The Manchester Free Press

Wednesday • October 15 • 2025

Vol.XVII • No.XLII

Manchester, N.H.

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News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Updated: 17 min 58 sec ago

The Communist China Party

Wed, 2023-10-18 01:30 +0000

Gordon G. Chang is the pre-eminent authority on the Communist China Party (CCP) in the world. Mr. Chang opines that the CCP is at WAR with the USA, currently economically but preparing for a tactical war. Let’s see why he thinks this:

We want to thank Charles Bradley for this Op-Ed. If you have an Op-Ed or LTE
you would like us to consider, please submit it to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

  • General Chi Haotian, the Chinese Defense Minister, two decades ago advocated for the extermination of Americans by disease so that China could occupy the hills, plains, and valleys of America.
  • The CCP has publicly promoted the mass murder of Americans. In 2020 the Chinese sociologist Li Yi discussed the devastation caused by COVID-19 to the US. He bragged the CCP will attain success ( extermination of Americans) by 2027.
  • Chang says the SARS 2002 virus may have been caused by a CCP biological warfare laboratory and COVID-19 originated from the CCP Wuhan Laboratory.
  • Prestige Biotech, a CCP company, operated an “ unlicensed laboratory” in Reedley, California in March 2023 by State and Fresno County officers. On site were 773 live and 175 white lab mice genetically engineered to carry disease. At least 20 infectious pathogens including those causing coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis, and herpes. Chang concludes that other CCP labs exist and the CCP is preparing to unleash these diseases on the US when they invade Taiwan.
  • The CCP Belt and Road Initiative has made major inroads in South America, Africa, and the Middle East. China and Russia have entered into a mutual attack protocol and are planning a coordinated invasion of Taiwan and Poland before the re-election of Donald Trump. The CCP has installed a sophisticated spy station in Cuba, announcing the death of the Monroe Doctrine.
  • The Biden Criminal Syndicate accepted $50 million from the CCP, allows a Southern border invasion, Including CCP terrorist . Nevertheless 40+% of American
    s are in denial.

Gordon G. Chang concludes Americans should know that the CCP is executing a plan to exterminate America.

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Former Rep Tries to Hoodwink Vermonters

Wed, 2023-10-18 00:00 +0000

Former Representative Dave Sharpe (D-Bristol) recently penned a truly execrable op-ed blaming private schools, lack of funding for public schools, and 60s era “white-flight” for the persistent and growing performance gap between higher income students and those living in poverty. He opened his piece exclaiming, “It’s no surprise….”

Well, it’s no surprise to anyone who witnessed Sharpe’s four years as chair of the House Education Committee, 2015-2018!

Sharpe’s biggest “accomplishment” in the role was to shepherd through Act 46, the disastrous school consolidation bill that has since done nothing its supporters said it would (lower education costs, increase student opportunities, and boost outcomes), and many things its supporters promised it wouldn’t, such as force the closings of many small schools.

The law was/is so bad that Sharpe himself tried to cover his own butt with an op-ed in January 2020 claiming that he and his fellow lawmakers were “hoodwinked into permitting a power grab” by the Principal’s Association, School Boards Association, Superintendents Association, and other public school special interests.

As one who was in the room for a lot of that debate, I can tell you that Sharpe wasn’t hoodwinked, he was aiding and abetting the power grab by hoodwinking the public every step of the way. And he’s at it again aiding and abetting the same special interest group’s current attempt at a power grab with this latest piece of propaganda.

First Sharpe argues,

This trend [in outcome disparities] started in the late ’60s when communities were required to integrate their public schools. Relatively quickly, white flight from public schools began in the racially divided southern states.

A couple points. First, this has nothing to do with Vermont which was in the ’60 even more homogeneously White than it is even today. So, White flight from public schools just wasn’t a thing here; there was no one to flee from. Second, the percentage of students attending private schools nationwide has been pretty steady at around ten percent since the 60s. (Statistica) So, no, parents fleeing public schools to private schools was not a trend. He goes on…

As more and more white parents found ways to circumvent the rules by placing their students in private schools, there was less and less interest in properly funding public schools. The underfunded public schools found it more and more difficult to provide quality education to their students.

