This is an attempt to “break out” memes, links, and my commentary about the situation in Israel / the Middle East so as to not overload the standard meme posts that I do.  My last “normal” meme post.  And my last Israel-related one.  In these Israel-related posts I don’t just have memes as such, but lots of informative links as well as hopefully-insightful commentary.

I attempt to populate each post with new material; thus, older posts have information that’s not in this one.  If this is a topic of interest to you I strongly urge you to go back through and peruse my older ones.  I do not focus on minute-by-minute updates but rather attempt to provide background and information relevant to this latest battle in a 1,400 year old war.  Reverse chronological order.

Israel: More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Even More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Memes and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Memes and Commentary – Granite Grok

With some Israel-related materials here:

Meme Overflow – Granite Grok

Post it, tweet & email it out, share it widely.

 

 

 

 

WAR & WHEN WILL IT END?

In a recent prior post I mentioned, as an aside, the dropping of the atomic bomb and how it led to the unconditional surrender of the Japanese.  While I cannot imagine the pride that Emperor Hirohito had to swallow to declare that he was surrendering, implicit in his doing so was a desire to see his people and culture survive… and survive in this world.  I also, in that same post, had an article with a pull-quote saying that all Hamas has to do to end this is to announce WE SURRENDER.

The question, though, is whether or not they have the capacity to do so, or the willingness to do so given their religion.  Consider this video:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/life-begins-at-death.mp4

 

“Our life begins when it ends” can easily be translated to “We only care about the afterlife”.  And since in the the greatest reward for Muslims afterlife is to die fighting the infidel, where is there incentive to surrender?  There is, quite literally, every incentive to not surrender but die in combat.  It’s also part-and-parcel with why Hamas doesn’t care about the lives of the people in their charge as each casualty, adult or child, is a martyr killed in combat with the enemy and therefore someone who gets that greatest reward as well.  (Never mind being camera fodder to deceive the Western nations by appealing to their emotions.)

Calls for Israel to Restrain itself are ILLEGAL – CarolineGlick.com

Video interview.

Wars can end with negotiations when both sides realize the cost in this world is not worth it.  But in the face of an enemy that absolutely refuses to surrender no matter what, there’s a regrettable but likely necessary option:

 

 

It’s Time to Crush Gaza | Power Line (powerlineblog.com)

War is a terrible thing. But the Gazans started this war, and war is what they are going to get. Every resulting casualty should be laid at the foot of Hamas and all Gazans who have supported and collaborated with Hamas–a large majority, by all indications.

And the short video in that link shows how a kidnapped Israeli child is treated by Arab kids.  Repeating from earlier posts – Hamas and its aims are supported by a majority of the Arabs:

Who Says Hamas Does Not Represent The Palestinians? :: Gatestone Institute

This means that a majority of Palestinians share Hamas’s desire to eliminate Israel as expressed in the terror group’s 1988 charter. The poll also showed that 71% of the Palestinians support the formation of armed groups to murder Israelis.

The Insistence on Palestinians Who Do Not Support Hamas | Frontpage Mag

This insistence on the “innocent Palestinians,” who, we are told, do not support Hamas, is much too optimistic. A great many people in Gaza support Hamas’ war on Israel, even if they are not members of the group. Those who celebrated on Oct. 7 by handing out candy, or who take great pleasure in watching the videos Hamas has posted of Israelis being raped, or tortured, or murdered, cannot be described as “innocent.”

 

You cannot co-exist with people who deny your right to exist.

 

The ‘Two-State Solution’ is Terrorism | Frontpage Mag

There is indeed no limit to ‘Palestinian’ barbarism and no limit to the lies that the rest of the world will believe to avoid confronting it. The ‘Two-State Solution’ is the worst of those lies. As the Jewish families massacred by Hamas found out, no one can live next door to monsters who lust for the opportunity to torture, mutilate, rape and kill them. That’s the ‘Two-State Solution’.

I remember – can’t find it – a quote by Arafat to the effect that every territorial gain they made would be used to launch further attacks.

How the Hamas Attack Took Israel by Surprise | Frontpage Mag

But the border attacks and the negotiated ceasefire had all been part of a feint. Hamas had been working on a large-scale attack for two years. During this time it had calculatedly tamped down some of the violence and appeared amenable to informal truces in exchange for benefits.

…

To win a war, you must know the enemy. Israel had lost sight of who its enemy really was. But so has every nation in the free world facing a religious war that is over a thousand years old.

And they used their false peace to gather intel:

THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS: Giving Gazans work permits within Israeli parameters enabled them to plan the massacre

Documents on slain terrorists show Hamas plan to target children – JNS.org

Now weigh this into the combat mix:

Macgregor: U.S. And Israeli Special Forces Went On A Scouting Mission To Gaza And Were “Shot To Pieces” | Video | RealClearPolitics

A ground operation will be tremendously difficult.  It’s a lot of area to cover, and a lot of hiding places for snipers.  This could be – WILL BE – very costly against determined fighters who have doubtless put away food & water and other supplies.

Exclusive – Former U.K. Commander in Afghanistan: Israel Facing War on 7 Fronts, Arab States ‘Quietly’ Root for Jihadist Defeat (breitbart.com)

Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad officials – Insider Paper

Understand that I am, in no way, an expert… but it’s my impression that most of the Arab leaders – while Muslim – are not Islamist-driven Muslims.  And they recognize that true Jihadis are a threat to them as well.  So I do hope the above is true, at least the “rooting for defeat” part.

 

 

 

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US Navy Chief (ex) warns of 6 actions that could spiral the world to WW III…’REAL DANGER’ Six terrifying steps that could see Gaza crisis spiral into WW3 with Brit & US boots on the ground (substack.com)

This is an enormous concern.  With Russian missiles in-range, with more US military going there, with China apparently sending ships… other actors on the move too… I have this scene running in my mind:

 

 

More on this looking to suck the entire world into a potentially nuclear vortex:

Australia sends troops to the Middle East as Israel-Hamas crisis escalates: ‘This is a volatile situation’ (dailymail.co.uk)

Tucker Carlson Drops Episode 33: “It Looks Like We Are Going to War with Iran. Are We Ready For This?” (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit | by Cristina Laila

We are, in the words of a Motie mediator (alien being) in the incredible scifi book The Mote in God’s Eye, “juggling priceless eggs in variable gravity”.  Not just the Israelis, but the world.  And to quote another character in the scifi channel’s miniseries of Dune, “A mistake could be catastrophic”.  The terrible what-ifs are accumulating.

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HISTORY & ISLAMIC MENTALITY

 

 

Remember its history:

The Greatest Murder Machine in History – American Thinker

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The Nakba Narrative is Nonsense | CAMERA

Remember, this really can be viewed as an exchange of populations.  Look at what Ben Gurion said in 1937 about the Arabs before Israel became independent:

We do not wish and do not need to expel Arabs and take their places. All our aspiration is built on the assumption – proven throughout all our activity … that there is enough room in the country for ourselves and the Arabs.

There was an exchange of people when Pakistan was carved out of India.  Again, repeating the link to this excellent book:

Uprooted: How 3000 Years of Jewish Civilization in the Arab World Vanished Overnight

But while I’m sure there is still animosity in the Hindus who had to flee to India from what became Pakistan, and vice versa, it has not – to my knowledge – been harbored and nurtured like this situation.

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“I Killed 10 Jews with My Own Hands!” – Audio Released of Excited Hamas Demon Calling His Mom and Pops to Brag About Killing Jews (AUDIO) | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft(bolding added):

The Isreali Defense Forces on Tuesday released a ghoulish call from a Hamas terrorist to his mom and pops from inside Isreal.

“Mahmoud” had just slaughtered 10 innocent Jews and he was so excited he had to call home to tell his mother about it.

He used the dead Jewish woman’s phone.

The family was very excited.

Mahmoud told his parents and siblings to look on WhatsApp where he loaded the photos of the Jews he slaughtered.

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Hamas’s deception, and our self-deception – CarolineGlick.com

1. She is correct to note that deception is absolutely part of Islamic warfare.  To the point where they’ve codified separate terms for different forms:  Taqiyya: Deception and Lying in Islam (thereligionofpeace.com)   (Link is a repeat.)
2. Note the good-cop, bad-cop routine when, in reality, they both want Israel destroyed.  More deception.

Israel and the U.S. have refused to acknowledge that they have been played by the P.A. the same way they were played by Hamas for the past two years, and Hamas was able to deceive Israel and the U.S. for two years because both Israel and the U.S. wanted to be deceived. Israel’s generals wanted to believe that the Palestinians writ large aren’t implacable foes. They can be appeased. We don’t have to defeat them.

And the Biden administration, like most of its predecessors, wanted to believe the deception—and to still believe it in the P.A.’s case—because they want to believe that Israel is to blame for the violence waged against it. The lie of Israeli culpability is the foundation of 50 years of U.S. Middle East peacemaking efforts. The lie of Palestinian moderation is the rationale for 50 years of near-continuous U.S. pressure on Israel to concede territory to the Palestinians. It has been the justification and rationale for the U.S. opposition to any effort by Israel to defeat the PLO on the battlefield.

The constant assertion “There is no military solution to the Palestinian conflict with Israel” is predicated on the notion that there is a political solution.

