We old folks must remember the wonderful children’s show known as the Howdy Doody Show (HDS). It was classical comedic children’s entertainment.  I had not thought about it for years until State of the Union 2 the other night. Here’s why!

We want to thank Charles Bradley for this Op-Ed. You can submit yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

The arrival of the Peanut Gallery is always delightfully amusing. The elected Senators and Representatives behave like spoiled children. They jockey for position as though that proves how powerful they are rather than how juvenile. They quarrel with each other. I thought Romney’s assault on Santos was a classic example of “the pot calling the kettle black.”

Then Buffalo Bob announces the star of the show: Ladies and Gentlemen: Phineas T. Bluster, aka Beijing Joe Biden.   BLUSTER BIDEN proceeds down the aisle, greeting the squealing juvenile Peanut Gallery, and ascends to the podium to be greeted by Clarabell Kamala. Remember, these are puppets and clowns, and someone is pulling their strings: Soros, Obama, and Rice. Even Howdy Dowdy appears.   His name is John Kirby, another White House apologist.

Bluster Biden proceeds right to his work. Putting a finger aside of his nose, Bluster mumbles and flub-a-dubs into the lies that must be told:

 

1. The Chinese brazenly fly spy balloons across the US and over military installations.
2. 5,000,000 illegal aliens have invaded the US since Mr. Bluster, and his puppet masters were inaugurated.
3. Fentanyl, made in China and shipped across Mexico, has murdered thousands of our children and young adults.
4. Inflation skyrocketed.  Think about the price of eggs and gas.
5. Bluster weaponized the Taliban and gave China Bagram AFB intact.

 

I yearn for ‘times of yore” when HDS was fun entertainment for “us kids” rather than a parody of delusional politicians that have brought us to the Eve of Destruction.

The post Resurrection of Howdy Doody appeared first on Granite Grok.

The left likes to milk tragedy because they can use it to advance their agenda, even when the crime results from their agenda. Take Anthony McRae. He killed three and wounded five others on the Michigan State University Campus before killing himself.

Like most universities in the United States, MSU is run by hoplophobes. It is a gun-free zone—a soft target. No one is supposed to be armed on campus except criminals. And so it goes. Anthony McRae (no middle name?) shot a total of eight students in two separate buildings on campus, killing three (with the others in critical condition). The local police have no motive, but they have a history with McRae.

 

Anthony McRae was arrested in Lansing and charged in June 2019 with carrying a concealed pistol without a concealed carry permit, according to Ingham County court records obtained Tuesday by The Detroit News. The initial charge was a felony that carried a potential penalty of five years in prison, according to the records.

At about 3 a.m. June 7, 2019, an officer encountered Anthony McRae in Lansing where the officer asked him if he had any weapons on him. McRae acknowledged he had a gun but he didn’t have a concealed weapons permit, according to court records. McRae also had a magazine in his right breast pocket, according to the court records.

 

Legal Insurrection reports that a soft-on-crime Soros-backed District Attorney named Carol Siemon’s office, “In October 2019, … added a second charge against McRae: possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle, a misdemeanor.”

McRae pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and was released, but According to Fox3 News, when McRae was arrested in 2019, he wasn’t in a vehicle.

 

In June 2019, Anthony McRae was stopped by Lansing police while smoking on the back steps of a building. During the encounter, officers found a Ruger LCP .380 semi-automatic pistol in his pants pocket, and he was subsequently charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a loaded firearm.

 

It looks like the District Attorney added a misdemeanor charge for McRae to plead guilty so he would not have to go to court on the felony or risk time in prison. Three and half years later, the same guy shoots up a college campus before killing himself.

I will say that the concealed carry law under which he was arrested is a problem, but here’s the thing about the law. It’s the law, and Carol Siemon’s office didn’t come up with a misdemeanor charge of which he could not possibly be found guilty had he not pleaded guilty because they were protecting McRae’s natural right to self-defense.

They wanted him to walk, which hasn’t turned out well for them, and while there is mention of a previous gun-related arrest in the reporting, there is very little focus on that aspect of the history. A faked charge by a Liberal DA allowed the shooter to avoid jail time.

The other issue appears to be that McRae fell apart after his mom passed away in 2020, in the middle of COVID and lockdowns. She died from a stroke (pre-vaccine, so that wasn’t it), but was there a funeral, and was he allowed to attend? Unknown. But it wrecked him.

 

[Michael McRae, Anthony’s father] explained that Anthony McRae’s behavior changed dramatically after his mother’s passing, and he no longer cared about anything. Michael, who had been married to Linda for 45 years, attempted to encourage his son to seek counseling, apply for jobs, and attend church with him.

He offered to help him if he needed it, but Anthony refused his father’s assistance and assured him that he was fine.

 

Neighbors also reported that he would fire his gun out the backdoor of his home. So, neither Anthony nor his issues were unknown to the police, and now, many people know his name because his victims were not just prevented from protecting themselves. They were probably brainwashed into thinking being helpless was safer.

 

 

 

The post MSU Shooter was in Police Custody in 2019 for Felony Possession of a Firearm appeared first on Granite Grok.

There’s an old Yiddish proverb that my late mother would cite on occasion:

Don’t Open Your Mouth to the Devil.

Whether you call it jinxing yourself, or tempting fate, or whatever, the message is clear – to not boast or brag overly.  So, in a movie line, character Ian Malcolm (actor: Jeff Goldblum) is famous for this line, among others of course, and it’s a short clip which I’ve incorporated into several essays:

 

Jurassic Park – Boy, do I hate being right all the time.

 

 

From January 2022:

The Next Pandemic – Granite Grok

 

AND NOW?

Am I opening my mouth to the Devil by claiming to be right… again?

 

Let’s hope it doesn’t come here

 

 

We have a Marburg outbreak that is causing people all sorts of concern.  Not a crisis, but… fits rather well with my predictive observations & data collection from just over a year ago.

 

 

IMHO we got lucky in 2021.  And lookie here.  A vaccine for Marburg undergoing trials with some successes:

 

 

More on that:

They’re Readying a Vaccine for a Marburg Virus Pandemic (independentsentinel.com)

And doubtless, if it breaks out, to be released globally under an Emergency Use Authorization.  Doubtless also an mRNA thing.  The crisis being discussed here:

WHO to hold emergency meeting on E.Guinea Marburg outbreak – Insider Paper

They’ll push mRNA into you.  One way or another.  The fear porn campaign is doubtless being planned.  And I very much believe it’s going to come down to return shots.

 

 

I fear I’m right on the avalanche-in-general starting for real as well.

The Avalanche Has Already Started… – Granite Grok

Understand – I want to be wrong on this.  I really do.  But we’re seeing converging downturns.  And things will fall apart.

Things Fall Apart… With A New Cartoon “Getting Ready for the Spicy” – Granite Grok

Things Fall Apart 2 – Granite Grok

 

I WANT TO BE WRONG

There’s a scene in the book Red Storm Rising when one of the main characters is on the deck of an aircraft carrier, staring at the stars as WWIII is about to kick off, and an enlisted sailor asks “When’s it gonna start, sir”?  The one word answer?  “Soon”.

I want to be wrong here.  I desperately want to be wrong here.  But I look at my track record, I look at things happening around the world all leading to chaos, starvation, and mass death, and think…

Soon.

Hashem, let me wrong on this.

The post Citing a Yiddish Proverb appeared first on Granite Grok.

In February 2020, NIH director Anthony Fauci was privately asked in an email by former Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell what he advised regarding mask use.

We want to thank Michael Demars for this Op-Ed. Please submit yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

He replied, “Masks are really for infected people to prevent them from spreading the infection to people who are not infected rather than protecting uninfected people from acquiring infection. The typical mask you buy in the drugstore is not really effective in keeping out viruses, which are small enough to pass through the material. It might, however, provide some slight benefit in keeping out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you. I do not recommend that you wear a mask….”

A month later, he went on 60 minutes and repeated the same advice stating, “there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask,” noting they should be used only for sick people as source control.

“When you’re in the middle of an outbreak, wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better, and it might even block a droplet, but it’s not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is,” said Fauci.

Of course, we all know his position on universal masking did a complete 180 just weeks later. By late May-June of 2020, mask mandates were sweeping the nation.   My first reaction was to be highly skeptical. It was clear from the outset that liberals constituted most of the public outcry for universal masking. So, I spent hours finding and reading as many relevant studies as I could put my hands on. There were quite a few spanning decades from around the world that had looked at various types of masks as an intervention versus other respiratory viruses, mainly the seasonal flu. None of them made a solid case for masks. Then came a trove of hastily constructed studies in the summer of 2020. Follow the science! The activists cried, pointing at these biased excuses for research. And they came just in time to ensure our kids would be masked in the fall.

What came out on January 30th should settle the debate. The Cochrane Library from the U.K. has been called the “gold standard” in data-driven medical research. They published an update to a meta-study that encompassed 78 relevant studies from around the world concluding that masks, including N95s, made no difference in COVID transmission rates for the wearer or those in proximity. “The pooled results of RCTs did not show a clear reduction in respiratory viral infection with the use of medical/surgical masks. There were no clear differences between the use of medical/surgical masks compared with N95/P2 respirators in healthcare workers when used in routine care.”

Where this gets really interesting is when you look at what the lead author had to say in an interview that came out a few days later. Maryanne Demasi conducted the interview with Tom Jefferson of Oxford University and published it on Substack. Demasi made it clear that the research and conclusions that were just released were essentially available in the summer of 2020 “when all the craziness began when academics and politicians started jumping up and down about masks.” He went on to say, “We call them “strident campaigners.” They are activists, not scientists.” referring to the wide array of self-proclaimed experts that couldn’t live with personal choice and insisted on mandates.

When asked about Fauci’s rapid change of position, Jefferson said, “Governments had bad advisors from the very beginning…  They were convinced by non-randomized studies, flawed observational studies. A lot of it had to do with appearing as if they were “doing something.”

In early 2020, when the pandemic was ramping up, we had just updated our Cochrane review ready to publish…but Cochrane held it up for 7 months before it was finally published in November 2020.

Those 7 months were crucial. During that time, it was when policy about masks was being formed. Our review was important, and it should have been out there.”

