The Manchester Free Press

Friday • November 1 • 2024

Vol.XVI • No.XLIV

Manchester, N.H.

House Bill Hearings: End Entire War on Drugs, End Prohibition on Cannabis, Hallucinogens, Drug Testing Equipment

Free Keene - Mon, 2023-01-30 17:01 +0000

Last week at the state house, liberty activists spoke on various bills in front of the Criminal Justice Committee including:

  • HB 581 – would end the entire War on Drugs by striking RSA 318-B completely.
  • HB 360 – would end prohibition of possession and apparently also growing and selling of cannabis by anyone over 21.
  • HB 328 – would legalize possession of possessing hallucinogens including LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and peyote for people over 21.
  • HB 470 – would legalize possession of drug testing equipment.

HB 581 – Finally, after years of compromised legislation trying to slowly scrape away at drug prohibition, one brave state representative, Matt Santonastaso, has put forward a bill that would in one fell swoop, end the entire War on Drugs. Sadly, only Bonnie and I came out to support Rep. Santonastaso and testify in favor of this epic legislation. We need more reps willing to take a risk with their “political capital” and actually put forward principled bills like this. Sure, it has no chance of passing, but the conversation needs to happen, and it needs to keep coming back and growing in its support. We also need bills to do other principled things like end government schooling, abolish the liquor commission, and abolish the state police. Hopefully we’ll see more liberty reps step up to the level of Matt Santonastaso in the coming years. Here is full video of the hearing:

HB 360 – One of several cannabis-related bills in the session this year, HB 360 is probably the best one I’ve seen as it does not contain any provisions to tax or regulate cannabis. It simply removes it from being a prohibited substance, although only for those over 21. It’s overall a great bill and would be awesome if it passed, though another bill that has taxes and regulations has the support of the house minority and majority leaders, so don’t get your hopes up. That said, it’s good to see the ideas discussed. Here’s full video of the hearing:

HB 328 – This straightforward bill creates an exception for people over 21 to be able to possess “hallucinogenic drugs”, which the statute defines as, “psychodysleptic drugs which assert a confusional or disorganizing effect upon mental processes or behavior and mimic acute psychotic disturbances. Exemplary of such drugs are mescaline, peyote, psilocybin and d-lysergic acid diethylamide.” Derek Januszewski of the Pachamama Sanctuary came out to speak the truth about these substances. Here’s full video of the hearing:

HB 470 – Possession of drug testing equipment is currently a crime in New Hampshire, which means people cannot legally have their drugs tested for purity, to ensure they are getting what they think they are buying. Drug testing equipment is harm reduction as it reduces deaths and serious overdoses. Even New Futures, who normally opposes legalization efforts, supported the bill. This is a good bill from the left and should receive the support of the liberty reps. Here’s full video of the hearing:

If you want to help rate pending legislation, please join the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance. You do not need to be in New Hampshire to help with this important task.

You Might Be An Anti-Vaxxer If …

Granite Grok - Mon, 2023-01-30 16:00 +0000

I’m thinking about changing my byline again. I was a Lying Dog-Faced Pony Soldier. After Biden, the source for LDFPS, alighted his stumbling ass upon the Offal Office, I became a Browncoat (Firefly Reference if you missed it).

But now, I might be Auntie Vaquser because Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary has decided to amend its definition of the term anti-vaxxer. I stumbled on it while surfing Substack.

The old definition included “a person who opposes the use of vaccines or regulations mandating vaccination.”

The new one goes something like this

a person who opposes the use of some or all vaccines, regulations mandating vaccination, or usually both.

Since a vaccine has been redefined as almost any syringe-based medical intervention promoted by the state or its mouthpieces (so-called public health experts, alleged journalists, celebrities, athletes, or Instagram influencers), are those opposed to lethal injection or the death penalty anti-vaxxers?

Yes!

More good news. Intravenous drug users are not “vaccine” hesitant; they are self-vaccinating, and if you oppose this it might make you an anti-vaxxer. As you know, the government is not doing much, if anything, to stop the flow of self-medicating intoxicants from China, through Mexico, and into the US, ergo, approval.

We should assume that any regulations against these individual “medical” interventions might be anti-vaxxer.

And it all turns on the redefinition of a vaccine.

 

Maybe you shouldn’t have let them get away with that because not long after, they changed the definition of fully vaccinated and the efficacy of medical masks, etc., as the list of things that were once one thing then another is quite long.

And when it became clear these interventions did not prevent or stop the spread (presumably of COVID), they told you the answer was more of the same.

At some point, they admitted to a risk of myocarditis, and recently – after months of saying you should get the COVID and Flu vaccines together, doing so might increase the risk of stroke.

As the list of conspiracy theories becomes truth (see also science), a few of the so-called public health experts, alleged journalists, celebrities, athletes, or Instagram influencers have asked for amnesty. Sorry about all that; water under the bridge, okay.

Not okay.

But you can call me Aunti Vaquser anyway, at least until I change it again.

 

Edited and updated after publication.

The post You Might Be An Anti-Vaxxer If … appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Notable Quote – It’s Meant to Create Societal Chaos

Granite Grok - Mon, 2023-01-30 14:30 +0000

This is something that has been irritating me for a long time, and has now reached the point that it pisses me off. What is ‘this’?

Demanding tolerance of the abnormal.

What’s worse is this demand is being made by people who are intolerant of anyone who disagrees with them. It’s hypocrisy.

One of the left’s primary goals has always been to convince us that we are not normal if we do not affirm its ideology, a well established tactic among totalitarians. People who believe in normal things are under attack in America. We are assaulted on a near continuous basis by leftists who practice and promote behavior that is clearly abnormal. Frighteningly, some of this behavior is not merely abnormal, it’s evil.

The online Merriam-Webster Dictionary provides many definitions of normal. Among them are: “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern, characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine; according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, procedure, or principle; occurring naturally.

If we contrast these accepted definitions of normal with many policies and practices of the left, a trend emerges. Much of what today’s left promotes does not comport with what is recognized as normal. Instructing children how to think and behave like racists, as happens in many government schools through variants of Critical Race Theory, is not normal. It’s harmful.

They have relabeled pedophiles as “Minor attracted persons”. But they are pedophiles, predators hurting and damaging children. Yet we’re supposed to tolerate them? Some seem to support grooming children for activities that should never be imposed upon children. Yet we’re supposed to tolerate this? Abortion right up to the time of birth…or even after? An abomination…yet we’re supposed to tolerate this?

Claiming obesity is healthy and promoting it as such while castigating those disagreeing with them as “Fatphobic”. Working out is “Fatphobic”. Eating healthy is “Fatphobic”. Yet we’re supposed to tolerate this dangerous falsehood?

Examples of this nonsense abound.

Ordinary people are often intimidated into going along with abnormal ideologies because it’s easier than being screeched at by somebody who demands we affirm their abnormal behavior. This intimidation prompts many people to tip-toe around the fact that much of what we see in America today just isn’t normal and sometimes, we keep quiet even though we know it’s not normal. This is how normal becomes redefined.

–snip–

None of this is to suggest we should discriminate against people with such beliefs as they try to do to us. Many of these people have been deceived, coerced or extorted into affirming abnormal behavior and ideas for self preservation or a false sense of power. By the same token, other Americans have every right to withhold their acquiescence of abnormal behaviors without fear. A little more ‘live-and-let-live’ would go a long way. But live-and-let-live is a two-way street.

It’s time we tell the folks pushing this nonsense too far and that “We ain’t gonna play their game no more.” Normalizing the abnormal is just one more step in the decline and fall of any society. Remember the fall of Rome.

-DCE at Weekend Pundit (Thoughts On A Sunday)

Ever notice that it is always some from the Left that is telling us that “this stigma” has to be removed from Society?  And it can be a whole bunch of things like those enumerated above. Add to it illegal drugs, hookup society, victimhood narcissism, drag shows for kids, basic human biology is irrelevant, feelings over reasoning, reverting back to tribalism, denigration of Judao-Christian moral values, separating kids from their parents by pushing transgenderism in schools, and here in the US, rejection of our Founders and the Constitution (our REAL Social Contract)? The list can go on and on with far more UNnormal habits and lifestyles.

