We remember an Andy Sanborn, from nearly 15 years ago. A small business owner who stepped up with others to voice opposition to the then-all-Democrat New Hampshire State government and a budget bristling with new taxes. It vaulted him into politics and eventually a gig as a State Senator. That’s not this guy.

I’ve not spoken to Andy in many years, but a slew of circumstances hath laid him low, and the latest is a ruling by Independent Hearing Officer Michael King. In response to a long list of accusations from the State and the Gaming Commission, King has revoked Sanborn’s Casino license.

Thirteen state conclusions of law were granted, while 19 were denied. Many of the denied conclusions were denied due to not being relevant to the proceeding “and better left for determination by another agency.” Sanborn can operate the casino until Jan. 1, 2024, when the license is suspended and the casino must cease operations. He then has six months to sell the casino. If Sanborn fails to sell the business, the license will be fully revoked.

The accusations against Sanborn included increasing rent payments to himself from $500 a month to as much as $20,000 a month across several years, according to a state audit. The total amount appears to be more than a quarter of a century of advance rental payments. Sanborn was also accused of misusing more than $800,000 in coronavirus relief money for the business to buy himself and his wife sports cars.

We can’t speak to the numerous accusations of impropriety, including the misuse of COVID money not mentioned in the pull quote, but taken in the larger context of how governments and graft work, we’re partial to ‘Grok contributor Ian Underwood’s conclusion in this piece on the alleged scandal.

Taking money from your fellow citizens under false pretenses?  That’s wrong and illegal.

Forcing your fellow citizens to buy something for you that you could afford to buy for yourself?  That’s wrong, but legal.

Spending the money freed up by government largess on luxuries?  That’s just normal behavior in modern America.  One wonders why it’s taking up so much space in news reports on Sanborn’s activities.

Maybe he should have spent the money on real estate instead.

In other words, if there is any serious concern about waste, fraud, and abuse (of COVID money or any other laundering scheme, the watchdogs had best broaden the scope of their steely gaze lest this look like targeting.

If he done wrong then bring suitable justice, just don’t leave anyone else out of it.

The post Night Cap: Sanborn Loses Gaming License – Forced to Halt Operation on Jan 1 appeared first on Granite Grok.

The current in-vogue spin-room phrase is “context is everything.”  That phrase is used to provide an excuse for every unethical action, from teachers who are caught reading pornography to grade-school children, to politicians who vote to support “gender-affirming” surgery without their parent’s permission or knowledge.

To university presidents who use that phrase to excuse support for genocide or plagiarism, and to how judges hand down different punishments based on the perpetrator’s political ideology or financial connections.

When “free speech” advocates are questioned about their obviously ridiculous statements, they retreat into well-practiced “weave and dodge” responses.  They use technicalities cloaked in legal non-answers.  They don’t want to be held responsible for what they said.

“You need to understand the context in which those words were spoken.”

Um, no.  We don’t need to understand the “context”.  We can plainly see what was said.  We heard it.  We understood it. And we know you meant every word you said.

The City of Nashua has recently used those same “weave and dodge” tactics to avoid answering difficult questions about a recent election.  “We followed the law”, they claim.  They point at various NH RSAs and use “context” to explain why they can’t retrieve public information they are required to provide, by those same RSAs, to citizens requesting that information.  They want to know why the information is requested, as if the “context” of the request would provide an excuse for not providing the information.  They say that the information is stored in a “secure location” and thus cannot be retrieved – even when ordered to retrieve it by a judge.

It’s not “context” that’s the problem.

It’s the fact that the statements were made at all, or that the information was purposefully hidden from view and/or retrieval.  Those who made the statements or hid the information knew exactly what they were saying and/or doing.  Now, like a toddler caught with a hand in the cookie jar, they are trying to fool us into believing that their truth is the only truth, that we are at fault for even asking the questions.

Nobody should be surprised at this.  The United States has been sliding away from truth for decades.  It is only now that the slide has finally become noticeable as more and more people begin to wonder exactly why they can’t get a straight answer from city leaders.  Or politicians.  Or university presidents.

The latest of these “we know better” efforts to provide “context” is the “diversity”, “equity”, and “inclusion” policies being implemented in both public and private organizations.  The stated goal was to “level the playing field” by ripping up the playing field and redesigning it into multiple incompatible levels. The redesign violates the “all men are equal” principle (and MLK’s principles, by the way).

“But you need to understand the context behind DEI”, one person says.

Um, we need to know why two equally-qualified individuals must be treated separately?  “Why, yes.  It’s all about the context in which the decision is being made.”

That word again: context.  The same “I don’t need to explain it to you because you obviously aren’t intelligent enough to see it for yourself” explanation.

So, given the correct context, it must be OK to tell city residents that they don’t need to have FOIA information that they demand, especially if that information will expose corruption and bias.  With the correct context, it must be OK to tell university students that some of them don’t deserve protection from attack because “they’re not as worthy”.  Context explains why it’s OK for politicians to use unethical and possibly illegal means to enrich themselves in office even though there are laws that are specifically designed to prevent it.  And context explains how it’s OK for both the government and private organizations to treat selected groups of people differently.

Why is this so?  Context, of course.  Context explains everything.

So the question remains: are you going to believe those who are using “context” to explain the need for corruption, the violation of morality and truth, and the imposition of unequal treatment?

