The Virginia state senate just passed a bill essentially outlawing the AR-15 and similar firearms.

Now, anyone who’s familiar with the Bruen ruling and its two-part test knows that this bill simply ignores that ruling.

If the bill passes into law, gun rights groups will have to spend time, money, and effort going to court to have the law overturned. And while they’ll succeed, the same thing will just keep happening in other jurisdictions.  It’s a game of whack-a-mole.

It occurs to me that some enterprising state, controlled by conservatives, should do something like enact a law requiring prayer in school or something else that would drive progressives crazy.

Why?  Because progressives would start trotting out Supreme Court rulings:  You can’t have prayer in schools because of Bob v. Carol, Ted v. Alice, and so on!

To which the appropriate response would be:

Oh, we’re paying attention to Supreme Court rulings now?  Because, after looking at the gun control laws being passed in places like California and Virginia, we thought we were past that. If progressive states don’t have to listen to the Supreme Court, why should conservative states?

Hard to argue with that logic.

And it seems as though we have passed the point where the Supreme Court gets the final word on anything because state legislatures are learning to use the trick that the Court has been using almost since its inception:  If you just pretend that words that clearly say one thing actually mean something quite different, then you can claim that ‘the law’ is whatever you want it to be.

Which brings us full circle to the very first public comments I ever made, back in 2014, when I asked:

If legislatures are going to ignore the limits placed on them by their constitutions, why shouldn’t individuals ignore limits placed on them by those legislatures?

Substitute courts for constitutions (which many people believe is a reasonable thing to do), and you get another special case of a more fundamental question:

Does paying attention to what legislatures, and courts, and executive agencies say, bring us closer to the rule of law, or take us further away from it?

It’s getting harder to deny, I think, that the answer is further away.

That being the case, it’s probably time to scrap the whole system and go back to the drawing board, starting with the fundamental ideas of the Declaration of Independence.  (Which happen, by the way, to be the fundamental ideas of the GOP platform since the creation of the party — on paper, if not in practice.)  These are:

(1) people form governments to protect the rights they already have; and

(2) those governments get their just power to act from the consent of the governed.

Except, this time, we should actually take them seriously.

Or we could just start from the Golden Rule,

What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man.

and restrict ourselves to laws of the form

Because I do not wish to have someone else do ________ to me, I consent to be punished if I do it, or try to do it, to someone else.

At heart, these are really the same thing.   And we don’t need layers of legal priests to interpret them for us.

Could we do this?  Well, there is certainly precedent for it.

Back when the Continental Congress met to amend the Articles of Confederation, they came out of the meeting with a completely new plan for government, to completely replace the existing one.

They didn’t ask for permission to do that.  They didn’t consider whether it was allowed by the current framework or try to work within that framework.  They just did it.

And we could do it again.   When will it be time for that?  Again, we can turn to the Declaration for the answer:

all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed

We’ll do it when the evils stop being sufferable.  Or, as many people have said when enough of us get sick and tired of being sick and tired.

The post Bruen: We May be Going About This Wrong appeared first on Granite Grok.

Bill Maher is wrong about a lot of things, but he has never been afraid to say what he thinks, and given who his audience is, that means a lot when it comes to issues like free speech. It also makes us giggle (like a schoolgirl on hormone replacement therapy) when he smacks down Haley-Homer Chris Sununu.

The clip has been collecting in-box digital dust for a few days, so apologies for the delay (and thanks for the link), but it is something that – in my opinion – will never get old.

Chris Sununu is on Real Time with Bill Maher to continue to appeal to undecided voters and Democrats to pick the Republican nominee. That’s my guess. I can’t imagine any other reason why he’d be on or even invited.

And while we don’t have the whole interview or any surrounding context, the smackdown by Maher looks brutal (with a stylized ending by the X-poster that is smirk-worthy).

SEE IT: Bill Maher tells Governor Chris Sununu to his face to sh..t up and accept that Trump will be the GOP nominee. WATCH pic.twitter.com/QUrFeOAJDM

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) February 5, 2024

The post ICYMI – Bill Maher Serves Haley Cult Leader Chris Sununu a Yuge Reality Sandwich 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 latest Israel-focused meme & commentary post if this is a subject of interest to you.

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then they wonder why we don’t trust the enemedia any more.

 

 

 

 

Remember my cartoon:

 

 

 

 

 

I have a crapton of Delta SkyMiles.  Guess I won’t be adding any more.

 

 

 

I can only hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wondering if I can get such a table, but with a lion or with a dragon…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do I have the feeling I posted this one before…?

 

 

 

Or government.  Or medical professionals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA

 

Be on guard with the police.  They can lie to you.