Speaking the “Palestinian Authority” vs. Hamas… over two decades ago I realized they would play good cop-bad cop and people would eat it up.  But here they are showing their true colors:

PA officials express ‘great joy’ over Hamas atrocities | World Israel News

There is no political solution with a people whose very religious text has, hard-coded into it, hatred of your people:

Jew-Hate in the Muslim World | Frontpage Mag

Antisemitism in the Qur’an – Winds of Jihad (sheikyermami.com)

Islamic Jew-Hatred – a religious mandate – Geller Report

Lots of follow-up links in this third one.  And in searching for the Pamela Geller link above, I stumbled on this piece of utter naivete:

Why Pamela Geller’s Hate Speech Should Be Barred — But BDS Allowed – The Forward

She is one of the leading voices promoting the idea of “creeping Sharia” in the United States. Claiming that Islam, as a religion, is dedicated to eradicating Jews and eventually turning all others into Muslims by whatever means necessary is the very definition of hate speech.

Except the Koran says precisely these things.  Hamas and ISIS and other Islamic terror groups say precisely these things citing the Koran as their authority; likewise even the “moderate” Palestinian Authority says these things also citing the Koran.

“Moderate” Palestinian Authority: ‘All mosques must teach that extermination of Jews is an Islamic imperative” – Geller Report

Go back through my older topical posts.  Each of the claims in the above excerpt is completely disproven.  This is delusional, lost-your-survival-instinct wishful thinking at it’s worst.  Addressed in Part 1 (links are repeated):

Civilizational Collapse and Biology (Part 1) – Urban Scoop

Civilizational Collapse and Biology (Part 2) – Urban Scoop

Civilizational Collapse and Biology (Part 3) – Urban Scoop

And one related thing.  Gaza is about to run out of fuel… while Hamas holds a half million gallons in reserve for fighting.

Israeli military says Hamas stockpiling 500,000 liters of fuel while aid agencies decry shortage | World Israel News

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Israel: Who Are the Indigenous People?

 

 

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Vicotr (sic) David Hanson: Israel vs. a Death Cult | Opinion – Conservative | Before It’s News (beforeitsnews.com)

The Israelis avoid collateral damage; there is not even such a concept for Hamas: all of its attacks are primarily aimed at civilians. Collateral damage for Hamas follows from accidently encountering the IDF.

How Orwellian that the world demands that Israel, in its efforts to prevent Hamas rocket launches aimed exclusively at its civilian population, must not hurt a single civilian who is impressed to shield the rocket launchers. Note well: Hamas’s air campaign is specifically designed to kill civilians—Israel’s to avoid them. In Israel rockets are used to shield civilians; in Gaza civilians are used to shield rockets.

Hamas seeks to force the Israeli military to violate the rules of war; Israel accepts that there are no rules that Hamas gunman would ever follow. The odd result is that a sick world is more accepting of deliberate mass murdering by Hamas than occasional accidental collateral damage by Israel.

—

Frontline News: Islamic Groups Infiltrate US Defense Establishment | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft

In a prior post I discussed the concept of “stealth Jihad”.  This is one example.  Another example:

Under the Radar: Ethnic Studies Activists Push Anti-Israel Content into Schools | CAMERA

Leftists in schools from elementary on are teaching an imbalanced picture.  Deliberately.  And have been doing so for years and decades.  No wonder more young people side with the Arabs than with Israel.  Remember, this is “stealth Jihad”.  They’re patient and plan in decades if not centuries.

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American Blood on Iranian Hands – Daniel Greenfield / Sultan Knish articles

Read the descriptions of what Islamic terrorists – regardless of who supports them – did to Americans.  Just one example:

Robert Stethem, a Navy diver, was brutally murdered when Hezbollah terrorists took over TWA flight 847. The Iranian-backed terrorists, one of whom was Imad Mughniyah, beat and kicked him to death.

“They were jumping in the air and landing full force on his body. He must have had all his ribs broken,” Uli Derickson, the stewardess, described. “I was sitting only 15 feet away. I couldn’t listen to it. I put my fingers in my ears. I will never forget. I could still hear. They put the mike up to his face so his screams could be heard by the outside world.”

Stethem’s screams, like those of the other American victims of Iran, have yet to be heard in Washington.

Iran is fully on-board with a global Islamic world:

How Iran exports its Ideology | UANI (unitedagainstnucleariran.com)

Since the 1979 establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Iranian regime has sought to export its revolutionary ideology in an effort to establish Iranian hegemony in the Islamic world. American diplomat Henry Kissinger has remarked on several occasions that Iran needs to decide “whether it wants to be a nation or a cause.” In fact, the need to spread the Islamic Revolution beyond Iran’s borders is ingrained in the principles of Khomeinism, Iran’s guiding ethos.

 

ON INTERSECTIONALITY / LEFTIST SUPPORT

 

Left-wing Americans ‘changed’ pro-Palestine view when confronted with ‘true facts’

 

 

What amazes me is the amazement / astonishment of the gay (etc.) community at how Muslims view them.  More:

THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS: Why do LGBT ideologues support anti-Israelism?

Anti-Israel protestors declare ‘Palestinian liberation is black liberation’ at ‘Gays 4 Gaza’ march | The Post Millennial | thepostmillennial.com

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Oh, So That’s Who Funded the Pro-Hamas ‘Insurrectionists’ on Capitol Hill (townhall.com)

Of course.  And yet there are liberal Jews who sing his praises still.

 

PALLYWOOD

 

An Arab Muslim in the Israeli Army

 

 

Some apartheid.  Last time I knew, in actual apartheid South Africa, there were no blacks in the army.  (I allow for the possibility I could be wrong.)  Related is this podcast by an Israeli Arab:

Yoseph Haddad (jnf.org)

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Blood Libel against Jews: Back with a Vengeance :: Gatestone Institute

Credible intelligence agencies around the world have assessed the likelihood of various possible scenarios: an errant terrorist rocket; the debris of an Iron Dome defensive missile; a misfired Israeli missile; a targeted Israeli missile. The current consensus is that it was a Palestinian terrorist rocket that malfunctioned, as reportedly 20% of such rockets do, and landed at home in Gaza. There has been no objective assessment that points the finger at an Israeli strike.

I just saw a “purported” analysis by the New York Times that it had to be an Israeli strike.  These people are desperate to smear Israel.

 

 

TERROR COMING HERE?

NEW NATIONAL POLL: Close to 60% of American Muslims Support Hamas Atrocities Against the Jews – Geller Report

57.5% of US Muslims Agree Hamas JIHAD CARNAGE—Murder, Rape, Mutilation/Beheading, & Burning of Primarily Non-Combatant Israeli Jews, Including Children & Infants—“was justified”

Related:

Stop Jew-Hate: End Jihad Immigration – Geller Report

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken: Americans Must Accept Migrants (breitbart.com)

To help move the migrants, Blinken and Majorkas are setting up new centers where migrants in foreign countries can simply ask for permission to fly into the United States, regardless of Congress’s legislated annual limits on migration numbers.

IMHO settle the rape-hungry migrants, if we can’t stop them, in areas where women important to him live.  And related:

Did you know that not one Arab nation, not even the wealthiest oil-producing Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain, will accept any refugees from Gaza? (barenakedislam.com)

Look at why.

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There are sleeper cells here in the US…They will attack and create chaos when the time is right.

 

 

—

 

 

TREADING ON THE POLITICAL

 

 

 

 

Repeating two of my cartoons (ok, my concept, professional artist):

 

 

 

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Biden Administration Enabling Iranian Mullahs’ Dangerous Nuclear Weapons Program – Again? :: Gatestone Institute

In my mind the single biggest threat Iran poses is that of a “tramp” freighter launching a missile from off the American coast to EMP us.  Remember that they’ve practiced missile launches from ships in the Caspian Sea, declaring the tests “successes” when they reach 90 miles or so in altitude, perfect EMP height.  Also remember that, in Shia Islam, their version of the messiah can only come after a worldwide conflagration war – thus, WWIII is a feature, not a bug, to them.

 

EMP: A Terrorist’s Dream

 

 

Related videos (links only):

How Would a Nuclear EMP Affect the Power Grid? – YouTube

Aftermath of a Russian EMP Attack on the US – YouTube

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Guns, or Lack of Them, in Israel | Frontpage Mag

If never again is to be a truthful slogan, the Israeli government must trust its citizens, especially those who have been through military service. And until the day comes that the residents of that beleaguered country are safe in their beds – and cribs – citizen gun ownership should not just be allowed by the Israeli government but vigorously encouraged.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

 

 

 

GIVING SUPPORT TO ISRAEL

You can’t go wrong with a donation here:

Connections Israel

I’ve contributed to them for almost 20 years.  And please share this post far and wide.  There’s a lot of info here that many people don’t know.  Other things you can do:

Twelve Things You Can Do for Israel Right Now | Frontpage Mag

 

A CONCLUDING THOUGHT FOR THIS POST

*** WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT *** Horror: IDF Screens Raw Footage of Hamas Terror Attack for Media (breitbart.com)+

The footage was compiled from both victims and perpetrators, from GoPro cameras, dashboard cameras, social media, surveillance cameras, and even audio recording apps on mobile phones. It is just a small part of what the IDF still possesses.

We were not allowed to bring cell phones, cameras, or laptops into the room, because the IDF does not want the public to see the footage before the families of the victims have seen it — if it is ever seen again at all. We were only allowed notepads and pens.

Throughout the screening, there were gasps, and cries in the audience. I heard some journalists whisper: “Make it stop.”

Two things.

First, the footage is horrific.  I’ve seen snippets.

Second, the cries of Allahu Akhbar.  Screamed all the time.

Allahu Akbar is Why Muslims Kill – Daniel Greenfield / Sultan Knish articles

 

 

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

Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act reads: “Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races [colors, and national origins] contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes or results in racial [color or national origin] discrimination.”

