The trucking industry has been a barometer of U.S. economic health for a long time, and. trucking is in trouble. In August, Yellow Freight filed for Chapter 11. The company shed 30,000 mostly blue-collar jobs, and now the digital freight broker Convoy is ceasing operations.

Convoy has halted shipments, causing unease among stakeholders, and this digital freight network’s unexpected cancellation of loads is stoking fears despite no bankruptcy filing… yet.

Convoy was valued at $3.8 billion last year. Its backers included but were not limited to Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. The company had even been exploring ownership options with the assistance of Goldman Sachs. That future is uncertain, and economic analysts are starting to raise concerns about the broader implications of these industry shutdowns for the economy.

The consequences of these developments are not limited to the companies themselves. Trucking slows down when there is less to haul. Government-fueled consumer spending during the pandemic led to an unsustainable boom in the trucking sector. Companies expanded fleets to meet short-term demand.

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

Today, consumer spending is slowing. Trucking has excess capacity that is driving down freight rates. Today, they are about 20% lower than they were last year, while fuel costs, taxes, regulation, interest expense, and labor costs have gone up. Truckers now competing for fewer loads which drives down rates and earnings, reducing the profitability of trucking operations.

Recent government data indicates a 0.4% surge in consumer spending. But economists are skeptical. They observe more households are relying on credit or dwindling savings to maintain consumer spending. The trend is not sustainable.

Substantial goods like appliances are seeing declining sales, which corroborates the reduced freight activity and woes in trucking always reflect broader supply chain challenges. The downturn will affect road, air, and rail freight industries. The trucking industry provides valuable insights into where the economy is going and mirrors the consumer mindset.  If things are going well, consumers are confident, and spending rises. If consumers lack confidence, they become cautious, and we see the economy contracting.

Today, we see the warning signs. Trucking is in a recession, an early indicator of a larger economic shift.

Some economists dismiss these concerns. They cite noise in the system as evidence of upticks in consumer spending. But don’t be fooled; we should learn from the lessons of the past. The trucking industry’s health is an indicator of our nation’s economic well-being.

Currently, caution is on the wind.

 

The post As Trucking Goes So Goes the Economy appeared first on Granite Grok.

There comes a point where the powers that be in New Hampshire & Massachusetts can no longer hide — that moment is now. The law firms between the two states are intimately tied.

“NH Courts are going to hold listening sessions to understand the public’s experiences of justice.” — is this a parody? The NH Courts have heard decades of complaints from the public, attorneys, and others explaining over and over the issues of court corruption, self-dealing, denial of justice, cover-ups of police corruption, and child and sex abuse. But now they want to hear it again.

Which part do they not understand? Perhaps lining the courts with mirrored walls might make prick their conscience.

In Boston, a prostitution ring has been busted. The clientele includes lawyers, doctors, professors, and politicians. The AG’s office in New Hampshire is a revolving door with the top law firms in Manchester, NH (1 hour from Boston) and Concord, NH, 1 hour 15 from Boston. These law firms are extraordinarily wealthy. How did they become so rich? From profiteering off the public, from figuring out how to game the system in a club that was known about at least as far back as 1999 (the year Nixon Peabody was founded in Boston and Manchester, NH) when the “clubby atmosphere” was mentioned in the Washington Post article “Douglas & Douglas: A Splitting Headache.”

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.

That article mentioned that Chuck Douglas (once NH’s Supreme Court Chief Justice) was allegedly found to be having an adulterous affair in his law office with a receptionist who was also a client. He is now the Chair of the Judicial Selection Committee. The article also mentioned that he had a timeshare in Aruba, which was later discovered to be the hotbed of the Paradise Papers (which preceded the Panama Papers and the Pandora Papers).

One look at the top law firms in New Hampshire & Boston, and you will find that they are tied to dozens of shell companies, real estate, non-profits, and lobbyists. Look at their profiles, and you find an overabundance of defense for white-collar crimes & sex crimes for one small state of 1.3 million people.

US Attorney Scott Murray, who had been DA for Merrimack County, floundered when journalists asked him about why the Bedford police were not involved in the fentanyl bust there.

Senator and former AG Kelly Ayotte’s aide David Whiby was caught in a prostitution ring. Kelly Ayotte claimed to know nothing.

Nixon Peabody, one of the largest New England Law Firms, has been in at least two Ponzi schemes.

People claimed to know nothing about Ghislaine Maxwell’s business in New Hampshire or her house “Tucked Away.” I find that impossible to believe given that the registrar of deeds recorded the purchase and the registrar of deeds is an elected position and is housed next to the Sheriff of Merrimack County, whose son continued working for Concord Police after he’d been reported for domestic violence to DCYF. Former AG Gordon MacDonald didn’t believe the previous Sheriff of Merrimack County should be put on the list of corrupt police officers even though he’d been arrested and found guilty in a DWI offense. The Sheriff kept his job for some time after. The Governor, not the AG, asked him to step down.

Ghilsiaine Maxwell’s house was one of the most expensive properties recorded that week and was a cash buy and it didn’t raise eyebrows?

Shaheen & Gordon represented Ghislaine Maxwell when she was arrested. She and Jeffrey Epstein also had a fake non-profit called “TerraMar” whose board also included a New Hampshire local from Portsmouth. How convenient: Portsmouth is a port harbor, Ghislaine Maxwell’s husband was an ex-Boston coastguard with a shipping container tracking company called “Cargo Metric,” and Senator John Kerry was one of his besties…he even wrote the introduction to one of Scott Borgerson’s books. Coincidentally, Ghislaine Maxwell had a company called Granite Reality, which was registered to 2 1/2 Beacon Street in Concord (where Boston Private Bank tied to the Silicon Valley Bank/FTX scandal was also based). Glenn Perlow of NH Trusts (formerly Jordan Park) has a company in Maryland galled Red Granite Reality. What are the odds? Do you think for one moment that Glenn Perlow didn’t know about Ghislaine Maxwell? He came out of the Banking Commission, the AG’s office, and McLane Middleton, which got several millions in PPP loans, which Senator Jeanne Shaheen lobbied for. Her husband’s law firm, Shaheen & Gordon, got several millions, too. Of course.

When you control the media, you control the narrative, and when the judiciary works hand in glove with police, education administrators, non-profits, and the media, you have a closed circuit. These law firms have figured out exactly how to control the media. They sponsor it.

When the Pandora Papers news came out, McLane Middleton sponsored the program. Just like Sam Bankman-Fried sponsored Propublica, Vox, and Semafor. McLane Middleton had advertised their services for creating secret trusts — the trusts picked up in the Pandora Papers that New Hampshire powers that be don’t want the public to pay attention to.

Children disappear, children get raped, children get killed, adults get killed, and the State of New Hampshire pretends to investigate, but it doesn’t. It does enough to cover up a complete lack of professionalism that stems from top to bottom of the State’s courts and agencies.

Monopoly without accountability equals corruption. What do corrupt players do with their money? They hide it. They hide it in non-profits, in shell companies, in offshore accounts in the Bahamas, Aruba, Cyprus, the Virgin Islands, and elsewhere. They spend their guilty money on prostitutes, drugs, gambling, and fast cars. They sit on boards of non-profits, they go to dinners, and they congratulate each other with awards for their services. A large part of it is a show.