 

LAWYER EXPLAINS: 12 Lies the Police Love to Use

 

 

 

LAWYER: 5 Ways to Outsmart the Police

 

 

This is another shattering of illusions moment for me, because – at least on the local level – I’ve always believed that I can trust the police.  Not so any more.

Lawyers may be expensive, but… better to get one than not.  You will never, ever talk yourself out of being a suspect, but you can blab your way into being arrested.  Or, worse, they can compile enough to even prosecute you.

 

ONLY 3 Things to Say to The Police!

 

 

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You and any descendants you have first.

Abstract question – who would win, a soldier arachnid (above) from Starship Troopers, or a Xenomorph from Alien?

 

 

Enemedia going batsh!t crazy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Links:

 

America’s Favorite Cookie Takes a Hard Left Turn (townhall.com)

Haven’t liked Oreos for decades.  No loss.  Kinda related, at least to me:

WATCH: Leaked Internal Footage of Senior Officials at Federal Aviation Administration Reveals Plan to Reduce Number of White Males in Aviation | The Gateway Pundit | by Cristina Laila

Woke is harmful and is going to prove deadly.

—

The Feral Irishman: Perspective…

Bunch of links with commentary.  Prep stuff too. Related to prepping:

Don’t Be Misled by Propaganda: Banks Are Collapsing | NC Renegades

And from Surak:

Economic deception and collapse – Surak substack blog

Also:

The Social Security clock keeps ticking – American Thinker

Some years ago I read that between the public debt and the unfunded liabilities for various programs in the US, the money needed to repay the debt and fund these is north of $100 trillion.  Worldwide, debt and unfunded liabilities was north of $200 trillion.  The wealth to do this literally does not exist.  And related to financing on a specific product:

Bayou Renaissance Man: Rooftop solar panels: warning lights are flashing

And on solar in general:

Greens in Shock at Australia’s “Rally Against Reckless Renewables” – Watts Up With That?

The True Costs of Net Zero Are Becoming Impossible to Hide – MishTalk

—

Full-Time Work Is Being Replaced by Part-Time Jobs as Americans and Businesses Struggle – Tennessee Star

“Wherever possible, businesses are eliminating full-time jobs and replacing them with part-time jobs to reduce costs,” E.J. Antoni, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Many firms are also conducting ‘quiet’ layoffs, according to multiple surveys. This involves eliminating a full-time position when the occupant either quits or is fired — the person simply isn’t replaced. The drop in payrolls is the same as if you laid off those people. Meanwhile, the sectors that are still hiring are predominantly bringing on people part-time.”

—

Has The “Cancer Cure” Been Known For 42 Years? * 100PercentFedUp.com * by Noah

As I understand it, cancer drugs are a huge industry.  Imagine if there was something simple that could cure cancer (or mostly).  There is an awful lot of incentive to quash therapies that don’t fit that model.

—

Christian UPS driver confronts company over LGBT and woke agenda (massresistance.org)

A man fights back.

—

Making Sense of Disease Mortality Charts (substack.com)

Surak weighs in; very interesting data, e.g., on measles.  Sanitation, nutrition, and food hygiene.  Speaking of:

Sweden & Germany: We found No Deaths In Children Due to Covid, by Dr. Paul Alexander; we also found not one healthy child in America across 4 years got COVID infection, or severe illness or died, NONE (substack.com)

And more:

THE SPIKE PROTEIN OF SARS-CoV-2 BINDS HEMOGLOBIN, RELEASING IRON INTO THE CIRCULATION INDUCING ONCOGENIC, NEURODEGENERATIVE, INFLAMMATORY, IMMUNE AND VASCULAR COMPLICATIONS, SENESCENCE AND AGING – WMC Research

So it causes heart disease, causes / accelerates cancers, and all these other effects.  Who the living F developed this?

—

Biden to send troops to STOP Texas from protecting border (wnd.com)

Treason.  Plain and simple – treason.

—

UK’s “Online Safety Act” OFFICIALLY grants MSM permission to publish lies – OffGuardian (off-guardian.org)

Incredible.  And whether on the books officially or not, I suspect this is the same in most countries.

—

How Empires Live and Die – Starving the Monkeys

RIP USMC – Starving the Monkeys

Wet Paper Tiger – Starving the Monkeys

Maf is Hard – Starving the Monkeys

Recently came across this blogger (Starving the Monkeys), and his insights on various military readiness issues (mostly involving Naval Warfare and/or Marines) were pretty amazing.  Some of these are long to read (and rather disheartening), but it paints the (fairly bleak) picture of how our military would fare in an actual peer to peer or near-peer conflict.