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

Yet, around the country, there are protests on campus, and racism is on the rise. Any single member of Congress who is surprised at this is fickle. It is well documented that both the Women’s March and Black Lives Matter are anti-semitic. It is well documented that George Soros, the largest Donor to our current president, stated that Israel and the US had to “Open the door to Hamas.” George Soros’ Open Societies can be found tied to The Women’s March, Black Lives Matter, and other “movements” started on campuses across the nation in the last decade and a half since the introduction of the unregulated Title IX federal directive “Dear Colleague.”

It is time to examine UNH’s role in all of this, funded by the Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women, to create realistic propaganda that would sell to students under the guise of caring about sexual assault on campus. It was a lie. In fact, it was to support the advancement of women in politics using funds from the Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women. Susan Carbon from Governor John Lynch’s Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault was appointed to oversee $400 million in spending from the department.

“Activists” were recruited. “Ambassadors” were created. They were all given the same script. First, it was about rape on campus (using false statistics), profiling what they wanted rapists to look like — “good family, good grades, athletes” or black males, poor white males, Afghan refugees, scholarship students, and Christians.

Congresswoman Ann Kuster penned the introduction to “I Have the Right To” by recruited activist Chessy Prout and Boston Globe “investigative reporter” Jenn Abelson. The book equates Owen Labrie (scholarship student) of St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Concord to an “Al-Qaeda terrorist” and “Donald Trump”. His Christian faith was mocked, and the school was mocked. The book and the articles promoting it were political propaganda that was endorsed by a member of Congress who used the narrative for her own political aggrandizement. Chessy Prout was her useful tool. There were financial rewards, and Government contracts all tied to this. The Prout family started a non-profit that measures its success by the engagement numbers to its #IhavetheRightTo. NBC Today Show promoted it in August 2016. So did Congresswoman Ann Kuster and the NHCADSV.

AG John Formella has joined other AGs to sue Facebook/Meta over its harm to children.

He should add to his lawsuit Congresswoman Ann Kuster and the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence since they were fully aware of how they were using Facebook to scaremonger teenagers and feed them # fodder to enlist activists and supporters of what they knew, was a fake narrative.

Brooke Ruffle, daughter of Merrimack County Prosecutor (now clerk) Catherine Ruffle, posted a photo on Facebook of Owen Labrie, demanding that her mother “go kick some rapist butt today, Mom”. Demands for Owen Labrie to rot in jail, to die, to be stoned ensued. Police in New Hampshire elected representatives supported all of this. He was put in solitary confinement for his own safety directly as a result of the witch hunt media that mocked him for his Christian faith. That media was given talking points by Amanda Grady Sexton of NHCADSV & Laura L Dunn of SurvJustice tied to the White House “Not Alone” task force, the DoJ Office of Violence Against Women, as well as the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. They were controlling the narrative. They were using it to incite violence knowingly. There is no getting around it for them because they left a very clear paper trail.

UNH was the “Strategic Partner” for the White House, using the trial to promote its “Bystander” and “Know Your Power” training. This is now being marketed under Soteria Solutions, which bears the same logo as Soteria Mutual Holdings — dealing in Binance, which is tied to CCP and, apparently, the financing of terrorism in the Middle East.

“Obama and the Power of Social Media” was the name of a research paper published by Stanford in 2009. Google came out of Stanford, and Google had over 400 meetings with the Obama administration. Google had no problem censoring articles and media for the White House, but they never censored PornHub, which always made its way to the first page of any kind of search on child statistics regarding sexploitation. In other words, the Obama administration’s fickle care about sex abuse in schools and on campus was precisely that: fickle. Cornell University and JP Morgan were early investors of PornHub. Clickbait for sex & rape = money = business growth = lobby money. That is what it is all about.

In March 2020, Tara Reade accused Joe Biden of digital penetration. Her story was discredited and ignored where others had been given full credence regardless of their credibility. The trophy wives (including Congresswoman Ann Kuster), who wore white to the State of the Union in support of sexual assault survivors, all went quiet. That’s because they all knew that they were engaged in a false narrative that was all about using such a narrative to raise money for their election campaigns under the guise of social justice via grants to NGOs and the Department of Justice OVW.

Times Up, which had supported the complainants in their class action lawsuit against Dartmouth College, yielding $14 million, of which the NHCADSV got a chunk worth millions, wouldn’t take Tara Reade’s case. All she wanted was due process. Supporters of Dartmouth hunger striker Maha Hasan Alshawi demanded due process, too, for her claims of sexual abuse by professors at Dartmouth. But that was denied. A preponderance of evidence investigation by a law firm with connections to the interests of the Dartmouth institution found nothing. Was she the wrong color, the wrong religion, or the wrong socio-economic class to get attention from the NHCADSV crowd?

Stanford Law Professor Michele Dauber (an activist feminist and fundraiser for the Silicon Valley Democratic Committee) used Twitter to say that #MeToo was over and that she called it in March/April 2020. She had previously stated that the Emily Doe Victim Impact Statement, which Congresswoman Ann Kuster and others on Capitol Hill had read in 2016, was the “#MeToo Manifesto”. It transpires that it looks like she wrote the Emily Doe statement herself and then gave it to the filmmakers of the propaganda documentary “The Hunting Ground” to spread to news media before it was read at sentencing by the real Emily Doe — Chanel Miller. What Professor Michele Dauber was really doing was using what she knew to be a fake narrative to muster public outrage to raise money under a false premise to use for the 2018 midterm elections. It was about algorithms. The more incendiary and sensationalist the messaging, the more social media engagement — just like the Facebook Whistleblower said on CBS a couple of years ago.

Michele Dauber’s husband, Ken Dauber, is an early-hire Google engineer. He co-authored a paper on AI & crowd behavior in 2007. He was hired by US Ed OCR between 2009 and 2012 as a “consultant.” Quite what he was doing nobody knows except that the likelihood is that he was working with the department to help them lure in 17–25-year-olds with messaging, algorithms, and propaganda and figuring out how to manipulate the useful idiots on campus for the Democratic party.

The 2012 elections were about data mining of students and others. Google’s Eric Schmidt founded Civis Analytics, which was hired by Mind The Gap, founded by Sam Bankman-Fried’s mom, Barbara Fried, another Stanford Law Professor and feminist activist. With her on the venture was Graham Gottlieb of US Aid and Obama’s campaign staffer. They allegedly advised FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried on where to put money for elections. Straw Donations were made to elected representatives, including New Hampshire democratic leaders. According to testimony from the SBF trial, the recipients knew that Sam Bankman-Fried was behind the straw donations. There has been silence from the NH Democratic Party on this. Sam Bankman-Fried and his cohorts knew that the social justice causes they were contributing was just “woke shit.” They didn’t really believe in them, which means neither did his parents, Stanford Law School co-conspirators, or Mind The Gap co-conspirators.

BLM was founded in 2013, but it lay pretty much dormant until 2020. Once Michele Dauber called #MeToo over, the Democratic party needed a new message. Joe Biden then made the mistake of telling a black reporter, “You ain’t black,” unless he voted for Biden. He was in crisis over PR.

So the George Floyd incident was latched on to, and BLM was activated. Anita Dunn, Joe Biden’s PR person, stepped in and SKDK represented BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors just as they also represented Christin Blasey-Ford (Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser). Billions poured into BLM. It raised $10.6 billion for Biden. Obama had praised BLM Chicago for its organizational skills in 2016. They knew the power it had to change things for the DNC presidential nominee, Joe Biden.

BLM Chicago was one of the first organizations to speak out after the massacre of innocent families in Israel by Hamas. It posted an image on X/Twitter in support of Palestine without acknowledging the terrorism that had just taken place. The image it chose? A hang glider with a terrorist parachuting in.

The Obama administration recruited activists for “movements” using fake and divisive messages. They worked with social media influencers and big tech to manipulate students on campus in order to influence generations to come (Lyn Rosenthal stated at Dartmouth College in July 2014 that the reason the Obama administration focused on campuses was precisely to influence future generations).

The MeToo and Campus Rape Survivor activists all pivoted to BLM like clockwork. Chessy Prout and her father, Alexander Prout among them. Using their “ambassador” status to influence to make demands of St Paul’s School in the name of BLM, an anti-semitic venture that has not helped black lives but has merely been used as a front for massive corruption.

The Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women, Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, the White House “Not Alone” task force, Google, Stanford Law School (home of the Bankman-Frieds), University of New Hampshire Prevention Innovation Research Center and the NHCADSV have ALOT to answer for.

Start demanding answers from these now to prevent further intimidation and threats to students on campus in the name of social justice.

| Claire Best

The post Useful Idiots — New Hampshire, UNH, Stanford, Yale and the Rise of ‘Racism’ appeared first on Granite Grok.

The headline is a question and a direct quote from another great essay at WUWT by Eric Worrall. He’s fisking some of the latest fearmongering by so-called experts pimping the 1.5C fantasy. We’ll all die, they say. No, actually we won’t.

 

[The] Last time the world was really hot, The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, 5-8C hotter than today, the species which did really well was monkeys. Our monkey ancestors colonised much of Eurasia and North America, feasting on the abundance which the PETM warmth delivered. The monkeys passed through the warm temperate forests of Greenland on their journey. Our monkey ancestors only retreated when the warm age ended, because they were driven out of their new homes by the encroaching cold.

