthy young ladies (it is a locker room), but since he claims to be female, it is not illegal, and if you complain, you might be labeled a bigot or worse. There’s not much you can do that won’t get you kicked off the team or out of school.

What to Do?

The sorority girls at Kappa Kappa Gamma have decided to do something. They have filed a lawsuit against the University, Langford, and the national Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

 

The plaintiffs allege the national Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, the sorority’s national council president, and the new member all pressured the local chapter to breach sorority rules. The women said they felt “intimidated” to induct Langford into the house. ..

The lawsuit also alleged that Langford behaved inappropriately around her sorority sisters on numerous occasions, including once when she “had an erection visible through his leggings,” the suit alleges.

“Other times, he has had a pillow in his lap,” the lawsuit adds. “Smith [Langford] repeatedly questioned the women about what vaginas look like, breast cup size, whether women were considering breast reductions and birth control.”

The plaintiffs also alleged that the sorority ignored official bylaws when inducting Langford, and instead referred to a 2018 “Guide for Supporting Our LGBTQIA+ Members” that says Kappa Kappa Gamma is a “single-gender” organization.

 

I can’t say how that will turn out, but one report suggests the National Sorority is having none of it, so we’ll see. Until then, Langford is getting his jollies and ruining the college experience for a house full of women who should consider this a hard lesson learned about the gender front in the culture war.

A war that is being waged against them.

 

The post What to Do When Your Sorority “Sister” Gets an Erection … appeared first on Granite Grok.

“We are our beliefs,” it is said. Beliefs steer people in life. Some beliefs are harmless, some are the motive force for good, and yet others are delusional, misguided, and even outright dangerous. Every version of the belief called “Islam” ranges from the delusional to the dangerous.

Islam is a Grand Delusion, birthed by Muhammad’s hallucination he relayed to his first wife and employer, Khadija. Greatly frightened, he told Khadija that he was visited by a jinn (devil) in the Hira cave. Khadija comforted the distraught man by assuring him that the episode was Allah’s way of choosing him as his messenger. Muhammad believed his rich wife-employer who was 15 years his senior and the delusion became a belief—Islam.

Remarkably enough, under the early tutelage of Khadija, Muhammad succeeded in attracting a number of influential followers. Before long, the movement gathered more and more power through violent campaigns, and the faith was taken to new people and alien lands. This grand delusion, Islam, presently has in its stranglehold over a billion humans, posing an existential threat to all non-Muslims.

Islam is rooted in the primitive tribal mentality of “We against Them,” “We the righteous against the heathens,” and “We the servants submissive of the Great Allah against the rebellious enemies of Allah.” Islam is a polarizer. Islam is an enemy-maker. To Islam, a non-Muslim is a combatant against Allah, and he is fair game to be subjugated and killed.

When some billion and a half adhere to the pathological belief of Islam and use it as their marching order of life, the rest of humanity can ignore the threat only at its own peril.

Once again, a resurgent Islam is on a campaign of conquest throughout the world. Hordes of life-in-hand foot-solider fanatical Muslims are striving to kill and get killed. All they want is the opportunity to discharge their homicidal-suicidal impulse, on their way to Allah’s promised glorious paradise. And in the background granting the foot soldiers wishes are their handlers, the puppeteers, who pull the strings and detonate these human bombs. Those who cherish life must recognize these emissaries of death, what makes them, what motivates them, and how best to defend against them.

The campaign of death waged by the Islamist jihadist, be he a puppet or a puppeteer, is energized by the belief in delectable rewards that await the faithful implementer of Allah’s dictates. Through highly effective indoctrination, the jihadist has come to believe firmly in Islam’s grand delusion. He believes that Allah is the one and only supreme creator of earth and heavens; that it is his duty and privilege to abide by Allah’s will and carry out his plans at all costs; he believes firmly in a gloriously wonderful immortal afterlife in paradise, for which a martyr’s death is the surest quickest admission. Although the dominating theme of the delusion is quasi-spiritual, the promised rewards of the afterlife awaiting the martyr are sensual and material. All the things and activities that the jihadist desires and cannot attain or practice and rejects in his earthly life will be purified and proffered to him in the paradise of the next life. Thus goes the delusion.

It is important to understand that the human mind is not a perfect discerner of objective reality. In actuality, the reality is in the mind of the beholder. The outside world only supplies bits and pieces of raw material that the mind puts together to form its reality. Depending on the type and amount of bits and pieces that a given mind receives, its reality can be very different from that of another mind.

The more prescribed and homogeneous a group, the greater the group’s consensual reality since the members share much in common experiential input and reinforce each other’s mindset. Thus, members of a given religious order, for instance, tend to think much more similarly to one another than to members of other groups with different experiential histories.

Various approximations of the objective reality, therefore, rule the mind. The degree to which these approximations deviate from the larger group’s consensual reality determines their delusional extent and severity.

A cocaine mainliner, for instance, under the influence of the drug, may become convinced that a bug is burrowing under his skin. In his absolute, although clearly false, a certitude of the reality of his perception, cocaine users are known to take a knife to their own body to dig the burrowing bug out before it has penetrated too deeply.

A methamphetamine user’s reality is often distorted in a different way. Under the influence of the drug, intense paranoia overtakes him. His reality is dominated by the belief that one or more people are lurking about to harm or kill him. He may wield a deadly weapon, going from room to room, from closet to closet, in search of the assailants.

If you believe that a bug is camping deeply inside your body, then you might go ahead and try to dig the non-existent bug out. If you believe that people are lurking around the house to harm or kill you, you go after them before they get you. If you believe that all the troubles of the world are due to the evil-doings of the non-Muslims who war against Allah, then you do all you can to fight and kill them, particularly since Allah tells you to do so in the Quran.

The drug-induced delusions are hallucinations. They are dramatic and usually transitory, while religiously-based implantation of ideas programs the mind with lasting delusions.

Delusions, even when they are at great variance from the objective reality, can rule the mind without the need for drugs or as a result of neurological dysfunctions or other factors. The young and the less educated are most vulnerable to believing the claims of charlatans, con artists, and cunning clerics as truth and reality.

A tragic example of the young’s susceptibility to induced delusion is the case of thousands of Iranian children who were used as human minesweepers in the last Iran-Iraq war. The mullahs issued made-in-China plastic keys for paradise to children as an enticement to go forward and clear the minefield with their bodies ahead of the military’s armored vehicles. The children believed the murderers and rushed to their death, thinking that they were headed for Islam’s glorious paradise.