Each is meant to do two things:

  • Removing stigma and norms removes the guardrails that Society built up over hundreds of years to protect itself from outliers and ne’er-do-wells from infecting Society at large. We’re watching this process in real time as what used to be called degeneracy and deviancy for a reason being thrown away.
  • To create chaos.  Full blown. Think Cloward-Piven on steroids at several orders of magnitude.

Why?

To remake us. By sowing chaos, anything can happen. There are those that aren’t just wishing for it, they are PUSHING for it.

Why?

They hope to be the ones that will be able to seize Power and remake us to be them. EVERY single Leftist group, if you really study them, are DEMANDING that you change who you are and what you do and what you think and how you can move around (if allowed) and what to eat and what to wear…don’t doubt me. We’ve blogged a lot of them.

Totalitarians all.  DCE quotes:

But live-and-let-live is a two-way street.

In our eyes, it should be. In theirs, no such thing exists – there is only their way. And they are taking advantage of that most of us Normal, as DCE said, try to be “nice”.

Sorry, you need to up your situational awareness – being nice is just another word for “door-mat”. We do, indeed, have to start using “Up Yours!” more often and start putting all the bricks they’ve been been yanking out for years of the wall called Society.

It’s time to tell them “ENOUGH!”

The post Notable Quote – It’s Meant to Create Societal Chaos appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Climate Hasn’t Changed in 80 Years…

Granite Grok - Mon, 2023-01-30 13:00 +0000

Here on Monday, after the snowstorm blowing over the driveway, I sit here and recall a Letter To The Editor that I sent a week or two back stating the climate has not changed in all my 80 years. So, of course, the following week a writer scoffed at my observation.  May I suggest that person look out his window? Yes, I believe my point is made.

Now, it has to be clear to even the most die-hard climate change believer that something is wrong with the “experts” theories. What is wrong, I would suggest, is that isn’t about climate, it’s about politics. Everyone has a right to be critical of politics as it’s generally a nasty business on either side of the aisle but promoting fantasies as the facts insult everyone on both sides.

Might I suggest that the Left is always promoting how wonderful the illegal millions flooding – our-country are? No, maybe not? How about how great our economy and inflation…ahhh, no. Okay then cost of heating…wait. Crime? Drugs?  Oh, I know, the wonderful, transparent…okay, okay, slander Trump and his stash of unsecured secret documents. After all, Biden would neveeer…

Well, he **** let them find their own darn political topics, they never run short of made ups.

The post Climate Hasn’t Changed in 80 Years… appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

A Screen Shot Worth The Proverbial Thousand Words

Granite Grok - Mon, 2023-01-30 11:30 +0000

So here is a retweet by Sun-King Sununu of a CNN tweet for a CNN Sunday morning show. The company the Sun-King keeps!  Schiff, Swalwel and Ilhan! RINO-traitor Adam Kinzinger!

Some of the less recognizable names: Crump says opposing CRT is racism, while Scott Jennings is a W-alumni, NeverTrump RINO.

The company the illustrious Sun-King keeps!

The NHGOP should have “moved on” from Sununu once he exposed himself as a woke-but-less, self-aggrandizing, COVID-tyrant. Sticking with Sununu has accomplished NOTHING … EXCEPT allowing certain “insiders” to grift and turning New Hampshire DEEP BLUE.

The post A Screen Shot Worth The Proverbial Thousand Words appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Judicial Misconduct – Judge John Curren – 9th District Court, Nashua – Part II

Granite Grok - Mon, 2023-01-30 02:30 +0000

Part I of this series ran on January 28, 2023, and can be found here. My complaint is now filed and now I wait.

My Attorney and I had about six communications with the District Court’s Clerk’s office about this order that was due out by September 30, 2022.

The clerks were all kind and compassionate but silent on answers or solutions. Citizens seeking information on Court orders don’t need a therapy session, we need solutions and answers.

When a Judge cannot competently perform their duties, they compromise the entire system, as they serve as the ultimate authority, both feared and respected. Coming forward on this is difficult; it exposes you to retaliation by the Judges and the Court. But, after years of slogging through the legal system, I have come to believe the courts are not where truth is found, and justice is served. Attorneys who lie can win, and money speaks. Judicial ethics appears to be on shaky ground. The entire system seems fragile.

Criminal matters required well-trained and skilled Judges to get it right. Liberty should never be taken lightly.

It does not appear as though the Court has any type of Judicial monitoring system to review order output and workload. It all has to become a dumpster fire to get fixed. With the loss of local newspapers, there is no place to shine a light and no investigative journalism to dig into these matters, so the Courts will be places of unchecked power and trust will be eroded. Someone should investigate the response time of the orders issued by this Judge and determine if there is a staffing problem or a competency problem.

On January 26th, after feeling so despondent speaking with the Clerk about the Judge’s failure to complete my order, I decided to see if this Judge was holding Court. Sure enough, he was. Thursday is his writing day, but it was Thursday, and he was in Court. Perhaps that is why orders are not coming out.

I had never seen this Judge or been in his courtroom. My personal feelings toward him and his work were so negative that I thought it might be best to create a more interpersonal relationship. I believed observing him in action might quell my anger and frustration, soften my perspective and help me find a kinder side.

It worked. Observing him in court, he was a kind and compassionate man. But, it was clear he is not committing to the Defendants when orders will be issued and their cases resolved. This is the crux of the problem.

I watched an incarcerated black man represented by a public defender who explained to the Judge that her client’s warrant and time served were not handled correctly and that she had really never seen something like this. I instantly had empathy. She believed he deserved his time served to be calculated into his new sentencing.

The Judge appeared to listen carefully and spoke directly to the defendant stating that he would look carefully into the matter and try to calculate the incarceration time correctly when he produced his order. But, he never gave any indication of when the order would be issued. Herein lies the problem. How long will this man wait to understand where he stands on his case? 

Judges should be required to provide a time when an order will be issued. I’ll have an order out in 60 days, etc., instead of an “I’ll get to it when I get to it” approach. How can we hold the system accountable if there is no standard by which to hold them? When is it ok to complain?

On Thursday, I asked my Attorney to withdraw from the case. I loved my Attorney’s work and very much appreciate his commitment to my case. However, I wanted to file a request to ask the Judge to produce the notice of decision. I wanted to file a formal complaint. I didn’t want his reputation to suffer because of my request or actions.

Attorneys don’t want to ask Judges about deadlines and orders, and they don’t file complaints. They don’t want to anger a Judge and they don’t want to hurt a client. This is understandable. Citizens have to speak up to fix the system.

I signed on pro se for my case on Thursday, January 26th, and filed a request for a date for a Notice of Decision to Judge Curren.

Laurie Ortolano – Motion to request a date for Notice of Decision

I will be following up on this story, and updating the responsiveness of the Judge and Conduct Committee to resolve this matter.

The post Judicial Misconduct – Judge John Curren – 9th District Court, Nashua – Part II appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Sunday Spotlight: A Man of Faith for the Kids

Granite Grok - Mon, 2023-01-30 01:00 +0000

The person I feature today is a man of many facets. It is impossible to pigeonhole him with a specific label. He is a staunch Conservative, a veteran, an author, a historian, a family man, and a teacher. Through his work on FOXNews, he has taken us to the Holy Land and retraced the steps of Jesus.

He has walked the paths of our Patriots as they took on the mighty British army in the hamlets of New England. And he has taken us into the classroom and peeled back the curtain on the Department of Education and teacher’s unions. We recently watched his sadness as his beloved Minnesota Vikings collapsed in the NFL playoffs. For all he has done to enlighten his followers, we shine a spot on this week’s Sunday Spotlight: Pete Hegseth.

Pete is an Army veteran and still an officer in the National Guard. He does much to support the military and veterans of every branch. His admiration and respect for military personnel and first responders are evident when Pete hosts the annual Fox Nation Patriot Awards. Donald Trump also considered Hegseth to head up the Veteran’s Administration. That appointment did not come to fruition, but Pete’s work for veterans’ rights and education may touch more lives. He appears comfortable and confident in his calling.