This is just absurd. Fist, how is placing your child in a private school “circumventing the rules”? As noted above, roughly 10 percent of total parents put their kids in private schools, but 22% of public school teachers make that choice for their own kids. That should tell you something!

But as to Sharpe’s funding assertion, according to National Center for Educational Statistics, average per pupil spending has increased in constant 2018-19 dollars every year from 1960 ($4060) to 2009-10 ($15,232). After that, spending leveled off, bumping up and down to $15,424 by 2016-17, the final year they provide data. But Vermont defied this leveling off trend and shot to where we are today as the state with the second highest per-pupil spending in the country at $23,423. So, no, despite Sharpe’s crocodile tears, spending isn’t the problem underlying the increasing failure of Vermont’s public schools to provide quality education to our kids.

Then Sharpe attempts to blame Vermont’s oldest in the nation school choice system and the independent schools that actually are doing a good job of educating Vermont’s students.

This inequality existed in Vermont as well, particularly in the roughly 90 school districts that provided vouchers for their secondary students…. Parents want the best for their children and many have used the private school subsidies when they can afford it. The once racially motivated separation of white children and black children has developed in Vermont as a separation between children who live in families of means and those living in poverty.

In a polite word, baloney.

All parents in Vermont’s 90 tuitioning towns, from the richest to the poorest, use their tuitioning voucher to send their kids to school that best suits their needs. It’s not just the rich kids in tuitioning towns who get to attend top performing schools like St. Johnsbury Academy or Burr & Burton – all of them do. Fully at taxpayer expense, and at a cost significantly lower than we spend on the average public school student. And if those schools aren’t the best fit for their kid, parents can choose from a menu of other independent and public schools to choose from – again entirely at (almost always lower) taxpayer expense. To imply that a family can only utilize this benefit if they can afford it is a flat out lie. It is arguably the most equitable education system in the nation. Every family should have access to it.

Sharpe trots out…

In addition, the rules under which schools provide education for Vermont children are different for public and private schools. One example is, private schools only need to admit students that they deem “fit” into their culture. If a child is more costly to educate, or perhaps is disruptive in the school, that child may be sent back to the local town for the educational services they need.

First of all, every Vermont school, public or independent, that accepts taxpayer dollars is subject to state and federal anti-discrimination laws. So, no school in our tuitioning system is turning kids away for race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, etc. It is true that unlike public schools, independent schools are “mission driven,” meaning they adhere to a certain educational philosophy. And, no, not every family or kid is the right fit for, say, a Waldorf or Montessori approach to learning. It is a good thing that kids who don’t learn well in a specific educational environment aren’t forced to attend there and are free – and encouraged and enabled — to find a school that better fits their needs. It is truly sociopathic to insist that a school retain a child for whom they know they aren’t structured to provide a constructive learning experience.

In fact, the real problem with our public school system is that it forces kids who do not learn well in the environment they are mandated by zip code to attend every day regardless of their inability to learn in that environment – or be mentally healthy — to stay there year after year and fail.

In severe cases where, as Sharpe notes, students are “disruptive” these students inhibit the ability of other children in the classroom to learn. This isn’t a glitch, it is a design feature of a dysfunctional system that is unfair to everyone in the building – the kids who aren’t getting the kind of services they need, the kids who can’t learn (and in some cases experiencing trauma) because of the disruption, and the teachers who aren’t trained or capable of properly dealing with such a wide spectrum of needs in their classrooms. This is our public school model, and it’s a recipe for large-scale failure. So, it’s failing.

Sharpe lies again when he says,

A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court requires states that pay tax dollars to private schools for educating the children in their state, must also remit those tax dollars to religious schools. This decision exacerbates the lack of tax dollars to fund public schools and contributes to the crippling of our public school students.