 

Food security is a hot topic for warmists. When they are not applauding countries or billionaires that hate us buying up farmland, they are going on about how that mythical 1.5C will be the end of our food supply—warming catalyzed by … plant food.  CO2 has greened the earth in recent decades, expanding arable land and food production. However, they are still at it, and Worrell’s question will go unanswered unless one of the breathless scolds can manage to shout denier at him.

As for the food supply, the biggest threat to that is the Climate Cult and their ruling class globalist advocates.

It’s not the temperature we need to reduce – that’ll happen on its own – it’s the prevalence of climate douchebags and their war on farming and ranching.

 

The post How Could Our Monkey Ancestors Have Colonized Much of the World During the Hothouse of the PETM, if All That Global Warming Damaged Their Food Supply? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Mr. Biden is a braggart and a coward.  He brags about negotiating a ceasefire in the war in the Middle East.  He did no such thing.  Nobody talked seriously with him.  He says it only took him 11 days to stop the fighting between Israel and Hamas.  That they stopped fighting does not imply it was the result of his efforts.

Then Mr. Biden promised you, the taxpayers of the United States, would rebuild Gaza.  Why?  Are there not enough targets there now?  Why should we put pallets of US money out as future targets?  Such an unsolicited promise is both unnecessary and counterproductive.

What his braggadocio has done is to allow Hamas to restock.  They are preparing to relaunch their next attacks on Israel.  The arrogance and ignorance Mr. Biden displays in his remarks show why the Middle East is on fire.

He is too stupid to even name the enemy.  How can you deal with an enemy successfully when you cannot name them as a minimum starting point?  The man has demonstrated no grasp of the situation, the players, or their relationships.

Now Mr. Biden is tacking left.  He has created a condition for discussions on a Gaza ceasefire.  He said ceasefire talks would only be considered after Hamas released all the hostages taken on October 7th.  So it’s okay if they take more hostages now?  This is stupid.  We have played Iran’s game before.

The Biden statement is a direct contradiction of Israel’s objective of eliminating Hamas.  It is submission to Islam.  The October 7th strike by Hamas resulted in the loss of more than 1,400 lives, leftover 4,000 wounded, and saw over 200 individuals taken hostage.  Hamas’ intention was intimidation through savagery and barbarity.

Mr. Biden’s position statement raises questions about America’s alignment with Israel.  Biden initially offered support for Israel’s right, its duty to defend itself.  Recent developments show the President’s rhetoric is designed to restrain Israel.  He appears to be defending Hamas from Israeli military action.

Israeli media suggests Mr. Biden’s unwavering rhetorical support for Israel is meant to deter it from pursuing practical military measures. The perception is the man is ‘hugging’ Israel with supportive words, potentially undermining its ability to safeguard its national security.  This would be a pro-Islam tactic.

Maybe Mr. Biden’s latest utterance is part of a diplomatic strategy.  Maybe he is encouraging the release of hostages.  But it certainly raises concerns.  There are many arguing; a ceasefire under these conditions allows Hamas to consolidate a victory.

It allows reinstatement of the prior status quo.  There is no cost for their attack.  Does it seem likely Israel will accept such a proposal? Would you if you were in their place?

The situation is volatile.  The path forward is far from certain. There can be no resolution short of genocide.  Hamas makes that very clear.  They have said they love death more than Israel loves life.

The release of the hostages is a dream.  There will be talks at some point.  What they will be about remains as uncertain as who they will be with.  What we are certain of is Mr. Biden is a corrupt, self-dealing coward and a braggart.  America trusts him, we elected him.  Do you seriously think the rest of the world does?

 

The post A Coward and a Braggart Leads America appeared first on Granite Grok.

Hamas may not have done the Palestinians any favors, not that they care, but they’ve done a different sort of damage across the Big Water in America. No lives have been lost on US college campuses over it, but the Woke universities and their hate-Israel agenda are costing them a small fortune as longtime donors take a walk.

Wealthy alumni of elite schools continue to say no more. Today’s rendition is Hedge fund billionaire Leon Cooperman, who has donated somewhere around 50 million to Columbia University over the years.

He’s not happy.

 

JUST IN: Hedge fund billionaire Leon Cooperman thinks college students have “s**t for brains” and is done donating to Columbia University after the school failed to fire a professor who called the Hamas attacks “awesome”

Cooperman, who graduated from Columbia, has donated a… pic.twitter.com/GiDf2P3TD9

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 26, 2023

 

The post Billionaire Says Columbia Students have Sh!t for Brains – No More Donations from Him! appeared first on Granite Grok.

The chairman of Toyota Motor Company is having an “I told you so” moment.  Mr. Akio Toyoda was gloating Wednesday, October 25,  in Japan at an automakers conference.  About a year ago, Mr. Toyoda warned the world’s governments and auto companies were rushing into the adoption of Electric Vehicles when doing so just wasn’t smart, and he explained why.

Poor countries around the world don’t have reliable electricity to charge those EVs, nor charging stations to deliver the electricity, even if it existed.  The world does not have enough production capacity for minerals like lithium, cobalt, or nickel to build all the required batteries. EVs were much too expensive for many markets. Poor countries, working-class people, and people in rural areas cannot afford EVs.

He explained that if the world were serious about climate change or reducing car emissions, we’d adopt hybrids instead. Hybrids are cars with both gas and electric engines.  One of the things that he loved to say was that Toyota could make eight hybrids with the minerals required for one Electric Car.

Mr. Toyoda was roundly criticized for saying these things. Media outlets and environmental groups blasted him, saying neither he nor Toyota were sufficiently committed to stopping climate change. The Sierra Club and Greenpeace ranked the Japanese automaker at the bottom of the latter’s decarbonization ranking for years, actually.

But Mr. Toyoda is not wrong in his assessment. Yesterday, he was asked: Why are the car lots of dealerships in the US filling up with EVs?  Car buyers increasingly don’t want them.  Mr. Toyoda said, “People [in the auto industry] are finally seeing reality.”

GM last week said they were canceling plans to launch an EV truck production line.  Ford is considering canceling plans for their F-150 Lightning pickup. Honda is ending its partnership with GM to build EVs.

It’s not that no one is buying EVs; some are. It’s just that demand is slowing. And that’s in no small part because of what Mr. Toyoda outlined. They are very expensive, there are too few charging stations, and buyers have range anxiety.

Something he didn’t mention is that buying an EV in the US has become an expression of politics. Mostly, you’re a Democrat. We know that because of a study out this week from UC Berkeley. Their examination of car registrations nationwide confirms EV ownership is concentrated in cities run by Democrats. More specifically, those districts that are most heavily Democratic.

Or, as Ford’s CEO recently put it, “[Electric Vehicles] have become a political football.”  For what it’s worth, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk attributes part of the flatling in sales to increased interest rates. With new EVs running more than $50K on average, financing becomes more expensive with a $50K car and average rates of about 6.5% for prime borrowers.

Mr. Toyoda said that Americans, like many around the world, are better suited for hybrid cars. Given our wide open spaces and lack of charging stations, hybrids make more sense.  Ford Motor Company reported three weeks ago that sales of hybrids last quarter were up 41%; they’re up 48% industry-wide.

The market is a wonderful thing… when it’s allowed to speak.  Politicians with an agenda are usually dangerous.  You deny what the market tells you at your own risk.

 

The post Mr. Toyoda’s “I Told You So” appeared first on Granite Grok.

Tuesday was declared a National Walk Out Day on behalf of Hamas and against Israel. The list of spontaneous protests on college campuses since the war between Israel and Hamas is long, and the schools are in virtually every state. It is evident by the organization of these marches they have been backed and supported by some heavyweight antisemitic individuals like George Soros.

The number and quality of the signage, along with the logistics involved in bringing students and speakers together, took deep pockets. Soros hates this country enough to have no problem instigating the student base or having his Squad Members of the House rile the nation’s Capital. With polls showing support for Israel at 86%, these protests and ill-conceived comments from the Squad set these people apart from the mainstream thinking of the country.`

I draw a correlation between January 6 and the rhetoric that has dominated the news cycle since the Hamas bomb failed and exploded in a Gaza hospital parking lot. Biden and his Justice Department stomped on the First Amendment. There were attempts to censor Trump and his followers. Social Media highlighted the Left’s stance and stifled any detractors. We are now seeing a similar phenomenon. The pro-Israeli sentiment is shouted down or deleted from feeds. The Squad and UN Secretary-General are very vocal and doubling or tripling down on their Pro-Palestine/Anti-Israel talking points. They know most of the information they are spewing is false, but they are sticking with their misinformation campaign. Their activity fuels these protests and demonstrations that are almost daily events at our more liberal colleges.

Big-money benefactors and companies are taking note of the students and their schools. Job offers to people protesting have been rescinded, and donors tell schools they will not receive future donations. These people and institutions are feeling a pain they never imagined. Liberal hate speech has always been tolerated on campuses and in public, but there is a changing tide. Woke may have run its course, and maturity and responsibility may be on the rise. Many of us welcome this changing tide that is far overdue.

Even with new ramifications, the rhetoric is not slowing. The problem is when confronted, those protesting cannot explain their concerns. They cannot ascertain the severity of the barbaric acts of rape, beheading, and burning alive. They contend that Israel is the provocateur and Hamas was retaliating. What could be the initial act for which these reactions are justified? What could I do to you that a just response would be beheading my children?