He added that “Cochrane decided it needed an “extra” peer-review. And then they forced us to insert unnecessary text phrases in the review like “this review doesn’t contain any covid-19 trials,” when it was obvious to anyone reading the study that the cut-off date was January 2020.

Demasi asked, “Do you think Cochrane intentionally delayed that 2020 review?” and Jefferson replied, “During those 7 months, other researchers at Cochrane produced some unacceptable pieces of work, using unacceptable studies, that gave the ‘right answer.'”

And so, “the science” was delayed and then diluted to avoid conflicting with the mask narrative and ensuing mandates. What came out just recently wasn’t just the truth about masks. It was the information we needed in the summer of 2020 to prevent two years of mask wars in public places. It was the truth we needed to prevent the social and emotional damage to children that happened in our schools.

So, the debate is finally over. Masks don’t work to prevent the spread of Covid. Not for the wearer and not for those in proximity. The would-be altruists have been exposed as unscientific bullies.

The sad thing is that it’s not clear they will ever face the truth because this story has been ignored by most of the mainstream media. Shocking.

 

The post The “Mask Wars” Never Should Have Happened appeared first on Granite Grok.

Like most drivers, you probably only think about vehicle maintenance when something goes wrong. That’s a mistake. 

By implementing a monthly routine for preventive maintenance, you can avoid costly repairs and keep your car running smoothly all year long. Things like changing your antifreeze or checking your brake pads can go a long way.

So, what exactly is preventive maintenance? Preventive maintenance is simply a set of regular tasks to prevent potential problems. 

For example, changing your oil regularly is a form of preventive maintenance because it helps to prevent engine damage. Similarly, checking your tire pressure and tread regularly can help to prevent flats and blowouts.

Getting Started With Your Monthly Maintenance Checklist

Maintenance checks aren’t just for when you purchase a used car — regular maintenance checks are vital for your vehicle’s health. Of course, not all forms of preventive maintenance are so obvious.

That’s why it’s important to consult your owner’s manual for specific recommendations from the manufacturer. In general, however, there are some basic things you should do each month to keep your car running smoothly. Here’s a checklist:

#1 – Check Your Engine Oil Level and Quality

One of the most important maintenance tasks you can do for your car is to regularly check the engine oil level and quality. Engine oil helps to lubricate and cool the engine, and over time it can break down and become only partially effective.

Checking the oil level ensures enough oil in the system, while checking the quality helps identify any contaminants or degradation. To check the oil level, simply remove the dipstick and wipe it clean. Then reinsert the dipstick and pull it out again to check the level.

The oil should be between the minimum and maximum markings on the dipstick. To check the quality, simply inspect the dipstick (towards the end) with a light source behind it. Any contaminants will be visible as dark particles in the oil.

#2 – Check Your Coolant and Antifreeze Levels and Condition

It is important to keep an eye on your car’s coolant and antifreeze levels and condition. These fluids play a vital role in keeping your engine from overheating, and they need to be at the correct level to work properly.

You can check the level of your fluids by looking at the overflow tank under the hood of your car. If the level is low, add more fluid until it reaches the “full” line. You should also check the condition of your fluids regularly. 

If they look dirty or rusty, it’s time to flush them out and replace them with new fluid.

Keeping an eye on your coolant and antifreeze levels is a simple way to help keep your engine running smoothly. Check your owner’s manual for more information on checking their levels and condition.

#3 – Check Your Tires (Pressure, Tread Depth, and Overall Condition)

Checking your tires is an important part of routine car maintenance. You should check the pressure of all four tires at least once a month and more often if you notice that they are losing air. 

You can find the recommended tire pressure for your car in the owner’s manual or on a sticker inside the driver’s door. Use a tire gauge to check the pressure, and inflate or deflate the tires.

In addition to maintaining the correct pressure, you should also check the tread depth of your tires. Tires with shallow treads are more likely to lose traction on wet roads, so it’s important to replace them before they are worn down. 

Finally, take a close look at your tires for any signs of damage, such as cracks or bulges.

Remember, car insurance usually won’t cover a tire blowout if it’s caused by improper tire pressure, damage, or wear.

#4 – Inspect Your Brakes (Pads, Rotors, and Fluid Level)

Your brakes are one of your car’s most important safety features, so keeping them in good working order is important. The best way to do this is to inspect them regularly.

1. Start by checking the pads for wear. They’re probably still good if they’re more than 1/4 inch thick. If they’re thinner than that, they need to be replaced.
2. Check the rotors for cracks or uneven wear. If they’re damaged, they need to be replaced.
3. Check the fluid level and add more if necessary.

If you are inexperienced with a vehicle’s braking system, you can always bring your vehicle to an auto shop. 

Whichever route you choose to take in brake inspection, it is crucial to keep your brakes in good working order as it will help to ensure your safety on the road.

 

 

#5 – Check Your Battery (Electrolyte Level and Terminals)

You should be checking your battery at least once a year and more often if you live in an area with extreme temperatures. The electrolyte level in your battery should be checked to ensure that it is topped off.

The terminals should also be checked for corrosion. If any is present, it can be cleaned with a wire brush. Checking your battery regularly will help to extend its life and prevent problems down the road.

#6 – Inspect Your Belts and Hoses

Periodically, examine your belts and hoses. The belts in your engine are responsible for driving various components, and over time, they can become loose or even break. This can cause serious damage to your engine.

Similarly, the hoses in your vehicle carry vital fluids such as coolant and oil. These, too, can become worn or disconnected over time, resulting in leaks that can cause damage to your engine. 

By regularly inspecting your belts and hoses, you can catch any potential problems early on and avoid expensive repairs.

#7 – Clean and Lube Your Door and Trunk Hinges

Over time, door and trunk hinges can become dirty and covered in grime, making them more difficult to open and close. In addition, the metal hinges can become corroded, which can eventually cause them to break.

To keep your hinges in good working condition, it’s important to clean and lubricate them regularly. 

You can use a simple household cleaner to remove dirt and grime and then lubricate the hinges with WD-40 or another type of lubricant. By taking these simple steps, you can help to ensure that your door and trunk hinges stay in good shape for years to come.

A Professional Set of Eyes

Many people opt to have a professional change their oil or perform regular maintenance. 

Vehicle check-ups or an inspection by a trusted specialist can be important because they can help prevent larger, more costly problems down the road and are likely to provide a more in-depth vehicle analysis.

While the usefulness of mandated vehicle inspections is in question, a trained specialist will know what to look for and can provide you with peace of mind that your vehicle is in good condition.

Each visit should touch on most of the checklist above, including checking fluid levels, inspecting the brakes, and rotating the tires.

By following this simple monthly checklist, you can avoid costly repairs and keep your car running like new. So don’t wait until something goes wrong — start preventive maintenance today.

 

Luke Williams writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, 4AutoInsuranceQuote.com. His passions include best practices for insurance and helping everyday drivers take care of their vehicles.

 

The post Monthly Checklist for Preventive Vehicle Maintenance appeared first on Granite Grok.

As promised in the last Monday Memes, I have an overflow. My meme cup runneth over.  Fairly certain about a Friday Overflow-Overflow.

Also, for those prepper-minded, my last two Survival Sundays:

Survival Sunday – PREP Edition – Granite Grok

Survival Sunday – SITREP Edition – Granite Grok

Now, let the mayhem, mockery, and ridicule resume:

 

*** Warning, a few possibly off-color ones, in case tender eyes are about ***

 

A hat trick of past essays:

Reading the Tells & Survival (Part 1 of 2) – Liberty’s Torch (libertystorch.info)

Reading the Tells and Survival (Part 2 of 2) – Liberty’s Torch (libertystorch.info)

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Potassium Metathorinate – Granite Grok

—

Ukraine-Russia: Look… SQUIRREL! – Granite Grok

 

Building off the meme seen at the top of Monday’s post:

 

 

And very much related:

 

 

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

 

(Link to AZQUOTES per their policy.)

 

I am truly torn on the idea of mandatory service, whether military or otherwise.  For years I’ve been against it, because the heart of a volunteer is far, far stronger IMHO.  But at the same time, I can see the unifying effect of universal military service – or at least service of some kind.  E.g., Israel is famous for both men and women serving in the IDF, but there are national service alternatives too.  Together, these build a national sense of identity.

With the proviso that there be alternatives to pure military service, I think there is a compelling case for some kind of mandatory service.  The concept of Civilians vs. Citizens, a la Heinlein.

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

Not a good sign.  When the rich, powerful, and connected go to ground – in this case, literally – you know “something’s” likely.

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

More on this here:

The Empire Strikes…Back? – Liberty’s Torch (libertystorch.info) (italics replaced by underlining):

Viktor Orban is more concerned with the well-being of Hungary and Hungarians than he is with the Zelensky-led kleptocracy over Ukraine. He’s also fiercely protective of Hungary’s national culture and resolute in opposing its dilution through uncontrolled immigration. Great God in heaven, a national chief executive who puts his nation first! What has the world come to?

Will the Usurper / globalist alliance succeed in toppling Orban? That remains to be seen. Also, keep an eye on Italy. Giorgia Meloni is no favorite of the globalists either.

Orban, putting Hungary First, is a thorn in their side.  Just like Italy’s Meloni will be.  Just like Trump was.  Just like Putin is.

And a follow-up thought.  In this excellent, indeed seminal, essay in understanding the Left, comedian Evan Sayet captures the thinking of the Left very well (italics replaced by underlining):

What I discovered is that the Modern Liberal looks back on 50,000 years, 100,000 years of human civilization, and knows only one thing for sure: that none of the ideas that mankind has come up with–none of the religions, none of the philos­ophies, none of the ideologies, none of the forms of government–have succeeded in creating a world devoid of war, poverty, crime, and injustice. So they’re convinced that since all of these ideas of man have proved to be wrong, the real cause of war, pov­erty, crime, and injustice must be found–can only be found–in the attempt to be right.

If nobody ever thought they were right, what would we disagree about? If we didn’t disagree, surely we wouldn’t fight. If we didn’t fight, of course we wouldn’t go to war. Without war, there would be no poverty; without poverty, there would be no crime; without crime, there would be no injustice. It’s a utopian vision, and all that’s required to usher in this utopia is the rejection of all fact, reason, evi­dence, logic, truth, morality, and decency–all the tools that you and I use in our attempts to be better people, to make the world more right by trying to be right, by siding with right, by recognizing what is right and moving toward it.