If you really want to know what the New Hampshire judiciary, Governor, and victims’ rights non-profit NHCADSV think about prostitutes, sex, drugs, drug trafficking, and domestic violence, the answer lies in their support of Marsy’s Law.

AG Gordon MacDonald endorsed it. Governor Chris Sununu was adamant that it should be pushed through. Chuck Douglas, the Chair of the New Hampshire Judicial Selection Committee, was paid $17,000 to be legal counsel for Marsy’s Law. Amanda Grady Sexton of the NHCADSV was paid $48,000 to be Executive Director for it, while colleagues of hers at the NHCADSV and on the City of Concord Council, including Mayor Jim Bouley, were also paid for it. She felt perfectly comfortable with Henry T Nicholas III, who was funding it, and apparently, so did everyone else who took the money and didn’t bother or didn’t want to look at who was behind it.

Who is Henry T Nicholas III? He was arrested in 2018 and took an Alford Plea for drug trafficking in Las Vegas, where his girlfriend, Ashley Fargo (Wells Fargo) had to be revived after overdosing on some of the drugs he’d flown in on his jet. He was sued by one of his exes in 2016 for battery and other abuse. He kept an underground lair for his prostitutes and drugs, which he hid from his wife and children, and he was involved in Broadcom securities fraud (2007/8). He was featured in Vanity Fair in 2007, complete with a photograph of the tunnels under his house.

He was featured in another article with Jeffrey Epstein called “Billionaires in the Bedroom.”

Yet despite all of this, the AG, the Governor, the Chair of the City of Concord Public Safety Committee, and the Director of Public Affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence were only too happy to take his money and support his fake “victims rights” law.

What they were actually only too willing to do was to accept bribes from a sex-obsessed drug trafficking securities fraudster who flew local District Attorneys on his plane to Las Vegas.

The people who endorsed Marsy’s Law in New Hampshire and who took money from Henry T Nicholas III are hardly different than those at JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, the CIA, FBI, the Clintons, Trump, Lyn Forester de Rothschild, the Governor of the Virgin Islands and his wife Cecile De Jong who were all too happy to do business with Jeffrey Epstein even though they all knew (because it was pretty public) that he was a serious pedophile. He, too, gave to all sorts of non-profits and educational institutions, including MIT and Harvard, both in Cambridge, where the prostitution ring was just busted and which involved professors.

Do not believe for one minute that the New Hampshire powers that be in the judiciary, law firms, non-profits, or public office have the interests of children or families in mind. They have proven several times over (FRM Ponzi Scheme, Diocese of Manchester, YDC sex abuse cover-ups, Catholic Medical Center scandals, St. Paul’s School settlement, Dartmouth settlement, Exeter settlement…) that they are driven by money and corruption hiding behind do-good PR banners and non-profits. However, they can get federal grants to the State to carry on while protecting an extremely incestuous and nepotistic club. What was the need for AG Gordon MacDonald to argue that the list of police officers on the Laurie list should be kept private? If ever there was a sign that the courts themselves had something to hide, his statement was the indicator.

Social Justice starts with the truth, not with the crooked games that have been going on for too many decades in New England. You cannot fix immoral conduct with federal grants.

 

The post Night Cap: Do NH Lawyers Have Ties to That Boston Prostitution Ring? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Regardless of your feelings about pageants, parading beautiful women in front of audiences has continued to be a successful business enterprise. I don’t watch them, but somebody does. In 2022, the Miss Universe platform was worth at least 20 million.

That’s what Thai-based JKN Global Group paid for it but a year later, JKN has filed for bankruptcy protection to, as Newsbusters reports, solve a liquidity problem.

 

In response to the the recent news, JKN Global Group has recently announced its strategic corporate financial management plan to cope with the current financial situation. We are confident that the new plan will support all of the company’s business operations, including Miss Universe. We confirm that Miss Universe 2023 will be held in El Salvador on 18 November 2023, where a top notch experience provided to our fans will remain our top priorities. We reaffirm that the legacy of Miss Universe will be carried on by JKN Global Group as envisioned from the beginning.

 

As envisioned from the beginning? JKN put a transgender activist in charge of the Pageant, which has at least two transwomen competing. Are they a shoo-in for the top five if their talent is peeing standing up? And I didn’t realize there was a shortage of beautiful pageant-worthy women in places like the Netherlands and Portugal, both of whom woke up one day and decided a guy in a dress was the finest example of womanhood in their countries. Talk about a slap in the face. Thanks for competing, but this dude is a better woman than all of you…women. And they all have to act like they are happy about it and happy for the guy who deprived them of whatever it is you get when you win one of these things.

Speaking of which, back in 2018, Miss Universe had its first transgender contest. They didn’t win to a dearth of outrage, but there was plenty over Miss Universe Zimbabwe’s melanin deficiency. Another search of these pages turned up a local story about a young man who won the Miss Derry Competition.

I’m no expert, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but #woke knows no master. Choosing some chunky dude over a manifold of pretty young ladies (it is a beauty contest) is an unsustainable trend; just ask JKN. If they can’t resolve their liquidity problem, they’ll have to sell off assets. We can only hope that whoever buys the Miss Universe brand – assuming someone thinks it can be rehabilitated – returns the seventy-plus-year tradition to its first sixty-plus years before it got woke and went broke.

 

 

The post Get Woke Go Broke: “Miss Universe” Transitions to Bankruptcy appeared first on Granite Grok.

Human beings need the proteins in meat, but the Climate Cult, hand-in-hand with the animal rights loons, has been pushing an anti-meat crusade for years. From fake meat to lab-grown meat – both worse for the environment, to this new idea they’ve stumbled upon.

If we put our lies on glossy stickers and require stores to adhere them to packages of meat, people will eat less of it.

 

[R]esearchers took a group of 1,000 meat-eating adults and split them into four groups. Depending on what group a participant was in, they were shown photos of hot meals assigned climate, health, or pandemic warning labels or no warning label at all.

“All the labels deterred meat consumption, with 7-10 percent of the participants choosing a non-meat meal.” However, when participants were asked how anxiety-inducing and believable they found each of the labels, they reported the climate change warning as the most credible.

This prompted the scientists to advocate for government-mandated climate change warning labels on meat.

 

I’ve had similar aspirations with regard to the general government.

 

Recent data suggests that following the American federal government’s health guidance can harm your health. Alcohol consumption skyrocketed under the yoke of otherwise ineffective COVID mandates, as did drug addiction and overdose, domestic abuse, and unassisted suicide.

All preventable if we had only reduced our consumption of Government mandates. And that’s without getting into the pharmaceutical cures, suppression of safe treatments, the death by hospital protocol, and lives lost to peaceful progressive protests.

 

The Federal government’s ever-expanding footprint represents a considerable percentage of emissions. Cutting it in half – assuming you believe in climate voodoo – would result in significantly fewer emissions. If we onshore those duties back to the states where they belong, locals can better manage them, eliminating duplication or ending offices or programs that fail to protect the interests of citizens in the respective states. (Related: Data From 175 Countries Says, Eat Meat, Live Longer!)

You could do a lot more for the environment and human dignity, prosperity, and liberty – in a much shorter time by reducing the size of the general government,  and you wouldn’t be polluting the planet with all that extra label-making.