No. Students who go to now available religious schools with tuitioning vouchers by definition already live in tuitioning towns and have the option of attending non-religious independent schools anyway. Their voucher amount doesn’t change. It doesn’t impact public school funding at all. In fact, there are only 53 Vermont students out of 80,000 in K-12 who currently use tuitioning to attend religious schools. This is not an issue.

Sharpe lastly takes aim at Vermont’s efforts to expand publicly funded Pre-K as a “system that favors families of means.” And here he has a point. Vermont’s government-run Pre-K efforts have been a disaster in terms of equity, cost to taxpayers, and negative impacts on kids, both emotionally and educationally. But the solution Sharpe is lobbying for is a public school takeover of the birth to five childcare – a power grab (and a massive money grab) by all those same special interests that got Sharpe to giftwrap them Act 46. This will be a horrible outcome for kids and taxpayers. Don’t be hoodwinked again.

 

 

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.

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Palestinian Protestors Need To Stop And Rethink Their Cause

Tue, 2023-10-17 22:30 +0000

I am aghast at the number and size of protests or demonstrations supporting Palestine and Hamas. There are so many layers to this conflict between Israel and Hamas terrorists, and nobody wants to see innocent residents of Israel or Gaza injured or killed as the collateral damage of a vicious war.

But one needs to look objectively at who and how this battle started and which side you should support. This battle is not between Israel and Palestine but between Israel and the radical group Hamas, which calls Gaza its home. You can stand with the Palestinian people, but if you also support Hamas, you are on the wrong side of this duel.

Bill Maher, who has always leaned Left, has become one of the more moderate voices and calls out the Left for their protests. He points out that the protestors are the minority but says forcefully that “their moral compass is broken.” He goes on to say this movement emanates from the country’s elite schools. They are the mouth of the river through which this vile speech flows.

These protestors march through the streets, waving the Palestine flag and screaming “Intifada,” which simply means shaking off or uprising. It sounds ominous but falls short, and I guarantee most yelling the word have no idea of its meaning. They are sheep happy to be part of a movement. Unfortunately, it is a movement that chooses to ignore the atrocities committed against the innocent people of Israel by the Hamas terrorists. Beheadings of children, rape of women, burning of the elderly, and the taking of hostages to use as human shields.

The protestors deny these things happened, claiming they are fabrications of a corrupt Israeli government. These are the same people who deny the holocaust. They are indoctrinated fools. Thousands of Israelis died or were traumatized for life, and these pampered, ignorant protestors called out Israel for shutting off water and electricity to Gaza until the hostages are released.

These protestors take to our streets to protest what they call are human rights violations committed by Israel, but they ignore the humanitarian disaster created at our Southern Border by the Biden Administration. Babies are dying, women are raped, children are taken for the sex trade and illegal labor market, and these people ignore it all. They only see what they are told to see. I’ll say it again. These people are sheep, easily led by people willing to feed them a fake narrative.

The media is just as guilty as these protestors. They refuse to call out Hamas as terrorists, instead glorifying them as militants. CNN and MSNBC are showing their true colors with their coverage of the conflict. Jonathan Greenblatt, the National Director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League called out CNN for its reckless, biased coverage of the conflict and the damage they were doing to the news industry. He did this on the air while being interviewed live on CNN.

Biden gave time for a softball interview with 60 Minutes on CBS, where he goes for any favorable air time. He refused to claim Iran was behind the Hamas terror attack, which is nothing short of ignorant. Scott Pelley also asked the President about Israel occupying Gaza, to which the President said he thought it would be a mistake. Israel has gone on the record numerous times, and they have no intention of occupying Gaza.

Finally, the Right is not in favor of canceling anyone, but when a nightclub in New York City hosts a pro-Hamas Rave, they have gone past any First Amendment rights and deserve to be boycotted and forced out of business. Businesses and people alike need to think twice before they sign a petition or go on the record in support of Hamas or Hezbollah needs to think their actions through before they act.