The repeated intense indoctrination of the children even changed the perception of some of the charlatan mullahs so that they, themselves, believed their own lies, took their own keys to Allah’s paradise, and rushed to their death, clinging to the plastic trinkets. Hence, some of the puppeteers, in this instance, became puppets themselves. Such are the follies and fallibilities of the human mind.

It is, therefore, understandable that many of the higher-up Islamic puppeteers, who are usually brainwashed from early childhood, devote their fortunes and persons to the implementation of their deeply engrained delusions.

Deluded by the threats and promises of Islam, Muslims, poor or rich, vie with one another in furthering the violent cause of Allah.

Many non-Muslims are also victims of a different, yet just as deadly, delusion. They believe that Islam is a religion of peace, that only a small minority of Muslims are jihadists, and that Muslims can be reasoned to abandon the Quran-mandated elimination of non-believers. These well-meaning simpletons are just as deluded as the fanatic jihadists by refusing to acknowledge the fact that one cannot be a Muslim and not abide by the dictates of the Quran.

The post Islam: From the Delusional to the Dangerous appeared first on Granite Grok.

BusinessNH magazine recently ran a cover story on the wonders of DEI—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. While the education establishment has been foisting highly-paid DEI coordinators on us for years, businesses are now foisting. Unfortunately.

The BusinessNH cover featured an African-American man and two women. Conspicuously—but typically—absent were the increasingly reviled OWGs (Old White Guys). You know, like our nation’s increasingly reviled founders. OWGs are now targets of a trifecta of prejudice based on age, color, and gender. But that’s seemingly okay with many DEI folks.

The magazine’s puff piece reminded me of a gender diversity panel session I attended at a legislative conference last year. All six panelists were female. OWGs need not participate. Google “DEI and White Males” and you’ll find countless examples of discrimination against OWGs. And YWGs. Lawsuits are coming.

The DEI craze conflicts with Martin Luther King’s dictum about people being judged on inherent merit and character content as opposed to skin color.

Quotas are inevitable. DEI people need stats. If a group is “underrepresented” in an institution’s personnel profile, action is required to address discrepancies. If there are too many OWGs on the payrolls, then good luck to any WG seeking opportunities there, regardless of qualifications. Google “reverse discrimination.”

Diversity staffers don’t market, sell, or build anything. But they do create problems.

It’s one thing to now stack the deck against white guys in academia. Naming a lesser-qualified person as a department head usually won’t kill anyone. But the DEI craze is now putting lives and national security at risk.

In “American Thinker,” Tom Harvey described how our government is plagued by DEI hurdles. Air traffic controller hiring has moved away from merit-based to gender/race-based. Because 86% of Air Force pilots are white men, its recruiting head has identified this as a major crisis. And United Airlines reportedly promised that 50% of their pilots will be women or people of color.

As a nervous frequent flier, I could care less about the gender or race of pilots or air traffic controllers. I just want to put my life in the hands of the most competent people when I’m helplessly aloft in a 737.

Consider how President Biden kneels at the DEI altar. His picks for vice-president, supreme court justice, press secretary, and other positions were driven by identity politics, not competency. So was his choice to replace New Hampshire with South Carolina as the site of the First in the Nation Primary.

The need to promote DEI is an affront to generations of parents, mentors, and teachers who’ve long promoted fairness, diversity, equity, and inclusion without hiring government approved specialists or deploying discredited 1619 Projects or Critical Race Theories.

Orwellian exploitation of the concepts of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” basically reflects “progressive politics.” Can a single conservative DEI coordinator please step forward?

Light needs to be shined on DEI policies and mandates that marginalize OWGs, YWGs, traditionalists, and others. Such policies create backlash and ironically hamper progress towards natural and organic diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I somehow think Martin Luther King might agree.

#####

(State Rep. Mike Moffett of Loudon chairs the House Committee on State-Federal Relations.)

The post DEI Dangers appeared first on Granite Grok.

The students of George Mason University in Virginia are protesting the appearance of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin on campus. Youngkin is scheduled to deliver the commencement speech to the 2023 graduates. Of the 36,000 students at GMU, approximately 6,000 have signed an online petition organized by Change.org demanding the invitation to Youngkin be rescinded.

As of this writing, GMU President Gregory Washington says he has no plans to cancel the Governor’s appearance, but he recognizes the student’s right to protest the scheduled speech. In a statement released on Monday, Washington said, “That being said, I don’t believe that we should silence the voices of those with whom we disagree, especially in this forum where there is no imminent threat present as a result of the disagreements.” Washington is GMU’s first Black president.

In a stroke of irony, the same students who want to celebrate diversity and inclusion are the most vocal in their desire to keep the Virginia Governor off the campus. We see this consistently with similar protests before or during a conservative speaker appearing on campus.

With their current mindset, these students are in for a rude awakening when they morph from student to employee. The workplace is filled with many people of differing thinking. And you will not find petitions to sign when faced with thoughts that do not align with yours.

I am pleased that Washington is not yielding to student demands. Some of the student’s characterizations of Youngkin are unwarranted. Youngkin and his Black, female, veteran Lieutenant Governor have been consistent since the campaign. Youngkin and Winsome Earle-Sears ran on a platform of restoring the parent’s place in their child’s education, eliminating Critical Race Theory and sexually themed books from elementary and middle schools. They are also pro-life and against counseling young students on gender issues. These beliefs are not filled with hate or indications of racism and homophobia. The Lieutenant Governor is Black, in case the students are unaware.

This protest of a commencement speaker may be the first of the year, but it definitely will not be the last of the graduation season. Today’s college students, not all of them, want to only hear from people of their ilk. This is narrow-minded and anything but diverse. This is not how people learn. This is not a healthy debate.

It is imperative that President Washington of George Mason University and any other president or dean who is challenged by the student body stay firm with their decisions and not yield to these immature graduates. These graduates, and all college students need to be informed that they are at a college or university to get an education, not to leave their mark on the institution by trying to change the make-up of the institution.