—

African Nation Passes New Law For Surgical Castration Of Convicted Pedophiles * 100PercentFedUp.com * by Danielle

Madagascar just passed a law allowing judges to sentence pedophiles to surgical castration, as the “chemical castration” was not working, and criminals would “re-offend”.

 

 

Looks like it’s catching on.  Bring it to America.  Heck, for regular rape… three separate-incident convictions… the odds you’re innocent in all three are ZERO.  Bye bye boys.  Though for pedos and repeat rapists, I’d suggest that the equation BULLET + BRAIN might be cheaper, and possibly more effective as a deterrent.

—

Moonbattery Leftists Threaten to Target Patriots in Homes and Churches – Moonbattery

So  what else is new?

—

Thermal Earring feels its wearer’s heat – via their earlobe (newatlas.com)

Closing out – wearable monitors.  Remember what Yuval said?  Surveillance under your skin.

 

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

 

Pick of the Post:

 

 

Slammed on so many levels.

And sooooo close behind, I’ll put it here, for the sheer, raw gut-feel mockery:

 

 

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Palate Cleansers:

 

—

—

 

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

Please do consider buying me a coffee.

Buy Me a Coffee

 

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

 

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

After reading an account of a 1948 primary election that detailed a probability of criminality, which apparently continues to be relied upon, I am reminded of more youthful times when parents, after learning of or witnessing bad behavior, would correct their children with a spanking.

As stated, the tactics employed in the 1948 stunner were apparently still in play during the 2020 Presidential elections. While some question just how a 1948 primary contest can be connected with today, many others still close their eyes when singing the rhyme of, “Oh, that’s just good ole Uncle Joe, he’s harmless.”

Has anyone ever asked about the purpose of re-electing a “harmless” Senator? If he’s really so harmless, just what is the worth of his Senate seat, especially when, during his career, he’s never been right on any foreign policy issue? This distinction of such a difficult consistency is well known.

Returning to that 1948 Texas primary, think about the similarities that re-surfaced in 2020. In 1948, LBJ was the underdog to the popular former Texas Governor, Coke Stevenson. Then, too, in 1948, poll watchers were distanced from the action, late discoveries of large amounts of ballots appeared many days after Texas’s three-day extension, former residents of Texas, along with dead people, submitted ballots, and the necessary media was controlled by Johnson and the State Constitution was blatantly violated.

Not only will this pattern of past success probably resurface in 2024, but more importantly, this comparison establishes an MO, a ‘method of operation’ from the same culprit source, the Democrat Party, while answering the same need. Since that source and intent remain unchanged and are now also being fueled by their increased trepidation of the probable 2024 outcome, this cannot and should not be cavalierly dismissed.

This piece of writing is a “voter beware sign” as to what we could face again this November. Naturally, to the more liberal-minded, this info is automatically viewed as “more MAGA propaganda.” Well, not so quick. This information was taken from a 1977 audio recording, which was posted to the archival website of the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. MAGA wasn’t involved!

The twentieth century is loaded with examples that failed to spark any corrective proceedings, so this modern-day habit of inaction will not be a shocker, and neither will the results! What is needed is to appreciate and use this evidence against what has become a Democrat standard. Remember, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

America needs to re-activate its law and order mechanisms without delay. The term “America” still means “we the people.” What is needed is to identify and then remove (spank) the undeserving at all levels of governing. It would require a diversion from our normal routines, but time and interest spent learning what these career politicians are really all about will bring unknown dividends. To paraphrase Dr. Ben Franklin when also explaining why education has ceased to educate properly, he believed that a nation that stays well informed “cannot be enslaved.”

Our “too busy” or “my vote won’t matter” refrains encourage these career undesirables and incompetents, and that is why their re-elections have become so routine. Both parties are busy grooming their own stable of controllable puppets; and it shows!

Spanking works, and judging from the lack of it, today’s youthful violence satisfies the democrat’s anti-American agenda. Without restraints and accountability, whether it be the child, the politician, or the rioter, their behavior will never change! Why would it?

Our people own the right and have the opportunity to correct and improve the country they love on each election day. It is the day when not only their voices are heard but finally listened to and obeyed! And since it appears that “we the people” are the only remaining contingent that cares, this solemn duty must be addressed. If not, then their abusive power, for which all governments are drawn, will continue, but more to the point, it will then reflect the truer caliber of our citizens!

The post ‘Spanking’ Encourages Obedience appeared first on Granite Grok.

Last week, after a bill to charge citizens for access to public documents failed, I called the charge (fee, levy) a tax. Some boob took to X to tell me it was not a tax, as if the government taking money from citizens could be anything but. Later that day, a motion to reconsider was scheduled and reconsidered yesterday.