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Ex-Town Notary Settles in Lieu of Criminal Charges

Tue, 2023-10-17 21:00 +0000

An investigation by the State Attorney General has led to a settlement in lieu of criminal charges, against a former Notary Public for the town of
Londonderry. For well over a year now, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office has been conducting an investigation into Notary practices within the Town of Londonderry. Specifically in question was the use of official work time and the following of proper procedure regarding the notarization of a “cease and desist” order by the parents of former Town Manager Kevin Smith. The cease and desist letter was addressed to Brian and Jessica Smith, residents of Mill Valley, CA, and was titled “Re: Defamation of Character – For Libel and/or Slander,” dated April 20, 2022.

The document cited several N.H. laws, as well as California Penal Code, threatening legal action against the recipient’s if they continued what the letter claimed were unlawful public statements. The letter purported to be on file with the Londonderry Police Department, as well as the Mill Valley, CA Police Department. However, a California public records request to the Mill Valley Police Department produced no such record.

The document, signed by Bruce and Denise Smith, was also sent to Kevin and Brian Smith’s cousin, Mary Friedel, a current resident of Massachusetts, who was an alleged victim of sexual assault by a Smith family member when she was a young girl.

The letter, delivered by local law enforcement in both states, was notarized by Kirby E. Brown, who recently left her position at the Town of Londonderry, just shy of her 10-year anniversary.

The “order” was spurred by comments made on social media by Friedel during the former Town Manager’s campaign in the N.H. primary for a U.S. Senate seat.

Upon receiving the letter, Brian Smith and Friedel contacted both the town of Londonderry and the N.H. Attorney General, alleging notarial misconduct due to the discovery that Bruce Smith did not sign the document in Brown’s presence, despite the Notary Seal by Brown attesting that he was present. The formal complaint was made on July 25, 2022.

Friedel also noted in her complaints to the town and state that she was contacted by Londonderry Police officer, Marvin Alfaro, on April 20, 2022, instructing her to stop communications with Bruce and Denise.

On Sept. 21, 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released their findings on the allegations.

In a letter addressed to Kirby Brown, it read: “Ms. Brown: On July 25, 2022, this Office received a complaint alleging your potential notarial misconduct under New Hampshire law. Following an investigation, the Attorney General orders you to cease and desist from conducting any further action as a notary public and to resign your commission in the State of New Hampshire. This Office further fines you $250 pursuant to its statutory authority under RSA 455:16.”

The letter to Kirby goes on to describe the facts of the case, in that the State found that Bruce Smith was not present when Brown, as a Town Official, notarized the order. In a statement to investigators, Brown reportedly told Denise Smith, “I know Bruce, just have him sign when you see him.”

The DOJ determined that Brown’s actions violated RSA 456-B:2.II and also RSA 456-B:2-a (*IF a notarial act relates to … a signature executed on a record, the individual … executing the signature shall appear personally before the notarial officer.”).

This violated RSA 455:16, I(d) by making a notarial act in which she purported to witness a signature that she never actually witnessed. The Attorney General provided notice of its intent to seek a civil penalty, to negotiate, and to settle with such suspected violators without court action, provided any civil penalty paid as settlement shall be paid to the Secretary of State. A settlement offer of a civil penalty for Brown’s violation of this state’s notary laws in the amount of $250, resignation of her New Hampshire notary Commission, and ceasing any further notarial activity in New Hampshire was accepted in verbal conversation with the Attorney General’s office.

According to an Affidavit in Support of an Arrest Warrant, Town office staff conducted an internal investigation on the matter and concluded that what was done “wasn’t a notarial act” contrary to the outcome of the State investigation.

Town Manager Mike Maliguti was asked a number of questions related to the State’s findings. Maliguti responded, “Public servants are rightly subject to heightened scrutiny and accountability. That goes with the territory. It is unfortunate, however, that in the ongoing efforts of some people and publications to discredit the Town Council and administration, human decency towards an employee who gave her heart and soul to the Town of Londonderry is nowhere to be found. “In publishing a hit piece about the one-off mistake of a dedicated public servant who gave the residents of Londonderry a decade of her life, the Londonderry Times scrapes from the gutter. Because this publication certainly cannot be expected to do so, let me address this story’s collateral damage directly: Kirby, I am sorry for what you are going through. Nothing, including this episode, can tarnish your contributions to the Town of Londonderry.”