Pete is one of the weekend hosts of Fox and Friends, a frequent contributor on every other show on Fox, and the producer of several specials on Fox Nation. Pete has gone to the Holy Land to bring two specials from Israel. One was on the origin and never-ending tension and conflict between Israel and Palestine. The more recent documents his trip to retrace the steps Jesus took through the areas around Israel where he was born and died. In a few episodes and with the help of religious and archeological experts, he taught us more about Jesus than we learned in Sunday School. They were amazing and insightful journeys.

Tough to beat religion in importance, but his work on the fall of the American education system with his two series called “The Miseducation of America” gives it a fight. He brings us back to the early days and the influence of Karl Marx on our colleges and universities. He shows us why and how indoctrination became the norm and how it has moved from higher education to preschool.

Pete exposes the mission of the teacher’s unions and the harm they are wreaking on our children. He focuses on Randi Weingarten and the power she has attained as president of the American Federation of Teachers Union. He paints a clear picture of how Randi’s agenda has nothing to do with education but with personal power and the control of the future by the Progressive Democrat Party.

Pete has a vested interest in the future of America and our education system due to his rather large family, including seven children. Pete was a lifelong resident of Minnesota but recently relocated to the Nashville area to ensure a better life for those kids.

A television personality, but his life is much deeper, and his focus on a Conservative America is razor-sharp. We need more people in the media like Pete who see wrong and bring it out of the darkness. God Bless you, Pete, and keep fighting the good fight for all of us.

 

The post Sunday Spotlight: A Man of Faith for the Kids appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Survival Sunday – Sunday PREP Edition

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 23:30 +0000

First, I am merely an “enlightened amateur”.  Please vet & check on your own.  Caveat emptor.  Consider these to be priming the pump for your own investigations.  I know this is a long post; I am attempting to put out a lot of information as a resource.  Read or skip sections depending on your interests.

Second, I fear spicy time is very close, but even a month of food, water, etc., puts you well ahead of most of the sheeple.  IMHO, set your minimum sights on a three-month period.

Third, two things will be critical for having the best chance of making it through:

  1. Mentality: first and foremost in survival is having a flexible mentality and cultivating the ability to adapt. Vanity has no place in survival.
  2. Develop a meatspace network of people that are likeminded: cultivate your community ties and build alliances with neighbors (note: don’t babble about the Jab or globalists or depopulation, or start pointing political fingers when doing this)… and remember, the first rule of PREP CLUB is that there is no prep club.

And please follow both me, Nitzakhon, on Gab… as well as my blog host Granite Grok and also on Telegram Tommy Robinson Official plus his Urban Scoop site.  And don’t forget posts sometimes get cloned on American Reveille as well, which is a good site to check out in general.

FYI, here’s a link to the last Survival Sunday:

Survival Sunday – Thursday SITREP Edition – Granite Grok

 

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What We Believe, Part 1: Small Government and Free Enterprise. – YouTube

A seven Part Series; this is to part 1.  Bill Whittle.

 

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Top of the fold:

 

BREAKING: Federal Assault Weapons & Magazine Bans Submitted…There’s MORE Too!!

 

 

They want them all.  Period.  End of story.  Gun-related:

Murders in US Are Very Concentrated, and They Are Becoming Even More So by John R. Lott :: SSRN

PDF paper by John Lott.

I suspect it’s not a 100% correlation, but I’d suspect there are strong correlations with a certain demographic, with fatherless kids, with population density, with amounts of fedgov support… and these are not independent variables, but confounded.  Deliberately.  Remember LBJ’s infamous quote:

“I’ll have them n*ggers voting Democratic for the next two hundred years. [Said to two governors regarding the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to then-Air Force One steward Robert MacMillan]”

― Lyndon B. Johnson

 

 

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What the Progressive Socialist Liberals have in store for Conservatives (part 1) – Metallicman

A series.  Note: pictures and text are not for the squeamish.  But it’s the cold & stark reality of what Socialists have done time after time after time.  Know the enemy and what they’re capable of.

Vladimir Lenin and the American Left | Frontpage Mag

They plan nothing good.  Remember this hero’s risks and prophecy:

Larry Grathwohl: Requiem for an American Hero | Frontpage Mag

Based on history, time and again, they’re willing to murder untold millions in their attempt to create Socialistopia:

 

 

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Prepper Site URLS:

Most have daily articles; revisit daily.  Please recommend others in the comments.

Ask a Prepper, how to prepare, survive and thrive, latest news

Mother Earth News

The Organic Prepper Home – The Organic Prepper

SurvivalBlog.com – The Daily Web Log for Prepared Individuals Living in Uncertain Times.

SHTF Blog – Modern Survival

Survival World – Everything You Need To Know to Survive

Homestead Survival Site – How to Live Off The Grid in Comfort and Style

Urban Survival Site | How to Survive a Disaster in the City

Mind4Survival – Survival and Preparedness

Gray Wolf survival

Sustainable Living (sustainablelivingideas.com)

The Classic Survivalist – Surviving in a Modern World

Primal Survivor – Practical and sensible prepping advice

Em Off-grid – We & Our Off The Grid Life – Em OffGrid

Resource for Practical, Daily Prepping Skills for SHTF & Survival (geekprepper.com) (new)

And three aggregate sites listing their top favorite sites & links too:

TOP 50 SURVIVAL & PREPPER BLOGS

The 50 Best Survival Blogs

Prepper Website – Preparedness • Survival • Alternative News

Specific, one-up articles:

Water filtration triple-hit:

Water filtration on a “string” (modernsurvivalonline.com)

How to Make a Reliable Water Filter at Home – Survival Sullivan

How to Purify Water with Bleach (modernsurvivalonline.com)

And related to filtration:

How To Remove Radioactive Particles From Water In Case Of A Nuclear Fallout – Ask a Prepper

8 Items You Need To Survive A Power Outage This Winter (askaprepper.com)

Survival Mistakes I’m Too Ashamed To Admit – Ask a Prepper

When we think about what could go wrong in a survival situation, we always tend to think about gear and equipment first. But, as I have learnt, sometimes it’s basic common sense that could cause your downfall.

Stick to the basics. Don’t think you can outwit the common sense advice that all children are taught as the basic rules of camping and hiking.

Related to Spicy Time:

 

Most Insane Booby Traps Used During the Vietnam War

 

 

Presented as an intellectual exercise only.  Related:

 

 

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

–  Ecclesiastes 7:9

I would like two of these, please

Improvisation.

Bayou Renaissance Man: Antifa – tool of the establishment

At this point they truly are Brownshirts.

Max Velocity Tactical

Lessons.

 

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Modern Scottish Warrior Goes ‘BRAVEHEART’ on Elites | Neil Oliver | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 171

 

 

Amazing discussion.  It is just a delight to see two people, intelligent and knowledgeable people, talking.  My only regret was not being in on it.  And I was fascinated that part of it was clipped because of youtube’s censorship.

 

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Short of years and untold wealth, you cannot possibly be fully prepared for everything (I have to keep reminding myself of that).  But even some preparations, ideally at least 90 days of food, water / water purification, etc., puts you head and shoulders in front of the vast majority of the sheeple who will be in jaw-gaping astonishment when the SHTF.  The only relevant questions are:

  1. When does it start?
  2. How bad will it get?
  3. How long will it last?
  4. What will the aftermath look like?

 

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the matrix is malfunctioning

 

 

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I just started a FORAGING group on Gab.  I will check 2-3 times a week to see if people have asked to join.

Foraging: One-up articles

Foraging for Food: Tips, Common Foods, Safety, and More (healthline.com)

An interesting point buried within: be a specialist, or generalist?

Foraging for Food: 10 Useful Plants to Look For – Epic Gardening

Good basics!  More basics:

The First Timer’s Guide to Foraging for Food in the Wild (thedyrt.com)

Foraging for Edible Wild Plants (or Parts Thereof) in Winter • Nebraskaland Magazine (outdoornebraska.gov)

Foraging (permanent feature):

Foraging (practicalselfreliance.com)

Wild Harvests (arcadianabe.blogspot.com)

Southern Appalachian Herbs

Books (permanent feature):

Feasting Free on Wild Edibles (old but good)

The Lost Ways (much more than just foraging)

The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO EDIBLE WILD PLANTS FOR BEGINNERS

 

=+=+=

Shortages (broadly):

“A Created Global Food Crisis”

Notice, too, how those who are trying to prepare for what’s so clearly coming down the pike at us are already being vilified as “hoarders” and “black marketeers”.  Never mind that it’s a matter of simple, basic responsibility to prepare to feed one’s family during hard times:  that’s now an indicator that one is being anti-social, selfish and mean-spirited.  Those who’ve seen the writing on the wall and are preparing for what it predicts know better, of course.