The vote to reconsider passed, but an effort to table it failed. HB1002 was eventually recommitted, which means it is still alive and back in committee where it was recommended as ought to pass the first time by a vote of 12-8. We’d like to see that change for many reasons, some of which we’ve shared on these pages already.

To facilitate this wind of change, you’ll have to reach out to the committee with many of the same points that helped get the reconsideration vote.

The original floor vote on HB1002 was 193-179. Seven votes the other way, and it fails. After the request to recommit, groups like the ACLU are alleged to have been working on the Democrat’s side in opposition to the legislation with as much enthusiasm as we were working on the Republican side. The vote to reconsider was 195-183. The vote to table it (kill it without killing it; someone can always ask for a vote to take it off the table) failed 126-254, after which it was recommitted.

It is back in the Judiciary Committee from which it originated, and at this point, our goal is to get the committee to vote it inexpedient to legislate, which will make it easier to kill come the next floor vote.

Advocates will do whatever they can to dress this thing up, but at the end of the day, it will be the same old whore in a new dress. A tax on access to public documents, which, as I noted here, “HB1002 will make the government less transparent, less accessible, and less accountable. Is that what you were elected to do in Concord, or was it the reverse?”

Please get in touch with the reps on the Judiciary Committee and politely offer your thoughts in opposition to the bill.

No new fees, fines, levies, or taxes for public documents unless they are against the towns/individuals, making them more difficult to access; we could support that.

 

The post HB1002 – Public Documents Tax Didn’t Pass But it Didn’t Fail – Recommitted (Back to Committee) appeared first on Granite Grok.

We learned that State Representative Matthew (Matt) Coker (R-Meredith) officially switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. The Republican Caucus welcomed him warmly and looks forward to working with him to serve his constituents with integrity and conviction.

A House Republican press release stated, “Representative Coker’s transition to the Republican Party underscores the inclusive nature of the GOP, which prioritizes diversity of thought and welcomes individuals from all walks of life who share a common vision for a prosperous and vibrant New Hampshire.”   You could say they put out the “Welcome Matt.”

We learned that the Consulat général du Canada à Boston is celebrating its 75th Anniversary! And to celebrate, we had a visit and speech from Consul General Bernadette Jordan who spoke about our northern border, our trade relationship, and our working together. With her was Deputy Ambassador Arun Alexander. Speaker Packard presented the Consul General with a declaration recognizing the 75th anniversary. The Consul General even treated us to lunch in the cafeteria. Sadly, there was no poutine. However, they did leave us maple candies at each table.

We learned that a bill that passed on February 1st was brought back for reconsideration after Rep Lisa Smart (R-Meredith) filed a motion for reconsideration after the House session after voting on the prevailing side. HB1002 passed last week 193-179. This bill allows public bodies to charge $25 an hour for documents requested under the Right to Know law if it takes over 10 hours to gather said documents. Anyway, the motion to reconsider passed 195-183. Then, a motion to Table failed 126-254, after which the bill was recommitted to the Judiciary Committee on a voice vote. Let’s see what they do to it there. It seems to me this bill will be totally ineffective because people will merely submit these large requests in smaller chunks to get around paying a fee.

We also learned that the 3 high-profile bills of the day yielded two losses and one win for School Choice in NH, even as almost all members of the Republican caucus wore yellow scarves in support of School Choice. First was HB1561, which failed 197-185. HB1561, relative to qualifications for student eligibility in the Education Freedom Accounts program, would have allowed students who are having difficulties in their school to qualify for the Education Freedom Account program, no matter what the family income bracket is. Children of families outside of the income cap, who are in vulnerable student groups, apparently do not have a chance to succeed, according to 197 who voted NO on Ought To Pass. All Democrats and 10 Republicans would rather pour money into systems failing these kids instead of investing in alternatives to help these kids succeed.

Additionally, we learned that HB1634 failed with a vote of 194-186 against the OTP motion, which would have made EFA’s universal and removed the income cap completely. All Democrats and 7 Republicans kept this bill from passing. After taking a lunch break, we came back, and thankfully, the third time was the charm. HB1665 passed 190-189 with 1 Democrat voting Yes and 4 Republicans voting No. This bill will change the income cap for eligibility from 350% to 500% of the federal poverty level guidelines. All votes on these three bills were roll-called. It appears people vote better on a full stomach.

We learned that slavery was back in the bill docket as we voted on HB1580. That bill would have prevented government procurement of electric vehicles containing components created through the use of forced labor. The ITL motion passed 294-84 and the bill failed primarily because it can’t really be determined what components of an EV would have been produced by forced labor. The bill was well-meaning but just not workable… unless we ban anything produced in places like China, etc.…. And why just stop at EVs? What about other stuff the state buys that’s made in places that utilize forced labor, like China?