We are witnessing the harvest of the DEIJ efforts by our education system over the last few decades. The educational system has been in the indoctrination business for one hundred years. Now, with the support of Progressive Democrats, learning basic skills of math and reading have taken a back seat to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This focus has given us lower math scores every year, and the majority of students in college can only read at a seventh-grade level. We are failing our children, and we need people like President Washington to teach the hard lesson of life.

 

The post We Need Critical Thinking Not CRT appeared first on Granite Grok.

President Joe Biden has disappointed us numerous times in his long career and two years in the White House. He hit an all-time low this week, even for Joe, when he had two opportunities to address the Nashville shooting. The first was when he went to the podium soon after the shooting. The country needed a calming voice and some words of comfort after another taking of young lives by a senseless shooter. What the nation got was a lousy comedy improv about ice cream.

“I’m Joe Biden and I am Dr. Jill Biden’s husband. I came down here because I heard there was ice cream. I have freezer full upstairs, really, no joke. Chocolate Chip is my favorite.” And he then makes a silly face that would make Red Skeleton cringe. End of the show, try the veal!

This approach is what Joe and his staff thought was appropriate in a time of national tragedy. I agree with Senator Josh Hawley when he said this was so below the office of the President. If Biden was 25, you could chalk it up to immaturity and bad decision making. His only defense is he is 80, and the dementia is worse than any of us could imagine.

The second opportunity was when Joe Biden walked from Marine 1 to the White House. A reporter asked if Joe would designate the Nashville shooting as an anti-Christian hate crime. His first response was that he had not thought about that option. When the reporter rephrased the question saying that Senator Hawley said it was a hate crime. This question made the President laugh and decide that if Hawley thought it was a hate crime, then it must not be. Again, an opportunity to calm the nation and our President is laughing. Bad form, horrible form, Joe.

There was so much a serious leader could have said about the Nashville shooting. He could have lamented about the loss of three nine year old students. There are now three families that will never be the same. He could have talked about the three adults shot dead and denied the rest of their lives. Three more families changed forever.

He could have praised the brave police squad that showed they were prepared and trained for such a situation. These police officers, that are maligned by many, did not hesitate to walk toward the shooting, put their lives on the line, and neutralize the shooter ending the danger of the moment. These police officers only took fourteen minutes to arrive at the scene, ascertain the situation and walk selflessly into a deadly situation to save others.

Instead, the President immediately went on the offense against guns and Republicans. He spoke as if the guns had walked in and killed six people. Nothing about the deranged shooter who held the weapons and pulled the trigger. Nothing about the woman who posted her intentions on Social media. Nothing about the killer who divulged her intentions to a friend, who called Police, but was late with the information. BTW, the female shooter identified as a male on her social media profiles.

Joe Biden had a chance to be Presidential and unite the country as we again mourned another senseless shooting. Instead, he ordered two scoops on a waffle cone. Sad, very sad.

The post Children Killed, Biden Jokes appeared first on Granite Grok.

The headline sounds promising. “COVID vaccines are not needed for healthy kids and teens.” It’s something that at least a few of us knuckle-dragging Deplorables have been saying since April of 2021. Kids didn’t become vectors until after the ‘Experts’ insisted they got The Jab.

Prior to implementation, there were no COVID deaths in the 20 and under age group in our state or most states. The masking and remote learning did more damage, followed by Jabs that killed more kids than COVID, including making them more susceptible to it. And here’s where we get the mixed messaging from the WHO’s down in Whoville.

On the one hand (reformatted):

 

Healthy children and teens likely don’t need COVID-19 vaccinations, according to updated guidance posted on the website of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) met last week to create a revised roadmap for COVID vaccinations. The new roadmap defines three priority groups — high, medium and low — based on the “risk of severe disease and death” when contracting the virus.

Healthy kids between 6 months and 17 years old are now deemed low priority.

 

The WHO wants to focus on “immunizing” those at high risk of severe disease, like the elderly or adults with comorbidities. And “Children who have compromised immune systems or existing health conditions should still get the COVID vaccine due to the higher risk of severe disease, the agency said.”

No mention of how scaring parents or guardians or people who jabbed kids without consent compromised their immune systems and created health conditions. In other words, according to the World Health Organization, you don’t need to Jab kids anymore, but if the Jab they didn’t need made them a high-risk candidate by compromising their immune system or causing a health condition, jab them again.

 

…

The post Mixed Messaging From The World Health Organization About Jabbing Junior appeared first on Granite Grok.

Deja vu all over again!  Let’s just say that the thought went through my mind when I scanned through the email was “Remedial Reading time again?”. Yep, my RSA 91-A demand, for one thing, was auto-magically translated into something else. I’ve heard of New Math but now I must deal with New English? Or is reading comprehension the issue here? Perhaps just a vocab lesson for the word “obstinate”?

Anyways, this seems to becoming the Districts’ first salvo to my demand: “You do the work, not us”.

—— Original Message ——
From “Jodie Holmquist” <jholmquist@hnhsd.org>
To “skip@granitegrok.com” <skip@granitegrok.com>
Cc “Kim M. Caron” <kcaron@hnhsd.org>; “Maria A. Webb” <mwebb@hnhsd.org>
Date 3/28/2023 3:45:06 PM
Subject Right-to-Know Request

Dear Mr. Murphy,

Pursuant to your Right-to-Know request of March 22, 2023, the information you requested can be readily found at our school library websites which are accessed through the school websites and are available to all interested parties.

The Hinsdale Elementary School card catalog is at: HINSDALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARY

The Hinsdale Middle High School card catalog is at:  https://hmhslibrary.weebly.com/

Thank you,

Jodie

Jodie Holmquist
Business Administrator
Hinsdale School District #92
Hinsdale, NH
603-336-5728 x7682

Yep, been through this before. But manners require that, in which schools that have little ones, it sometimes is needful to distract, correct,  and then redirect them. Now, I’ll admit, there may be some that won’t like that sentence construction. If so, ask yourself this – would I have to write that if they had simply taken the few minutes to push a button, run the report and export it to a spreadsheet? And then be done with me by emailing it to me?