What we need is stickers on ballots, legislation, and other measures meant to expand the size or scope of government interference in our lives. Something like Warning: Voting for any of the following will have long-term detrimental impacts on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Feel free to come up with your own. There’s probably  no wrong “answer.”

 

HT | The Federalist

The post Climate Cult Want’s Warning Labels on Meat – I Have a Better Idea. appeared first on Granite Grok.

Maine is like the quiet kid that nobody notices. He sits alone, has no friends, doesn’t excel at anything, and flies under the radar until he does something horrific, and everyone is shocked. How could this monster have been among us, and nobody took notice? Well, that is now what we are saying about Maine.

In full disclosure, we live in New Hampshire, but my girlfriend was born in Maine, and we have a cabin on a beautiful pond in Central Maine. We know Maine, and we love Maine, but do we really know Maine? Maybe not the “new” Maine. Older was undoubtedly better.

This story is tantamount to peeling an onion. Each layer brings a tear to your eyes. It first started for me a few years ago when retail marijuana sales were legalized, and pot shops were the new building boom in the Pine Tree state. Maine is more than 95% woodlands, but you drive Maine roads and will be hard-pressed to travel a mile without seeing an Adult Smoke Shop. Maine is transitioning from the Pine Tree to the Cannabis Plant State. It is too soon to measure, but I will guarantee that pot sales will not lead to better test scores, better-driving stats, stronger family units, or a lower unemployment rate. Marijuana is now Maine’s number three tax-generating industry, behind lumber and lobsters. With Washington doing all it can to kill the lobster industry, pot will move into the number two slot soon.

 

 

Last summer, Augusta, Maine, was the epicenter of the battle over Abortion Rights. On the table was the most progressive Abortion Bill in the country that would abolish any time restraints on a woman choosing to end her pregnancy. Polls showed over 80% of Mainers against the bill, but Governor Mills and Planned Parenthood, along with nearly $1 Million, pushed the public wishes aside, and the bill became law. Maine has been Blue for some time but is still primarily morally conservative, except for the big cities. Big cities are where the power is, and power and money got this bill to the Governor’s desk, where she joyfully signed the death warrant for future Maine preborn.

Last month, we witnessed a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. The closest thing to a mass shooting in Maine had always been the opening day of hunting season. The innocence of Maine was destroyed by a mentally challenged man who woke up one day and decided to kill humans. Reality dawned on rural Maine that sad day.

And finally, we now know that Chinese nationals are growing marijuana in hundreds of cannabis farms throughout Maine. This weed is not your run-of-the-mill pot from the 60s and 70s, but a genetically super-charged marijuana that is grown to destroy the minds of pot smokers in Maine and fill Chinese pockets with American cash. It is not enough that China and Mexico are formulating Fentanyl to kill over 100,000 Americans yearly. Now, they are using Maine farmland to harvest a new poison to kill Mainers and Americans.

It is not good leadership that is bringing you a new, more mature Maine. It is blind ambition, greed, and ignorance all wrapped up in Democrat clothing that is transforming Maine from the beautiful and serene vacationland we all drove to in our effort to escape reality to a harsher Maine that resembles any big city in America. Where do we now go to escape Maine?

The post Maine Is Growing Up And It’s Not Pretty appeared first on Granite Grok.

Gov. Sununu is still milking the endorsement schtick, appearing behind another microphone to talk about himself and the value of his pick for the Republican presidential nominee.

 

Sununu said that he will likely be making his endorsement after Thanksgiving and that he will be choosing from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

“Right now those three candidates, I think for most folks in the Republican Party, have proved themselves to be the top choices” in addition to former President Donald Trump, Sununu said. He praised the debate performances of the three candidates while calling pharmaceutical executive Vivek Ramaswamy’s performance “a bit embarrassing” and said Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) “wasn’t incredibly inspiring.”

 

I’m not sure why he’d keep Christie on the list unless it were to keep himself invited to events and the chance to get more microphones in front of his face. Christie is polling fourth or worse no matter who you believe – assuming we can trust any of the polls – with Ramaswamy and even Pence (who dropped out) doing better.

What does it mean when you can’t poll better than a guy who isn’t running? Not much to Chris Sununu. Maybe he likes the former NJ governor because he has Chris in his name…twice? (Related: Republican Presidential Primary Candidates Think Sununu’s Endorsement Will be a Game Changer?)

It’s anyone’s guess, but Tim Scott dropped out last night.

 

I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘not now, Tim.’ I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘no.’ But I do think they’re saying ‘not now.’ And so I’m gonna respect the voters, and I’m gonna hold on and keep working really hard and look forward to another opportunity.

 

That might help Chris Sununu’s dream, which he went on the Clinton News Network to share with their paltry audience.

 

“When people realize that other folks can make a move here, he is going to be smoked out and have to engage folks on a debate stage and watch what he says.”

NH @GovChrisSununu says sooner or later, Trump “is going to have to start engaging” with 2024 rivals: pic.twitter.com/xdHkqafcsT

— CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) November 10, 2023

 

Remember, it’s always more interesting when the primary race is tighter. Just look at DeSantis and Haley. They are both beginning to pick up some of the pieces left behind by Pence, but neither is consistently within 40 points of former President Trump. Scott just left a few points on the table, but I don’t see it helping Christie.

In other words, I don’t think Chris is endorsing Chis-Chris. It makes no sense.

And while New Hampshire may not always choose the winner in the General, it has a solid reputation for clearing out chaff. Candidates who do poorly tend to walk away after failing badly in the Granite State, leaving primary voters in successive states the opportunity to pick someone else.

One more point. Sununu’s past endorsements haven’t exactly been good for Republican candidates. He might be doing someone else a favor by not picking them—a non-endorsement endorsement. That’s what Vivek Ramaswamy thinks as well.

 

MERRIMACK, N.H. — Vivek Ramaswamy called New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu the “face of the establishment” and told reporters an endorsement from him would be the “kiss of death to whichever candidate gets it, and so I will be dodging that.”

It’s a counterintuitive strategy from Ramaswamy about a popular governor who has appeared alongside many different presidential hopefuls at their events over the course of the 2024 primary. But Sununu did criticize Ramaswamy’s aggressive debate performance last week, saying it showed he “doesn’t have the temperament” to be president.

You know nothing, NBC. It’s not counterintuitive at all. Not that Vivek is even on the shortlist. Whatever your concerns, he is not RINO enough for Sununu. There’s no DC insider connection. Sununu will leverage his announcement to benefit the Sununus. That could be as simple as connections or just opportunity. Suppose Haley happens to be surging into a strong second. In that case, he’ll pick her because it’ll make it look like his endorsement meant something to someone other than Chris Sununu, his homers, the inside-the-beltway politicos, and the media crowd.

It’s about picking the right candidate, not the winning one. As I’ve said before, if he “wanted to make a difference,” he’d endorse Trump, which would probably kill Trump’s polling and give the other candidates a shot. But it might also besmirch Sununu’s reputation with certain elites, even if it worked – taking one for the team – something he’d never risk. Not that Daddy Sununu would let him.

 

HT | Daily Wire

The post NH Gov. Chris Sununu Could Endorse One of These Three for President But Should He? appeared first on Granite Grok.

The battle in Ukraine has been a sponge for U.S. dollars. Zelenskyy picks up the phone, calls his buddy Joe, and we send them another stash of cash and weapons to use in this futile attempt to defeat Putin and Russia. Biden’s team says Putin can end this war at any time by just pulling out and allowing Ukraine to rebuild in freedom.