Higher education has failed America. They deserve every critique bestowed upon them. They have taken advantage of lax government student loan lending policies by increasing tuition far beyond the inflation rate. Unfortunately, the level of academia they offer has not kept up with their cost to students. They are no longer preparing students to be vital contributors to society or leaders for our country. They must change and be overhauled or pay the price for failing to supply a valuable service. There is plenty of blame to pass around, but I reiterate that it is a small minority of America that has lost its senses. Most of us can recognize wrong, and in this case, evil. Rather than condemn these people who have drifted off track, let’s unite and pull them back. We have much to do to make America great again, and we will need everyone to do their part.

 

The post Indoctrination, Ignorance, or Stupidity appeared first on Granite Grok.

Carbon sequestration is now common climate change parlance for processes that remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it either in organic matter or geological formations. But is it really as good as it sounds? The first method, also called rewilding, involves growing trees. The second, geological sequestration, involves a massive industry, pipelines, and the pumping of millions of tons of pressurized liquid carbon dioxide under the ground for long-term storage. Critics caution that profits are being favored over potential risks to the environment and human health from these technologies.

Geological carbon storage collects industrial carbon dioxide from petroleum, fertilizer, steel, and other industrial facilities and compresses it into a 90% CO2 liquid. Then that’s pumped into subsurface formations including coal seams, porous rock, aquifers, or depleted oil and gas reservoirs. Companies are awarded tax credits for this. Credits are highest for CO2 captured and stored permanently, and a lower credit is available for liquid carbon that is used in enhanced oil recovery, which is when the pressurized carbon is pumped back into oil wells to increase production in reservoirs that are depleted or hard to access.

Critics argue this practice is insufficiently studied and that it may cause earthquakes or other unintended geological events. Other concerns include proper monitoring, non-CO2 contaminants that may taint groundwaters, aquifer pollution, and the potential for escape. Advocates claim the oil and gas industry is well acquainted with the technological challenges and can be trusted to regulate this new process.

Carbon Meets the Tax Code

Examining the US Tax Code offers some above-ground clues about what is going on down below: Tax credits for carbon capture are big business. The existing credit system was substantially expanded by the Biden Administration under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), ensuring this lucrative industry will thrive.

IRS regulations concerning carbon storage (45Q) credits reveal several problems. How can the government ensure that liquified carbon will not seep back into the air? How will it measure that process if it occurs? And what happens to the huge 45Q tax credits paid out in the event a company’s carbon is “un”-captured and released back into the atmosphere?

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The answers to these questions are revealed in the US Tax Code, which requires companies to repay 45Q tax credits if/when “sequestered” carbon un-sequesters itself and escapes. IRS Bulletin 2021-16 §1.45Q-5(a) states “a recapture event occurs when qualified carbon oxide for which a section 45Q credit has been previously claimed ceases to be disposed of in secure geological storage….” That phrase “ceases to be disposed of” translates into “leaked” and is only recognized if the amount leaked exceeds the amount allegedly stored. IRS Bulletin §1.45Q-3(b) defines this:

“Ceases to be disposed of in secure geological storage or used as a tertiary injectant. Qualified carbon oxide for which a section 45Q credit has been previously claimed ceases to be disposed of in secure geological storage (as described in §1.45Q-3(b)), or used as a tertiary injectant, if the leaked amount of qualified carbon oxide in the taxable year exceeds the amount of qualified carbon oxide securely stored in that same taxable year.”

Clearly, the IRS anticipates leakage from sequestration sites. It has a specific recapture provision to claw back tax credits when this happens, but the “lookback” period (§1.45Q-5(f)) is only three years! This means that if companies lose the carbon dioxide they were paid to sequester because it leaks back into the sky, they never have to repay more than the previous three years’ 45Q credits!

Hazardous Scheme

There are numerous moral hazards percolating through this 45Q scheme. Three years after closing a site, what incentive do companies have to keep the carbon sequestered or monitored? What is to prevent companies from discharging toxic waste as effluent?

If carbon dioxide does spill back into the environment, §1.45Q-5 (c) details how the release is to be measured: “…the quantity determined pursuant to CSA/ANSI ISO 27916:2019 must be certified by a qualified independent engineer or geologist” in accordance with “sound engineering principles.” How on Earth can the amount of carbon dioxide seeping up from underground aquifers possibly be accurately measured? And what if leakage impacts vital water supplies, where carbon dioxide can cause the release of toxic minerals?

In the name of saving the planet, many technological ventures are being launched that guarantee massive profits without ensuring results. Underground carbon dioxide sequestration is praised as a necessary cure-all, but it drains the nation’s coffers while potentially contaminating aquifers – and all with no guarantee of effectiveness. This is not good fiscal or environmental stewardship.

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

The post Problems with Underground Carbon Storage – Capturing CO2 or Corporate Profits? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Imagine, if you will, a world where having a conversation in public could get yo arrested becasue someone who overheard it was offended. That day is today, as many of you know, and if you happen to be on a city train in Calgary, getting handcuffed and not being told what it was you said is a reality.

 

The two men were riding the mostly empty train on their way to participate in the September 20 Million Person March to defend children from LGBT propaganda in schools. According to TDF, it seems that another passenger overhead their conversation and reported it.  

The two men were detained by enforcement officers upon exiting the train. Police handcuffed one of the men while they attempted to confirm his identity. Both men were then ticketed and summoned to court in late November 2023 before being released. 

 

I’m not sure what I find more dangerous, that it happens or that a majority of a major political party in America applauds the notion. How blinkered do you have to be to give that sort of subjective authority to anyone, let alone the government?  It will be abused. There will be mission creep. And it will come for you, so make sure someone takes a picture of your surprised face when they do. ANs make certain to say things like, “What are you doing,’ and “Don’t you know who I am.” “I voted for this, you’ll say,” as they press you into a police vehicle and run you off for interrogation.

Ye who thought the federal government should have an office of disinformation. Who opposed bodily autonomy on the matters of mask-wearing and vaccination. Grinning broadly every time someone mentioned how J6 protesters were incarcerated without due process.

Those who assumed that your side would always be wielding the hammer and that they’d never use it against you.

Perhaps you should have spent less time promoting the grooming “literature” an more time on ensuring everyone had a proper grasp of history.

So call us names, but we can at least say we saw it coming.

Ad as of this writing, the two men arrested in Calgary still have no idea what they said.

 

The post Men Arrested for Having A Conversation Someone Else Didn’t Like appeared first on Granite Grok.

Did you know that the Biden-Regime has allowed four times as many ILLEGALS into the United States than the population of New Hampshire? And, needless to say, any or all of them could vote in New Hampshire where all one needs to do to be a “legitimate” voter is fill out an affidavit and then disappear. And the best part for the Democrats is that any children born to these ILLEGALS is automatically an American citizen. So in 20 years, assuming one child per illegal that’s EIGHT MILLION new Democrat votes … which means ONE PARTY RULE. But remember … Putin and Iran are the “real” threats to our “democracy.”

The number of illegal aliens crossing into the United States since Biden took office now tops the individual populations of more than 38 states pic.twitter.com/UnNsFFu0WT

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) October 25, 2023

The post The Biden-Regime Has Negated Your Vote At Least FOUR TIMES Over appeared first on Granite Grok.

Democrats always tell you who they fear. They can’t help it. It is likely why Donald Trump is so damn popular. The American Political left has been on a jihad against him and, much like the Mullahs in Iran, would burn the whole world to save it. So, to hear them talk about Mike Johnson, he’s probably good for America.

Margaret Sullivan, who writes for UK Guardian USA, doesn’t care for him at all, which – as noted above – is a ringing endorsement for better days, or at least not quite as increasingly worse. Johnson has a slim majority, won’t be able to get anything through the Democrat Senate, and may only be in the role becasue the RINOs and Dems plan to use his conservative agenda against Republicans in the 2024 elections.

As for scribe Sullivan,

 

It’s Mike Johnson of Louisiana who, as one example of his profound insuitability, brags that he doesn’t believe that human beings cause climate change, though his home state has been ravaged by it. He is against abortion, voted against aid to Ukraine and stridently opposes LGBTQ+ rights.

 

Translated, he sees climate fraud for what it is, thinks killing babies is murder, doesn’t like laundering money to elites through Ukraine, and won’t support extra-constitutional rights for alleged victim class groups.

Sullivan also spends too much time pandering to the left’s narratives about electing a speaker. She uses words like chaos, arrogance, and appalling. She’s concerned that Johnson will overturn the election results in 2024. It’s like a buffet of leftwing bullish!t and an amusing read if you can stand it. But there are more holes in it than the average leftwing excuse for Biden family corruption.

The current US House is a very progressive institution. There are enough Democrats and RINOs to prevent anything remotely like liberty from happening in America anytime soon. By which, I mean Congress rolling something back or getting out of the way.

Johnson can make a difference. While he can’t get the squishy GOP middle to agree on anything they’d like to make the Senate kill for the optics, he can insist that the budget process be followed properly – something we’ve not seen this century if I recall. And if he does it right, a straight up or down vote on clean appropriations bills by department, it will be difficult for Democrats to do anything but look bad when they piss and moan about them not being pork-filled omnibus beasts.

Any funding locked up by this caterwauling can be laid at the Democrat’s feet and no other. If done correctly.

Johnson could also insist on a little more red meat from the various investigations underway and use the power of Congress and the US House to strongarm Biden’s bureaucrats into following the law or seeing their funding held hostage. If he does it right, the progressives will need to defend things most Americans don’t like or regulations that make their lives more difficult.

I’m not expecting that. I know better. But card-carrying Libs pretending to be journalists are unhappy about Mike Johnson, so he must be better than the others and the best choice we could make.

If you need more evidence, check this out.