We learned that HB1116 passed 221-157. This bill updates current law to remove the restriction on the action of the rifle and adds the use of straight-walled pistol cartridges of .357 or greater. The majority of the Fish and Game committee agreed that the action of the rifle has a negligible impact on the ballistics or power of the pistol round fired. They also thought that adding more options for hunters allowed for greater accuracy and safety. Of course, Democrats, who are clueless about firearms in general, just couldn’t bear the thought of firearms expansion with this bill. I guess you could say they were gun-shy.

We learned that a bill (HB1662) that would have prohibited certain Health and Human Services department members from having simultaneous employment with adoption or child placement agencies failed to pass. The ITL motion passed 190-187. 183 Democrats and 7 Republicans did not think that any kind of conflict of interest could happen. Perhaps we can sell them a bridge too.

We also learned that HB1049 was not only killed, but was Indefinitely Postponed with a vote of 324-53. This bill would have allowed overnight mooring of houseboats on bodies of water held in public trust, otherwise known as inland waters over 10 acres in size. House members received hundreds of emails from people on Lake Winnipesaukee asking to kill this bill because they didn’t want people lingering overnight, polluting the lake with trash and sewage, or partying and making a nuisance. I was afraid that we might not have had the time to vote on this bill because, clearly, we were still reading all of the hundreds of emails sent to us.

We learned that HB1700 failed to move on after an ITL motion passed 315-58. This bill would have prohibited the intentional release of polluting emissions, including cloud seeding, weather modification, excessive electromagnetic radio frequency, and microwave radiation into our skies. The bill included stiff penalties for violations. Now on its face it’s a good idea not to want to have all kinds of chemicals sprayed above us, but this bill identified a very wide range of items, some of which have not been proven to be harmful. Additionally, the reporting mechanism and enforcement were just not ready for prime time. That being said, my feeling is that in the near future, this issue should be something we should look at more closely for workable legislation and not just allow this to dissipate into thin air.

We learned that some people thought that HB1062 was a frivolous bill. It clarifies how “cover plates” on your vehicle can be used. It states that it is OK for you to use your cover plate on one end of your vehicle and your regular license plate on the other. It passed 198-177. So, frivolity wins!

Finally, we learned that a bill pulled off the Consent Calendar (HB1228) which was ITL’d in committee 15-2 was then summarily ITL’d 312-61 in the House. This bill had to do with establishing a fish and game guide committee to determine qualifications for fish and game guides. Apparently, folks are upset that applicants are failing licensure tests because they are having trouble due to learning styles and problems with the oral testing. This bill didn’t really address the issue, and perhaps it’s a better idea that instead of passing a new law, NH Fish and Game should collaborate with the Dept. of Education on how to do an effective evaluation of skills. At the end of the day, we don’t want to lower standards and allow people to pass these exams who cannot read maps or perform other necessary skills, so that we can fill positions.

There’s more to come next week…

The post So Kids, What Did We Learn From This Week’s House Session (2/8/24)? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Nevada’s screwed-up primary/caucus has even the ordinarily well-informed scratching their heads after Tuesday’s primary with Haley, no Trump. Haley didn’t do well on Tuesday, losing to none of the above by over 30 points. The Caucus, held last night, appointed delegates, and Candidate Trump crushed it.

Trump was one of two candidates on the caucus ballot, along with pastor Ryan Binkley, who failed to secure a delegate in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. As of 11:02 p.m. ET, NBC News had called the race when Trump garnered 96.4 percent of the vote to Binkley’s 3.6 percent, with one percent reporting. …

As the state Republican Party pointed out, Govs. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Doug Burgum (R-ND), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) had originally qualified for the caucus ballot but were removed after suspending their campaigns. Notably, all of the men but Christie have come out and voiced their support for Trump.

Trump, who flew to Nevada on Thursday afternoon, won the Virgin Islands Republican Caucuses as well on Thursday night.

Haley was actually on the ballot in the Virgin Islands, but Chris Sununu won’t likely be chasing microphones to tell us how vital this non-victory was to her campaign. Trump won it 74% to 26% – 182 to 64 votes. 4 Delegates were up for grabs.

Nevada offered up 26 delegates—a few. Trump has 63 delegates total, compared to Haley’s 17 (DeSantis has nine, Ramaswamy has three).

South Carolina is next (Super Tuesday, Feb 24), where Trump is polling at 68% to Haley’s 31% with 50 Delegates up for grabs. Michigan, Idaho, Missouri, DC, and North Dakota are the week after – March 5th is Super Tuesday, with 16 more states voting for a Republican Nominee.