He also can end this war by pushing the red button on his desk and obliterating Ukraine. Either way, there is no amount of cash we can send to Ukraine to prevent the inevitable, but Joe will keep answering the phone and writing the checks.

Two events happened this week that highlight our intentions for Ukraine. One should be significant because it involves one of our Cabinet members traveling to Ukraine, but in this case, it is Pete Buttigieg making the trip. What does Mayor Pete have to offer the conversation besides the cost and waste of dollars and resources for his trip? Ukraine is being destroyed daily by the ravages of the war with Russia. By the time this battle is over, either by surrender of Ukraine or by someone finally getting Putin to the table to negotiate an end, Ukraine will need to be rebuilt from the ground up. Pete is in Ukraine to start the rebuilding of the infrastructure. Ukraine would be better served if Pete stayed home and played a few games of Sim City. We have seen what Pete has to offer for infrastructure planning by his failures over the last three years. The U.S. House last week passed a resolution to reduce Pete Buttigieg’s salary to $1 a year. That shows the respect Pete garners for his work as Transportation Secretary.

The second occurrence was Secretary of State Antony Blinken appearing before Congress to defend the Biden request for additional funds for Ukraine. With each new request, Biden faces more resistance from Congress to write the check for the Zelenskyy fundraiser. Since the war began, the Biden administration and the U.S. Congress have directed more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine, which includes humanitarian, financial, and military support, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute. Like every other effort touched by the government, we throw in more money as the situation circles the drain. Blinken was explaining the next phase in the evolution of Ukraine. This storyline is a perfect example of the cart before the horse, as Ukraine is far from ready for the next phase. Then, in his version of Harris Word Salad, one word jumped off his lips- Reimagine.

The Biden Administration has continued the Obama pledge to transform America. Translation, destroy America. But Ukraine is the perfect opportunity for the Socialist, Marxist Democrats. Let Russia destroy Ukraine down to bare earth, and then America, with token help from the NATO countries, can rebuild Ukraine, no, reimagine Ukraine in the image of how they see Amerika. That is not a misspelling. That is how the Democrats will spell the name of the Socialist Utopia they turn the United States into. I am sure the United Nations will salivate to have an opportunity to rename the new creation formerly known as Ukraine. So Mr. Blinken and Mr. Biden, no more American tax dollars for Ukraine until you both work to get Putin, if he is still alive, and Zelenskyy to the bargaining table to bring this terrible conflict to an end.

The post Is It Not Our Job To Reimagine Ukraine appeared first on Granite Grok.

Monday Memes are back, baby!

Take heart – there will be both a Wednesday and Friday Edition.  Last week’s Friday Edition.  And if the situation in Israel is of interest, please do look at my latest post on that.

Remember, ridicule and mockery are effective weapons:

1. Ridicule cannot easily be fought
2. Ridicule makes the enemy angry, and angry people make mistakes
3. For those in the “squishy middle” a Thought Splinter (and Part II and Part III and Part IV) can often be hidden inside humor.

Now, let the mockery and mayhem begin.

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

Now, as I understand it, some of these people are quadriplegics, and said chip and brain connection offers hope for them to have movement again.  This, I understand.  But some people are doubtless racing to this just to be on the cutting edge.

 

 

 

As if any of them know how to cook from scratch to begin with!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m looking for a new car.  No hurry, but searching for a “good new-to-me, ‘pre-loved’ vehicle”.  One of the things I really want is a standard transmission.  In the short term it’ll keep the car to myself, but long term I want the kids to know how to drive a standard – which is still very common outside the US (visiting overseas this summer, my wife’s cousin owned a standard which he let me drive once for “old time’s sake”).  My kids also know cursive, and can read analog clocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know quite a few people whose attitude was, and still is, ANY PRICE to get Trump out.

 

 

For this and many other reasons, I’ve deliberately avoided such housing developments.

 

 

 

 

 

There’s a lot more to this story than has been shown.  But yes, in the main, I think he showed a lot of the frustration we have with people who block roads for political protests.

 

 

 

As a thought exercise, consider “their” two girls.

Imagine growing up knowing that “mommy” is anything but, but having to still live that lie 24/7.  At some point, lying on something so fundamental warps a person.  Or, the other way, imagine only learning late in your teens that “mommy”… isn’t.  That too would leave scars.  There’s no way, IMHO, those two girls are undamaged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To win would mean they’d be on the line to be responsible for, you know, actually governing.  Losing has many advantages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I miss him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Pick of the post:

 

 

THIS is the guy who, IMHO, should be Pope.

 

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

 

Palate Cleansers:

 

—

—

 

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

 

Come back Wednesday for another edition.  Same Meme Time.  Same Meme channel.

 

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

 

The post MONDAY MEMES appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Epstein case is a key battle in a fight between moral, civil society and a small cabal of people who believe themselves to be elite but who are actually totally morally depraved, corrupted, and sick people. So much so that they are actual pedophiles, and they are protecting each other from the sword of Lady Justice.

Not only that, but they have also created numerous major issues to distract from the reality that they are totally morally corrupted humans.

Consider the way that the Epstein cabal— which is a nefarious group of North Atlantic bloc financiers, corporate executives, politicians, and other scummy characters— have weaponized the very term that was used to root up Epstein himself. “Qanon,” the anonymous internet-based identity that became a rallying cry and a networking device for sharing the knowledge of Epstein’s illegal child sex trafficking ring.

“Qanon” was co-opted by the Democrat Party leadership and their operatives in the US federal government — the FBI, CIA, and intelligence community, as well as DC beltway politicians and their corporate media propagandists, to label their political opponents, or anyone dissenting and threatening against their power. Donald Trump’s campaign became “Qanon,” and any person, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or identity, who disagreed with the US political Left was branded as Qanon.

This is what is known as a dog whistle in contemporary political jargon— that is, the use of coded or suggestive language in political messaging to garner support from a particular group without provoking opposition. The concept is named after ultrasonic dog whistles, which are audible to dogs but not humans. According to William Safire, the term has been developed in reference to politics by its use in the field of opinion polling.

Epstein was proven to have maintained a private villa on Little St James, an island in the British Virgin Islands archipelago. He worked with his acquaintance Ghislaine Maxwell, whose connections in the fashion and modeling industry gave her access to many underaged men and women seeking fame and fortune, exposing their bodies in exchange for money. They would go to Little St James to, in real terms, interview for their modeling careers, trading for privileged access to selection for international modeling opportunities.

The US Democrat Party and its connections in the European political sphere, which includes the British Royal Family and the European aristocracy, have worked very hard to apply political pressure to anyone sharing this information, as it exposes the reality of their total depravity. What makes matters worse, they have actively silenced through assassination many prominent individuals who have attempted to use this information to damage their political party financing or reputation.

MMA fighter King Bau recently entered a fight wearing a t-shirt reading “Trump Was Indicted Before Anyone on Epstein’s Client List.” There is a measure of public opinion currently swaying away from the cabal of warmongering, amoral, totally corrupt predators. Those people believe that all of those terms are actually beneficial to them in some way and are a model by which they should live their lives and teach to their children. That mentality and lifestyle— of warmongering, opponent assassinating, and total lawlessness does not belong in civil society. Their punishment is arriving swiftly.