—— Original Message ——
From “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
To “Jodie Holmquist” <jholmquist@hnhsd.org>
Cc “Kim M. Caron” <kcaron@hnhsd.org>; “Maria A. Webb” <mwebb@hnhsd.org>
Date 3/29/2023 12:45:32 PM
Subject Re: Right-to-Know Request

Good afternoon,

I am contacting you to thank you for responding within the mandatory five day limit.  Unfortunately, the District has not supplied the demanded Responsive Records as mandated by RSA 91-A:

This request is for the Hinsdale / SAU92 School District library “card catalog”. This is for any and all books located in the following:

• District-wide “main” library
• Each school within the District’s “main” library
• If a school has multiple “main” libraries (such as Brockton High, Brockton, MA)
• All classrooms with cataloged books that are tracked by the District.

The information for each Responsive Record shall include:

• Name of the book
• Name of the Author(s)
• Content Summary
• ISBN identification (or other such designated ID)
• Name of the School
• If a School has multiple libraries, a designation of which library is being referenced (in the case of Brockton High, the five libraries: Red, Azure/Blue, Green, Yellow, and the Science libraries)
• Name/designation of the Classroom within a School

You also are out of compliance with the Law in not specifying what the exemption that is permissible under NH’s Right To Know Law that allows you to not deliver those Responsive Records:

Per RSA 91-A:4 IV(c) If you deny any portion of this request, please cite the specific exemption used to justify the denial to make each record , or part thereof, unavailable for inspection along with a brief explanation of how the exemption applies to the information withheld.

Merely sending links to look up individual materials is not supplying the District’s card catalog is insufficient.  It is the lawful responsibility of the Responder to fully supply the Responsive Records and not shift that burden to a Requester.

Or is it the sense of the District that it can refuse to honor a valid Right To Know demand?

I await your lawful compliance in this matter.  And yes, I do know that the Destiny library system has the ability to deliver the Responsive Records in the spreadsheet format as previously outlined.

-Skip

At the time of this writing, I have yet to hear back. The saga continues

 

The post 1st Response – Hinsdale School District Answers My RTK appeared first on Granite Grok.

So here are some more videos of the J6 insurrectionists … except the videos are in the Tennessee Statehouse just his week. Hurray for me for calling out the hypocrisy of the media, the Democrats, the blah, blah, blahs, right? WRONG … the media, the Democrats, etc., etc., etc., don’t give a damn about being called hypocrites. In fact, they probably think “mission accomplished” and LAUGH every time the Right screeches “hypocrites,” or “call them out,” etc., etc., etc. … INSTEAD of actually doing something to fight back.

And the fighting back that needs to be done is for those on the Right to leave Blue States and make Red States … such as Tennessee … even redder. We need RED State governments that will do onto the Left’s foot soldiers and the people backing and bankrolling them exactly what the USDOJ has been doing to the “J6 insurrectionists” … put them in jail for a long, long, long time. And if your reaction is “WE’RE BETTER THAN THAT” …  then you are a loser and part of the problem.

Every Republican vote cast in New Hampshire is a wasted vote. It’s a Blue State. It’s going to get even bluer once Chris Pappas is elected Governor. And it’s never going to be a Red State again.

Want to know what kind of people tried to storm the Tennessee Capitol today? They had a moment of silence where most of them held up 7 fingers to signify they the trans mass murderer was a victim too. Evil. pic.twitter.com/uWsGSRrI67

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) March 31, 2023

There’s something all of you should know about the attempted takeover of our state Capitol in Tennessee. Those folks you see taking over the well of the legislature are Democrat reps. One of them @brotherjones_ was a hardcore left wing activist/organizer pic.twitter.com/JXeEgWFbIt…

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) March 30, 2023

CHAOS! Leftist activists and protesters created havoc on Thursday by occupying the Tennessee State Capitol. During the chaos, many tried to block the paths of legislators in the hallways, all while yelling pro-gun control chants. pic.twitter.com/b9aqJKpG3l

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) March 31, 2023

MAYHEM: Protesters in the Tennessee Capitol blocked a bathroom doorway, preventing a legislator from exiting.

Then the state troopers got involved. My footage with @BreitbartNews: pic.twitter.com/nvus4962XE

— Spencer Lindquist (@SpencerLndqst) March 30, 2023

A group of insurrectionists just stormed the Tennessee Capitol pic.twitter.com/GlWqFkctjB

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 30, 2023

The post Insurrection In Tennessee appeared first on Granite Grok.

It’s rather clear to Conservatives and Libertarians here in NH that the only TV station in the State is far from “fair and balanced,” and I’ve been reporting on that for years. This was pretty bad, even for them.

They are harping on yesterday’s Trump indictment by Progressive NY District Attorney Alan Bragg by trying to “elevate” a misdemeanor charge whose statute of limitation ran out (2 years) to a Federal election law felony.

Every chance they get. OK, I get it, fine.

But this clip is their hack of a “showing the Republican response. Great to see Karoline Leavitt (who ran for Congress from NH in 2022 and is quite popular) – but what was WMUR thinking by showing the FAILED former NH GOP Chair Jennifer Horn, who, last I had heard, became a Democrat and “identifies” as a co-founder of the Lincoln Project (a group founded to dirty up Trump)?

The on-air time given to Leavitt to “make the case” was dwarfed, intentionally, compared to that given to Never-Trumper Horn.

 



 

Frankly, there wasn’t much difference between Horn and the “Democrats response” led by NH Dem Party Chair Ray Buckley. Why should there be – they’re both Democrats and hate Trump!

The post Breaking – WMUR, Showing Democrat Bias by Having Democrat Jennifer Horn “Give” a Republican Rebuttal to Yesterday’s Politically Motivated Trump Indictment appeared first on Granite Grok.

Whenever the words COVID, Feds, and Fraud come together, the opportunity for irony skyrockets, and this is no exception. Case in point: ABC News has this amusing little story about a device manufacturer that made COVID tests and is being investigated by the Feds for fraud.

 

An Illinois man has been indicted for allegedly cheating the U.S. government out of millions of dollars for his pop-up COVID testing company and allegedly lied about test results. …

Between February 2021 and February 2022, Alvi and others at his company allegedly devised a plan to seek reimbursements for tests under the government’s Health Resources and Services Administration, which covered the cost of COVID-19 testing for those without health insurance.

These tests were either never performed, performed in such a way that the results were unreliable; or had already been paid for by patients, according to the indictment.

 

Plenty of justifiable head-shaking to that, but we’re not even at the funny part. That would be this.

 

“It is absolutely reprehensible that the defendant would use a public health crisis to allegedly defraud taxpayers and further put public health at risk by providing fraudulent COVID-19 test results,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement.