 

=+=+=

Gardening, Food Storage, Animals, and Related:

Herbs & plants for health, etc.

 

I’ve taken to adding bay leaves and thyme to my dandelion root tea.

Thanks to a local contact, I have these books – download and print:

Victory Garden: Leader’s Handbook (1943)

Dried Beans And Peas In Wartime Meals (1943)

Homebuilt Electric Dehydrator 1944

Tractor Supply Chicken Feed Reportedly Causing Egglaying to Stop, Board has Ties to WEF, Jeffrey Epstein (thegatewaypundit.com)

WTAF?

 

 

Links on old-time food storage (permanent feature):

Thanks to the Canning and Preserving group on Gab, I now have these links:

Preserving foods by drying | How to dry foods safely (uada.edu)

USDA-Complete-Guide-to-Home-Canning-2015-revision.pdf (healthycanning.com)

Canning | SDSU Extension (sdstate.edu)

Food Preservation– Canning | Consumer Food Safety | Washington State University (wsu.edu)

Canning Timer & Checklist App | OSU Extension Catalog | Oregon State University

National Center for Home Food Preservation (uga.edu)

Canning Recipes | Ball® Mason Jars (ballmasonjars.com)

Topical Books (also permanent):

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking & Curing

Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing

A Guide to Canning, Freezing, Curing & Smoking Meat, Fish & Game

The Prepper’s Canning Guide

Pickled Pantry

Fermented Vegetables

Hydroponics and Greenhouse Gardening: 3-in-1 Gardening Book to Grow Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruit All-Year-Round

Hydroponics for Beginners: The Complete Guide to Hydroponic Gardening, Designing and Building Inexpensive DIY Hydroponic Systems…

The Aquaponics Guidebook: Combining Aquaculture and Hydroponics Combining Aquaculture and Hydroponics

 

=+=+=

Self-defense (broad) & Hunting:

 

5 Crucial Conceal Carry Tips For Beginners

 

 

DIY Caltrops – The Prepared Page

Useful as an intellectual exercise only.  Blocking roads may be necessary to defend your neighborhood.  Or keep others from easily leaving theirs.

Having THE talk with the kids

I was at the gun store a month or three ago looking at a new acquisition.  I was holding it up in firing position when my son said “Dad, don’t forget, never put your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to fire”.  The salesclerk looked at him and asked How old is he?

I just smiled!

 

 

 

Boots on the Ground…Jan 22nd…Crime is widespread… Be careful

 

 

5 Great Ways to Protect Your Home (modernsurvivalonline.com)

Basics.

 

 

Duty to Retreat – Gun Free Zone

Know your state’s law on this.  You could be, morally and ethically, precisely right… and per the law, exactly wrong.

Despite claims, gun control doesn’t stop mass shootings – Bearing Arms

Duh.

A few thoughts on defensive cartridges

Thoughts on ammo choices by a combat vet.

The View: Gun Owners Have a “Mental Illness” That Must “Be Stopped”… | Weasel Zippers

And this is how it begins.  If you own guns and don’t agree with the safety fascists you’re mentally ill.  Paranoid.  And thus your guns need to go.  Despite what they say:

NY Times columnist: We’re not coming for your deer rifles or bird guns – Bearing Arms

 

 

Bumper sticker.  Also available in a .223 version.

Don’t forget this one:

 

 

Please – help these go viral!

ATF warns gun dealers on “potential civil unrest” – Bearing Arms

If the footage is as horrific as the chief indicates, then most of us are going to be on the same side when we see it for themselves. The collective outrage and grief over Tyre Nichols’ death could actually be a unifying moment for much of the country… at least outside of those who’ll exploit his death as an excuse to try to burn it all down.

But they’ll use it to divide us.

 

=+=+=

Concluding thoughts if I’m moved to comment:

Gas bags: Progressive war on your stove is VERY REAL – HotAir

Billionaires and your natural gas stove | Watts Up With That?

As I’ve posted in meme posts, etc., the real reason is simple: independence.  If your ability to cook is purely electric, then you can be turned off – and turned off remotely.

Do not doubt that this was planned years ago.  The entire multi-axis assault we’re seeing now was IMHO conceived and outlined before even the hints of the technologies existed to create & implement them existed.

This meets, in my book, the definition of a missionary.  Without knowing how they’ll get there to convert the world, they nonetheless set off without hesitation or doubt, committing all their resources to that goal, and persisting inter-generationally in its pursuit.

This is a religious war.  A war to the knife, to make you a Communist.  Or dead.

 

 

 

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

 

“Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God”

– Benjamin Franklin

 

 

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

 

Palate cleansers:

 

 

Timing!

 

I work for myself.  Hmmm.

 

If you see a big eel

And his teeth are like steel

That’s a moray!

 

If he’s big and he’s mean

And he’s long and he’s green

That’s a moray!

 

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

 

Please check out my meme collections; last one here.  Mockery, ridicule, and the wrapping of uncomfortable truths inside humor can penetrate the cognitive shields of normies far more effectively – IMHO – than dry facts and figures.

 

The post Survival Sunday – Sunday PREP Edition appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Is Nashua Being Taken to the Cleaners Again?

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 22:00 +0000

Mr. Cummings, Director of Economic Development for the City of Nashua, presented the Mohawk Tannery development project to the Board of Aldermen on January 10, 2023.

Nashua residents should be asking many questions starting with the 2019 projected Superfund cleanup costs of between $7-14 million dollars. This three-year-old costing should have been updated and more reasonable costs provided.

The presentation left one feeling as though much information was withheld. Some carefully worded phrases escaped “plain English”. It seemed like a lot of concessions would have to be given by the Nashua taxpayer, with fewer concessions given by Blaylock. So how is this fair?

Blaylock reps stated that they entered an agreement with the EPA however Blaylock neglected to state that they already purchased the Mohawk land (Purchase and Sales 12/2020 attached).  Director Cummings stated that we would have to waive the back taxes and interest owed on the property. We already waived the back taxes as we no longer own the property. Where is the honesty here?

When the Blaylock rep was questioned about affordable housing requirements that were recently passed in the City of Nashua that required 20% affordable housing on all developments, Blaylock stated that Blaylock would pull out if they had to do the required amount for affordable housing.  They. may not develop but they own the property. What is the legal and community impact of violating the recently passed Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance?

The city knew that the Mohawk & Fimble properties were sold to Blaylock back in December 2020.  However, the city NEVER COLLECT THE PROPERTY TAXES OWED TO THE NASHUA TAXPAYERS ($1,200,000), and/or the city never actually changed the ownership of the property assessment and tax cards. Straightforward, honest communication from our City leaders is sorely lacking.

This project appears to be full steam ahead with public input not yet gathered. I submitted a letter documenting my concerns to the Board. No one responded. Many cost items have yet to be determined and most likely these will become the responsibility of the taxpayers.

State, law requires that lien properties have the taxes owed paid when a property is sold; however, this was not the case for the Mohawk/Fimbel properties. So taking the $1.2 million the taxpayers will write off for the back taxes and interest and the “other” loans that will be required, and taxpayers should take notice.

To review the actual presentation, please go to the following website:

To review the written minutes, please go to the following website:

https://www.nashuanh.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01102023-6353

The post Is Nashua Being Taken to the Cleaners Again? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

This Is The End … Of The America We Have Known

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 20:30 +0000

According to a recent poll from Morning Consult, 84 percent of Gen-Z … I prefer the TikTok generation … HATE their country. To be clear, HATE is my word; 84 percent said they were NOT proud to live in the United States.

That means that they want to make drastic changes … TRANSFORM … the United States. And just what would that change look like?

Well … the Tik Tok generation does NOT believe in the First Amendment or the Second Amendment or the Fourteenth Amendment. In other words, they do not believe in traditional American values such as Free Speech, private gun ownership or due process. They believe in censorship … for example, Musk cutting back on censorship at Twitter made Twitter “unsafe,” i.e., free speech is unsafe … a police state, and guilt by skin color or religion.