Remember that that group of people is the same group attempting to force transgenderism on the entire English-speaking world and censoring anyone who opposes it. They are the ones who want to castrate as many children of this generation as possible and censor and oppress any parents who protest. They are beating the drum for the climate change cult so that they can profit off of an energy transition that may ultimately lead to massively destructive resource extractive economic systems— more destructive than fossil fuels. They are guilty of provoking and profiting off of wars in the Ukraine Israel, and elsewhere, that have killed millions. They are the ones who created and supported the coronavirus scam pandemic, which locked down the planet for two years so that they could profit off of everyone else’s forced vaccination. They rule by fear and use terror to beat peaceful, law-abiding citizens into silence.

They cannot pretend to hold other citizens of this planet to some set of rules that they refuse to abide by. They can either change or be removed permanently.

And to stop them, you reading this must speak to others and share this information and this understanding. There is no way to a better world without a majority of humanity fully understanding the scale at which the US Democrat Party and its international collaborators in the United Nations system, the WEF, and other international forums have become totally corrupted, morally depraved people. They are literally bent on killing people and profiting off of it because they have spun themselves into the belief that the best way towards progress is to kill or neuter as many people as possible and that they derive an advantage from other peoples’ shorter lifespans.

They do not see a reality where there is a benefit to helping people to live longer, to enjoy life, to be in peace and trade prosperously, and to love one another. They live in a paradigm that is zero-sum, where their gain must be offset by another’s loss— that is not the only way to live. They do not understand that it is possible to love all and to develop a planetary society and civilization based on that simple notion.

So, I encourage you to rise and stand against those corrupted, amoral, and depraved people. Tell them no. Deny them. Remove them from power. Do not allow them to determine the course of the world. Do not allow them to tell you what to do with your life, your energy, and your money. 

 

The post Epstein and the Battle for a Peaceful Planetary Civilization appeared first on Granite Grok.

President Joe Biden has kicked off an “Investing in Rural America Events Series,” which he claims will boost economic growth in rural America and bolster farms. However, inspecting under the hood of the new $5 billion in Inflation Reduction Act spending reveals that “climate-smart” agriculture is geek-speak for selling farmers renewable energy technologies and little else.

Not much in the proposed funding concerns farming directly; mostly, it is a sales tour for solar panels and other green gimmicks.

A White House Fact Sheet outlines some of the details:

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing nearly $1.7 billion in funding to support the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices, which have direct climate mitigation benefits, advance a host of other environmental co-benefits, and offer farmers, ranchers, and foresters new revenue streams.”

Selling Gadgets to Farmers

This election-eve spending push to woo rural Americans promises goodies, though it appears chiefly to guarantee expanded revenues for solar panel and generator manufacturers, internet installers, and other sellers of high-tech products to farmers. The “smartest” climate agriculture incorporates soil-restorative practices, particularly rotationally grazed livestock that sequester massive amounts of carbon dioxide without the need to produce more techno-toys for corporate profit. Though a few aspects of the proposed spending may support these best practices, most will churn out more manufacturing pollution in the short term and do little to spark any “new” agricultural revenue streams.

Some of the proposals are simply counter-productive to environmental health. The USDA is dispatching $900 million “to spur the production of independent, American-made fertilizer,” which will fortify sales and investment for yet another chemical corporation while undermining environmental health: Synthetic fertilizers destroy the soil, increasing erosion, water loss, and waterway pollution. The best fertilizer is manure – but no corporation holds the patents or production rights to peddle that product to farmers.

Helping Farmers or Manufacturers?

Other parts of the package do not help farmers increase sales. The USDA announced that $19.5 billion will be directed to conservation programs. These do not boost agricultural production or create “new markets” for farmers unless the administration is referring to sales of carbon credits to polluting companies (including those manufacturing solar panels for rural display). A paltry $5 million is allocated to “further increase the availability of renewable, homegrown biofuels,” which might enhance farm commodity sales for corn and other crops but adversely impacts soils using GMO methodology and likely pollutes more than it saves, as ethanol production has demonstrated.

Expanding internet access also sells tech products rather than food: The White House Fact Sheet states that $274 million is dedicated to expanding rural high-speed internet and that in total, “the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $90 billion to deliver affordable high-speed internet to everyone in America, including in rural communities that often lack access to high-speed internet.” It is not clear how internet technology improves the ecosystem (or climate), but to the extent it benefits farmers, it seems a devil’s bargain – it is corporate America that ultimately gets most of the revenue generated by this spending. Imagine if instead the government spent $90 billion on regenerative farming or buying organic foods to donate to the inner city poor – that would be selling farmers’ goods and opening markets. This rural rebuilding tour is the other way around.

Biden Seeding More Inflation

For decades, elite urbanites have tended to sneer at rural Americans and farmers while extracting wealth from the country for city living. Now, the same cadre that destroyed family farms pretends to give them a late leg up by exploiting them to sell billions of dollars of government-subsidized or -financed non-agricultural products. This is the opposite of “building and keeping wealth in rural America,” as is claimed by the USDA and the Biden administration.

To be fair, there are some much-needed supports in this spending plan. They are just puny in contrast to the big-money spending on manufactured products that have nothing to do with food production, let alone environmental stewardship. Expanding slaughter and processing facilities is a boon for farmers, though passage of the PRIME Act would provide many more revenue streams for rural farmers without spending a federal nickel. This push to help rural Americans is much like John Kenneth Galbraith’s characterization of trickle-down economics as “feeding the sparrows by giving grain to the horses.”

The best thing for rural farmers would be for Biden to stop “helping” them by spending the nation into sustained inflation.

 

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

The post The President Promises ‘Climate-Smart’ Agriculture That Misses the Point appeared first on Granite Grok.

Alleged experts at UNH and Dartmouth College will be spending a 2.5 million dollar grant (you paid for) to understand better the disability known as Long COVID. “Utter exhaustion. Brain fog. Insomnia. Headaches. Heart palpitations. Shortness of breath. Anxiety. Depression.” I have questions.

The study is slated to occur over five years, but I’m curious about whether the researchers will ask any of these questions.

We know COVID was engineered in a lab through gain-of-function research. It leaked or was released to the general population. Was it created to precipitate what you call Long COVID in certain demographics of the “community?” I don’t think they’ll be asking that one.

How many of the “patients” experiencing Long COVID have received one or more doses of one or more of the alleged COVID vaccines? What is the prevalence of persistent symptoms related to the number of injections? Is there a correlation between extended symptoms and more doses?

My sense is these are not concerns that will appear in their research, but it is impossible to arrive at any sort of conclusion without addressing them.

If COVID was created, absent any polluting effects of alleged cures, to disable individuals with chronic heart, head, breathing, and anxiety issues, then you’ve got a decent foundation for a large class action lawsuit.

We already know the “vaccines” were released with a long list of likely side effects, including the symptoms attributed to what you have labeled as Long COVID. If the majority of subjects were “vaccinated,” then you’ve got a decent foundation for a large class action lawsuit.

Social and mental health vectors must be considered – given the 24/7/365 terror campaign waged on the public during the “pandemic,” where people have been psychologically predisposed to symptoms or are victims of Munchausen by proxy.

Will the researchers embrace reality? We have a man-made virus, followed by a man-made global terror campaign, to get people to accept a man-made, untested, experimental cure that made people more susceptible to infection while – at the same time – being brainwashed into believing that was not true.