 

I agree. Can we have the hundreds of billions spent on COVID back, the jobs, careers, businesses, relationships, educations, livelihoods, constitutional rights, and lives unnecessarily lost as a result of deliberate misinformation and disinformation peddled by public health officials, the government, and Big Pharma?

That’s what the government took from us as a result of its COVID fraud.

As for results, the default approved PCR test wasn’t designed for detecting SARS-CoV2, and this was known early and often. Despite that, the CDC’s guidance produced millions of false positives that sent every life around them into a tailspin every time it happened. Those false-positive cases reinforced bad and often illegal or unconstitutional policies. And that was before the lies about the vaccine, the unvaccinated, and the rest of the fraud.

 

“It is absolutely reprehensible that the [government] would use a public health crisis to allegedly defraud taxpayers.”

Are we not amused?

 

The post Irony Alert: Feds Allege Fraud Over “False” COVID Test Results appeared first on Granite Grok.

You, like me, may not even bother to look out the windows on a daily basis to lament the sad goings on in our world.  The level of impossible craziness seems to expand beyond the previous level as if some new law of the Momentum of Societal Insanity is about to be discovered. 

It might explain how when society reaches a certain critical mass of behavioral insanity, it grows algorithmically.

Perhaps the best example of this is the sudden rise in hatred toward Christians in a historically and still predominately Christian nation.  A nation known for its global heroism and generosity. A nation that has been the most sought by those from around the world wanting to make a better life for their families.  A nation famous for both its political power and popularity that stands out above all other nations.  Why?  Because it was built by Christians who honor Christian principles of how to live and let live.

The founders of this country, despite what your Ivy League revisionist history professor would have you believe, were radically in favor of biblical standards for guiding civic life.  It cannot be hidden no matter how they try that the days leading up to the ratifying of our constitution were guided by men, many of whom though not Christian, were completely agreed the Bible is the best standard by which to shape a society.  How do we know?  It’s in their letters and the letters of those who witnessed them kneel in prayer for hours upon hours asking the God of the Bible to help them construct the fairest and freest society on earth and that He might bless their undertaking.  He did, and He still does.

Even in the hundred or so years following the birth of the United States, we see this is true in the writings of justices who explain the virtue or principle of the laws they adjudicate carry not the weight of common sense or reason alone but the authority of scripture.  Christ, His Good Book, and His followers are the fundamental bedrock and lifeblood of the American vision and the American dream.

Ironically the very fabric of what has made the United States so special is now under constant attack.  From the founders to the faithful living among us the onslaught is daily. It’s not just a war of words it is now a war with weapons.  This weekend marks the first ever Trans Day of Vengeance to be held in Washington D.C. and the ostensible target, as with virtually every other focal point of our cultural clashes, is the values of Christian society.  Even tiny school children are targeted for their standing as Christians, not in the Middle East or northern Nigeria, but in Nashville, Tennessee – the literal heartland of the United States.

All of this is aimed at tamping out the embers from the conflagration of the last few years.  After gay marriage was approved it was time to go after conservative Christians.  Attack the family, attack the “patriarchy” (re: fathers), attack polite society, attack parents, attack education, attack cis women, attack biology – attack reality itself.  Not Christian reality – actual reality.  The goal is to so thoroughly destabilize and demoralize the country that it lay exhausted from the fight unable to resist the New World Order.

It would seem, from all of this, it could not be a worse time to be a Christian in America.

However the stunning beauty of Christianity is that, other than the awesome glory of Christ Himself, it expects all of these things to happen.  Why?  Because the very book about the very Savior Himself told us, in detail, that it would:

“… You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24: 4-14)

Rather than recoil at the apparent horror of these things we Christians are told to be encouraged by them:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:3 & 4)

The James who wrote this passage is none other than the brother of Jesus, who thought his brother was crazy for claiming to be the Messiah, only to become a believer and die as a result of his faith after seeing his crucified brother resurrected.

In fact it is the resurrected Christ who we celebrate this coming Easter that sealed the martyrdom of essentially all of his disciples who were willing to die horrible deaths at the hands of evil people because they would not deny what they knew to be true – Jesus was alive thus proving He is God.

This is the reason for the hope that we have.

So as the world seemingly spins out of control, and the focus of the hate of nations turns on Christians, and the most powerful people on the planet openly conspire to enslave the human race, and those sworn to expose the corrupt are instead complicit in their conspiracies, as truth is cast aside for narcissistic feelings of entitlement, and the nations are rattling their sabers like never before…it could not be a better time to be a Christian.  Why?

It is yet more proof that every single word in the Bible is true and therefore so is the Author.  The same Author who assures us He knows the count of the very hairs on our heads, and that He knows our needs and will meet them in this life and the next.  He tells us to not be afraid so many times it would be silly if we were.  Not because we can overcome but because He has and He will.

Even better, He told us all of this craziness would happen – it has and it is right in front of our very eyes.   Right after that He told us He will come again.

He will.

The post It’s Never Been A Better Time To Be A Christian appeared first on Granite Grok.

Despite repeatedly saying nasty things about President Trump and pimping himself out on cable news, when you say Chris Sununu to the average American, they have no idea who that is. That’s probably why disgraced Liz Chaney is polling better than Sununu in a theoretical 2024 presidential primary.

Republicans know who that is, so Cheney polls at about 3%, in line with Nikki Haley, who is actually running.

Sununu has not announced the 2024 run, and while speculation is high, polling is not. While Haley has polled as high as 7%, Sununu can’t rise above the one-percenter. This means that if the primary were held today and he only had to run against Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pompeo, Chris Christie,  and Larry Hogan, he could still lose.

Job one for his handlers is to find ways to get him some name recognition.

Ron DeSantis did that by defending liberty and opposing things like race-shaming children or exposing them to inappropriate sexual content. Chris Sununu tried to get attention from Republicans by refusing to enforce obscenity laws in the state when he’s not openly embracing them.

Where a majority of Republican primary voters oppose third-trimester abortion, Sununu scowls at being tricked into making them illegal and swears he’d reverse that given a chance.

Most GOP primary voters are strong supporters of border security because it’s the law, and it reduces human trafficking and gang and drug cartel traffic into the US. Chris Sununu has a spotty record on the subject despite being the governor of a border state.