Am I exaggerating? NO … the TikTok generation crushed the red wave because “democracy is on the ballot,” … i.e., democracy, to the TikToks, is not a process where informed voters decide who controls the government; instead, democracy is an outcome: if their side wins, there is democracy; if the other side wins, there is autocracy.

I know what some of you bitter clingers are thinking: JUST WAIT UNTIL THEY GET TO THE REAL WORLD. My response is: WAKE UP. The MEllennials and now the TikToks have changed the “real world,” NOT the other way around. The “real world” is now cancel culture and CRT and grooming … it’s Mao’s Great Leap Forward come to America. We have in the TikToks a generation of brainwashed, fervent Communists … whose numbers are growing while ours are rapidly shrinking.

We have reached the end of the America we knew and loved.

The post This Is The End … Of The America We Have Known appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Dang! I’m Not Going to Have Treehugger as a Foil Any Longer

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 19:00 +0000

I received word from Lloyd Alter yesterday that DotDash-Meredith, Treehugger’s corporate head, had decided to “go in a different direction” and has laid off all of the staff and writers.

I should have saved the Tweet from Lloyd because now his Tweets to me are gone, and with it, his announcement. He had commented on the Treehugger Featured Image above.

 

 

So, while the site is still up for now, that last tweet was in response to my Tweet reply to his news that I had appreciated him allowing me to comment on Treehugger even as I contradicted quite a bit of what he wrote (“Eat the Rich!”) and what the commenters would say. And yes, I carried the GraniteGrok gestalt and ethos to “the infidels” (heh!) that sometimes wereDTsworldviews rather unliked. But he made sure that my voice was heard and for that, I am thankful as they could have just bounced me forever (I had been banned twice but allowed me back in).

So, I offered him two lifelines.  The first was personal:

He also announced his “last post” as “Mazda’s Electric Car Gets a Rotary Range Extender: Pairing a little Wankel with a little battery in a little hatchback makes a lot of sense,” and of COURSE, I had more to say to Lloyd, AND to the commenters there:

 

Lloyd Alter
weird that my last post on Treehugger is such a lame one but thanks for all your contributions and for keeping me honest. Much appreciated.

GraniteGrok
I, too, am saddened that DotDash-Meredith is closing down Treehugger. I looked at your corporate site and they don’t even have the courage to announce this in their News section.

I have, as the Founder/CEO of GraniteGrok, put in a press inquiry as to the state of this news.

 

And then let the commenters know what I had told Lloyd on Twitter yesterday:

 

Yesterday, I offered Lloyd to host a replacement site for him and the others (Treehugger II?) if they so choose.

That should make some heads here explode…heh!

 

And kinda goaded Lloyd to accept:

 

So here we go – will Lloyd et al embrace Capitalism and create their own company? Do they believe in themselves strong enough to take the risk? Will they have the stick-to-itiveness to bootstrap such an effort?

 

Conservative commenter Bob Baal  pitched in (emphasis mine):

 

“weird that my last post on Treehugger” I have to say I am not very happy about that but of course things have to change – I wish you the best with your future writing and hope to see you around.

Hi if you don’t work for TH anymore you can jump the fence and join us commentators, I am sure VB and GG would welcome you with open arms.

Then you can really say what you think!

 

An aside to Bob and a reiteration to Lloyd of a different offer:

 

Yep! For as much as I was the “Loyal Opposition” for years, I will miss this site…

…unless Lloyd decides to take me up on my offers.

Still waiting, however, on my offer to come talk with your students in class (heh!).

 

Note: I’ve now asked 3 times to yak with Lloyd’s students but with no reply as of yet. It might be that he wants to protect his young students from this wizened Conservatarian with a worldview they may not have yet experienced (do I dare say “Woke” about these college students?)

And in response to Bob’s exclamation that Lloyd could now “join” in with me and Vindaloo Bugaboo (aka, VB).

 

Free speech, baby! Something that a number of commenters here did not like at all.

In addition to hosting a site, I offered Lloyd the ability to do some Op-Eds at GraniteGrok.com. I do hope he takes me up on it but it will be a severe role reversal with respect to commenters.

People there will think that I have lost my ever-loving mind – but that’s OK, there will be LOTS of comments flying, so “low carbon steel” yourself, Lloyd!

 

It remains to be seen if Lloyd will take me up on anything.  That said…

I still have a bunch of Treehugger posts saved from which I want to post some comments, but unless Lloyd takes me up on my offer when they’re done, they’re done.  So I’ll take suggestions if anyone knows of a similar site at which I can “poke the bear.”

 

The post Dang! I’m Not Going to Have Treehugger as a Foil Any Longer appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Legalizing Marijuana Will Destroy the Mental Health of New Hampshire Residents

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 17:30 +0000

I testified last week to the New Hampshire House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee on Bill HB639 which would legalize the commercial sale of marijuana and other cannabis products in the state. This is my testimony.

Related: Marijuana Legalization; What the Public Deserves to Know

I am testifying today because marijuana has devastated my family. My brother started smoking marijuana at a young age and as a teenager, he became a paranoid schizophrenic. He has been homeless for most of the last 40 years of his life. This happened back in the 70s when marijuana had a very low level of THC. With the new, dangerous high-THC products many more families are suffering the same devastation that we have.

I recently read the following very scary statistics in Tablet magazine in an article “How Weed Became the New Oxycontin.”

If you’ve ever smoked a bowl and become irrationally anxious that everyone is staring at you and knows you’re high, what you experienced was a mild symptom of cannabis-induced psychosis. According to one study, about 40% of people react this way. 

If you experience that paranoia and keep smoking on a regular basis nonetheless—especially with today’s high-potency THC products, and especially if you’re young—there’s a good chance you’ll eventually suffer a full psychotic break; 35% of young people who experience psychotic symptoms, according to another study, eventually have such an episode. 

If you keep using after that, you run a decent risk of ending up permanently schizophrenic or bipolar. Cannabis has by far the highest conversion rate to schizophrenia of any substance—higher than meth, higher than opioids, higher than LSD. Two Danish studies, as well as a massive study from Finland, put your chances at close to 50%.

One out of every 20 daily users can expect to develop schizophrenia if they don’t quit,” Dr. Christine Miller, an expert on psychotic disorders, told me.

Please vote Inexpedient to Legislate on HB639 to spare other families from the same tragedy.

The post Legalizing Marijuana Will Destroy the Mental Health of New Hampshire Residents appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Quick Thought – Maya Harvey’s Press Gallery at the NH GOP Annual Meeting – a Quick Question

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 16:00 +0000

Someone called me last nite a wee bit more than upset saying (paraphrased) “What, the ONE media outlet in NH that truly is all about Republican ideals and philosophy, GraniteGrok, was not allowed at the NH GOP Annual Meeting? How stupid was that?”.

Well, we appreciate the sentiment – and we have been Consistently on message about Conservatarianism since we started. While there is a love/hate relationship over the years (“we thank them when they do right and we spank them when they do wrong”) when they deliberately don’t follow their own Platform, this is the first time that GraniteGrok has never been allowed to cover an event. We’ve covered all (but one) of the Trump ones here in NH.

So when someone sent this to me, the first question I had was (sarcastically):

 

“So what has OAN done for the NH GOP lately?”

Or any of them.

Now, I’m quite sure that the folks at OAN are good folks and I’m “picking” on them just because I can read the mic flag on their camera. However, the question still stands – and they flew in, covered the Trump speech, and left.  How did they help the NH GOP either in amplifying the Republican message (which we do more in a week than the NH GOP does in a year; maybe in three days (snort!)) or correcting them when they fall off a Platform Plank?

And Maya had a hand in picking all of those cameras over GraniteGrok’s.

Whose cameras, IF she had asked, were going to be focused on doing “man in the street” interviews (like our “MicroInterviews”) the majority of the time. And one small camera focused on the stage (that’s all it takes nowadays).

So OAN is gone – and we remain. And blogging – and we’re not going away.

Object Lesson.