 

MSNBC, which spent 3 years denying the 2016 election, is losing their minds that @RepMikeJohnson similarly expressed doubts about the 2020 election pic.twitter.com/bupPsPETeA

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 25, 2023

 

The post A Progressive Stooge Tells You Why Speaker Mike Johnson Might Be the Best Speaker of the House Ever appeared first on Granite Grok.

With the filing of California’s latest lawsuit against American energy producers, the ill-advised and foreign-funded national climate litigation campaign is ramping back up again.

But a curious trend is evident: the “big green” agenda isn’t just spreading its tentacles in coastal, heavily Democratic states like California or New Jersey as we’ve come to expect, but it’s creeping into states more traditionally considered to be oil and gas country.

One such region is the Appalachian Basin, where energy serves as the backbone of its manufacturing economy and labor force, which has deep roots in fossil fuels yet has managed to deliver substantial emissions reductions. But these states do this through innovation and industry cooperation, not through foolish and frivolous litigation. In contrast to this successful approach, the litigation campaign that has waged war on energy producers for over a decade is now coming into oil and gas country to sue this key driver of the regional economy out of business. And with it, the thousands of jobs and billions to state economies that the industry provides.

These moves are especially evident in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The anti-energy activist group the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) recently published “climate costs” reports to fuel what they hope will look like a grassroots movement in support of litigation and are openly courting public officials that may be sympathetic to their cause. But a quick lift of the veil shows it’s not “grassroots” at all. (RELATED: STEPHEN MOORE: If Biden Really Wants To Help Israel, He Must Stop The War On American Energy)

It’s a well-documented pattern that CCI pushes for friendly plaintiffs across the country to sue American energy producers in an attempt to accomplish their ultimate goal of shutting down and eliminating the oil and gas industry.

CCI’s pitch has been rejected in coastal, blue states like Maryland, New Hampshire and Maine, while the campaign’s marquee case in New York was handed an embarrassing defeat. Do we really think this bodes well for Appalachia, where lawsuits from keep-it-in-the-ground activists threaten the very lifeblood of the state and economy? Not likely.

Moreover, the group is funded by billionaires like Leonardo DiCaprio and the Rockefeller family, and even foreign billionaires like British hedge fund executive Chris Hohn.

RealClear Investigations reports that the U.K’s Hohn is propping up the litigious effort by way of his “Children’s Investment Fund Foundation” which directs millions of dollars to CCI, raising serious questions as to how foreign agents are extending their influence and sidestepping U.S. lobbying laws via their fat wallets. It seems likely most in Appalachia would look askance at billionaires that advocate for shutting down a vital industry while they sit comfortably on their ivory perches or private jets (that, needless to say, rely on that very fuel).

The groundwork for future litigation in Pennsylvania and Ohio also comes with an eye toward election season – something that former President Donald Trump has keenly taken notice of. In his recently released energy plan, Trump vowed to take on the “wave of frivolous litigation” from environmental extremists that holds up energy development and raises costs for consumers.

Remember that it was just last summer when gas prices reached record highs across the country. Today, we’re seeing oil prices inch higher and higher again thanks to backwards energy policies from the Biden administration as he follows through on his campaign promise of “no new drilling,” launches a regulatory onslaught against producers, and shows a mind-bending willingness to put Venezuelan oil production over our own. (RELATED: DAVID BLACKMON: No, ExxonMobil’s Deal With Pioneer Is Not A ‘Threat To Democracy’)

Appalachian voters in the crucial electoral states of Pennsylvania and Ohio – where jobs and the economy reign supreme – will not take kindly to higher fuel, utility, and consumer prices as they head into the ballot box, in addition to lawsuits that destroy their livelihood.

Of course, what the litigation-hungry conveniently forgets is what happens next after they follow through with their promise to gut and sue the life out of the energy industry. Our world requires and demands oil and gas. In fact, the global economy used more oil, coal, and natural gas than ever during 2022 and is very likely to exceed those levels in 2023.

It would take decades to build out a new system that is both reliable and sustainable, and, in the meantime, absurd lawsuits against energy companies that produce the resources our entire global system relies on are not only wildly hypocritical, but would raise prices, cut jobs, and dramatically weaken the economy.

Good luck with that message.

 

David Blackmon is an energy writer and consultant based in Texas. He spent 40 years in the oil and gas business, where he specialized in public policy and communications.

David Blackmon | Daily Caller News Service

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline, and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

The post Climate Wokesters Find A New Way To Destroy Middle America appeared first on Granite Grok.

To all those who are sending in memes, thank you!  Keep them coming please, as it helps me gather weaponry to fight the Left.  Please do share this post, and if you share an individual meme, consider mentioning you saw it on the Grok!

Speaking of, from this week, Monday Edition and Wednesday Edition.  Also check out my first Israel-focused meme & commentary post.

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously I do not condone this.  But absent the details of this particular case, I can still say that I have heard extraordinarily harsh divorce decrees against – especially – men.  Spousal abuse and child abuse charges are often filed as routine elements of a custody battle and it’s very hard to prove a negative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My kids’ pediatrician tried to push this on my daughter perhaps a year ago.  I said no.  It’s ironic.  Five years earlier I’d have had absolute faith in the medical system in general, and vaccines specifically.  Now… I verify and even then I don’t have trust.

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone with three brain cells that talk with each other knows how.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Barbarians Who Sacked Rome Came Into the Empire as Refugees | Gates of Vienna

 

 

 

 

So now Bill Gates-of-Hell’s “Apeel” coating has been approved.  And not just approved for regular stuff.  Approved for organic foods.

Uproar Over ‘Apeel’ Food Coating Sheds Light on Big Ag’s Capture of Organic Food Agencies • Children’s Health Defense (childrenshealthdefense.org)

Organipeel’s ingredient list is 99.34% “other ingredients,” which are not made public.

So, if the peel is the place with most nutrition, and people take the peels off to avoid “Apeel”, what’s that do to an apple’s nutrition?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I remember the BBC program – seen on youtube (been pulled) – where these graphs were shown.  That whole program was utterly damning for the Warmist cult.  Which, doubtless, is why it got pulled.  There was another chart that – somehow – looked at temperature vs. cosmic ray impacts over a really long period of time.  Also incredibly revealing and damning for the Warmists.

 

 

 

 

 

Ruled a suicide no doubt.

 

 

 

 

As far as I am aware, state counting is supposed to be independent; it’s at the state control level.  For multiple states to stop at almost exactly the same time reveals outside control.

 

 

 

 

 

Buy my mug!

 

 

Help Global Greening – More CO2 Please Coffee Mug | Zazzle

 

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

 

Pick of the Post:

 

 

Laugh, yes.  Now, look at the date on this renewed call for gun control.

 

 

Convenient and coincidental timing, no?

I’ve often laughed at the idea of mass shootings being “preprogrammed people”… but how many times now have big mass shootings preceded big gun control pushes?  Once is incidence, twice is coincidence, three times is an enemy action.  So how many are we up to now?

Though ONE source on Telegram says that it was actually two olive-skinned men and that Card is the fall guy.  For now, taking it with a grain of salt.  In general, though… better than even odds they don’t take him alive.  Dead men spill no secrets.

 

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

 

Palate Cleansers:

 

—

 

Double plus unkosher… but damn that looks good.

—

 

Took me a moment.

 

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

 

And don’t forget… come back Monday for another edition.  Same Meme Time.  Same Meme channel.

 

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

 

The post Friday Meme Overflow-Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.

Back in August, we published our first report on the Saunders Institute for Money Laundering. The so-called non-profit had been the beneficiary of campaign cash leftovers from the Sanders for Public Office slush fund. At the time, he’d transferred 200,000.00 dollars, but according to the FEC, he wasn’t done.

 

Fox News Digital reported that the outlet found that the twice-failed Democratic Party presidential candidate transferred $75,000 from his campaign’s coffers to the Sanders Institute, a left-wing think tank that was founded by spouse Jane O’Meara Sanders and David Driscoll, the senator’s stepson, after his failed 2016 campaign.

The money went to the group on August 8, according to its recently released FEC filings. The cash infusion follows $200,000 that Comrade Bernie’s committee sent to the Sanders Institute earlier this year, the outlet reported, adding that “the group has appeared to perform very little work while paying Driscoll six figures worth of compensation.”

 

That’s 275,000 Bernie Bucks, and for what? As we noted in August, nothing.

 

Stepson David Driscoll runs the organization, which paid him $152,653 in salary and other compensation in 2021. To do what? Fox News could not find anything remotely linked to the organization’s purpose. They report a website with lots of words and promises but not much else.

 

It pretends to be a news portal, and the web design wasn’t cheap, but the primary purpose appears to be to give the stepson a title, and he and Bernie’s wife make work jobs paid for by his campaign donors. And perhaps they don’t mind. Everything about the Democrat party is a redistribution of wealth from people who earned it to those who do nothing. And you never know. Maybe one day, the aging Vermonter will be president, and he can use the foundation to launder foreign influence peddling like the Clintons and Bidens.

They got filthy rich selling access, so why not the Sanders clan?

Until then,

 

According to the Sanders Institute’s website: “A vital democracy requires an informed electorate, civil discourse and bold ideas. The mission of The Sanders Institute is to revitalize democracy by actively engaging individuals, organizations and the media in the pursuit of progressive solutions …”

 

Like letting criminals roam free, open borders, bad energy policies, grooming children, killing babies, uncontrollable spending, rising crime and chaos, funding our enemies, and lifestyle-crushing inflation.

 

The post Bernie Sanders is Still Laundering Campaign Cash to Family Members appeared first on Granite Grok.