Sununu couldn’t take Federal COVID bribe money fast enough but thinks his tepid reversal on things like lockdowns, fines, and masks, absent a state mandate to prevent them at the local level, will win him Republican votes.

But he’s good on guns and taxes, which won’t hold up outside the borders because he’s bad on just about everything else. And it’s an albatross he can’t talk his way out of nor in any meaningful manner to get him to poll better than Liz Cheney, who is so bad at being a Republican she couldn’t win her own re-election primary.

There is one bright note for Chris. If he does run, he’ll probably get blown out in the New Hampshire First in the Nation primary by both Trump and DeSantis, which will give him time to find what’s left of his dignity and run for governor again.

If someone else better doesn’t try to use that fallout to primary him out at the state level, Granite Staters like him better than just about any Democrat which isn’t saying much, but given the trajectory of the legislature, another term of Sununu might be the only thing standing between us and turning into Vermont.

 

 

 

The post Liz Cheney is Polling Better Than Chris Sununu in a Theorhterical Republican Presidential Primary appeared first on Granite Grok.

Dear President Trump, First, let me say how much I appreciate what you do for our country. I know you do this at great personal sacrifice, risk, and cost.

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

I’ve read recently that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed an interest in running for President.

In my opinion, you should reach out to him and engage him as your Vice Presidential running mate, make it public, and let James O’Keefe make the announcement.

This will explode a lot of heads and invigorate your base and instantly pull in the democrats that don’t like how far left Biden has taken their party and destroyed the country. These folks are in shock, and Kennedy will bring them to MAGA.

With you handling the economy, energy, and international stuff and Kennedy handling the domestic purge, I think you will have a double-edged sword fighting for and cleaning up America and its institutions.

Dr. Mercola, in the last day or two, had an interview with Kennedy. I recommend you get a copy.

Honestly, sir, COVID is an albatross around your neck. We now know just how much you were consistently deceived by the people around you. Nevertheless, COVID is an issue to your base.

In my opinion, a Kennedy endorsement will negate the COVID albatross, which I believe is a liability on your candidacy.

Should this play out, I respectfully request an invitation to the inauguration for myself and a few friends.

With my sincere and best regards to you and your family,

 

Howard Coffman

The post Dear President Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Would Make a Great Vice President … appeared first on Granite Grok.

This week, I helped the Finance committee make sense of all the licensing provisions that the Governor had included in HB 2, the budget trailer bill. They agreed to pull all the sections recommended by ED&A (the OPLC – Office of Professional Licensure & Certification) structural changes already passed in HB 655; the new massage establishment license killed in HB 341; repeal of licenses for foresters, landscape architects, and natural scientists; repeal of LNA license; restructuring of the board of mental health practice), and in fact, wanted to take out more sections, including most of the license repeals. Dan had anticipated this, and we had spent much of the weekend identifying a minimal set of sections that we felt were necessary. So, Finance deleted the entire OPLC section of HB 2 and added back only the board transfers (auctioneers, bondsmen, boxing & wrestling,) deleting the Allied Health board (but keeping all the governing boards and licenses involved,) repealing licenses for athlete agents, hawkers & peddlers, and itinerant vendors, and a lot of technical cleanups. Plus, of course, the fee refund for eliminated licenses. Not what the Governor started with, nor what I wanted, but something we can get behind.

Then we had two full days of session, with over 80 bills on the regular calendar. This time, several committees (notably Education, with 19 bills on the calendar!) agreed to table a lot of their contentious bills, so that a better version could be presented next year. This is in contrast to killing the bill, where a subsequent bill too similar cannot be filed; also a motion to table is not debatable, so it’s often faster. Of course, the committee could have just voted to retain those bills. First, we special ordered HB 189, naming part of Rte. 140 in Gilmanton after PFC Nicholas Cournoyer, a Gilmanton citizen who was killed in Iraq. After a speech in honor of this soldier, we voted 377-0 to pass the bill.

Then we special ordered HB 96, Old Man of the Mountain Day, to be acted on next, 353-26, since there were friends of the Old Man in the gallery. The debate was rather embarrassing, with at least two speakers in support comparing the day the Old Man fell to 9/11. Still, we voted 181-198 not to kill the bill and passed it on a voice vote. You can read the details yourself, as we voted to put the full debate into the permanent journal (rather than just who spoke.)

Then we debated HB 10, the “parental bill of rights” which was the Speaker’s bill asserting parents’ rights to be informed about what the schools are doing with their children. A corrective floor amendment brought by the sponsors was debated, and not passed, 190-194. After more debate, the un-amended bill was not passed, 189-195, then tabled, 193-192. I voted for the amendment and the bill, as did nearly all Republicans; we voted to table because a similar bill has passed the Senate and we can consider it.

HB 548, putting a $25 limit on the state’s reporting of arrearage in child support payments, was debated and killed, 189-187. I supported the bill because the sponsor gave his story, where a rounding error was reported to a federal agency, blocking his passport. Opponents claimed that the minimum for action was $550 and 60 days, but the state system apparently reports even a few cents.

HB 584, updating the Uniform Commercial Code for electronic records such as cryptocurrency, was adopted without comment (probably because very few Representatives really understood this dense, 33-page bill!)

HB 135, prohibiting no-knock warrants, had extensive debate on the committee amendment, which some members (including me) felt gave too much discretion to law enforcement by allowing no-knock warrants in cases where they fear for life (including theirs.) The amendment passed, 299-84, and the bill passed, 374-9. The opponents of the bill, from what I know about them, seemed to be an odd mixture of very strong police supporters, who wanted more options for no-knock warrants, and opponents of no-knock warrants who felt that, with the amendment, the bill wasn’t good enough to support.

HB 351, expanding the penalties for negligent storage of firearms when children got hold of them, was debated on the committee amendment, which deleted the requirement that guns be sold with safety locks. The amendment was defeated, 184-196. I opposed the amendment because the bill itself was so objectionable that any tiny improvement was useless. The bill failed to pass, 182-203, then was indefinitely postponed, 202-183. HB 397, allowing minors to have a prescribed hypodermic, passed without comment.