 

The post Trump Wins Nevada Caucus … With 96.4% of the Vote appeared first on Granite Grok.

PART 1: Introduction
This week, there was a hearing before the House Education Committee to prohibit SEL in our public schools. The sponsor proposed an amendment at the hearing to change that to parental consent for children to participate in SEL.

Many counselors showed up to give praise to SEL in our schools. But none of them brought up the importance of parental consent, which is something they should all be requiring. I supported the amendment because it affirms ethical boundaries when treating or servicing a child’s mental health. It would also mean that the state will require parental consent for SEL, which is essentially what the federal government already requires.

In addition, as SEL transitions to Transformative SEL, the goal of turning children into political radicals and activists becomes the focus.

Here is a follow-up email to the House Education Committee on HB1473, which if amended, would require parental consent for a child to participate in social and emotional learning:

Part 2: Message to NH House Ed After Hearing on HB1473
Honorable Members of the House Education Committee:

Due to the limited time for testimony on HB1473, I am submitting my testimony with files and links that support the information I presented at the hearing today. (Below)

In addition to my testimony, I would like to call your attention to one of the school counselors who spoke before your committee today. Nicole Long mentioned that in her district, they used SEL programs like Second Step. I think it’s important to look at the Second Step Transformative SEL program, to better understand why informed consent by parents is essential, It may also explain why some parents would not want this kind of SEL for their children. I was not able to comment on Transformative SEL during my testimony since my time ran out. If you read how SEL is shifting its focus to Transformative SEL, you will get a better understanding of what that looks like in the classroom.

Second Step’s anti-racism and anti-bias Transformative SEL becomes a tool for pushing students to become political activists. Not only is this inappropriate for the classroom, it takes valuable time away from learning the academics.

Megan Phillips from Keene State BHII also spoke to follow up on the testimony that was given during the hearing. It’s unfortunate that no one questioned her on the personally identifiable (pii) mental health data that was collected without informed consent, so BHII could report back to the Federal Government on the MTSS-B framework. Not only did this violate the school counselor’s code of conduct, it was what many of us consider a gross violation of trust. Where did that sensitive mental health data end up? Who had access to it? Why was it even collected to formulate the report?

Ms. Phillips also made the statement that she was there to keep an eye out for inaccuracies in testimony. She clarified social and emotional screenings or surveys and went on to caution us about using the term “mental health assessment” in this context. Ms.Phillips mentioned using assessment tools by a qualified individual and that it’s not a part of social and emotional learning.

WATCH THIS VIDEO of NH SCHOOL COUNSELORS TRYING TO MANIPULATE PARENTS 

After that she explained how teachers using a survey or rating scale would be screening children based on their observation. Teachers would not be interpreting the data from the assessment process because teachers are not qualified to do that, and they are not asked to do that.

This is not what teachers and school counselors have revealed to me. It was a teacher who notified me several years ago that she was assessing her students using the DESSA. Devereux Student Strengths Assessment This information is included in my testimony. DESSA was used in SAU16, which is why I sent a 91-a asking to see the parental consent form. SAU16 did not obtain parental consent prior to assessing their students using the DESSA.

It was teachers in New York who also revolted against the DESSA, citing what New Hampshire teachers have revealed to me:
“Teachers feared they didn’t know their students well enough and that their responses could be biased. Many revolted against the directive to administer it, asking parents to opt out. Parents from various ends of the political spectrum refused to have their kids assessed. Some had concerns about privacy and data security, others worried about the questions’ overreach and the time it would take teachers away from building relationships with their children.”

A physician from New Hampshire wrote an article on the use of the DESSA in the Wall Street Journal titled, Have You Seen Jr’s Psych Profile? Emphasis mine

EXCERPT:
Rooted in what’s called “resilience theory,” the test comprises 72 questions that teachers answer about each student every month. They range from “How often did the child carry himself with confidence?” to “Does he cope well with insults and mean comments?” Answers are rated on a five-point scale from “never” to “very frequently.” A student’s composite score “provides an overall indication of the strength of the child’s social-emotional competence.” This information is tracked over time.

The justification for blanket screening of all students is noble—to identify those who may benefit from intervention before their social and emotional issues become a problem that impedes success in school and life. But aren’t we really creating psychological profiles that in other settings would be deemed confidential? If so, what is the privacy cost to students who are not at risk for a psychological imbalance, yet whose mental-health information is being documented by teachers and tracked over time?

Dr. Cerundolo goes on to make the argument that parents should be consenting when schools are engaged in building a psychological profile on students.