So now, looking at what the Left is doing to nations, and implicitly to races, I can only infer they’ve taken this one step further: that they labor under the belief that the key to eliminating all strife is to eliminate the idea of being right… therefore, “logically”, the way to eliminate wars is to eliminate nations, and the key to eliminating racism is to eliminate races.

This is the utopian fantasist enemy we face.  But it goes deeper.  There’s a famous Stalin quote:

Death is the solution to all problems. No man – no problem.

No correctness, no problems.  No nations, no wars.  No races, no racism.  Funny – but also very frightening if you think about it – how they view all the world’s problems with solutions of outright elimination.  Now, of course, comes (cue ominous reverb) man-made climate change… so what’s their solution?

 

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

 

Peyton Parrish – Draugr (Viking Old Norse) (Rise of Vikingr Album)

 

 

If you aren’t moved in your soul listening to this… the beat resonates in mine.

 

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

 

The details of what all these shots are is not important (a little blurry here, actually).  But look at the numbers… frightening, and especially with influenza vaccines – never mind the Covid Jab – apparently being problematic per Saint Fausti himself.  (I’m amazed, searching for a link, at the cover that’s being given him.)

 

 

Now to be fair, we also have better diagnostics.  Still, concerning.

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

Pick of the post:

 

 

I’ve related the below before.  I was convinced that after this open-mike slip:

 

Barack Obama in open microphone gaffe with Dmitry Medvedev

 

 

that Barackus was done.  DONE!  Stick a fork in him DONE!  I could not fathom how this would not arouse the ire of enough people that Barackus would be out in short order.  Yet, he won.  This was when I realized America, as I knew it, was over.  Yet, thanks to the over-the-top fraud in 2020, I actually take comfort – because now I know the extent to which the Left will use vote fraud.  Absent that fraud machine, I now believe Barackus did lose.  Which infers there are a lot more on our side than I’d thought then – and even then, that majority was overridden by the “most extensive voter fraud machine in history”.

Same in 2022.  IMHO the House should be at far more R than it is; I cannot fathom how the Senate didn’t flip as well… at least, not without massive cheating.  Even more massive considering the damage The Potato is doing.

But don’t worry!  We’ll get them in 2024, right?

 

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

 

60,000 excess deaths, is that normal?

 

 

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

 

Palate cleansers:

 

—

 

Hey, I found my reserved spot!  And related:

 

—

 

The post Meme Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.

The world has gone mad. We see more and more examples of it every day. And we all rant about it on social media platforms. But we are losing the battle if we haven’t already lost the war. Here is why.

There was recently an event in the Milford, NH, Middle School that has brought significant attention to just how crazy things have become in the LGBTQ+ community. To best understand what I am talking about, watch this short video from a mother of a 13-year-old girl student at that school.

 

 

Yep, you heard that correctly. This woman’s little girl and her female friend’s modesty and safety don’t matter. What matters are the “feelings” of a student in the minority who is part of the madness? Not offending a biological boy who claims to be gender fluid and is sometimes a boy, sometimes a girl, and sometimes a lesbian matters most. Not offending students who claim to be “furries,” as in the locker room account, matters most. The testimony you just heard from Samia DeMarco was to the NH House Judiciary Committee in Concord in support of HB 396: Relative to the State Recognition of Biological Sex.

When the girls complained to the school administration, the incident was ignored. Subsequently, the girls were bullied for weeks in retaliation for their making a complaint. As the issue percolated, it was decided by the Milford School Board that it would be a topic of discussion at their board meeting on Monday, 06 February 2023, at the Milford High School.

The conclusion of the School Board was that they would remodel all of the school bathrooms and locker rooms to install floor-to-ceiling walls on all stalls and remove all urinals. Does anyone care to guess what that will cost? And all of that to coddle a few trans kids who could easily use the unisex bathrooms that already exist, as had already been proposed. The taxpayers in Milford should be LIVID!

There was a lot of saber-rattling on social media about the upcoming School Board meeting and the desire to sign wave there to promote normalcy, one of the two “normal or crazy” choices correctly identified by Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her rebuttal to Biden’s abysmal SOTU speech. Despite all of the discussion on social media and notifications and invitations to join us at the High School, less than a dozen of us showed up to protest. The pro-trans community, on the other hand, had roughly 200 people, many not from Milford and/or not students, all wearing rainbow garb and butterfly wings with a portable PA system.

It was not a good showing for us. We made our voices heard, but it was underwhelming when outnumbered 15 to one. Where are the rest of the like-minded, normal people who were on social media? Where are the students and young people whose lifestyles are being disrupted by the minority of gender-fluid students?

The School Board wasted no time in implementing its crazy, ridiculous, and cowardly bathroom policy. The next day all of the urinals in the boy’s bathroom were covered up with black plastic trash bags, leaving one stall available in some instances for the entire male student population. Later that day the male students, who were having no part in the foolishness, took matters into their own hands, so to speak, and all of the plastic bags had been torn down so that the urinals could be used.

On Friday that same week, many of the students at the Milford High School staged a walk-out protest against the insanity of the School Board’s decision. The topic is scheduled to be taken up once again at the next Board Meeting on 20 February 2023. Our small group will be there to support the vast majority of people who don’t want the trans lifestyle shoved down our throats. Will you be there? Apathy is acceptance…

Not that any feelings were hurt at the protest Monday night, but our small group received comments like “go back to your nursing home”. The significance of that is it demonstrates the view the younger generation has of the GOP – stodgy, set-in-our-way, old people. That is not what we are about. Houston, we have a problem…

The post Call to Action – A Recent Example of Acceptance by Apathy appeared first on Granite Grok.

We’ve got a compilation of citizen videos and local media reports from the Palestine, Ohio, derailment and man-caused chemical disaster. It takes you from the beginning (an over-heated axel on one of the rail cars ) to Feb 13th, when it was published.

There’s footage of the explosion, some comments from citizens recording video, clips from local news, and a lot of ominous-looking clouds.

From the YouTube page:

 

A Norfolk Southern train carrying the carcinogenic industrial chemical vinyl chloride from Madison, IL, to Conway, PA, derailed and train cars crumpled. Late on Monday, Feb. 6, enormous columns of dense smoke rose from the site after authorities generated a “controlled” explosion, as they said pressure buildups risked more debris from a larger uncontrolled one.

An eerie dark cloud became trapped in an inversion layer, preventing it from rising further. This report takes a closer look at the deadly chemicals, evidence, crisis management, derailments and political influence of Norfolk Southern leading up to the disaster. Visible on radar and a weather satellite, the dark toxic cloud spilled into western Pennsylvania then was largely pushed north into Ohio’s Mahoning and Trumbull counties on Saturday.

Nearby residents at the fringes of the evacuation zone described unsettling physical reactions, sensations in their lungs and palpable residues. By Friday people in the region were still experiencing health effects; reports of dead fish, chickens, and at least one fox mounted during the week.

 

 

HT | The Last Refuge

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We learned that attendance is everything this term. You can’t win if you don’t have the numbers. All eyes are on the whip!  We learned that the Speaker of the House voted more today than he did in total in the past 2 years! There’s probably a Speaker vote record being made!

Whether to create a tie to kill a motion or to win a motion by one vote, the speaker cast many votes today. Votes were so close in this evenly divided House that many House votes tallies were only a few votes apart, and we had 4 tie votes! The phrase “slim majority” is an understatement!

We learned that many bills came out of their committees with “No Recommendation” – meaning the evenly split committee of 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats were stalemated and could not reach a decision on whether to recommend that the House ITL(Inexpedient to Legislate) or OTP (Ought To Pass) a bill. This makes House votes more time-consuming – and even more so with our own evenly split House numbers.

We learned that some bills sailed through with voice votes, and other votes on bills lasted quite a while with many motions made. One such bill was HB-234 which had to do with renewable energy credits. The bill, if passed, would have increased energy costs by $30 million over the next 10 years. House Republicans wanted to see this bill die with an ITL. Here’s how the vote on this bill went down…. The bill came out of committee with no recommendation. Therefore it is automatically an OTP motion vote on the House floor. The result of the motion to OTP was 182 YES to 182 NO. Clearly a tie vote, and so that Failed.

We wanted to ITL the bill next, but the Democrats called for a Table motion, which takes precedence over an ITL or OTP motion. So, the next motion was to Table the bill. That vote to Table the bill ended up 182 YES to 184 NO. The Table failed, so we then had a motion to ITL the bill (which you’d think was the next logical thing given the past 2 votes). The vote to ITL the bill was 183 YES to 184 NO!! So then what? There was another call to Table the bill, and that vote ended up 346 YES to 20 NO. Can you sense the frustration? Essentially, a successful Table motion kills the bill… except if it is called off the Table before the deadline to act on the bill. Then it does not need a 2/3 vote to pull it off the Table, it only needs a simple majority vote. So, what do you think happened? Democrats thought they would wait until later in the day – when they thought some Republicans might leave… and at 4:07 PM they motioned to take this bill off the Table. Fortunately, the motion failed 179 YES to 182 NO.  Bills will be more difficult to pull off the Table after the deadline to act on those bills.

And this is how we spent our day with many of these bills. A game of cat and mouse … all based on who is in their seat when a vote is taken.

We learned that in the morning, we could only get through 9 bills in 2 hours – with 5 of those being quick Voice Vote bills. So it took us 2 hours to vote on 4 bills because of all the motions as explained above. Those were Science and Technology bills having to do with energy bills, and in the end Republicans managed to save ratepayers millions of dollars.

We learned that the Governor had many Valentines in his budget as he presented his budget to a joint House and Senate session after our lunch break. He plans to give a 10% raise to State employees, rebuild and simplify the Education Funding Formula, add $75 million to the education trust fund, lower property taxes, pour more money into School Building aid, beef up computer science and robotics curriculum in schools, commission a Christa McAuliffe statue for the State House lawn, put more money into mental health programs, increase Medicaid money to recruit employees, add more money for affordable housing efforts, create a Veteran’s campus, use state surplus for capital investments and one-time infrastructure projects, add $180 million to the rainy day fund, eliminate 34 kinds of licenses and create more licensing reciprocity…. Plus lots more to encourage and attract business. Interesting to note that when he mentioned phasing out the Interest and Dividends tax, everyone clapped except Democrats.