Malaguti declined to answer other questions regarding attorney costs related to the investigation, the close timing of Brown’s departure, and the procedure that led to the call to Mary Friedel by Londonderry Police.

Reaching out to Kirby Brown on the state’s findings, she said, “I was a respected notary for the Town of Londonderry for six years. On April 18, 2022, Denise Smith came into my office needing a notary. The facts are Denise was the only one present and the only one I notarized for. Had there been any additional signatures on the document, I would not have notarized the document in any way, as no other party was present when the document was presented to me. My practice is to stamp any and all signatures based on common notary practices.

I have never made any exceptions to the notary practices, regardless of the circumstances or my familiarity with the party present. There is only one stamp on the form, as I saw and notarized only one signature. As any notary knows, whatever happens with any form once it leaves your presence is out of your control.

Concerns regarding this document were raised to the Town Manager, and in a letter I received from Town Manager Malaguti, dated May 4, 2022, the Town Attorney at the time, after an internal investigation was done, concluded there was no wrongdoing.

I was completely unaware of any investigation related to this instance with the AG office up until two weeks ago when I received notification that I am to resign my notary privileges.

She added, “I am the victim of someone else’s dishonesty. I was simply doing my job that day.” When asked if she’ll be paying the fine set by the state, Brown said, “I’ll be paying the fine and resigning, even though I know I’m innocent because I don’t want the drama and stress in my life, and I just want to be done with this. As mentioned in my statement, I just found out from the AG’s office about this two weeks ago, and they didn’t give me much time to react. And I just want to move on with my life.”

Brown also stated, “I was never given the chance to tell my account of the event to the AG’s office as I was not made aware of any continued investigation by the AG until they had already concluded it.”

Friedel felt the initial letter delivered to her, Brian and Jessica, was a farce, and she was relieved to finally see some resolution to the yearlong ordeal, saying, “I am grateful to the AG for investigating the people who conspired to intimidate me. No victim of sexual assault should ever be re-victimized.”

Jessica and Brian Smith were also pleased to see the matter come to an end, saying, “We thank the AG for their thorough investigation into those who tried to intimidate our family. By bringing these dark actions to light, we hope the use of Londonderry resources to satisfy a personal agenda & silence victims is something that never happens again.”

Note: The Londonderry Times was contacted over a year ago by Smith family members urging us to look into this matter. After the state released their findings, we felt those findings should be shared with the residents.

 

Chris Paul | Londonderry Times

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

What Ticks, Thin Lizzy, and Saliva have in Common

Tue, 2023-10-17 19:30 +0000

It’s been two weeks since our gripping first tick of ‘Autumn” report. And that was the only tick we’d picked off the dogo since spring and until…this weekend. The ticks are back, baby, and the season is on us. Full blown, practically overnight. And yes, this is weird, but it brought two songs to mind.

I listen to just about everything, by the way. I grew up with Top 40 and rock (post-roll). My dad listened to swing and Big Bands. And I grew into Jazz, blues, classical, and even some hip-hop and that crap music that’s all the rage with the younger folks (eh, sonny!).

Since the pandemic, I’ve been top-heavy into country music. I love the storytelling, which has dominated my listening for several years, but I still love the classics. I’ll tune in to pop, techno, dance, top 30, Jazz, Classical, Blues, rock (with or without the roll), grunge, rap, and thrash metal. I don’t love all of it; some of it is utter rubbish, but I have learned to find talent, inspiration, meaning, and value in every genre.

Ticks, however, are useless bloodsucking parasites. I know the wild turkeys eat them, but they’ll eat any bug, and having been bit by more ticks than I can count (the dog has preventatives, I do not), I grow weary of the critters – except for the blog material.