 

The post Quick Thought – Maya Harvey’s Press Gallery at the NH GOP Annual Meeting – a Quick Question appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Bill Hearings for Week of January 30, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Sun, 2023-01-29 15:52 +0000
  • 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 97 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 11 and opposition of 14 with 3 being of interest.
Of the 71 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 2 and opposition of 2 with 1 being of interest.

Position Bill Title Committee Day Time Room State Analysis
Oppose CACR4 relating to compensation for legislators. Providing that legislators’ biennial salary compensation shall be increased. Legislative Administration Mon 1/30 10:30 AM LOB Room 301-303 This constitutional amendment concurrent resolution increases the biennial compensation for legislators and increases additional compensation for attendance at special sessions, emergency sessions, and veto sessions.
Of Interest HB301 relative to recusal by members of the general court for conflicts of interest. Legislative Administration Mon 1/30 1:00 PM LOB Room 301-303 This bill defines conflicts of interests relative to legislative ethics and delineates when members of the general court should recuse themselves due to such conflicts of interests.
Oppose HB208 establishing greenhouse gas emission reduction goals for the state and establishing a climate action plan. Science, Technology and Energy Mon 1/30 11:00 AM LOB Room 302-304 This bill establishes greenhouse gas emission reduction goals for the state and authorizes the department of environmental services to inventory greenhouse gas emissions on an annual basis and to develop and report on a 5-year action plan.
Oppose SB201 relative to resale of event tickets. Commerce Tue 1/31 9:45 AM SH Room 100 This bill provides a civil penalty for the unauthorized resale of event tickets.
Support HB130 repealing the drug affordability board. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Tue 1/31 2:30 PM LOB Room 305-307 This bill repeals the New Hampshire drug affordability board and the fund related to the administration of the board.
Oppose HB249 establishing regulatory standards for the pet insurance industry. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Tue 1/31 3:00 PM LOB Room 305-307 This bill establishes regulatory standards for the sale of pet insurance. The bill is a request of the insurance department.
Oppose SB141 relative to administration of the education freedom accounts program. Education Tue 1/31 9:15 AM LOB Room 101 This bill provides for applications to the education freedom account program for a child currently attending a New Hampshire public school, including a chartered public school, for a minimum of one year, or who is entering kindergarten or first grade. This bill requires annual determination of eligibility for awarding of education freedom account funds. The bill also requires an annual report on the number of students participating in the program in each school district.
Oppose SB151 relative to mental health education. Education Tue 1/31 9:30 AM LOB Room 101 This bill expands the adequate education standards to include mental health education and provides rulemaking authority to the department of education to accommodate this change.
Oppose HB324 relative to campaign contributions and expenditures and making an appropriation therefor. Election Law Tue 1/31 10:00 AM LOB Room 306-308 This bill establishes a fund to provide campaign financing for eligible candidates for governor and executive councilor and makes an appropriation to the fund.
Of Interest HB482 requiring the use of ballots with embedded security, traceability, and relative to the chain of custody for ballots cast in elections. Election Law Tue 1/31 10:15 AM LOB Room 306-308 This bill: I. Requires the secretary of state to select a supplier to print and deliver ballots for elections. II. Makes certain security requirements of ballots. III. Specifies the chain of custody for ballots during and after an election. IV. Requires photocopied proof of identity and residency when submitting an absentee ballot.
Oppose HB259 relative to a study about making working at polling places on election day a civic responsibility and legal obligation for citizens. Election Law Tue 1/31 1:30 PM LOB Room 306-308 This establishes a committee to study whether to make working at polling places on election day a civic responsibility and legal obligation for citizens
Oppose SB133 relative to changing the date of the state primary election and creates runoff election for federal primary election. Election Law and Municipal Affairs Tue 1/31 9:45 AM LOB Room 103 This bill changes the date of the state primary election to May and creates a runoff election for the federal primary election.
Support HB119 relative to homestead food operation licensure. Environment and Agriculture Tue 1/31 1:30 PM LOB Room 301-303 This bill increases the maximum annual gross sales of food a homestead food operation may sell and retain an exemption from food licensing provisions.
Support HB122 relative to microenterprise home kitchen operations. Environment and Agriculture Tue 1/31 2:00 PM LOB Room 301-303 This bill defines homestead food operations and provides food service licensing exemptions for them.
Support HB493 eliminating the state meat inspection program. Environment and Agriculture Tue 1/31 2:30 PM LOB Room 301-303 This bill eliminates the state meat inspection program. This bill is a request of the department of agriculture, markets, and food.
Support HB348 relative to the sale of raw milk and products made with raw milk. Environment and Agriculture Tue 1/31 3:00 PM LOB Room 301-303 This bill increases the amount of raw milk a producer processor can sell or process without a license and removes the requirement that such ice cream and frozen yogurt produced using raw milk be sold in 6 ounce containers.
Oppose SB114 relative to payment by the state of a portion of retirement system contributions of political subdivision employers. Finance Tue 1/31 1:55 PM SH Room 103 This bill restores the state’s contribution to the retirement liabilities of certain teachers, firefighters, and police officers within the state retirement system.
Support HB646 eliminating the vehicle inspection mandate for non-commercial vehicles. Transportation Tue 1/31 10:30 AM LOB Room 201-203 This bill exempts vehicles that do not require a commercial driver license to operate from annual equipment inspection to determine whether such vehicles are fit to be driven.
Oppose SB256 establishing a safety program for off-highway recreational vehicles. Transportation Tue 1/31 1:45 PM LOB Room 101 This bill establishes a safety program for off highway recreational vehicles.
Support HB288 relative to taxation of sole proprietorship businesses. Ways and Means Tue 1/31 11:00 AM LOB Room 202-204 This bill exempts sole proprietorships and single member LLCs from business enterprise and business profits taxes.
Support HB486 relative to vehicle registrations and reciprocal toll collection enforcement agreements. Ways and Means Tue 1/31 1:15 PM LOB Room 202-204 This bill removes the authority of the commissioner of the department of transportation to suspend the motor vehicle registration of owners in violation of reciprocal toll collection enforcement agreements.
Oppose HB225 relative to prohibiting the use of currency that could be detrimental to privacy rights. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Wed 2/1 1:45 PM LOB Room 302-304 This bill prohibits the use of any currency as legal tender that could be detrimental to privacy rights.
Of Interest HB46 relative to the appointment of magistrates and repealing the statutes governing bail commissioners. Criminal Justice and Public Safety Wed 2/1 10:00 AM LOB Room 202-204 This bill authorizes the superior court and circuit court to appoint magistrates and repeals the powers, duties, and authority of bail commissioners.
Oppose HB400 relative to certain assault offenses, bail eligibility for commission of certain assault offenses, and making a false report to a law enforcement officer. Criminal Justice and Public Safety Wed 2/1 11:00 AM LOB Room 202-204 This bill establishes a separate criminal penalty and bail conditions for assaults involving a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services worker. The bill also establishes a criminal penalty for making a false report to a law enforcement officer.
Oppose HB549 relative to definitions of domestic violence. Criminal Justice and Public Safety Wed 2/1 12:30 PM LOB Room 202-204 This bill expands the definition of abuse to includes acts of financial abuse and domestic violence.
Support SB206 prohibiting corporal punishment in child day care agencies. Executive Departments and Administration Wed 2/1 10:15 AM SH Room 103 This bill expands the definition of endangerment to include corporal punishment as defined by the department of health and human services.
Support HB274 relative to the administrative rulemaking process. Executive Departments and Administration Wed 2/1 1:00 PM LOB Room 306-308 This bill makes various changes to the administrative procedures act, including requiring the agency to verify that the rule complies with the underlying statutory authority and legislative intent; expanding the scope of fiscal impact statements; requiring that proposed rules be submitted to the appropriate legislative policy committee for approval; permitting JLCAR to deny adoption of a rule following final objection, and repealing certain exemptions from rulemaking authority.
Oppose HB566 relative to establishing a fund for child care workers and early childhood educators at state licensed child care centers. Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Wed 2/1 10:30 AM LOB Room 210-211 This bill establishes a child care workforce fund to provide grants to eligible child care employers for child care workforce recruitment and retention bonuses and benefits.
Support SB254 relative to community-based sentencing alternatives for primary caregivers. Judiciary Wed 2/1 2:00 PM SH Room 100 This bill adds “dependent child,” “elder,” “person with a disability,” and “primary caretaker of a dependent child” to sentencing definitions. This bill requires sentencing courts make determinations for individually assessed sentences without imprisonment based on community rehabilitation and parent-child or dependent unity and support factors for primary caretakers of dependents.
Oppose HB489 establishing a county tourism development fund administered by the department of business and economic affairs and making an appropriation therefor. Municipal and County Government Wed 2/1 10:00 AM LOB Room 301-303 This bill establishes a county tourism development fund administered by the department of business and economic affairs and makes an appropriation therefor. The bill also establishes a county tourism grant program funded from tax on meals and rooms income.
Oppose HB226 enabling municipalities to regulate the distribution and disposal of certain solid waste within landfills. Municipal and County Government Wed 2/1 11:30 AM LOB Room 301-303 This bill allows towns and municipalities to regulate the distribution and disposal of certain solid waste within landfills.
Oppose HB273 requiring composting and waste recycling to be made available to residents of public housing. Municipal and County Government Wed 2/1 2:20 PM LOB Room 301-303 This bill requires public housing residents to have access to on-site composting and recycling receptacles.
Support HB592 relative to buffers around wetlands. Resources, Recreation and Development Wed 2/1 2:30 PM LOB Room 305-307 This bill exempts temporary impacts and small impervious surface impacts projects from local over lay districts and permits for construction, excavation, or filling near wetlands.
Of Interest SB191 relative to road toll registration surcharges for electric vehicles. Ways and Means Wed 2/1 9:45 AM SH Room 100 This bill establishes a registration surcharge for electric vehicles and requires the division of motor vehicles and department of transportation to report annually on the surcharge revenue and use of funds.
Oppose SB261 relative to the interest and dividends tax rate and threshold. Ways and Means Wed 2/1 10:15 AM SH Room 100 This bill: I. Removes the repeal of the interest and dividends tax rate that was to take place on January 1, 2027. II. Removes the interest and dividends tax rate reductions that were to occur after December 31, 2024. III. Increases the taxable minimum of gross income from interest and dividends.
Oppose SB262 allowing municipalities to collect an occupancy fee from operators of local room rentals. Ways and Means Wed 2/1 10:45 AM SH Room 100 This bill enables a municipality to collect an occupancy fee from room rentals for the purpose of establishing a municipal capital fund, revolving fund, or tourism support fund.
Oppose SB168 relative to participation in a low-moderate income residential customers community solar project. Energy and Natural Resources Thu 2/2 1:45 PM SH Room 103 This bill allows for participation of certain large electrical generators in low-moderate income community solar projects and expands the eligibility of residents to benefit from community solar additions.
Oppose SB149 relative to nurse agencies. Executive Departments and Administration Thu 2/2 9:30 AM SH Room 103 This bill establishes a licensing and application process for nurse agencies.
Support HB110 prohibiting the use of state funds for new passenger rail projects. Public Works and Highways Fri 2/3 11:45 AM LOB Room 201-203 This bill prohibits the department of transportation from utilizing state funds for the planning, construction, operation, or management of new passenger rail projects.
Oppose HB511 relative to requiring the department of transportation to do road maintenance and repairs according to its complete streets program Public Works and Highways Fri 2/3 1:45 PM LOB Room 201-203 This bill requires towns, cities, state departments and state institutions who request maintenance and repair assistance for their roads from the department of transportation to coordinate with the complete streets advisory committee to plan and follow the complete streets program standards of the National Association of City Traffic Officials.
Oppose HB633 relative to electric distribution company market share, prohibiting certain electric rate increases, and requiring enforcement against Eversource. Science, Technology and Energy Fri 2/3 1:00 PM LOB Room 302-304 This bill requires that electric distribution companies shall not raise electric rates by an amount that exceeds the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index. The bill also prohibits electric distribution companies from having market share greater than 50 percent and requires the attorney general to bring an action against Eversource.