We learned that HB260 failed… that was the bill prohibiting you from driving with an animal on your lap. That bill died 194-172 because 194 people agreed that although every type of distracted driving is bad, we shouldn’t start enumerating specific ones in state statutes. What would be next? Driving while eating a burger? Driving while combing your hair? Plus, it is unknown, really, how many people drive with their animal on their lap. Interesting to note that the only state with this law is Hawaii.

We learned that illegal aliens still will not be able to obtain a driver’s license in NH. HB 374 was killed 191-179 because 191 House members understand that with a driver’s license in NH, one can vote, obtain government benefits, open bank accounts, and do a myriad of other things that legal citizens can do. Giving illegal aliens driver’s licenses only aids and abets illegal aliens to live and work illegally in the US and rewards them for violating immigration laws. We don’t want that, but apparently, most House Democrats do.

We learned that you’ll still need 2 license plates on your vehicle. The effort for NH to go to one license plate, HB388, failed with an ITL vote of 191-181.

We learned that raising the marriage age from 16 to 18 in NH also failed with an ITL of 188-184.

We learned that one effort to dismantle Education Freedom Accounts failed by having it Tabled (186-183). Democrats wanted to change the program application such that you have to attend a public school for a year before applying for an EFA. Unfortunately, they managed to pass HB626, which would move the administration of the program from a private contractor to the Department of Education – adding more cost and bureaucracy (passed 183-180). Hopefully, this will get killed in the Senate.

We learned that the House overwhelmingly killed an idiotic campaign contribution scheme – called Taxpayer Funded Campaigns. This takes $6 million of taxpayer money and funds campaigns with it through some voucher program. That died 201-163.

We learned that the attempt to repeal voter affidavit ballots, HB502, failed. The ITL vote was a slim 182-181, with the Speaker voting. The bill that established affidavit voting was passed last year. This was the bill that makes you prove who you say you are and prove you live where you say. Otherwise, your vote is set aside until you can show proof. We don’t want to go back to the days when anyone can show up at a polling station and cast a vote without proving identification and domicile information.

We learned that it was a long day – made even longer by bills coming to us without recommendation and lots of motion maneuvering for those bills. It’s gonna be a long 2 years where attendance on session day will really matter in the House.

 

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There is a dangerous trend going on in the West – the denigration and slow rolling criminalization of Religion expressed by people of faith. While we do have constitutional Rights here in the US, we’ve seen that the Trans-Authoritarianism / LGB / Athesists / Progressive politicians and bureaucrats working hard to put the screws to their victims (yep, love that Spanish Inquisition in reverse reference).

So what did this High Schooler do? At a Catholic School, he simply reiterated his Church’s teaching on sex/gender and stated that there are only two sexes: male and female. It as if they WANT you to believe 2+2=5 or you go to jail:

• Catholic School Pupil Who Voiced Catholic Beliefs on Gender Arrested

A Canadian Catholic school pupil who was suspended last November for saying there are only two genders was arrested this week after attempting to return to class without renouncing his beliefs.

Josh Alexander, 16, was arrested on Monday afternoon at St Joseph’s Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ontario after trying to attend class after he had been suspended in November for saying there are only two genders during a class discussion.  “I got suspended for comments made during a class discussion,” Alexander said. “It was about male students using female washrooms, gender dysphoria and male breastfeeding. Everyone was sharing their opinions on it, any student who wanted to was participating, including the teacher,” he continued, according to a National Post report.

“I said there were only two genders and you were born either a male or a female and that got me into trouble. And then I said that gender doesn’t trump biology,” he added.

Of COURSE, the school offered him a compromise – agree to the trans-authoritarianism and not take any classes where gender dysphoria students were present:

Alexander, who stated his beliefs are rooted in his Christian faith, was banned from the school unless he agreed not to “dead name” transgender pupils and agreed not to attend classes with trans pupils who did not like his religious beliefs.

This guy shows FAR more courage for his beliefs and in his “lyin’ eyes” than most adults I know.  They are taking knees or going full prostrate while this kid is standing tall.

And a State that is looking to unshackle itself from Federal Education funds?  Hillsdale College (that has rejected ANY Federal money for years) SUPER-sized!

• Game-Changer? Tennessee En Route to Reject Federal Education Money (reformatted, emphasis mine):

The Associated Press is reporting what well may be an earthquake in the relations between red states and the federal government—specifically, the Department of Education, whose decrees and even existence are questioned by many conservatives, including former President Donald Trump:

“NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — One of Tennessee’s most influential Republican lawmakers says the state should stop accepting the nearly $1.8 billion of federal K-12 education dollars that help provide support for low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities. House Speaker Cameron Sexton told The Associated Press that he has introduced a bill to explore the idea during this year’s legislative session and has begun discussions with Gov. Bill Lee and other key GOP lawmakers.

“‘Basically, we’ll be able to educate the kids how Tennessee sees fit,’ Sexton said, pointing that rejecting the money would mean that Tennessee would no longer have ‘federal government interference.’”

Of course I bet the Education-Industrial Complex in Tenn will be all up in arms with the expected “YOU HATE POOR KIDS!!” knowing that the real reason is to no longer have to obey Federal guidelines / rules / et al that ONLY happen when an entity accepts Federal money.  After all, EVERYTHING from the Feds comes with strings attached and over time, more and more strings get added to the original ones and even if no additional money is coming in, you have to obey them all.

It’s the bureaucrat / Progressive politicians’ means to subvert a Pillar of our Republic: Federalism.   No incoming money, no coercion possible as the Feds, due to Constitutional restraints (not that those restraints are not tested).  Again, States are sovereign, especially as the Feds have no Constitutional mandate to even be in the Education sphere. Some group of States SHOULD do a “W. Virginia vs EPA” for overreach and finally put a stake through the heart of the Fed DoEd.  And it might work!

The state of Tennessee is fortunately on a solid-enough financial footing to able to do this. Other states, such as Oklahoma and South Carolina, also are exploring similar legislation. If the measures pass, Beltway heads are likely to explode. You don’t want our money? Mon Dieu!

….This could constitute the beginning of an epidemic, in which red states reject what many believe is serious unconstitutional overreach by the federal government in education and many other areas.

And yet, the Trans-Authoritarians persist even when newer studies are starting to show that this “movement” becomes more of a fizzle as pre- and young teens grow up a bit more as well as realizing that some of these children have serious mental issues that are using gender dysphoria as a red herring:

• 4 out of 5 children grow out of gender confusion, majority have mental health issues, says leading child psychiatrist from Finland

A Finnish professor named Riittakerttu Kaltiala recently advised Finland’s government not to lower the age to change one’s gender below the age of 18. Kaltiala, says that the vast majority of children, who likely suffer from other mental health issues, will grow out of their gender confusion by adulthood. Finnish outlet Helsingen Sonomat recently interviewed Kaltiala, professor of youth psychology at Tampere University, who said that for children “the construction of identity is just underway and the final outcome of the development is not known, not even for the young person.”

Kaltiala has studied gender ideology since 2011, even meeting the vast majority of patients that are admitted to another clinic in Helsinki. According to the professor, four out of five children who identify as the opposite sex will grow out of it. As well, three out of four patients also have serious mental health problems, according to the professor. Learning difficulties, developmental problems, and issues of child protection contribute to the issue.

…Additionally, Kaltiala says that the idea that transgender youth should have hormone treatment and gender confirmation as a means to prevent self-harm is a myth. “It’s purposeful disinformation, the spreading of which is irresponsible,” says Kaltiala, adding that suicidal behavior is a result of accompanying psychiatric disorders.

And yes, these Trans-Authoritarians were as much participating in an insurrection in trying to take over the Oklahoma Capital as the Jan 6 event (there, that framing will light some fires):

• WATCH: Trans Activists Storm Oklahoma Capitol Because Mutilating Kids Is Just That Important to Them

…Storming government buildings is good again, at least if you are a purple-haired trans activist stumping for the cultivation of children. The scene happened on Monday in Oklahoma after a large group of “Trans Lives Matter” protesters occupied the state’s Capitol Building. Videos of the incident went viral, showing the chanting horde demanding that lawmakers not do things like mandate schools notify parents when children “transition” their gender.

Militant #trans activists occupied Oklahoma Capitol on Monday to try to stop conservative lawmakers from passing bills banning the transitioning of children in the state, as well as restrictions on teachers hiding trans identity of students from parents.pic.twitter.com/QrUheoobQO

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) February 7, 2023

There are times when all I can do is laugh at the absurdity of what our society has become. This is one of those times.  Look at the people in those videos and ask yourself whether their outrage is genuine or whether they got caught up in a social contagion while desperately looking for affirmation and acceptance they didn’t previously receive. Perhaps that’s a commentary on the failures of families and the unkindness of the world. Still, the answer is not to farcically “change” genders and push for the mutilation of children in order to make yourself better about your deranged life choices.

…These are no longer just misguided individuals. They are perpetrating an ideology that says young girls should chop off their breasts and that boys should chemically castrate themselves in order to be their “true” selves. There’s no room to leave the gloves on in that kind of battle.

And this, to my earlier comparison:

Yet, the left has insisted every single prosecution related to January 6th, no matter how petty, is righteous.

Apparently, that standard goes out the window the moment trans activists take over a Capitol Building in Oklahoma, though. You aren’t allowed to call it an insurrection despite the intent of this protest being to disrupt the legislative proceedings going on inside the chamber.

These, too:  here and here.

Indeed! And moving from the Catholic high schooler (above) who stayed true to his beliefs we see a teacher doing the same thing: Don’t Lie!

• California Teacher Fired for Refusing to Lie to Parents About Student Gender Identity

A California teacher has been fired from her tenured position after she refused to follow her district’s policy of keeping the gender identities and “preferred pronouns” of students a secret from district parents. Jessica Tapia has been a tenured physical education teacher at Jurupa Valley High School (JVHS) in the Jurupa Valley School District (JVSD) for over six years. Last summer, she was flagged by her district and received a warning from administrators after several students sifted through her personal social media and reported her for “unsafe” conduct.