Or, are you willing to ignore context and recognize corruption and unequal treatment when you see it with your own eyes?

The post Context is… Nothing. appeared first on Granite Grok.

As we stumble into the year of our lord, Two Thousand Twenty-Four, I feel compelled to give thanks to commenters. Yes, the people who are not just fans of our authors but feel the uncontrollable urge to add their input and encourage debate.

You guys are great. Seriously.

To show my appreciation, I’d like to institute a new thing. You could call it a contest or perhaps an incentive. Maybe even a reward.

Inciteful input is valued, as is snark or compelling counterargument. We want more of it, so I am introducing a weekly commenter “award.” Here’s how it works. My moderator has been tasked with sending me comments they find interesting. Intuitive or relevant. Material that knocks an argument out of the park or adds to or extends the debate. He’s got a lot on his plate, so I’d also like readers and commenters to send me compelling comments (not your own, please).

Please submit each other’s best comments for consideration to support the community. Submit comments you read that make you go yeah, or hmmm, or hell no; that’s not right, but well said – you should also respond to those yourself.

There is no limit to the number of potential submissions from any commenter. The more you comment, the better your chances are that someone will pick your words for consideration. This is not an invitation to spam us or to be a troll. The same rules apply to those, and abusers will be removed at our discretion.

Add to the debate, please.

Whether you comment or not, if you read a comment you like, email it or a link to it (and the post from that week where you found it) to me with the name of the commenter. Please send it to steve@granitegrok.com. The email subject should be “comment of the week” or something similar.

We will run this weekly from Monday to Sunday for the next 24 weeks.

A winner will be announced at the beginning of the new week, and I will contact them for an address to send them their free Grok Swag. It could be a Grok Hat, a mug, or non-Grok NH-themed branding like Live Free or Die.

Contiguous 48 states only, sorry. International and overseas shipping are cost-prohibitive.

We will announce the winner each week following their selection. If it goes well from January to June, we’ll renew it for July to December.

We love our comments and commenters, and we’d like to love more of them. A lot more, so we hope this inspired you and others to join in the debate by exercising their right to Free speech.

Commenting house Rules apply – you can review those here.

Comments must be on the ‘Grok – meaning offsite remarks on social media that are not duplicated on our pages do not count. The comments should be your own, not someone else. Otherwise, we’re open to any remarks you’d like to contribute.

And remember, it is what you say, not how many words you use to say it. There is value in brevity.

The post New Year, New ‘Grok, Commenters Can Win Free Stuff – Every Week! appeared first on Granite Grok.

Advanced Placement for students in public schools who are more intellectually agile, capable, gifted, or just faster learners is proof of something. Racism? White Privilege (even if the bright kid is Asian or black). Whatever it is, it is unfair, and the government schools are on an equity mission to stop it.

Where once you had advanced placement or AP classes for kids who are or have the potential to excel above the standard level, you will now have everyone in one class.

Since Critical Race Theory (CRT), gender ideology, and DEI are not getting the reaction schools were hoping for, they’ve now repackaged their harmful agenda with a new title: unlevelling.

Unlevelling is when all students, regardless of academic abilities or special needs, are put in the same classes. No more standing out, Little Ricky.

Think about that for a second. In order to spare some feelings, students who show an aptitude for mathematics, science, English, and history will be punished.

According to Allison Dyer, the Nashua School Board has voted to end leveling, lumping all the kids into one room in pursuit of, my words, systemic mediocrity.

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Allison brings up several of the Nashua School District’s many demons, including a ‘Grok fan favorite, Heather Raymond. Heather was the tip of the spear to smear Doris Hohensee back in 2019 for daring to run and get elected to her school Board. Doris was a bane of her existence, challenging the progressive public school orthodoxy. Doris later became a Nashua ‘Grok contributor. (Related: Paula Johnson vs. City of Nashua.)

We’re thankful to have her, but Nashua lost a defender of parent and student rights, and a board member more interested in academics than turning the district into a mental health waystation preparing underachieving students for the crumbs left them by political elites like Heather Raymond.

Unlevelling will further handicap Nashua students. Parents who are able should do what they can to find other options.

The post The Nashua School District Unlevels (De-Levels) Classroom Learning appeared first on Granite Grok.

Nikki Haley’s answer … more accurately non-answer … to a question about the cause of the Civil War speaks for itself. She OBVIOUSLY does NOT have the wherewithal to campaign for President successfully, never mind having a successful Presidency.

She is Biden-in-heels … a figurehead who will do whatever the GOP big donors tell her to do.

What needs emphasizing is her campaign’s pathetic and stupid “damage control” … it was a “Democrat plant.” Dear Birdbrain, Inc., the entire Regime-media are “Democrat plants.” Adam Sexton is a “Democrat plant.” So is every “reporter” at NHPR. So is every NBC “journalist” who moderated the so-called GOP debate where you, DeSantis, and Christie all went along with the charade that those Democrat plants were real journalists, and only Vivek called that farce a farce. Same for ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, etc., etc., etc..

What also needs emphasizing is that Nikki can’t think on her feet. Every moment of a campaign CANNOT be scripted. There will be times when the candidate, to use a football analogy, has to call an audible. Quarterbacks who don’t know when to call an audible or the right audible to call don’t win Super Bowls.

Nikki Haley will NEVER win a Super Bowl.

The post Dear Birdbrain, They Are ALL Democrat Plants appeared first on Granite Grok.