The post Bill Hearings for Week of January 30, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

The RNC Are LOSERS Who Are Content To Keep On LOSING

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 14:30 +0000

So yesterday the RNC reelected as its Chairman Ronna ROMNEY McDaniel. Under Ronna, who has been at the helm since 2017, the GOP has LOST every election cycle. She is a LOSER. And it is not like the members of the RNC did not have an alternative.

They did … Harmeet Dhillon, who campaigned on changing the focus of the RNC from being a grifting operation for the consultants, operatives and insiders into WINNING.

Obviously, the members of the RNC do not think winning is important … or at least not as important as padding the pockets of the same grifter consultants/operatives/insiders who have lost every election cycle since Ronna took over.

By the way, this was sort of a proxy war between DeSantis and Trump. DeSantis endorsed Dhillon, while Trump worked feverishly behind the scenes to reelect Ronna. So another takeaway is that Trump remains a horrible judge of people and would repeat the egregious staffing mistakes that hamstrung his term as President.

The post The RNC Are LOSERS Who Are Content To Keep On LOSING appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

And with NH GOP Big Meetings, Flaws Emerge from the Smaller Ones

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 13:00 +0000

There are times that I post something and I get feedback. Other times, they just come in.  Given some of the issues encountered during yesterday’s NH GOP Annual Meeting, this came in unbidden.  I’ve re-written parts of it to protect the sender to “jumble up” the writing style a bit. If Chris Ager wishes to know, I can send him the redacted names to talk with.

Hey Skip!

While there may be been some issues today, there are lower-level problems that the new NH GOP Administration ought to be aware of if they really are mindful as to what is going closer to the grassroots – especially with NH GOP Delegates. Most would nominate either themselves to be State Committee members or their friends (who would then return the favor). And those Delegates are the ones that then vote, in their committees, for those that would become official NH GOP State Committee members like those that voted for Chris Ager to be the new NH GOP chair and other officials.

Here’s a BIG problem. As it seems during the State wide elections, there was yet another “election integrity issue” in Windham. The Windham GOP chairman unilaterally selected the slate of state committee members. It also happened in Londonderry. <Redacted> and <redacted> would both be good people to talk to about this in Londonderry.

In Londonderry, the Old Guard did what Windham did: put forward a unilateral slate for State Committee Members (as opposed to “open nominations”). This was challenged by the elected Londonderry NH GOP Delegates. Nevertheless, Jason Grotzky ran rough shot over the elected “grassroot” NH GOP Delegates in Londonderry and approved the GOP establishment slate. <Redacted> also knows all about this, too, as a third reliable source.

There were quite a few unhappy folks that criticized the process of how this was run. There are also rumors that a lot of the Area Vice Chairs had colluded with Sununu‘s people (gosh, I just have NO idea who they would have been – snicker) to put forward their own Sununu loyalist slates thus usurping the will/vote of the Delegates. This most likely was due to the fact that they knew many of those delegates were grassroots aligned.

So yet another battle between those who believe in Principles and the “Republican’s Republican for the Republican Party”, aka, the GOPe.

So the new leadership now has more problems to deal with.

The post And with NH GOP Big Meetings, Flaws Emerge from the Smaller Ones appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Judicial Misconduct – Judge John Curren

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 11:30 +0000

My indoctrination, starting three years ago, to the New Hampshire Judicial System has been fraught with frustration and stress.

As some of you know, I filed numerous Right-to-Know lawsuits against the City of Nashua and received some favorable rulings. It has been a long, slogging challenging process. I also have a criminal case before the 9th District Case regarding arrest in City Hall for trespassing.

I pleaded my trespass charge to a violation and, in June, Judge Curren signed off, within days of submission, on a conditional discharge. I was eligible to annul, so on July 7, 2022, the paperwork was submitted to put this behind me.

On July 22, 2022, I went to City Hall to collect some paperwork located in the legal office. The City email portal had been down for several days and the letter could not be accessed. Given the deep animus and hostility Attorney Bolton exhibits towards me, I called the office from the hallway to request the correspondence.

By chance, Attorney Bolton opened the door, saw me standing in the hallway and started shouting – ”leave, you’re trespassing, I’ll have you arrested.” I was stunned and frightened. The police arrived at City Hall and Attorney Bolton requested I be arrested immediately.

The Police conducted an investigation and on August 1, 2022, cleared me of any wrongdoing. The report noted that Attorney Bolton was unreasonable and angry.