In my testimony, you will read that I spoke with Marc Kirsch, Director of Sales & Business Development at Aperture Education. We talked about how the DESSA was used as a mental health assessment. Aperture is a vendor for the DESSA assessment. 
Aperture Education claims success in treating a student’s mental health through the DESSA:
Mental Well-being
In the past few years, students have experienced a dramatic increase in mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and behavior disorders. School-based programs focused on building social and emotional skills can proactively support students’ mental health. https://www.apertureed.com/



I’m not questioning the validity or the quality of the DESSA; it’s used by Child Psychologists in their private practice. It may be a valuable tool in the hands of a doctor of Child Psychology, but our teachers were receiving about 8 hours of training.

I’m confused by Ms. Phillips’ statements but I would agree that teachers are not qualified to do some of what they are doing under the umbrella of social and emotional learning. These teachers have expressed their concerns to me, and many have been sharing the same concerns in New York.

Why should parents consent to SEL in our schools? Because we do not know what every school district is providing their students. Federal law also requires parental consent when assessing or treating a child’s mental health. Since we know that schools are failing to follow basic ethical guidelines and federal law, a state law is needed.

Parents have lost trust in school officials. Some parents have opted out of SEL for their children in some of our schools. When they hear a discussion where school personnel talk about how to manipulate a consent form to fool parents, it doesn’t help this situation. The parents who’ve watched that video were shocked by what they heard coming from those who are counseling students in our schools. https://www.veed.io/embed/a9d32c65-c439-4885-8a4b-7d629bf636e6?watermark=0&color=&sharing=1&title=1&irclickid=1sIweFQm0xyPT3aW3R15cXtmUkHwF6RpRVJ5W80&utm_source=Linkhaitao.&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=Linkhaitao.&utm_content=Online%20Tracking%20Link&irgwc=1

It doesn’t help that everyone who spoke today never mentioned the importance of informed consent when engaging with these kinds of mental health assessments and programs in our schools. When you read through the Codes of Conduct for those who work in the field of child psychology and mental health, they are very pro-parent and pro-informed consent when treating children or sharing their sensitive mental health data. There seems to be a disconnect when you watch the Zoom video and then listen to the people who are in charge of SEL in New Hampshire schools.

PART 3 TESTIMONY on HB1473 Feb. 5, 2024

Honorable Members of the House Education Committee:

My name is Ann Marie Banfield, and I am a parental rights advocate in New Hampshire focused on education. Today I come before you in support of the amendment to HB1473, which will require parental consent for children who participate in Social and Emotional Learning in school.

Teachers have always tried to support their students’ social and emotional well-being at school. But what was once considered common practice among teachers has been transformed into a standardized mental health program.

SEL programs have become profitable products to sell by Ed Technology Vendors. They are oftentimes administered by teachers with little or no mental health education or training. This is pseudo-psychology in the classroom.

Not only are the goals of SEL ill-defined, but they also raise significant, unanswered questions about what attitudes should be promoted.

Some of the problems associated with SEL in the schools include:

1. Creating standards for attitudes, values, beliefs, and dispositions.
2. Assessments using psychological measurements on children, which would include research when the data is shared through the SEL vendor.
3. Who decides what the proficiency level will be when it comes to the child’s personality and traits?
4. Scoring a child’s attitudes, values, beliefs and dispositions is subjective, and compiled by individuals who do not have the education or clinical training in the field of Child Psychology.
5. Some of the programs are new, which means that the children become research subjects. Vendors compile data on their product.
6. What type of experimental programs will be incorporated into the classroom to change a child’s attitudes? States like Arizona are now setting SEL competencies. That means the government determines what attitudes a child must exhibit.
7. Who receives the personal data on children when data is entered into the state longitudinal data system that allows data to be shared with outside contractors?
8. Children have both a Constitutional 1st and 4th Amendment protection to be left alone in their conscience.
9. Who is liable for damage incurred by staff and social workers?
10. An SEL assessment may violate the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).

HB 1473 would affirm ethical treatment of children when they are assessed or receiving mental health services. This is already a mandate in federal law but there seems to be confusion on the part of school administrators when it comes to informed consent.

I have found that some school administrators are not acquiring parental consent when they bring SEL into the classroom.

HB1473 would explicitly spell out in state statute what they should already be doing. Not only is this ethical, it’s also required in federal law Every Student Succeeds Act. ESSA: https://www.everystudentsucceedsact.org/copy-of-title-iv-sec-4001-general-provisions

ESSA requires :
(a) Parental Consent.–

“(1) In general.–

“(A) Informed written consent.–A State, local educational agency, or other entity receiving funds under this title shall obtain prior written, informed consent from the parent of each child who is under 18 years of age to participate in any mental-health assessment or service that is funded under this title and conducted in connection with an elementary school or secondary school under this title.