CACR 7, deleting the “Blaine amendment” that forbids tax dollars be paid to religious schools, was debated and not passed, 192-191, since constitutional amendments need a 60% vote to pass. HB 61, repealing the so-called divisive concepts law, was tabled on a voice vote. HB 204, requiring non-academic surveys in schools remain opt-in, was tabled, 320-61. HB 275, allowing parents in a school district that sends its students in some grades (usually high school) to out-of-district schools to choose to pay extra for a particular school, was debated at some length. This situation arises where the town or school district agrees to pay up to a certain amount of tuition for each child, but some school in the area charges more than that amount. The committee amendment, which specifies that at least one option must be within the tuition paid by the town, passed 212-158, and the bill passed 201-181.

HB 331, deleting the income threshold for the Education Freedom Account (EFA), was tabled 277-103; the opposition was strong supporters of the EFA program, including all the Republicans from the district except Clayton Wood, of Pittsfield – but Dianne Schuett of Pembroke was the only Democrat to vote with us! HB 371, creating a commission to recommend standards for public schools, was tabled on a voice vote. HB 427, requiring a public comment period during school board meetings, was tabled 309-72. HB 432, requiring families in the EFA program re-certify their income every year, was tabled without comment, as was HB 451, prohibiting discrimination in any school or program that receives taxpayer money, and HB 515, some technical updates to the EFA program.

HB 516, on freedom of speech at colleges, was tabled 306-73; HB 538, creating a local EFA program, was tabled, 296-83; HB 539, forbidding vaccination clinics at schools (since several have been found to vaccinate children over their parents’ objections), was tabled 257-123; and HB 552, creating (small) incentive grants for schools that improve their performance scores, was also tabled without comment. Finally, HB 572, requiring the state to support an expansion of the federal free and reduced lunch program, was debated and passed, 201-177. I was opposed because this created, as one member of the committee stated, a brand new, state-funded and federally controlled entitlement program.

HB 573, limiting the EFA program to budgeted amounts, HB 603, adding requirements to providers for EFA students, HB 621, immediately closing an EFA account when a student returns to a public school, and HB 629, creating a student bill of rights, were all tabled without comment.

HB 40, attempting to roll back the definitions of “resident” and “inhabitant” for the purpose of voting, was tabled without discussion, as was HB 255, campaign contributions by LLCs. HB 209, changing the absentee ballot request form, was killed without comment. HB 316, requiring supervisors of the checklist to meet periodically;

HB 363, changing deadlines for third-party candidates; HB 460, eliminating some exceptions for voter ID; and HB 586, adding two more reasons to qualify for an absentee ballot, were all tabled without debate, on voice votes.

HB 56, on landfill siting criteria, was not amended, 223-155, debated, and passed, 224-155. This changes the current rule of thumb distance (200 feet) of a landfill from a stream, lake, or pond to providing a more detailed calculation based on the time groundwater could reach the body of water.

From my committee, we debated HB 127, revising the authority to declare a state of emergency. It passed, 193-185, with seven Democrats joining all but four Republicans in favor. HB 228, repealing the commission on demographic trends, passed 347-30 after a short debate. HB 339, prohibiting investment in companies that boycott Israel, was tabled on a voice vote, as was HB 390, revising the commission on Native American affairs. HB 461, penalizing local employers who replaced a full-time, high-level position with a “part-time” one, passed on a voice vote, without debate.

HB 507, allowing unlicensed practice for all professions, was tabled 308-71. One concern that I heard from several representatives was that a person who lost his license for incompetence or unprofessional behavior could continue to practice simply by disclosing that he had no license, which was not mentioned in committee. I decided with that issue, and a lot of constituent concerns, that I couldn’t support the bill, however much I believed in the concept.

HB 532, creating a new license for music therapists, was debated and passed, 210-166. HCR2, condemning vandalism, was tabled. 299-55; HR 11, on welcoming communities, was briefly debated and killed, 185-177.

HB 50, having the state pay part of local employers’ pension costs, was debated on the committee amendment, which instead of doling out the money (about $25 million every year) to cities and towns, simply put $50 million directly into the retirement system. Dan spoke and pointed out that this would benefit every taxpayer in the state, although large employers wouldn’t see the immediate relief of the original bill. The amendment passed, 276-99, then the bill passed on a voice vote. When Dan then moved to table the bill – so that it could be put into the budget – this was debated before passing, 206-170. Apparently, some representatives didn’t understand that the point of the vote was to establish the House position and that otherwise Finance would have simply retained the bill and put it in the budget.

HB 384, funding a new legislative parking garage, passed without debate. HB 506, overriding the department of transportation by building a box tunnel for a trail in Derry, was debated and killed, 300-72.

HB 442, on scuba diver lobster licenses, was not tabled, 131-245, then had a long debate before the committee amendment was adopted, 271-105, and the bill passed, 276-100. The opposition seemed to be concerned that the Fish & Game Commission opposed the bill and that it was not supported by commercial fishermen. The supporters pointed out that New Hampshire is the only state on the Atlantic that doesn’t allow scuba divers to take lobsters, and that the problem of lost (“ghost”) lobster traps is a real and growing one.

HB 69, authorizing direct pay or membership based health care facilities that don’t need to accept Medicaid or Medicare, had a short debate before passing, 190-189; a motion to reconsider passed,194-185, then the bill was tabled, 192-187! I supported the bill since it might lead to real competition in health care. HB 114, allowing 16 or 17-year-olds to receive mental health treatment without their parents’ consent, was debated and passed, 191-186. I opposed this since the parents will be paying for this treatment, and a child needing mental health treatment most likely has a family that also needs it!

HB 238, on the developmental disability service system, passed 362-13, without debate. I was surprised since there was allegedly a minority amendment that deleted the remote meetings authorized by the majority amendment, and I supported that. But there was no debate and no minority amendment presented. HB 299, prohibiting discrimination in medical care, was tabled without comment. Finally, HB 342, on lead testing in children, had a dull debate before passing, 193-180.

Thursday morning we began with HB 49, postponing the closure of the Sununu Youth Center. The committee amendment, which included some details on the proposed new youth center, and revised some criminal law to clarify which offenses qualified for detention, was passed on a voice vote – then reconsidered, and debated at length. This amendment then passed again, 200-179; a “replace all” floor amendment was presented, which doesn’t affect criminal law. There followed a very long, confusing debate, where most representatives weren’t sure what the choices were or how to decide which is better. After some thought, I decided to vote for the floor amendment because it made fewer changes to current law. It passed, 276-104; HB 49 passed on a voice vote.