Perhaps we should take some of that money and research the researchers before we set them loose to arrive at conclusions that will likely not consider any of the points above.

 

HT | UL

The post Dartmouth and UNH to Study ‘Long COVID™’ – Here’s What I want to Know appeared first on Granite Grok.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, after polling consistently in the 1-3% range for months without any sign of growth, has taken the wheels off his bid for president and put it up on blocks.

From the Tim Scott Campaign emphasis, mine.

 

Tim Scott: Trey, one of the things I would recommend to every single American, I know it’s not possible by the way- If you ever wanna love your country more, run for president. Traveling this country, meeting people, has been one of the most fantastic experiences of my entire life. I love America more today than I did on May 22nd, but when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign. I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘not now, Tim.’ I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘no.’ But I do think they’re saying ‘not now.’ And so I’m gonna respect the voters, and I’m gonna hold on and keep working really hard and look forward to another opportunity.

Trey Gowdy: You are suspending your presidential campaign. You have plenty of money. You have the highest approval numbers of any candidate that is running, and you’re a couple states away from coming to a state where you are beloved. And you are suspending your presidential campaign.

Tim Scott: You know, Romans 8:28 is such an important scripture. It says that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. I think the message is clear for me right now. I am indeed suspending the campaign, but I am going to remain as committed to making sure that this country chooses the right person by enjoying the journey of just helping people everywhere throughout South Carolina and through our country. We have an amazing country. I’m very thankful to be in America. We should all be proud of this country. I was a kid, Trey, as you know, nearly failed out of high school as a freshman, and here I was running for president just a few minutes ago.

Trey Gowdy: I’m trying to process this information and, and I’m trying to do it on live television. So forgive me. You are the highest ranking African-American Republican politician in the country. You were asked to give the response to the State of the Union, and I did not hear a single negative word about your response. I mean, that’s usually a death sentence for people. You gave a great response to the State of the Union. You gave a nominating speech in 2020. You have introduced Opportunity Zones, and you have worked on criminal justice reform. Maybe I shouldn’t ask you, maybe I should ask the voters what it says about the Republican party that someone with that resume is suspending his presidential campaign.

Tim Scott: You know, I’ll say without any question, the voters are smart, they’re savvy, and I think what our country is going through right now is a very challenging time. And our goal should be to unite this country and not take advantage of the divisions of this country. And the more time we spend talking about the goodness of America, the more time we spend talking about the future of this America, the more time we spend talking about having faith in God, faith in each other, and faith in our future, the better off we will be as Americans, and the more likely we are to come back together to be that one nation under God.

 

 

More on this later.

The post Breaking News: Tim Scott Suspends Campaign for President appeared first on Granite Grok.

Since I’ve wandered repeatedly into terrain reserved for asking uncomfortable questions or making unpleasant but truthful observations, why stop now? If having testicles doesn’t make you less of a woman, and given the tendency of women with them to like women without them, how does that work with lesbians?

Lesbians are sexually attracted to women. Good for them. What might not be so good is “women” who have those awful dangly man-parts who are also attracted to women. What happens when the lesbian without the junk rejects these “women” (with it) on the grounds that they have a penis. Bigots!

That’s the answer, and there can be no other. It is, after all, bigoted, discriminatory, and offensive for men who prefer women without a penis to reject “women” with one. That’s gender warrior scripture and verse. Be brave. Break the stereotype. This means that lesbians without the extra amendment should have to embrace lesbianism in all its forms, including the one with the penis.

They do not,  of course, follow this rule despite their place on the gender spectrum totem, which, by extension, pushes them out of the realm of victim classhood—left to mingle with the trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs), some of whom are lesbian who are attracted to women without testicles. And this strikes me as an opportunity for the penis-chicks. You’ve managed to insert yourself into almost every aspect of womanhood, but to the best of my knowledge, none of you are TERFs

Wouldn’t is smoke someone’s giblets if a man who says he is a woman attracted to women came out against themself?

I don’t think it’s been done, but if the goal is to upset every applecart (or should that be pears), someone is going to have to 1) make a play for that and 2) quickly establish how much more discriminatory the TERFs are for refusing to let them play in the same sandbox.

As for the lesbian bigots, you go, girls!

There’s no reason for you to have to explain why you don’t want a penis in your sex life, regardless of to whom it might be attached. Your body, your choice, right?

Boom!

The post Night Cap: Lesbian Bigots appeared first on Granite Grok.

A Federal judge just threw out a handful of class action lawsuits against automakers. No, it wasn’t about vehicle safety. No one was physically harmed. Their information was collected without their knowledge. Texts and calls placed through vehicle hands-free systems are being harvested and stored.

That’s the allegation.

 

A group of five related class action lawsuits allege that Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, and Ford “recorded and intercepted [car owners’] private text messages and call logs” when their phones were connected to the vehicles’ infotainment systems. …

As automakers continue to build out their infotainment systems with features designed to help you answer calls and text messages, privacy advocates argue that manufacturers aren’t doing enough to protect user data. A 2022 report from The Markup found that automakers are not only collecting data about your car but also sending it to vehicle data hubs to process that information.

 

The court affirmed dismissal based on the absence of any proven harm.

 

The federal judge’s ruling states that the district court “properly dismissed” the four remaining cases [The case filed against Ford has already been dismissed, according to The Record.], adding that they don’t satisfy the WPA’s statutory injury requirement, which says plaintiffs must allege an injury to their person, reputation, or business. “Plaintiffs’ allegation that a violation of the WPA itself is enough to satisfy injury to a ‘person’… without more, is insufficient to meet the statutory requirement,” the ruling says.

 

And to answer the question in the headline, no, it doesn’t violate the law here in New Hampshire either.

For those unsure why there would be some distinction, we have a constitutional amendment that is only a few years old that claims to protect an inherent natural right to privacy,

[Art.] 2-b. [Right of Privacy.] An individual’s right to live free from governmental intrusion in private or personal information is natural, essential, and inherent.
December 5, 2018

… from the government.

It is unlikely that the bailouts or other cashflows to car makers – to prop up union jobs or backstop EV manufacture or sales would qualify as government influence from which New Hampshire would appear obligated to protect us. Unless you’d like to argue that the government pushed for hands-free technology, which is now being used to harvest private information, but that won’t work either, and not just because the government isn’t the one doing the reaping.

As far as I can tell, Article 2-b, which was, in my opinion, an effort to keep abortion statistics hidden, has or will ever be honored or upheld. I may sound pessimistic, even cynical, but New Hampshire won’t be defending us from the impending privacy invasion of CBDC – the biggest anti-privacy government elephant in every room, so don’t expect them to stand up for you on anything else.

They are, after all, the ones prohibited from intruding, self-appointed to define what that means and how they can get around it. They will also be presiding over the facts, defending themselves from alleged violations, and sitting in judgment. All while accepting and spending millions from the Feds upon whose strings they happily dance.

It is an empty amendment without a whit of authority unless, of course, you want to hide how many minors have been encouraged to quietly have an abortion.

 

The post But Is It Unconstitutional in New Hampshire? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Maine legalized recreational marijuana in 2020. In response, Chinese nationals have bought properties all across Maine to grow marijuana. China has been using Tik Tok to brainwash America’s youth and now literally, not figuratively, are also using “recreational drugs” to also help turn them into zombies.