Is there no limit to the STUPIDITY of the Establishment GOP? Ronna ROMNEY McDaniel’s RNC’s choice to moderate the next GOP Presidential debate — NBC! Why? WHY subject the candidates and the voters to questions that GOP voters DO NOT CARE ABOUT and, worse, are just designed to help Joe Biden:

Governor DeSantis, what do you say to the climate-deniers in your own Party?

Ambassador Haley, do you regret not speaking out more forcefully against the extremists in your own Party?

Governor Christie, how concerned are you that members of your own Party still believe, without any evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen?

Etc., etc. etc.. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID.

The post STUPID, STUPID, STUPID … “Moderators” For Next GOP Presidential Debate — NBC appeared first on Granite Grok.

So, there’s this thing called Texas Muslim Capitol Day. I’d never heard of it, but the 2023 celebration was its 20th anniversary. According to those upstanding pro-American, Constitution Defending citizens at the Center for American Islamic Relations (CAIR), it is a day for Muslim voices to be heard.

Heard by who? I don’t recall any shortage of Muslim voices. You know what I don’t hear? Moderate Muslims letting the more “activist” variety know they’d like to just live in peace? We could use more of that.

 

Texas Muslim Capitol Day is an opportunity for Texas Muslims from across the state to visit the Capitol to have their voices heard, meet elected officials, and make positive changes. This one-day event will feature a rally outside of the Capitol, meetings with elected officials, a prayer, training, and lunch. TMCD brings hundreds of diverse Muslims from across the state to participate in this program.

Diverse Muslims? Okay. Anyway, I’m not sure what year this came from, but you have to hand it to this woman. She grabs the microphone and proceeds to let everyone know what she thinks about all of this. Total mic drop moment.

And ballsy is an understatement.

 

This Texas woman has more balls than the entire democrat electorate. pic.twitter.com/Gfwd1G06IN

— Dane (@UltraDane) October 24, 2023

 

The post Christian Woman Takes the Microphone and BAM! appeared first on Granite Grok.

We learned that today was Veto Day! The House had on its docket 4 House bills that were vetoed by Governor Sununu. A vetoed bill needed 2/3 of those voting to override the veto. Otherwise, the veto was sustained. Because of the way the question to the House is worded, a “Yes” vote was to override the veto – a “No” vote was to sustain the veto.

All votes were required to be roll-called.

We learned that both the House and the Senate passed a resolution in support of the State of Israel and condemning HAMAS and terrorism.

We learned that a bill requiring grades 6-12 student ID cards to have the phone number of the National Eating Disorders hotline added to the cards (HB35) was vetoed by the Governor. Apparently, that organization is/was having major difficulties and doesn’t have a staffed call line anymore, so the bill did not make any sense to implement. The Governor was asked by many organizations to veto the bill. The House wholeheartedly agreed and sustained his veto with a hearty helping of votes on this plate, voting 350-0 to sustain.

We learned that the most troubling bill for some legislators was the veto of HB142- Relative to the operation of the Burgess Biomass Plant up in Berlin, in the North country. The Governor vetoed it because with regard to ratepayer subsidies for their energy ($200 million since 2014) – and the amount of debt they are asking to have forgiven ($70 million to ratepayers) – the Governor said, “Enough is Enough” in his veto message. He didn’t believe that after five years of waiting for Burgess to get their financial act together that the state should have to bail them out once more, and possibly again next year and the year after that. The problem people saw in the veto of this bill is that it places Burgess in the position of closing down (affecting at least 40 employees). This may greatly affect the economy in that area of the state, including ancillary services that loggers use in the Berlin area when delivering wood to the biomass plant. It also will hurt the timber industry that brings its low-grade wood there to be burned to make electricity. The plant also provides ash to the farming community that uses their ash for fertilizer. That being said, many folks were against this bill simply because they didn’t like the idea of corporate bailouts or subsidies. Heck, even the greenies of the Sierra Club wanted to see this bill vetoed (they hate biomass plants)! One hundred ninety-four voted Yes (to override), and 159 voted No (to Sustain). There were not enough votes to override the veto. Somehow, though, I think the legislature is not done with the Burgess Biomass issue…maybe it will rise like a phoenix from the ashes in 2024.

We learned that the only bill of the day that had the veto overridden was HB 337. This was a bill that would have changed the noticing requirements for the Office of Professional Licensing and Certification (OPLC) and added an attorney position. The Governor vetoed it because the bill created different noticing standards for OPLC from other public bodies with regard to RSA 91-A. The Governor found this to be unreasonable and burdensome for OPLC as well, and that they shouldn’t be held to a different standard than every other public entity. The House did not agree and overrode the Governor’s veto with 251 voting Yes and 104 voting No. The bill had enough votes to override the veto. That being said, when the bill got to the Senate, they sustained the Governor’s veto without much notice.

We learned that HB342 – relative to lead testing in children, was vetoed by the Governor because he considered the bill redundant. He said that lead in blood levels is already tested in kids aged 1 and 2, and the bill created an unnecessary barrier to entry into public school. The Governor doesn’t believe that lead blood level testing has any place in entry forms for schools and daycares. The House agreed with him and sustained the veto 184 (YES) to 171 (No). The bill did not have enough Yes votes for an override.

We learned that two other items passed with House voice votes. Those items had to do with an update to the House rules to change session deadline dates and Legislative Service Request (LSR) deadline dates. With over 1000 bills coming at us next year in the legislature, these accommodations had to be made.

Finally, we learned that the next time the House will convene will be in January, where the House will be cleaning out the leftovers from 2023 as we vote on retained bills that are now being finished up in committees. So until then, have a happy and safe holidays!

 

The post So Kids, What Did We Learn From This Week’s House Session (10/26/23)? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Did someone recently flip a switch? It seems as though Wokeism, the Great Reset, ESG, DEI, and an assortment of other radical left-wing positions have just taken over. It is in the movies, media, sports, finance, retail businesses, and even in the beer industry.

Yet, it is not a uniquely American phenomenon. Wokeism is a part of the international Zeitgeist. For example, this past June, I inadvertently experienced a huge “Pride” parade (reported as having tens of thousands of participants) in Wroclaw, Poland. (Photos not included.) Yet, although the Woke agenda seems to be dominating everything, the mask is slowly being peeled away, and some are starting to recognize the truly authoritarian agenda that had been so carefully hidden.

Wokeism exploded into our lives because it took advantage of two traits of human nature that readily manifest in capitalism. These flaws are our tendency to avoid work and our basic inclination to trust and rely on others. If a person can avoid work, he will. People are not necessarily lazy, but when costs can be avoided, they are. People act on these cost-benefit calculations. Additionally, people are generally trusting. We tend to trust the label of what we are buying. When one goes to the gas station, how do we know that the machine dispensed ten gallons into our car? When we buy a bottle of 500 caplets, do we immediately count them, or do we trust them? Capitalism depends upon a tremendous amount of trust. Each transaction has a certain level of trust built into it.

Wokeism exploits these two traits to our detriment. For example, Wokeism takes advantage of human nature when it comes to deciding who should sit on the board of directors of a large, for-profit company. Suppose that for this company, the board of directors is determined by a simple majority vote of the shareholders. For each share that I own, I get one vote. The likelihood that my couple of votes are going to tip the scales one way or another is remote, and so I have a strong disincentive to actively participate in this election.

In economic terms, the cost of the work of researching the candidates and making myself fully informed tends to outweigh the benefit of voting. Instead, I simply trust that the people running the company want to maximize the company’s profits. In other words, I believe that there are bigger investors and fund managers who want to make as much of a return from their investment as I do. Thus, I trust that these bigger investors’ “greed” aligns with my interests. The result is that I am not fully informed about who the candidates are, and I do not vote my relatively few shares. When I do not vote, I open the door for Woke fund managers to put people on the board of directors who are focused on social agendas—environmental sustainability or social justice goals—and are not focused on maximizing profits.

Today, Wokeism has intimidated and cowed the profit-focused businessman. Through their portrayal in movies, news media, social media, and basically all other fronts, the businessman is castigated as cruel, self-centered, and just plain “greedy.” In contrast, it is the “more enlightened” decision-maker who is lauded and celebrated as the hero. The motivation of the new Woke CEOs (whether they are true believers or simply avoiding a hassle) is not really the point. What matters is that they promote the worldview that a close cooperation between public institutions (government) and private companies is best.

Government employees, C-Suite executives, activists, and sports and media celebrities all encourage and reinforce the push to integrate and cement public/private partnerships. The integration of corporations and the state goes by many names. Some call it State Socialism or Progressivism. Others call it National Socialism or “Socialism with a Human Face.” Once upon a time, it was called Fascism. Regardless of the name, it is a top-down, authoritarian approach to “managing the economy.” It allows the elite to manipulate the market away from the choices made by consumers and in the direction that they want (by picking winners and losers), all the while doing so in the name of social justice, equity, or saving the planet. The fact that Telsa, Inc. (the electric car company) has a lower “Environmental, Social, and Governmental” (ESG) score than tobacco and oil companies shows what a scam Woke investing really is.

When businesses seek profits, they are following the subjective valuations of consumers and society. Creating “non-woke alternative” businesses replicates the problem of not following profits, albeit in the opposite direction. It is simply not a solution. However, in my 2022 Rothbard Memorial Lecture, I presented several suggestions about how to fight back.