Laurie Ortolano – Police Incident Report 7_22_22 Bolton trespassing 22-43246-OF

When the report was issued, the police attached the conditional discharge notice. Mayor Donchess and Attorney Bolton sprang into action and hired Attorney Brian Cullen to intervene. On September 12, 2022, the City filed a frivolous pleading requesting a hearing and intervention to stop the annulment.

Laurie Ortolano – Nashua City Motion to Intervene 20220912

Under the law, the City of Nashua had no standing to intervene, but given their deep pockets lined with taxpayer dollars, they were successful in ambushing my ability to resolve the matter in a timely manner. Judge Curren now had another filing to act upon.

Judge Curren has failed to complete the order. Apparently, this is a newly assigned Judge with little experience. My annulment was filed over 210 days ago and the City’s Motion to Intervene was filed 137 days ago. Well past the 60 day order deadline noted on the Court index for the case. My attorney started following up in November.

In December, the Court clerks informed us that the Judge denied the City’s Motion to Intervene and the order would be out in days. It never came. Upon visiting the Court again, the Clerk explained that the Judge forgot to sign off on the annulment so back to his desk it went. The Clerk was hopeful this would be completed in a week and noted she had never seen a case handled like this. The order never arrived.

I am now learning from other Defendants and parties that orders are taking 7 or more months with no explanation provided and no communication for the delays. This Judge appears to be wrongly holding people in incarceration and negatively affecting citizen’s lives. The personal attacks and the abuse from the City has been punishing and personal in my case and Judge Curren has joined in contributing to this situation.

The Courts have a responsibility to place competent Judges who know how to write and perform their duties in a timely manner. Judge Curren cannot produce orders in a timely manner.

Where is the professional courtesy in this Judge to communicate when an order is expected? Does this Judge have a clerk assigned to him and if he has one, perhaps he needs two? How many months am I to patiently wait before complaining? And who do I complain to?

Today, I am filing a formal complaint against the Judge with the Judicial Conduct Committee. His actions constitute misconduct. Competency matters. The system should be monitoring performance but who is the system? Someone, find us competent, professional Judges.

The post Judicial Misconduct – Judge John Curren appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Camp Constitution Offers Judge Free Tuition to Avoid Further Embarrassment When Questioned About the Constitution

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 02:30 +0000

On January 25, during her confirmation hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Charnelle Bjelkengren was asked by Senator John Kennedy if she knew what Article V of the U.S. Constitution does. She said that it didn’t come to mind.

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He then asked her about Article 2. She had no idea.

Joe Biden nominated Ms. Bjelkengren for United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. She received her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law. She served as an assistant attorney general for the Washington State Attorney General’s office. Since 2019 she has served as a judge on the Spokane County Superior Court. It is not surprising to discover that a law school graduate has little to no idea of the U.S. Constitution, especially one nominated by the likes of Joe Biden.

We at Camp Constitution believe that if Ms. Bjjelkengren attended our week-long family camp. she would have been able to tell Senator Kennedy that Article V of the U.S. Constitution concerns the two methods of amending the U.S. Constitution and that Article 2 concerns the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government. We have a civic, moral, and patriotic duty to extend an invitation to Judge Bjelkenger to attend our week-long family camp that runs from Sunday, July 16 to Friday, July 21 and held at the Singing Hills Christian Camp in Plainfield, NH.

Our line-up of instructors includes Pastor David Whitney of the Institute on the Constitution, Mrs. Catherine White of the Constitution Decoded, and Mr. Norman Tregenza, a former New Hampshire state rep. and crew member on The U.S.S. Constitution. We hope.

The post Camp Constitution Offers Judge Free Tuition to Avoid Further Embarrassment When Questioned About the Constitution appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

The Cartels Could be our Greatest Threat

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 01:00 +0000

We pointed to China as our greatest geopolitical threat, and rightfully so, but a more severe threat to our lives is slowly creeping into every nook of our country.

Related:vOpen Borders + Soft on Crime = Cartels Across America

The drug cartels of Mexico, the sophisticated gangs that control the Mexican government, strike fear in its residents and are reaping in billions at what used to be our Southern Border are coming to America. They are spreading out across our land for many reasons. None of them are suitable for the American people.

Just like we are concerned about ISIS or the Taliban cells that came to light after 9/11, these Cartel cells are poison to wherever they sink their roots. In addition to expanding their drug network and spreading millions of doses of illegal Chinese Fentanyl, they are responsible for increased violent crime. The hidden threat is the damage they are doing to our children by recruiting them or influencing them to join gangs as an alternative life. If we allow this to grow, we are complicit with destroying an entire generation. Our children are already indoctrinated to hate America by our education system, and these Cartels are offering young adults an option. The sights we see on the nightly news highlight the violence, destruction, and killings far too common in our big cities. The suburbs should not be lulled into comfort as they are vulnerable, too.

We should be listening to credible people like the Former Director of the CIA and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on this topic. Pompeo is concerned and warning us that a 9/11-level attack is possible by the Cartels that have training sites throughout Mexico. These groups need to be considered terrorist cells, and we must force the Mexican government to allow us to find these Cartels and neutralize them. With the lack of control and security at our Southern Border, it would take little effort for these Cartels to enter America, unite, and wreak their planned chaos.

We need to be proactive and not wait for an attack to respond. The Administration’s lack of concern for the flow of millions of unvetted illegals across the Rio Grande should not give us reason to believe Biden will act. The evidence could not be more transparent, and not acting is a dereliction of Biden’s primary responsibility to protect Americans as President. Congress and our intelligence agencies need to build a case and force Biden to get Mexico to aid us in eliminating this imminent threat to America.

Joe Biden spoke on Thursday about the economic numbers released for December. He praised his Administration for rebuilding our economy from the ruins (lie). Biden touted how big cities and the suburbs are now safer (lie) and how income rises faster than inflation (lie). This speech was pure gaslighting, and he gets away with it because he refuses to take and answer questions. Whatever gains we may see as we continue to put the Pandemic behind us will be negated by Biden’s lack of concern for the Border, Fentanyl deaths, and the increased presence of Cartels on American soil. I say that the Cartels could be our greatest threat. Others say George Soros and his funding of UnAmerican programs. It just may be President Joe Biden

The post The Cartels Could be our Greatest Threat appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Breaking News: NH GOP Elections (UPDATED with Results)

Granite Grok - Sun, 2023-01-29 00:38 +0000

The new NHGOP Chair is Chris Ager. He immediately announced new committees for outreach:

  • Election Analysis
  • First Responder outreach
  • First In the Nation Host Committee
  • Fundraising
  • Media Relations
  • Town Organizations
  • Young Republican Outreach
  • Digital
  • Messaging (War Room, Tiger Teams)
  • Small Business Outreach
  • Gun Owners and Gun shops
  • Pro-Life
  • Immigrant Outreach

If interested, contact Chris.

 

Waiting on the rest of the elections, which will happen now that Trump has left the building. This also means that a number of State Committee members that SHOULD be voting won’t be as they left as well.

[Updated – office winners]

Vice-Chair: Ryan Terrell

Secretary: Jane Lane
Assistant Secretary: Thad Riley

Treasurer:  Alan Glassman over Dawn Johnson
Assistant Treasurer: Jim MacEachern over Janice Mathews

Area 1 Vice-Chair: Mark Alliegro  over Robert A Peraino

Area 2 Vice-Chair: Tanya Donnelly over Kelley Potenza

Area 3 Vice-Chair: Christopher Buda over Liz Gabert

Area 4 Vice-Chair: Conrad Schoeffter

Area 5 Vice-Chair: JR Hoell took this position from incumbent Jade Wood

The Exec. Board vote by next Friday on the replacement for NH GOP RNC Committeeman for Chris Ager. Contact Chris if you are interested.

Note: there were several Republicans running for NH GOP State officer posts. Dawn Johnson – Treasurer, Kelley Potenza – Area Vice Chair) were not State Committee members and were told to come back after Trump’s speech.

Because they were not State Committee members, both were denied the opportunity to speak to the assembled State Committee Members – and they lost.

 

Karen’s Resolution passed – by law amendment.

Gerhard’s  Vax Resolution passed.

 

The post Breaking News: NH GOP Elections (UPDATED with Results) appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

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