Tapia is a committed Christian and her social media posts reflect her beliefs about many issues, including political issues surrounding gender ideology. In a coordinated campaign, some students began not only monitoring her account and sometimes commenting on her personal posts, but also digging into older posts made over the years.

Yep, new new Transgender Kiddie STASI Corp.  The latest replacement for burning at the stake combined with the old Soviet “show me the man and I’ll show you the crime” attitude.

…Unfortunately, her job did not survive the review when she indicated she could not, in good conscience, comply with rules requiring her to hide the gender identity of students from their parents, nor would she be allowing “male genitalia” in the locker rooms with girls.

She was fired in January for failing to comply with gender identity directives. Below is a partial snapshot of the letter Tapia received from administrators….Tapia says the complaints lodged by students were largely directed at her faith.

Lie to parents or be fired.  Make sure that parents can never trust the school system if the District’s policy was found out.  And the operative question:

If the state can compel teachers to lie to parents about their own children, what else can they compel educators to lie about? Where will it end?

The sad answer is anything.

And it isn’t just public schools doing this, of course, as it started in higher Ed:

• University of North Dakota provides students with pronoun guide, ‘gender closet’

The University of North Dakota (UND) currently provides a “Gender Pronoun Guide” and “Gender Expression Closet” for its students.  The pronoun guide warns, “Referring to someone with the wrong gender pronoun is one way to misgender someone and can trigger dysphoria,” adding that “[u]sing a person’s correct gender pronouns shows support and respect.”

“Can trigger”? And demanding the political correctness of “misgendering” is both “language slavery” (see, I can play this game too) and forcing your ideology upon others. If you are demanding that others use your “preferred pronouns” and demanding to get “support and respect”, you:

• are all ready triggered – 24/7
• have no right to demand ANYTHING from anyone else
• had better learn that “respect” is earned and should never be expected to just “be there”.

Ugh.

Now a taste for “reverse racism” that goes on in schools: she shoulda just called them racists and it would have been true…

• White elementary student tells mom he can’t join school club with friends since it’s for students of color only; she says that’s ‘promoting segregation’

A white student at a Washington state elementary school told his mother he can’t join a school club with his friends since it’s open only to students of color — and the mother said the school club is “promoting segregation.” The club at Centennial Elementary School in Olympia is exclusively for students who identify as black, indigenous, or people of color, KOMO-TV reported.

“My son came home and said that they came into the classes, and they were promoting this and talked it up to the students, but then he found out that since he was white, he wasn’t able to participate,” parent Jessica Juergens told the station. “They have their friends that they want to play with at lunch, and a fourth or fifth grader can’t understand why they can’t play with their friends.”

And of course, it is “legit” because EQUITY (if you go to the KOMO link.  So, Transgenderism and EQUITY means that civil right (and others) laws no longer have to followed.

“The student BIPOC group is focused on providing a safe space for students of color who have historically been excluded or marginalized. This group is aligned with the equity work of the District,” the email reads, according to KOMO. “Our district continues to be committed to providing opportunities of support to our BIPOC students. Programs like this were first launched across the district last year.”

Gosh, I bet the members of the KKK thought THEY were an “affinity group” as well….what nonsense!  Racism is racism when you grant special privileges based on skin color and disadvantage others ALSO because of skin color. You know what this really is? Critical Race Theory being put into practice by government works so steeped in ideology, Law is outweighed by their Moral Superiority.

Go read the rest of it – it’s disgusting how they try to rationalize their behavior and their remedy make no apology.

 

 

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We’re all familiar with the common discomforts of work: tight deadlines, tough competition, and a difficult boss — but what about dealing with ringing in the ears? For many of us, the early warning signs of tinnitus can easily go undetected, leading to long-term auditory health problems down the line. 

Knowledge is power, however, and empowering yourself with the right information can help you identify, monitor and manage the condition. It’s also important to understand whether you can sue your employer for tinnitus where the damage has been caused by workplace negligence.

So let’s break down the causes and early warning signs of tinnitus and the proactive measures you can take to ensure your auditory health and safety is in good hands.

What are the Physical causes of Tinnitus?

The physical cause of tinnitus is not fully understood, but it is believed to involve changes in the auditory system in the brain. Some of the most commonly accepted theories about the physical cause of tinnitus include:

• Inner ear damage: Prolonged exposure to loud noise can damage the inner ear, leading to tinnitus. This damage can cause changes in the way the brain processes sound, leading to the perception of tinnitus.
• Changes in the neural activity of the auditory system: In some cases, tinnitus may be caused by changes in the way the auditory system in the brain processes sound. This can result from damage to the inner ear, as well as from changes in the way the brain processes sound.
• Abnormal activity in the auditory cortex: Tinnitus may be caused by abnormal activity in the auditory cortex, the part of the brain that processes sound. This activity may be due to changes in the connections between the auditory cortex and other parts of the brain.
• Disordered nerve signaling: Tinnitus may also be caused by disordered nerve signaling in the auditory system, including the cochlea (the inner ear), the auditory nerve, and the auditory cortex.
• Other factors: In some cases, tinnitus may be caused by factors such as stress, anxiety, or certain medications.

Common Signs of Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a medical condition consisting of ringing, humming, or buzzing in the ears that can be either temporary or permanent. It can affect anyone, but it is most common among those with hearing difficulties and those who are exposed to loud noises in the workplace. Common signs of tinnitus include:

1) Buzzing or hissing sounds: Many tinnitus sufferers report hearing a high-pitched buzz or hiss in their ears, often described as being similar to white noise. This sound may appear suddenly or develop gradually over time.

2) Intermittent ringing: Some people experience occasional but rhythmic ringing or chirping noises when they have tinnitus. These sounds may persist for days or weeks at a time and can be incredibly distracting.

3) Changes in hearing: In some cases, tinnitus causes a person to lose some of their hearing or have difficulty distinguishing between sounds. Additionally, if a person has damage to their auditory system, they may also experience balance problems due to disruptions in their inner ear.

While these are some of the more common signs of tinnitus, it’s important to note that not everyone experiences all symptoms equally and that different people may have other types of sensations associated with the condition. Therefore, it’s essential for employers to be aware of the sign and symptom variations that can occur and watch for indications of tinnitus in their employees.

Risk Factors of Tinnitus in the Workplace

Tinnitus, a condition marked by the perception of ringing in the ears, can be a nuisance to those who experience it within the workplace. While its risk factors are not clearly understood, there are some things that may make workers more susceptible to its development or worsening of symptoms. It is important for employers to understand some of these factors so they can take steps to create a safer and healthier environment for their staff.

Noise Exposure

Noise Exposure is one of the largest risk factors linked to tinnitus in the workplace. Working in an environment with loud machinery or equipment or overnight shifts where alarms may sound at any time can be damaging to workers’ hearing health. Over time, consistent noise exposure can cause damage that leads to hearing loss and tinnitus. Employers should understand their legal responsibilities in regards to noise exposure and take precautions to protect worker hearing when necessary.

Age

Age is another factor that may increase a worker’s likelihood of developing tinnitus. As people age, their hearing tends to naturally decline over time as a general part of aging. Despite this natural decrease, employers are often unaware of auditory health issues related to age and may still subject older workers to loud noises or activities that put additional wear on their hearing health.

Poor Physical Health

Poor physical health can also contribute to a worker’s likelihood of developing tinnitus or having its symptoms exacerbated. Some illnesses such as viruses that affect the ear or stress-related conditions like high blood pressure can lead to increased sensitivity and awareness of tinnitus symptoms in individuals who already suffer from this condition. Employers should do their best to ensure that staff who may be at risk due to poor physical health are given additional accommodations to keep them healthy and safe while working.

The Impact of Tinnitus on the Job

It is well known that tinnitus can have a debilitating effect on an individual’s daily life, perhaps nowhere more so than in the workplace. Tinnitus can affect a person’s concentration and performance at work, causing irritation and fatigue. This can be a particular problem when tasks at hand require awareness of acute sound frequencies, such as in study groups or listening to audio recordings.

Tinnitus can also lead to stress and depression in the workplace, resulting in an impact on overall employee morale. Absenteeism and long-term disability may also occur with tinnitus, which employers must take into consideration. Additionally, it has been found that management of tinnitus-related problems is often not as effective as short-term sickness, creating additional obstacles for employers.

How to Protect Yourself From Tinnitus at Work

Protecting yourself from tinnitus at work can be challenging; both for employers and employees. 

Limit Time in Noisey Environments

Workers can take steps to limit their exposure to potentially loud noises. Wearing ear protection and limiting your presence in noisy areas are always recommended. Employers can also take a proactive role in protecting their employees from tinnitus by providing protective gear, enforcing regular noise checks, and providing quieter areas around the workplace.

Utilise Ear Protection 

The use of ear protection and hearing aids may be beneficial in preventing the development of tinnitus. High-intensity noise, such as that found in construction or crowded workplaces, can cause permanent hearing damage if not addressed. Earplugs or sound muffling technology are useful tools for reducing sound levels and protecting ears from long-term damage. For employees already suffering from tinnitus, hearing aids may be a recommended course of treatment for buzz-masking white noise and providing audio feedback to the environment.

Legal Action Against Your Employer

In the United Kingdom, you may be able to make a claim against your employer if you developed tinnitus as a result of your working conditions.

Under UK health and safety law, employers are required to take reasonable steps to protect the health and safety of their employees. This includes taking steps to reduce exposure to excessive noise levels and other hazardous conditions in the workplace.

If you believe that your tinnitus was caused by your working conditions and that your employer failed to take reasonable steps to protect you, you may be able to make a claim for compensation under the law. It’s important to note that making a claim for compensation can be complex, and you may need the help of an experienced personal injury solicitor. In order to be successful, your legal advisor will need to prove that your tinnitus was caused by your working conditions and that your employer failed to take reasonable steps to protect you.

Conclusion

In conclusion, tinnitus is a very serious condition that can have a significant impact on workplace productivity. It is important for employers and employees to be aware of the early warning signs of tinnitus in order to recognize the condition early and take action to help prevent it from developing into a more serious issue.

Employees should be encouraged to prioritize their hearing health, by taking proactive steps like utilizing headsets during work or avoiding too much time in noisy areas.

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This week, I was very busy. First, I presented my HB 147, which addresses the way sexual harassment policies are adopted. It was a request of the staff from the ethics committee, who were concerned that these policies were imposed by the joint facilities committee.