One possibility that had not occurred to me at that time is the Mises Meetup Groups, which have been showing success. In Spring 2022, our loose association called the Carolina Mises Meetup, was formed. The organizers felt cut off, isolated, and alone and noted a strong need to connect with others who can give support and encouragement. We were hoping to connect with about 25 like-minded people. We were wrong—very wrong—as the results far exceeded our expectations! As we approach our 6th meeting, we have had an average attendance of 70-80 people and a members list that exceeds 240.

These Meetup Groups are informal gatherings of like-minded people. They are entrepreneurs who are interested in Austrian Economics and in helping other entrepreneurs. Perhaps the most important function of these groups is to demonstrate that we are not alone and that there are other people who are willing to help. Groups allow us to utilize the division of labor and get more accomplished. Communities can accomplish many things when individuals use their talents and energies toward a common goal.

One recommendation that I think has a strong potential is to create certificates, contests, and awards. I have sat through many town council and other local meetings. I have observed that every local municipality is hungry for recognition. I think that there is an opportunity here. Why not set up an award and apply the goals that we would like to see, such as opening markets, reducing bureaucracy, and so forth? The Mises Meetup Group might be the perfect network to find people who are skilled in creating contest rules and connecting with others who could sit on a panel of judges.

The awards and certificates do not have to be elaborate; they are fancy pieces of paper in nice frames. However, municipalities covet the attention awards bring. Imagine the influence that such awards and recognitions could achieve. Additionally, these activities allow us to reach outside of our own ecosystem. We can bring in other groups and business owners that may share many of our same values but are unaware that we exist. The economist in me thinks that these awards are relatively low cost and can pay large dividends. The benefits outweigh the costs.

Another potential solution begins with the recognition that, too often, we doubt ourselves. I have heard, “What Can I do? I am too small to make a difference.” Platitudes like “Even the longest journey begins with a single step” seem cliché, but there is a kernel of truth to them. If we want a free and prosperous society, we need to act. We need to start now. There is no central plan for liberty. However, if we share a common goal, we can pull together in the same direction.

Each person is unique, having his own distinct set of talents and abilities. I would like to see each person become a Light of Liberty. A Light of Liberty is someone who can competently discuss the questions of liberty, which means that each of us needs to read, study, and learn. The more we learn, the brighter our light becomes. Over time, people tend to recognize and seek out people with wisdom and knowledge. As we become more knowledgeable in Austrian Economics, we cannot keep this knowledge to ourselves. We need to discuss these ideas with others. There is no best way to present the ideas of freedom. When I present these ideas, I only connect with a fraction of the audience. Then if my wife, a colleague, or a student talks to the same group, then these ideas are presented differently, which reaches those I could not.

Perhaps the most important facet of fighting against Wokeness is having courage. Each person needs to muster the courage to stand firm and resist the intrusion of Wokeness into our lives and our places of business. It is one thing to not buy a product because it backs Woke causes, but without informing the seller why you are not buying from them, nothing will change. We need to have the courage to tell the seller why we made our choice. Knowing that Woke policies are wrong, having the wisdom to pick one’s battles, and having a strong support base of like-minded people helps us to find the courage to resist “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) and ESG policies.

Shortly after escaping from the Nazis, Ludwig von Mises wrote, “Occasionally I entertained the hope that my writings would bear practical fruit and show the way for policy. Constantly, I have been looking for evidence of a change in ideology. But…I have come to realize that my theories explain the degeneration of a great civilization; they do not prevent it. I set out to be a reformer but only became the historian of decline.” If Mises gave up after writing his memoir in 1940, we would never have seen Human Action, Bureaucracy, Planning for Freedom, or many other of his important writings. He would not have been there to tutor Murray Rothbard, Israel Kirzner, and many others to keep Austrian Economics alive through the Keynesian ’60s. We simply cannot know the long-run impact that our actions today will have on people decades from now.

However, if we do nothing, then it is certain that there will be nothing to show for it. The popularity of Wokeness, DEI, and ESG policies will wane, and we need to fill the Zeitgeist with the vision of how a free and prosperous society can truly work. With more people becoming Lights of Liberty, we can influence the direction of society for the better. Recently, I was accused of being an optimist. I am. I think that there is time to change the direction of society towards free markets. I plan on brightening my light and the Lights of Liberty within my students and those around me. Will you join me?

 

Paul Cwik is Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Mount Olive and Teaching Professor of the BB&T courses in Free Market Economics at North Carolina State University.

Paul F. Cwik | Mises Wire

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I can’t say whether anyone from states like Florida, Wyoming, Tennessee, the Carolinas or Dakotas, or any other appealing redder states uprooted to move to New Hampshire, but it seems unlikely. Californians, however – we got a bunch of those.

An estimated 1,877 refugees migrated to the Granite State from the Left Coast’s largest progressive enclave.

 

 

 

According to USA Facts.org, 725,000 people fled California since 2020—more than anywhere else in the country.

 

More than 100,000 Californians moved to Texas between 2020–21, well ahead of second place Arizona (63,000 Californians) and third ranked Nevada (55,000).

Texas has recently emerged as a popular destination, not just for Californians, but Americans from all regions. No state income tax and lower cost of living, along with a growing tech hub is pulling in Americans from all income brackets. Meanwhile, Arizona and Nevada offer similar tax and affordability benefits as well.

 

I’m sure it was for work. Right?

 

A key driver of migration is the state’s continuing affordability challenges where housing costs have pushed home ownership out of many Californians’ reach. It is also one of the most difficult states to retire in, where $1 million can last as little as eight years.

Separately, the rise of remote work in 2020 allowed many Californians to move out of their more expensive state to cross into regions with a lower cost of living while maintaining their economic opportunities.

 

COVID restrictions, high taxes, excessive regulations, green energy mandates (those meddling bureaucrats and their stupid governor).

The shift is causing housing crunches in other states and, more than likely (at least by a majority of transplants), voting for the solutions that led to them leaving. I’m sure they’ll do that here, though we have California refugees who are small government types like our readers. They aren’t all cursed to repeat the same mistakes, but what to do? Mandatory liberty training sounds sensible. A series of short classes on why New Hampshire is better than California and how “you can do your part” to keep it that way. It’s not complicated.

Vote, but don’t vote Democrat. Keep New Hampshire from turning into Vermont, which has already started to turn into California.

Please.

 

The post No One From Tennessee, Wyoming, or Oklahoma Seem To Want To Move to New Hampshire appeared first on Granite Grok.

Before delving into the dangers of eliminating cash and mandating that all transactions be conducted by digital means, let us briefly discuss the legal aspects of money. In the United States, as in all economies that have legal tender laws, only cash is recognized as money. Some may think that the balance of their bank accounts is money too, but that is not quite the case. Your bank balance is one step removed from legal money.

All banks must maintain minimum balances of reserves, in cash held either in their vaults—a very small amount—or in their “reserve accounts” with their local Federal Reserve Bank branch (there are twelve of them). These reserve account balances may be converted to real money, or cash, at your bank’s discretion. However, the total cash in our economy also includes cash held outside the banking system, such as the money in your wallet, cookie jar, or personal safe deposit vault.

The total of bank reserves plus cash held outside the banking system is known as the monetary base. The monetary base is not the same as the money supply. Most of the money supply is composed of bank credit not backed by reserves. When banks make loans, they credit your account, which becomes bank credit money. Yes, this money was created by the bank out of thin air. Notice that the banks did not create reserves, only credit money, which is not the same thing.

As of July 2023, the monetary base in the United States was $5.5 trillion, whereas M3—the total bank credit money—was $20.9 trillion! So, if everyone demanded real money (cash), the banks would be able to honor only about one-fourth of the requests. The possibility of your bank failing is real. Over nine thousand US banks failed during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Risks of Electronic Payments

Your ability to hold real cash, not just bank balances accessible by check or electronic means, protects you from the inevitable infrastructure problems associated with any electronic system but also from the instantaneous seizure of at least some of your money. Cash is anonymous whereas a bank account is not. If something happens, you will still be able to function to the limit of the cash you happen to have on hand.

Now, let’s say that cash has been eliminated by some legal means and that you have angered the powers that be for some reason—probably for opposing them and asking others to oppose them too. All the banks must do is to freeze your bank account or eliminate it entirely. There are two examples of this very thing happening in the recent past.

First, the government of Canada froze the bank accounts of all those participating in the Canadian truckers’ general strike plus those who helped them. Second, British politician Nigel Farage had his accounts closed for political reasons and found that no other British bank would serve him. Without the means to use money, Farage came very close to emigrating. Just think about that for a moment. You could not fuel your car, buy groceries, pay your rent, or do a hundred other things without access to a bank account.

Risks of Central Bank Digital Currency

All of the world’s major central banks are drawing up plans to institute digital currencies that they themselves control. This is very dangerous for our civil liberties. Now the government would not have to seek the cooperation of the banks to freeze your accounts or “debank” you entirely, as the British banking system did to Nigel Farage. At the stroke of a keypad, you would not have access to your financial accounts—no fuel for your car, food for your family, or heat for your home.

No one should be allowed to hold such enormous power, which really is a life-and-death issue. Naturally, digital currencies are being promoted as efficient and modern. They are no such thing. This is a civil liberties issue and needs to be stopped.

Patrick Barron is a private consultant to the banking industry. He has taught an introductory course in Austrian economics for several years at the University of Iowa. He has also taught at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin for over twenty-five years, and has delivered many presentations at the European Parliament.

 

Patrick Barron | Mises Wire

Mises Wire We heartily encourage reprints and shares of Mises Wire articles. If you wish to reproduce an article in your blog, magazine, radio show, newspaper column, classroom material, textbook, discussion group, website, or any other venue, please do so. The original publication source must be included in an appropriate place.

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