The Biden-Regime knows all about this operation but has done NOTHING to stop it.

From the Maine Wire:

Illegal Chinese marijuana grows have taken over much of rural Maine.

The government is either incapable — or unwilling — to do anything about it.

The Maine Wire has identified more than 100 properties that are part of a sprawling network of Chinese-owned sites operating as unlicensed, illicit cannabis growing operations in rural Maine. …

Most of the properties were acquired after Maine legalized the sale of recreational pot in 2020.

According to the DHS memos, the sites are operated by Chinese foreign nationals, some who are in the U.S. illegally. DHS believes the network earns an estimated total income of $4.37 billion per year, some of which is returned to entities in the People’s Republic of China.

Each pin represents a property acquired in the past three years by out-of-state Chinese nationals and turned into an illegal marijuana grow.

CBP estimates the operation could net $4bn annually.

==> https://t.co/gdivxVgc34 pic.twitter.com/Oi2nkY8301

— Steve Robinson (@BigSteve207) November 8, 2023

The post China Owns Illegal Marijuana Grows All Across Maine appeared first on Granite Grok.

You may have heard part of this story. Benjamin Rush Elementary in Redmond, Washington, announced that instead of “celebrating” Veteran’s Day, they would hold a ‘peace assembly’ on Nov. 15 to honor the “International Day of Tolerance” sponsored by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.”

 

Ten other schools in the Washington Lakes district are celebrating Veterans Day. Benjamin Rush Elementary is not. Read between the lines, folks.

This school is making a name for itself and opening the door for the rest to follow suit. Its move is consistent with the agenda pushed by progressives, Democrats and the radical left to remove history and tradition from children’s lives and replace it with fantasy, self-hatred and hatred for everything American.

 

What seems to be missing from the reporting is that while Benjamin Rush Elementary is not honoring Veterans Day, the district took the federal holiday on Friday off in honor of it.

 

 

 

 

There was no school. Depending on the contracts negotiated for administrators, staff, and teachers, this is most likely a paid holiday for many, especially anyone in a union.

I look forward to the news from Benjamin Rush Elementary about how the ‘District’ collected the day’s wages for a holiday they aren’t recognizing and returned it to the taxpayers.

 

 

HT | GP

The post School That Replaced Veteran’s Day with “Day of Tolerance” Still Took Friday Off – and Probably Got Paid appeared first on Granite Grok.

Is it ignorance, naivety, laziness, or a product of indoctrination that Democrats and a generation of young people think that the government can satisfy their needs from the crib to the grave? 

We have a history of failures from Education to Social Security and Medicare, and the government is too big and unmotivated to solve problems, except for the opportunities the system offers to make them wealthy.

The government aims to grow the government and proliferate the people’s dependence on the system. This process keeps the populace reelecting the same inept politicians for lifetime tenure. I wrote about one of our biggest failures last week. That issue is the treatment of our military personnel while they are serving, but more importantly, when they return to civilian life. 

About 255,000 veterans in the United States aged between 35 and 54 had an income below the poverty level. Over 500,000 veterans aged 65 and older have an income below the poverty level – the most out of any age group. Even sadder are the 68,000 homeless veterans and the 22 veterans who end their lives each day. This ugly truth is an American tragedy that nobody in the government wants to talk about, let alone solve. Thank God Frank Siller is not in our government.

Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller formed his Foundation in loving memory of his little brother, Stephen Siller, a New York Firefighter who gave his life in service, saving the lives of others in the Twin Towers on 9/11. Frank has made it his mission to help Gold Star Families, maimed victims of battle, and now he is tackling the homeless problem of our Veterans. Frank Siller is accomplishing what the government can not even think of doing. Frank is giving hope and respect back to our sons and daughters who were kicked to the curb by the system. Frank Siller is a hero.

We have all seen the commercials, and I admit to chills when I watch them. Frank asks for $11 a month from Americans, but what he does with the equivalent of two large cups of coffee is nothing short of magical. I watch the recent series of TV spots and marvel at what this man and his Foundation are doing nationwide to tackle Veteran homelessness. His track record ensures he will not rest until no Veteran sleeps on the street.

Across the country, T2T is converting hotel-style buildings into living centers for Vets. This weekend, they unveiled a facility in Houston that will house 105 of our finest. Frank lost his brother, Steve, on 9/11, but Steve left America with an angel. That may sound soft or hyperbole, but this man has shown what can be done when you bring people and resources together to solve a problem. Our military never leaves a brother or sister behind. America should not leave these Veterans behind. It is not just a roof over their heads but services from job counseling to mental health assistance. This effort is a complete package, and the government should be envious of T2T. It is about time they recognize Frank Siller for his actions.

The post Tunnels to Towers Is Doing What The Government Could Not appeared first on Granite Grok.

Wednesday night’s debate between the five qualifying GOP candidates for president (not named Trump) was by far the best of the three held so far, at least in my opinion. One critic complained it came off more like a TED Talk than a debate. I agree! But I thought that’s what made it good.

Unless you’re looking to exploit click-bait soundbites, what does anybody get out of mud-slinging one-liners and too many people talking over each other?

All of the candidates did a good job outlining their positions on a number of serious issues ranging from the Israeli/Hamas conflict as well as Ukraine, and China, to energy policy, immigration, the opioid crisis, crime, inflation, entitlement spending, and education. The spinners are trying to stir the pot by highlighting a couple of “heated moments” – Nikki Haley is Dick Cheney in heels! — that weren’t really that heated or are downplaying the event as irrelevant. (The latter have an argument.)

Some, I think, did better than others. Ramaswamy made some solid points, starting with taking on the legacy media for their multi-year collusion in the Russia collusion hoax, but shot himself in both feet by generally coming across as, well, just kind of a jerk. Tim Scott finally came out of his shell and turned in a solid performance, but if Tuesday’s election results from Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia teach us anything, it is that Scott’s Christian conservative positions on issues like abortion won’t translate well into a national race. Chris Christie was Chris Christie. He’s a smart guy, but a Blue State, center-left Republican is not what an overwhelming majority of Republican primary voters are looking for today.

That leaves Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the two non-Trump frontrunners. Personally, I think these two should be the Republican ticket for 2024, and the only question to iron out between now and the primaries for me is which one should be at the top. Both are/were highly effective conservative governors. Both delivered conservative policies and electoral victories in their states. Both are extremely articulate in their own and in complementary ways – DeSantis being more methodical (some say uncharismatic), and Haley being more passionate (some say more charismatic).

Both have demonstrated they can connect with and bring in voters who are outside their base constituencies, such as independents and minorities. Both are young, energetic, and attractive. If either won the presidency in 2024, the other would still be young enough to run in 2032, setting up Republicans for long-term national success. (Trump, of course, would be constitutionally done in 2028.)

We need to see and hear more from these two. Just these two.

So, some free advice for their campaigns that probably won’t be taken, but anyway…. Scrap any more GOP-sponsored debates.

Currently, there is a controversy over a proposal by influential Iowan Bob Vander Plaats, president of The Family Leader, to hold a public Thanksgiving roundtable discussion with the GOP candidates, and the RNC is threatening to bar anyone who participates from future GOP-sponsored debates. First, what future GOP-sponsored debates? And second, who cares? Do the Vander Plaats event (which I’m happy to say it looks like he’s going to move forward with), and don’t stop there.