We want to thank Rep. Carol McGuire for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
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It is a well-established principle that a committee cannot impose its policies on the entire body, and this bill eliminates that conflict. The committee was interested but took no definite action that day.

My committee heard my HB 655, which recodifies the statutes governing the Office of Professional Licensing and Certification (OPLC) and many of the boards it supports. This was a request by the study committee I was on this summer, and the bill attempts to clarify the duties and responsibilities of the office and the boards. There was over two hours of testimony on the bill, much of it from boards who objected to the deletions of their current board statutes. Some of this was confusion that the broader scope of OPLC responsibilities actually included the deleted policies, but some others – the psychology board in particular – wanted the more specific procedures in their current statute included in the revised law. The bill went to subcommittee, with a particular emphasis on the investigations and discipline sections.

We then debated and voted on most of the bills we had previously heard. HB 337, requiring licensing boards to provide information in advance of meetings, was amended to correct an erroneous reference (that caused it to cost quite a bit!) and protect private information, and passed unanimously. HB 449, on pension calculations for Group II (police, fire and corrections) was retained in committee since the similar HB 436 was in subcommittee. HB 571, creating a cost of living adjustment for GII retirees, was a split decision: all the Democrats voted to pass, the Republicans to kill it. The full House will have to make a decision! My position on this is that a defined benefit pension is defined, that is set, and cost of living increases are not included. I was also opposed to this one as it was only for Group II, and explicitly excluded most retirees.

HB 341, licensing massage establishments, was not quite a partisan vote: one Democrat joined all the Republicans in voting to kill it. Our position is that using a licensing organization to enforce the laws against human trafficking is inappropriate and dangerous to the licensing agents; charging the legitimate establishments to help law enforcement “get” the illicit ones was also seen as problematic. We have laws against human trafficking and prostitution; it’s not the duty of massage therapists to pay to help law enforcement investigate or prosecute these crimes.

HB 620, creating the department of early childhood education to run a 3-year pilot program (with one-time money!) was debated before failing in a partisan split. Besides the folly of creating a new department for a pilot program (the supporters did have an amendment to have the department of education run the pilot), the opponents were convinced that the state should stay out of early childhood education. Preschool programs have a mixed record; in fact, academic preschool has been shown to harm children. We feel this is the parents’ job!

HB 183, exempting instructors at the fire academy (and probably the police standards and training academy) from the limitation on hours worked for retired fire (police), was unanimously voted to retain. While it seemed like a good idea at first, we were unable to get actual numbers of people or hours worked and were unwilling to give a blanket exemption to a few people. HB 193, technical corrections to the retirement statute, had a clarifying amendment before it was passed unanimously. HB 391, data sharing between the departments of health & human services and environmental services (to support commissions on environmentally caused diseases), also had a clarifying amendment before passing unanimously.

HB 409, allowing licensed barbers, cosmetologists, and estheticians from other states to get a New Hampshire license, was amended to ensure the out-of-state license was “in good standing” (that is, not under disciplinary action) and voted unanimously to pass. HB 109, my bill on occupational therapists, had an amendment to add exclusions for other professions whose scope of practice might overlap that of occupational therapists, and passed, again, unanimously. HB 266, my bill specifying how remote or hybrid meetings needed to meet the right-to-know law, passed unanimously without even an amendment!

CACR1, creating the position of lieutenant governor, was unanimously voted to be killed. We didn’t want to create an elected position without defined duties or responsibilities, and didn’t see the need for a standby when the governor hasn’t been able to complete his term only two or three times this century – and those were very short periods (the last was a week when Governor Hassan resigned to be sworn in as US senator a week before the newly-elected governor was sworn in.)

HB 250, increasing the accidental line-of-duty death benefit from 50% to 100% of salary, was debated at some length. We argued about how this compared to what survivors would get shortly after retirement, but really, the benefit is most needed for younger workers. One member brought up that this imposes an unfunded mandate on towns, who would pay for this benefit increase. It’s fairly rare – there are currently only 25 or so survivors collecting it. Finally, we voted to pass it, 15-5; I was on the losing side.

Finally, we dealt with HB 180, renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. One member brought in an amendment to rename the holiday “Italian Heritage Day,” which is how it is usually celebrated. That amendment passed 14-6; the bill as amended passed 13-7. The opposition, including me, mostly believed that this was not going to satisfy the sponsors of the bill, who would most likely be back next year. I was also concerned that it diminished the accomplishments of Columbus, who, regardless of any moral failings he may have had, managed to bring the Americas into the larger world community. He changed world history in many ways. I don’t plan to debate this bill on the floor – I made these same points when we killed the same bill a few years ago.

We heard HB 518, asking for a commission to study the regulation of pharmacists and pharmacies. The intent is to see if separately the profession and the business make sense since very few pharmacists these days own the business. We didn’t take action on it, but I didn’t see any support from the committee. We think that there’s no reason the interested parties can’t study that without a bill.

HB 532, licensing music therapists, is a repeat of a bill we’ve seen twice already. Their primary concern seems to be that without a license, they can’t bill insurance (either private or Medicaid) for their services, so the clients have to pay out of pocket. There are 30-odd music therapists working in New Hampshire, so the more skeptical of us tend to think this isn’t much of a problem.

HB 507 would allow unlicensed individuals to practice legally as long as they made it clear that they were not licensed or certified by the state. An interesting idea and I tend to support it, but I can’t see it passing the legislature.

HB 594 specified that the OPLC director, in consultation with the boards, would determine if other states’ licensing requirements were essentially similar to ours so that licenses could be exchanged without too much hassle (just the criminal background check, if needed, and of course the payment…) The only opposition was from the real estate agents, who were concerned because we had given them explicit reciprocity criteria last session; they were relieved when several of us pointed out that no other state has our colonial-era land laws, and therefore anyone coming into the state would need to show familiarity with them. We voted unanimously to approve the bill; I was glad to see that the director promised to post equivalency data as it was developed (say, Florida is similar, but Alabama isn’t) since I tried to get the boards to do it five or six years ago, and none has!

HB 644 exempts some specific, safe procedures from the cosmetology license: washing and styling hair, applying makeup, and threading eyebrows. This is to encourage “blow dry bars” and other non-licensed beauty businesses, which will not need to hire licensed cosmetologists to perform these procedures. It generated many questions from the committee about the safety of these procedures and was sent to subcommittee for further analysis. HB 644 also eliminated the “booth license” for independent contractors who worked in salons, but that didn’t raise questions.

Friday, two subcommittees met on some of our more important bills. I substituted for a member who had to work on the GII pension bill, HB 436. We went through an amendment that had been agreed in principle at the last meeting (which I hadn’t attended.) The amendment still has some minor fixes needed, so the subcommittee will meet again to actually vote on it, but the intent was agreed and fleshed out in detail.

HB 436, as amended, takes five policy positions. First, it defines “vested” for the retirement system as “10 years of service.” This has been assumed for decades but never previously defined. Second, it limits any future changes in benefit calculations to those affecting employees with less than three years of service. This is because future increases in benefits increase costs to everyone, while future decreases are perceived by employees as a violation of their employment contract and so an unconstitutional retroactive law. The three-year window, explicitly stated, establishes a time frame for future changes, if necessary – sort of a probationary period. Third, it revises the maximum retirement benefit for employees who were in service but not vested, in 2011, from 85% to 100% of the final salary. This is only possible for long-service employees (35 years and up) and is the same as the limit for employees vested in 2011. The limit of $120,000 for all employees, set in 2011, is changed to $125,000 and increased 1.25% per year, effective in 2025. This is a minimal increase to account for inflation. Fourth, it deletes the transition for Group II members in service but not vested in 2011, over ten years. This transition affected years of service needed to retire, lowest age at retirement, and the multiplication factor for years of service in calculating the pension. Fifth, it fully funds this change by allocating $25 million from the general fund each year for ten years. This pays for the expected cost of this benefit improvement without downshifting anything to the cities and towns that employ most GII personnel.

The intent of this change is to eliminate the tiered pension benefits for Group II, which have caused resentment and a feeling of betrayal (since many believe that they had a contract with their employer guaranteeing their pension benefits). With the current problems of recruitment and retention among police, fire, and corrections officers, it is believed that by gradually eliminating these tiers will encourage officers to stay employed until they qualify for the higher pension and reassure them that future changes will be prospective only. I hope so, as we’re paying a great deal to improve benefits for a relatively small number of employees.

The other subcommittee worked on my HB 655, OPLC recodification, scoping out an amendment that will, among other things, more explicitly include privacy protections in investigations.

 

Representative Carol McGuire
carol@mcguire4house.com
782-4918

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Newmarket, NH, School District Officials have been engaged in unethical, immoral, and criminal acts over the past seven years. These harmful acts include perjury, fraud, obstruction of justice, extortion, and theft. This is no way for public officials and educators to conduct themselves.

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

Chief among these deplorable public officials is Newmarket School District Attorney Barbara Loughman. Loughman has knowingly, willingly, and repeatedly lied to NH Courts on behalf of the school district.

Former Newmarket School Superintendents Merideth Nadeau and Susan Givens both acted very badly during their tenures in Newmarket, covering up and violating laws. These women now deservedly bear the moniker of unethical and immoral public employees.

The most deplorable individuals involved in all of the School District’s Corruption are, of course, the members of the Newmarket School Board, past and present.
Kim Shelton, Gary Swanson, Mike Kenison, Al Zink, Nathan Lunney, and many others. When it came time to take a stand for honesty and integrity, these public officials chose the low road. And in doing so, violated the public trust. This is true because these public officials swore an oath to serve with honor and integrity and to obey NH Laws and Constitution. Instead, these public official bums spat on their oaths and, in doing so, disgraced themselves and Newmarket.

Today the Newmarket School District is led by Superintendent Todd Allen. Unfortunately, Todd is just another bum. When presented with evidence of corruption, including criminal acts committed by his predecessors, school board members, and school district attorney Barbara Loughman, Allen chose the low road.

Apparently, an employment contract for 140K with great benefits buys a lot of loyalty.

With the Newmarket School District being a corrupt criminal organization, no teacher should work for this organization, and every parent of a Newmarket student should demand the removal of the current school board, superintendent, and attorney.