HB 557, putting the authority to add new vaccines to the immunization schedule into statute rather than rule, was debated, not passed, 184-193, then killed, 194-185. I supported this as I generally believe that we should have more law in statute and less in rules. HB 575, prohibiting the state from purchasing or promoting pharmaceuticals not tested in humans, was debated and killed, 192-186.

HB 582, requiring collection of abortion statistics, was debated and killed, 205-177. I supported this bill because we have no data on abortions in New Hampshire, other than what some providers choose to share. We don’t know who’s having abortions, at what stage of pregnancy, or even how many are done each year! HB 615, requiring independent audits of reproductive health care facilities, was an attempt to assure the Executive Council (which has been withholding family planning grants) that family planning funds are separate from abortion facility funds. It was tabled, 354-29 since nobody wanted to debate it.

CACR 2, a constitutional amendment to add the right to abortion, had a rather lengthy, futile debate, as we expected the vote to be largely party line – and neither party can produce 3/5, as required for a Your State House Page 4 of 6 March 24, 2023, constitutional amendment. It was actually 193-191, with three Republicans joining all Democrats in support.

HB 68, adopting the real property transfer on death act, was passed without discussion, on a voice vote. HB 88, adding to the fetal life protection act explicit protection for abortion prior to 24 weeks, was debated and passed, 199-185. HB 224, repealing the civil and criminal penalties from the fetal life protection act, was debated and passed, 205-178. In both cases, all Democrats voted in favor of unrestricted abortion!

HB 261, allowing people in cases of domestic abuse or disability to terminate their lease, passed 193- 191, and was not reconsidered, 190-194. HB 271, repealing the fetal life protection act, failed to pass on a 192-192 vote, and was tabled on a voice vote. The Speaker voted to create the tie, and two Democrats and five Republicans crossed party lines.

HB 562, requiring informed consent before an abortion, was killed on a voice vote, as duplicative of current law and practice. HB 591, prohibiting abortions after fetal heartbeat (about 6 weeks) had a very bad debate, condescending and arrogant. The bill was killed, 271-110; I reluctantly voted “yes” because I don’t believe that such an early limit should be law.

HB 150, reducing the number of employees in a separate bargaining unit from 10 to 5, was debated and passed, 205-179. I voted against this as I have in the past: five is too small a group to warrant separate union representation. HB 561, creating a study committee on “long Covid” was tabled without comment.

CACR 4 increasing legislative pay from $100/year to $2500/year, was not tabled, 153-229, debated and killed, 239-145. I was opposed because the low pay is what makes New Hampshire a true volunteer legislature. If the pay were raised, I’m sure there would be more competition for the seats, and elections would become more expensive. Most representatives spend less than $1000, which is the limit for reporting (I spent about $200 in 2020; 2022 was more because I was running in a new, larger district.) Having to raise money for reelection would totally change the campaign landscape in the state.

HB 423, allowing two accessory dwelling units every place current law or local ordinance allows one, and increasing the maximum size from 750 to 1000 square feet, was debated on whether this state mandate was needed to provide more housing options in the state. Before the vote, however, it was tabled, 203-178.

HB 480, changing the design of an intersection in Conway, was killed without comment, as was HB 511, mandating the use of the “complete streets” (with sidewalks, bike lanes, etc) for all road maintenance and repair done by or with the department of transportation. HB 205, on testing private wells, was tabled without comment.

HB 139, allowing “municipal” net metering hosts to be “quasi-public” entities and share power with facilities in neighboring towns, was not tabled, 179-197, debated, and passed, 188-186. HB 142, forgiving $48 million in overcharges incurred by the Burgess Biomass Power Plant, was debated at some length and passed, 269-109. I was opposed because we’ve been subsidizing this plant with higher electric rates for over a decade, and it still can’t run profitably without subsidies.

HB 486, increasing fines for toll violators, was Your State House Page 5 of 6 March 24, 2023, tabled without discussion. HB 510, removing the tax exemption for premium cigars (and the lucrative cigar bar business), was killed on a voice vote. HB 607, gaming regulation, had a floor amendment to repeal, in 2029, the limit on locations that can offer “historic horse racing.” This passed, and the bill, as amended, also passed.

HR 14, a resolution to investigate due process in family court, was tabled without comment. HB 648, establishing a state bank, had two speakers in favor (one from each party!), none in opposition, before it was killed on a voice vote. This is another repeat bill; North Dakota has had a state bank for a century or so, but no other state has needed one. The banking industry in New Hampshire is vigorous and there’s no shortage of lenders.

HB 277, establishing a right to sterilization, was tabled, 367-8.

A rather unsatisfactory session: I knew that with our tiny majority, we wouldn’t be able to pass any controversial legislation, but I had hoped we’d be able to stop most bad bills. Doesn’t seem to be the case…

Representative Carol McGuire
carol@mcguire4house.com

The post NH State Rep Carol McGuire – Your State House 03/24/23: Licensing, Specials, Education, Gun Control, and Blaine Amendment appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Parental Bill of Rights HB10 was a good bill, and so is SB272, the Senate version – which will be heard by the House Education Committee on April 18th at 10 AM at the State House.

We want to thank NH State Rep John Sellers for this Op-Ed. Please submit it to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

The Parental Bill of Rights is not just about the rights of parents to know what their child is doing in school but also with medical providers. I would say it’s an obligation and their responsibility, not a right, of the parent to know what is going on at all times with their child.

I believe many are lying to us, saying this bill is against the teachers when it is not. With all the craziness going on today, parents are obligated to keep a protective watch over their children, and not doing so could be a form of child abuse.

We live in a time where some believe they know better than their parents. These are our children, not the schools, medical providers, or the states, but ours, and we are obligated to do all we can to protect them. Schools have our children about 8 percent of the time in the twelve years, 92 percent of the time the parents and family are raising them. Who do you think knows your child better, you or a paid staffer?

SB272 needs to pass to protect our children from some bad apples who think they know better than their parents. This is not a far-right extremist view as some say, but a parental view of protection. Anyone who stands against this bill is standing against you, the parents.

Take a day off and come voice your support for SB272 on Tuesday, April 18th.

 

The post Thoughts on HB10 – Parental Rights. New Hearing Date for SB272 on Tuesday, April 18th appeared first on Granite Grok.