None of the five from Wednesday is going to break out or change the current dynamic by popping up once a month, if that, to scramble for fifteen minutes of talk time at free-for-all moderated by a bunch of left-wing legacy media talking heads. So, create your own forums and have a real, in-depth conversation about what your visions are for the country – and how you plan to win a general election in November.

As for Haley and DeSantis, I would suggest the two organize a World Series of two-hour head-to-head discussions. Seven games, each focusing on a specific topic, hosted by someone(s) conservatives care about and who has an audience. Mark Levin? Tucker Carlson? Joe Rogan? Elon Musk? One a week leading up to the Iowa Caucuses on January 15.

Last month, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy explored doing a one-on-one debate on Fox News, and the RNC quashed it. Why did they chicken out? Both probably would have gotten more publicity for their campaigns and created more of an opportunity to connect with voters had they done it. I, for one, was looking forward to it and hope they revisit the idea themselves. The more in-depth exposure we get to these folks, the better.

The low-information way we go about picking the leader of the free world these days sucks. I cite the current guy who ran from a basement hiding behind a mask – and won — as my evidence.

 

Rob Roper is a freelance writer with 20 years of experience in Vermont politics, including three years of service as chair of the Vermont Republican Party and nine years as President of the Ethan Allen Institute, Vermont’s free-market think tank. He is also a regular contributor to VermontGrok.

The post Top GOP Candidates Shouldn’t Participate in Any More Debates appeared first on Granite Grok.

How bad is the RINO problem in the U.S. House of Representatives? Pretty damn bad. The latest (as off 11/9) … SEVENTY (70) DC RINOs joined with the Democrats to give the FBI $300 million for a new headquarters.

And, yes, that would be the same FBI that considers pro-life activists and Trump-voters domestic security threats and treats them as such while covering up the actual crimes committed by the Biden crime family.

Nothing is ever going to change until Republican voters turn out for primaries and defeat the RINOs. Until that happens, we will have merely the illusion of GOP control acting as camouflage for the UniParty.

NEW: 70 House Republicans voted in favor of rewarding the FBI with a $300 MILLION headquarters in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This is the same FBI that has been aggressively targeting Trump supporters while protecting the Biden Crime Family.

Republicans, who often times like to… pic.twitter.com/HkspdWhbqX

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 10, 2023

BEFORE: We will set up a major, Church-like Committee to investigate the FBI!

(doesn't happen)

NOW: We are giving the FBI a brand new mega headquarters https://t.co/LBus7cyfma pic.twitter.com/4TG8JF8twp

— Mike Howell (@MHowellTweets) November 9, 2023

Editor: And this just in …

 

The post DC RINOs Reward FBI With $300 Million for New Headquarters appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida, was the site of the third Republican debate.  Missing from the stage were candidates Mike Pence, Asa Hutchinson, and that guy Doug, as was the Reagan Library plane that disappeared like the hopes of the three vanquished old white guys.

Miami is as diverse as they come, and the GOP hopefuls suddenly look like the new America Barack Obama and Joe Biden have manufactured by opening the southern border wider than Governor Christie’s pants.  Gone are the days of pasty conservative men as we are left with two Indians, an African American, an obese guy, and another guy wearing high heels.  If that’s not a representative sample of modern America, I don’t know what is!

Speaking of striking, Vivek Ramaswamy came just short of rich-slapping two ladies right off the bat as the billionaire came out of the gates swinging for the fences (that was one pun and three metaphors if you’re scoring at home).  He answered his first question by calling out RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to come up on stage and apologize to her party, generously offering her his time to allow her to resign.  He quickly turned his attack on to the lone female moderator, Kirsten Welker, for supporting the Trump Russia Collusion hoax, eliciting groans and howls from the crowd who were itching for some click-bait.  Who says chivalry is dead?

The moderators for the show were the equally diverse Lester Holt, Kristen, and Hugh Hewitt, who, if I’ve done my intersectional math correctly, make two Harvard grads and a Jamaican, all working for the man.  Lester set the tone early by admonishing the crowd for showing their human instinct of approval by applauding candidates saying things they support.  Having the personal charm of a butler who moonlights as a librarian, Lester seems to have forgotten the real focus of the debate was the people sitting behind, not beneath him.  Luckily they did as they were told by the Constitution and told Lester to go fluff himself by continuing to make as much noise as they damn well pleased. ‘Merica!

The moderator’s questions were all craftily designed to focus on second-tier issues like high gas prices, what would you say to Israel’s Prime Minister if he actually listened to you, and how many boats will you buy from defense contractors to impress the Chinese.  This made the debate feel more like a friendly game night where the argument is over playing Monopoly versus Risk.  Toss in a question about the growing anti-semitism on college campuses and the real interests were being spoken to: Energy companies, “the Jews,” and the military-industrial complex, that is, the America that rules Americans.  At least that’s what my friends Mel and Kanye told me.

Conspicuously absent from the debate was front-runner Donald Trump who has a bigger lead over the pack than a tranny at a track meet.  When not in court, the Don is holding court at one of many arena’s around the country that are packed fuller than Sam Brinton’s suitcases.  Governor Christie, when he wasn’t using food as a reference, spent most of the evening pining for the former president to give “what he owes the American people” by way of an explanation as to what he’ll do when he becomes president.  Somehow, he missed that’s exactly what Trump was doing that night to a crowd of millions without the indignity of having to answer to a team of future also-ran-their-mouths.

Other than Ramaswamy’s scorched earth tactics, the debate had the feel of a drug commercial.  You know the kind – where we’re reminded of how great life was, then told we have this pervasive sickness that only (blank) can solve, followed by a list of harmful side-effects spoken quickly to us in a hushed monotone voice, such as hair loss, lowered libido and eye bleeding, concluding with visual imagery of the perfect life we all hope for while secretly knowing we’re more likely to get one or more side-effects.  Yeah, sign us up for that.

So as the candidates were asked to give their concluding remarks, they pulled out their rhetorical paint brushes and canvassed the room with vision casting and big promises loud enough to cause amnesia for all of the past promises that they forgot to pay up.  Desantis summoned his greatest governor in America vibe, Haley waved the “strong and proud” flag, Christie reminded us the situation is more serious than his looming heart attack, while Scott did his best impersonation of Mike Pence, cranked out a few Bible verses, and soft-shouted how American needs to return to its Christian roots, at which point Lester immediately cut him off for using the words faith and Christian and Scott was later declared the black face of white Christian nationalism by Media Matters.

All of them at times borrowed from the Trump playbook, which runs on a combination of tough talk, insult comedy, and patriotic slogans, only none of them come by it honestly, as does Donnie’s ballgame, which is why his numbers are higher than Jerry Garcia on the Matterhorn.

However, the only one who came to play hardball was Ramaswamy, who signed off by daring the Democrats to be honest about Joe Biden as a “puppet for the managerial class” and come clean about the real candidate they would run suggesting either Gavin Newsom or Michael Obama.  As the crowd roared with approval, Ramaswamy reminded Ronna that she would be more useful to the party if she’d just go make him a sandwich, after which he stepped out from behind his podium and shouted, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?!”

 

The post Bananas GOP 3: Return of the Son of Ramaswamy appeared first on Granite Grok.