Newmarket taxpayers have been paying legal fees over these past many years. These fees must be returned to the taxpayers as they were misappropriated by school district officials to cover up their own personal bad acts.

I strongly encourage the NH Attorney General’s Office to pursue criminal prosecutions against all of Newmarket’s bad actors and to recoup the misappropriated public funds paid to Attorney Loughman’s Law Firm to lie to NH Courts.

 

 

Reminder: The opinions expressed in op-eds are those of the authors and not GraniteGrok.com, its authors, advertisers, or affiliates. By sharing them, we are not embracing them, endorsing them, or advocating them, the authors, or the content.

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Representative Marjorie Smith (D) Durham takes to the pages of the Portsmouth Herald to advocate for House Bill 59 “Requiring a background check prior to any commercial firearm sale.” Representative Smith is not educating the reader. She is gaslight the reader.

Smith first claims,

House Bill 59, pending before the New Hampshire House, addresses not the gun, but the person who chooses to purchase the gun. And that is probably why 93% of the American public favors background checks for gun purchases. That includes just under 90% of gun owners, and just under 90% of Republicans.

-Portsmouth Herald

All fifty states participate in the National Instant Background Check System. When a person chooses to purchase a firearm, that person must complete an ATF Form 4473 provided by the dealer, and provide a government-issued identification, such as a drivers license to the dealer. The “Commercial Seller.” In New Hampshire, if one is purchasing a handgun, the dealer must call the N.H. Department of Safety Gunline for the background check.

If a person is purchasing a long gun, the ATF Gunline is contacted. The background check is completed and the individual purchases the firearm. The Dealer must be licensed by the ATF and possess a Federal Firearms License of the appropriate classification to see the particular guns he or she is selling.

Representative Smith would have the reader believe that background checks do not exist. In using the words, “commercial firearms sales,” There is an implication that New Hampshire, nor the Federal Government adequately regulate or control firearms sales. This is gaslighting at its finest.

The American public supports background checks because we already have background checks. The National Instant Background Check System or NICS is what governs the sale of firearms as explained above.

We have a current system in place. Albeit it is not without its flaws from time to time, but largely the NICS does what it intends to do. Yet, more gaslighting from Representative Smith…

“Never having purchased a gun, I was interested to learn how easy it would be to purchase a gun legally.  There are nearly 59,000 unique gun dealers across the country, four times as many as there are McDonald’s and nearly twice as many as U.S. post offices.”  

What a nebulous statement. Representative Smith was interested to learn how easy it would be to purchase a gun, she claims. Do you think she went to various gun dealers? Or shops? A gun dealer is any person who lawfully possesses a Federal Firearms License and may lawfully and commercially engage in the sale and purchase of firearms.

That 59,000 number she cites represents a whole slew of individuals who deal in firearms out of their homes. These are small “Mom and Pop” gun dealers, many of which deal with a known set of clientele. Many only sell a few guns per year! By citing that number, however, with a comparison to the ubiquitous number of McDonald’s and Post Offices is rank charlatanry at its best. Gaslighting with a capital G. She would have us believe there are 59,000 Gun Walmart-type box stores blanketing our nation. Oh! the humanity!

Representative Smith has this gaslighting down pat. She states,

“This bill requires “commercial” firearms sales in New Hampshire to be processed through a “licensed firearms dealer,” who will conduct a background check and create a record of each sale.  Its purpose is to protect public safety by helping to keep firearms out of the hands of felons, domestic abusers, and those adjudicated to be mentally ill.”

All of this already exists as stated above. Licensed Firearms Dealers already conduct NICS checks. Most people understand this to be the case. But the real goal of the bill is to create a registry where she states, “create a record of each sale.” That is the object goal of this bill. Representative Smith wants guns registered, as do all the Democrats.

We need only look to the State of California, our neighbors to the south, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Illinois to fully understand what Gun Control looks like. Despite having the most restrictive, draconian gun laws of all fifty states, Those legislatures are still passing gun control laws! This is not a gun control issue. This is a progressive issue.

This article is little more than apparatchik propaganda. Representative Smith further writes,

“This bill closes what is referred to as the Charleston loophole. Under federal law, a licensed dealer may proceed with the sale of a firearm after three business days even if the mandated background check has not yet been completed and there’s been no confirmation that the purchaser is legally permitted to have guns. The perpetrator of the Charleston church shooting.”

There is no Charleston Loophole. If such a loophole exists, then why have there not been more like or similar examples of this taking place. The Charleston shooter was indeed a prohibited person. The State Background system contacted the wrong agency for follow-up, a major snafu with dreadful consequences, but hardly a loophole.

This whole bill is white noise and deception at an epic level. With sleight of hand they create the perception that this is a much-needed bill, while all of it is in place…except of course, the gun registry. That is the real goal here.

Finally, she shows her true gaslighting when she shockingly includes,

“HB 59 as amended excludes private, noncommercial sales or transfers between individuals, provided neither individual is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm under state or federal law. In a recent conversation I had with one of my colleagues, he talked about wanting to give his son a gun, knowing he had trained his child about gun safety including responsible use and storage. This bill would not interfere with that in any way. And it is not only relatives. As long as the gun owner knows that the potential recipient is not prohibited under federal or state law to own a gun, the exchange is legal.”

The passage of this bill will change absolutely nothing. Nothing, except to establish a gun registry. The goal of this bill is just that one morsel: “and create a record of each sale.” If this bill passes, everything current remains status quo…Except that the State now gets to maintain a gun registry database.

I would implore legislators to kill this bill. The bill is frivolous, deceptive, and not pressed forward in good faith. Representative Marjorie Smith is a gas lighter.

The post Durham Rep Marjorie Smith Gaslights HB59 In Op Ed appeared first on Granite Grok.

Valentine’s Day hasn’t been banned yet, but not all that long ago, modern feminists crafted their own interpretation of it. It is a self-contradicting alternate holiday called V-Day, combining awareness about sexual abuse alongside paraphernalia that encourages it.

Related: NH House Rep Timothy Horrigan – ‘Men Have Vaginas’

Every year V-Day celebrations flood college campuses with an array of offensive material that appears to have little connection with the prevention of violent crimes against women. For example, Roger Williams University was flooded with signs that read, “My Vagina is Huggable,” “My Vagina is Flirty,” and “My Vagina is Regal,” while students at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill went around in “I My Vagina” T-shirts. V-Day participants at Boise State University distributed vagina-shaped lollipops, and at Arizona State University they constructed a 40-foot inflatable vagina.

The logic behind V-Day seems strange. If you were really concerned about preventing sexual abuse against women, wouldn’t it be more effective to offer women lessons in self-defense rather than encourage them to participate in pornographic readings? And what possible connection can there be between empowering women to resist violence and encouraging them to distribute vagina-shaped lollipops?

 

Centuries spent trying to get the world to look at women as more than their sex parts are out the window. Women are, according to V-Day advocates, all about their vaginas. I’m not complaining; I’m just curious. Contradictions aside, is this supposed to help you achieve happiness, and if so, for whom?

I’m not defining what that means for you, by the way. That’s all on you. But given the tendency of feminists to favor totalitarian political schemes where choice vanishes for all but the ruling elite, there may not be many paths left to find it. Is this truly how you want to live your life? And are you the sort whose mission is to make others miserable about their choices when they differ from yours?

 

Lukas cites one women’s studies textbook that defines “heterosexual bribery” as “the dangerous fantasy that if you are good enough, pretty enough, sweet enough, quiet enough, teach the children to behave, hate the right people, and marry the right man, then you will be allowed to co-exist with patriarchy in relative peace.”

 

As a reminder, women graduate with more college degrees than men. They are competing well on salary despite claims to the contrary and, as noted by Dr. Peterson, tend not to suffer the slings and arrows of misfortune to which men’s flesh are heir. They can even choose to be men and keep their vaginas!

But are they happy? Is it Happy V-Day, or just V-Day, a celebration to end gender violence that encourages it?

On that last point, is anyone planning to do anything about the parallel gender culture that allows men to pretend to be women to gain access to women to commit gender violence? And is it okay if they wear a “My Vagina is Huggable,” “My Vagina is Flirty,” or “My Vagina is Regal shirt? After all, according to NH State Rep Timmy Horrigan, men can have vaginas.

And if anyone can have a vagina, what does that mean for V-Day?

 

 

 

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Last week we reported on accusations that Verra, a business that takes money and then claims to protect South American Rain Forrest so Big Everything can claim to offset their carbon footprint, was a scam. What are the odds there would be a second carbon credit scam?

The odds would be excellent (it’s all a scam), and yes, another s0 called carbon offsetter has been linked to bad behavior.

 

In the race to curb catastrophic climate change, prominent Australian businesses have been enthusiastic customers of carbon credits. They’ve been offsetting their emissions by buying credits from companies promising to stop exploitative timber harvesting, whilst lifting locals out of poverty.

But reporter Stephen Long has found that there is a vast chasm between what is marketed and what is really happening on the ground.

In a month-long trip, the team travelled to some of the most isolated villages in Papua New Guinea. They uncovered environmental devastation in the very areas one company claimed to be protecting and indigenous landowners angry at unfulfilled promises.

Long asks, who will really benefit from the carbon trade?

 

NIHT was there to cut down the forests for logging, and they are still logging, but to get there from wherever they started, they got local villages (landowners) to sign contracts. NIHT said they would pay them a percentage of the carbon offset profits, but the language in the agreement allows NIHT to deduct almost any cost before arriving at the number, of which only a percentage goes to the tribesman.

And then, according to the reporting, they log portions of the forest anyway while paying a pittance to the locals.

 

A month on the ground investigating the carbon traders, where we unearth shocking claims and revelations.

So, the figures were fudged, made up?

IVY KIELE, FORESTER: Yes, he did.

STEPHEN LONG, REPORTER: There is rainforest here, but there’s also utter devastation from logging within the carbon credits project area.

POLLY HEMMING: The risk is the overall result is more emissions and a worsening of climate change.

GARY JUFFA, GOVERNOR ORO PROVINCE: It is a form of neo-colonialism. That is my opinion.