“(B) Contents.–Before obtaining the consent described in subparagraph (A), the entity shall provide the parent written notice describing in detail such mental health assessment or service, including the purpose for such assessment or service, the provider of such assessment.

One might wonder why a state law is necessary. Why aren’t local school administrators obtaining informed consent from parents?

School administrators and school board members are not Ph.D. Child Psychologists. This is not their area of expertise. What they may see as behavior modification can cross over to mental health treatment.

For instance, the DESSA is an SEL assessment that has been used in many schools in New Hampshire. The DESSA is also used by Child Psychologists in their private practice. https://www.kaplanco.com/content/products/DESSAIntroduction.pdf
The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment

When districts are assessing their students with the DESSA, they should be receiving informed consent from parents. I know of several districts that did not ask for consent before assessing their students when they used the DESSA. SAU16 for example.

When I spoke with Marc Kirsch, Director of Sales & Business Development at Aperture Education, he confirmed that this was a mental health assessment. They are vendors for the DESSA assessment.

The Aperture Education website promotes their success in treating a student’s mental health through their products. This is on their website:

Mental Well-being
In the past few years, students have experienced a dramatic increase in mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, and behavior disorders. School-based programs focused on building social and emotional skills can proactively support students’ mental health. https://www.apertureed.com/

I was introduced to the DESSA when a teacher contacted me concerned about what she was assessing using the DESSA. She became concerned that her child’s teacher would be collecting mental health data on her child, too.

She acknowledged that she was not qualified to grade students subjectively on their mental health. Where would this sensitive data go? Since they use a 3rd party vendor, Aperture Education would now be able to access her child’s mental health data.

SEL vendors will include a privacy policy; however, we know that when they cite FERPA as a privacy protection, FERPA allows for data to be shared because of the exceptions that currently exist. Anyone researching education can now access this sensitive mental health data, and parents will never know.

SEL programs and the data are profitable in the field of Ed Technology.

The Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is the central organization in the SEL sector. Proponents of SEL are proud to focus less on academic content and knowledge in schools and more on a student’s attributes, mindsets, values, and behaviors.

Tim Shriver, Board Chairman of CASEL said in a promotional video, “Content is more and more of a commodity. Children own what they want now at a very young age. They will become self directed. They can find out the dates of the civil war without learning it from a teacher.”

There is a deliberate attempt to eliminate teachers from the classroom. You can see it here and in Education Reimagined. But in my opinion, this is just another way to dumb down public education.

In 2019, CASEL embraced a controversial interpretation of the SEL skills in what is called “transformative SEL.”

Max Eden a Research Fellow at AEI wrote In an Op-ed:
“In the “transformative” model, “self-awareness” encompasses a student’s understanding of their “identity.” Their “identity” is to be understood in terms of “intersectionality,” a concept coined by Kimberle Crenshaw, the woman who coined the term “critical race theory.” This “transformative SEL” encourages students to understand their “identity” in terms of their belonging or non-belonging to identity politics categories that signify privilege or oppression. Transformative SEL also embraces “culturally relevant/responsive” pedagogy, an educational philosophy pioneered by Gloria Ladson-Billings, the woman who introduced critical race theory to the field of education. https://www.aei.org/op-eds/the-critical-race-theory-to-sel-education-pipeline/

From my research on CASEL and from what they’ve shared with the public, this is exactly the direction SEL is heading.

One needs to look no further than the Arizona State Competencies for SEL. Arizona students are required to master SEL competencies before moving. Did you know that there are SEL competencies now? That means students in Arizona must consider diversity salience or climate and assess the impact of beliefs and biases.

So when using the Second Step SEL program, anti-racism and anti-bias include a commitment to addressing racial injustice by driving change in our communities. This means that there is a shift from time spent on academics to time spent on training a child to become a political activist. Except they will be more likely to be an illiterate political activist. https://www.secondstep.org/anti-racism-and-anti-bias-resources

You need to look no further than what is made available to the public to understand the numerous problems that can accompany SEL in our schools.

Some of these programs may be valuable in the hands of a Child Psychologist in their private practice. But some of them have a specific political agenda attached to them.

Based on all of these reasons, I urge you to support the amended HB1473, which affirms federal laws and the ethical treatment of children when they are receiving mental health services or assessments in schools.

 

 

The post Night Cap: What’s SO Bad About Social and Emotional Learning (and the SEL Proposed Legislation in NH)? appeared first on Granite Grok.