 

Virtue-signaling corporations, with the help of virtue-signaling politicians (most but not all Democrats), are offshoring everything. First and foremost, emissions. The entire net-zero fantasy is impossible to reach, but they are content to let nations with no interest in reducing pollution, let alone anything else, violate the blessed sacrament of the Climate Cult as long as you and I can’t see their hypocrisy.

We can see the hypocrisy they claim to offset by handing buckets of cash to groups like Verra and New Ireland Hardwood Timber (NIHT is an American company registered in Mississippi), so they can continue living the lavish western lifestyle guilt-free, at least on paper. But that’s not what’s happening.

Another organization appears to be laundering carbon credits from unsuspecting businesses while screwing over the local populations in third-world countries.

It looks like carbon colonialism on both sides, the emissions, and the credits.

So, where’s the liberal outrage?

 

 

HT | WUWT

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The Hill has an Op-Ed advising all universities and colleges in the US to close Confucius Institutes. In light of the current concern over China’s activities in the US, the University of New Hampshire’s partnership with the Confucius Institute is worthy of another review.

We want to thank Claire Best for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
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And so is the University of New Hampshire’s influence on New Hampshire’s policies on sexual assault and domestic violence investigations and prosecutions. Are they influenced by the university’s relationship with China, where due process and free speech are denied?

Consider that in 2009 Amy Gutmann of UPenn visited President Xi in China to discuss ways in which to build between China and America.

Consider payments to UPenn for Joe Biden’s Think Tank.

Consider the Department of Justice’s payments to the University of New Hampshire from February 2009 onwards for “Know Your Power” and “Bystander” training and consider that these led not only to unfair criminal trials, undue influence, denial of due process but also the debacle outlined in “Mr. Weber’s Confession” at Phillips Exeter Academy — the framing of a retired teacher for a sexual assault crime his “victim” states he didn’t commit.

The framing of Mr. Weber was directly a result of the Memorandum Of Understanding between Exeter Police/HAVEN (NHCADSV) and the school. That MOU was hailed by Amanda Grady Sexton of the NHCADSV at the time in Seacoast Online. But, as censorship goes, the article quoting her was removed after “Mr. Weber’s Confession” was published.

Howard Altschiller of Seacoast Online no doubt had something to do with conveniently removing it for his wife, Debra Altschiller’s (HAVEN) benefit — to avoid scrutiny of a failure of a program. Altschiller and the NHCADSV had lobbied Attorney General Gordon MacDonald for a Grand Jury Criminal Investigation into St Paul’s School, which yielded no prosecutions, a secret report, and a contract that ended up with six-monthly reports from a police/compliance officer.

We have to ask whose interests are any of these serving — a spy foreign governments or the “Live Free or Die” state of New Hampshire. If the former, then who is influencing it? Soft-peddled influence via the UNH Confucius partnership is the only explanation for the amount of infiltration, control, and censorship we see from these groups.

More at | Medium.com

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We’re not happy about it, but the jury has spoken. I was found guilty of all eight non-violent, victimless charges I faced at trial in December. Though we are going to appeal all eight counts, I have to be sentenced before the appeal can be filed. The prosecution is asking for upwards of 20 years, however no charge has a minimum sentence, so in theory I could receive time served for the 69 days I’ve already done and then some amount of probation or home confinement in lieu of prison. It’s all up to the judge.

If I have had a positive effect on your life, perhaps you’d consider writing a letter to judge Laplante to explain why you think I should remain out of prison. What kind of benefit have I brought you and the community as a whole? Why does putting me behind bars cause more harm than leaving me out in productive society? These are some of the things you may want to focus on in your letter.

While you likely have strong feelings about the FBI, the prosecution, or the jury in this case, none of that will be relevant to the sentencing hearing, so leave out your opinions on the process, please. While I have my critiques of the prosecutors, I’ve said along the way that I was surprised at how fair Joseph Laplante was, so I’m optimistic. He’s been thoughtful, is capable of changing his mind, and played things fairly evenly during the process.

Please address your letter to “The Honorable Joseph Laplante” or “Judge Laplante”. You may want to talk a little about yourself and what you do for a living and what you have done, especially with regard to any military or government work.

You are welcome to send a draft to me via email at ian at freetalklive.com or if you are confident in what you’ve written, send a signed original via snail mail – include your contact info – to:
Ian Freeman
63 Emerald St. #610
Keene, NH 03431

Please don’t delay as we need these well in advance of the April 14th sentencing date. Thank you.

Yep, something slipped by me/us yesterday. While there is no dearth of “possibilities” showing up in the media & blogosphere for those that are thinking of declaring to be an actual candidate (e.g., Tim Scott, Ron DeSantis, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Mike Pompeo, Kristi Noem, Larry Hogan, Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Mittens Romney, Glenn Abbott, Liz Cheney, Vivek Ramaswamy – and one place said Tucker Carlson???), there’s still only two in the race

Yes, two. Nikki Haley, former South Carolina Governor and Ambassador to the UN, made it official yesterday:

Nikki Haley Makes Major Announcement About 2024

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has officially launched her campaign for president. Haley posted the video announcement on Twitter Thursday morning.

“Get excited! Time for a new generation. Let’s do this!” Haley captioned the video. She says in the video, “I was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants — not Black, not white. I was different.”

Well, that just cut the knees out from under our present Veep, Kamala, doesn’t it?

Regardless of how you may feel about her, she’s now made it a two-man band (Trump being the only other official candidate in the race). And Trump decided to continue his history of going after rivals:

“Nikki suffers from something that’s a very tough thing to suffer from: She’s overly ambitious,” Trump said

Er, isn’t that a character flaw of EVERYONE running for President, the highest elected office in our Republic AND (with the exception of Biden) the most powerful man in the Free World (historically)?

I’m quite sure that we’ll be writing a lot more about her and any other of the wannabees later on.

Does that mean we HAVE to include Baby Huey (aka, Chris Sununu) as well?  Talk about being overly ambitious…

(H/T: IJR)

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It’s not 1980 anymore. Today our nation faces two existential threats different from anything we have encountered in our history. The first is the rise of a Chinese Communist Party who, unlike the USSR, supplies the shoes on our feet, the phones in our pockets, and the apps that addict our kids.

A Preview of a Conversation at Murphy’s Taproom in Manchester: Feb 22, 6-9 pm

The second is a new hybrid of state and corporate power that is far more dangerous than big government alone. Reciting slogans memorized in 1980 will not solve these problems and may well exacerbate them.

Politics is only part of the solution. Market actors can do their part. Just over a year ago, I founded a new financial firm called Strive that uses shareholder power to guide U.S. companies to focus on value maximization instead of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. My firm refused to do business in China because we could not be loyal fiduciaries to U.S. clients with the Chinese Communist Party’s boot on our necks. Behemoths like BlackRock and Vanguard have already changed behaviors in response, and we have engaged with U.S. energy companies to deliver our shareholder mandate.

But market solutions alone cannot spawn the national revival that we need. My generation is hungry for a cause; for meaning; for identity. We lurch from one secular religion to another as part of our hunt for deeper purpose. In place of God, we worship “climate.” In place of America, we pledge allegiance to “Diversity.” In place of family, we embrace an alphabet soup of gender identities. We wrongly embrace the idea that hardship is the same thing as victimhood. If you ask people my age or younger what it means to be an American in the year 2023, you will most likely get a blank stare in response.

The Republican Party’s top priority should be to fill that generational void with an inspiring national identity that dilutes woke ideology to irrelevance. Instead of obsessing over the question of “who,” we should start answering the question of what we stand for – and why. My two recent books – Woke, Inc. and Nation of Victims – articulate that vision, and I believe deep in my bones that we can create a new movement to turn this vision into reality by focusing on the most important objectives:

Defeat Communist China. The Chinese Communist Party represents the single greatest threat to our nation. The events of recent weeks remind us of this reality. We must defeat China economically to avoid having to do so militarily. Xi Jinping’s recent missteps create an opportunity to act decisively.

Dismantle the managerial class in government. Democratic self-governance only works if the people whom we elect to run the government are the people who actually run the government. The GOP needs to prioritize repealing civil service protections and replacing managerial protections with sunset clauses instead: if the President cannot serve our country for more than 8 years, neither should most federal bureaucrats. Elon Musk recently exposed managerial corruption at Twitter, and the next U.S. President should do the same for our own federal government. This includes exposing each instance in the last five years when a government employee attempted to influence private behavior. This practice is now rampant: Climate Czar John Kerry applied pressure on America’s largest banks to enter a so-called “U.S. net-zero banking alliance.” This is wrong and must be exposed before it is fixed. The solution will likely require shutting down countless government agencies that cannot be reformed.

Restore free speech. Free speech is a foundational cornerstone of the American experiment. It is a precondition for the pursuit of truth. It is a precondition for peace: if you tell people they cannot speak, they scream. If you tell people they cannot scream, they tear things down. Today the U.S. government regularly pressures the largest and most influential technology companies to censor disfavored political speech. This subverts the classical mantra that private companies are free to decide how they operate their websites. If it’s state action in disguise, the Constitution still applies: internet companies must abide by the First Amendment if they are acting at behest of government.

Political censorship goes beyond the internet. Employers have fired countless American workers for voicing the “wrong” political views. As I have argued on the pages of The Wall Street Journal, Congress should enshrine political expression as an American civil right: if you cannot fire or deplatform someone for their race, sex, sexual orientation, or religion, then you should not be able to fire someone for their political speech either. As I have argued in Newsweek, existing civil rights laws should already protect American workers from viewpoint discrimination. The federal prohibition on religious discrimination forbids employers from forcing employees to bow down to any religion, including secular ones as defined by the Supreme Court. The modern woke agenda in much of corporate America meets the Court’s test to a tee.

Embrace merit over identity politics. After the Supreme Court (hopefully) overturns affirmative action later this year, we must eliminate the national cancer of race-based preferences in every sphere of our lives. The U.S. federal government is directly responsible for the spread of affirmative action in America by requiring government contractors and other private parties to adopt race-based quota systems. This has unleashed hell on our national spirit by creating systematic racial discrimination, and we must eliminate it.

This is just the beginning of how we can revive our missing national identity. America’s future depends on whether we succeed, and I look forward to discussing this with citizens in the Granite State on February 22. We will start with an event in Rochester that morning and finish with an event in Manchester that evening. I look forward to hearing from all of you directly!

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