And here I am, trying to write engaging content about disease-carrying arachnids. How to begin. With a song in my heart and an official White Lab Research Report update. As noted above, it has been a tick-less Summer until and Fall last weekend. We’re picking two to three tiny buggers off the white labrador every time he’s outside, which is at least two to three times a day (minimum), so welcome to tick season. I’ve seen deer and dog ticks on every outing, so if you or your pet wanders in the woods or weeds, keep your eye on that – though your circumstances may vary. Just remember. Global Warming could mean fewer ticks during the summer. Write that down.

And about the music? Two songs. Both classics, in my mind, but we encourage you to have your own mind; it’ll serve you well in a wide range of circumstances.

Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town has nothing to do with bloodsucking arachnids. But the ticks are back in town, and it reminded me of the song. If that’s weird, great, and isn’t that why you’re here?

 

 

The second song to pop has the word click, which rhymes with tick, which equals bloodsucking parasites. There is also this pleasing image of Looney-Tunes-like tick-removal overkill along the lines of the Monty Python skit, where they hunt mosquitoes with a bazooka.

Click, Click, Boom. I swear it’s all connected.

 

 

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Police State Of America – Obama-Judge Issues Gag-Order Against Trump … But Just Keep Pretending We’re “Greatest Country On Earth”

Tue, 2023-10-17 18:00 +0000

While the focus has been on the Middle East, America’s Communists have kept their focus on turning America into a one-party Police State. The latest? An Obama Judge has issued a gag order that prohibits Trump from talking about the corruption/weaponization of the Biden-Regime’s “Department of Justice” under the absurd pretext of assuring a fair trial.

This latest development is a far, far, far greater threat to Americans than Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, or Qatar.

So maybe take a short break from RAZE GAZA! ERASE IRAN FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH! etc., etc., etc., and pay a little attention to what is going on in your own country.

You know … maybe … multitask?

 

And if you think that the criminalization of political opposition is going to stop with Trump, that he and his co-defendants are going to get a “fair trial,” that the media is going to be even-handed in its coverage, etc., etc., etc., you are delusional beyond hope.

 

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Israel’s Swift Response to the Hamas Attack: A Closer Look

Tue, 2023-10-17 16:30 +0000

In response to the audacious assault by Hamas, Israel acted swiftly to address the situation and protect its citizens. The immediate response included a series of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip to target Hamas militants and infrastructure while minimizing harm to Palestinian civilians. These airstrikes were a defensive measure to neutralize the threat posed by Hamas and underscored Israel’s commitment to protecting its citizens.

However, conducting military operations in densely populated areas posed a complex challenge – the risk of collateral damage was high. This presented a delicate balance for Israel, where the need for self-defense had to be reconciled with the obligation to minimize civilian harm.

Recognizing the situation’s urgency, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) established a situation room. This dedicated command center was crucial in facilitating communication, intelligence gathering, and decision-making. It demonstrated Israel’s commitment to securing the release of its citizens and ensuring their safety. The situation room reflected the importance of real-time information and communication in responding to crises, enabling Israel to assess the situation, formulate strategies, and negotiate if necessary.

The capture of Israeli civilians and soldiers, including festivalgoers, children, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities, raised grave concerns and heightened the urgency of securing their release. Hamas’s claim of capturing senior Israeli officers, including Maj Gen Nimrod Aloni, added complexity to the situation. The hostages’ safety and well-being were paramount, making their release a top priority for Israel. The nation grappled with the emotional toll and the challenging decisions it might face in negotiating for its freedom.

The scale and precision of the Hamas attack led to questions about a potential intelligence failure within Israel. The surprise assault caught the nation off-guard, revealing vulnerabilities in their intelligence and security apparatus. This event prompted introspection and a reassessment of Israel’s preparedness. Experts and analysts were puzzled by the audacious attack, leading to debates about Israeli intelligence and security.

Hamas’s attack, encompassing land, sea, and air operations, demonstrated a level of sophistication and coordination not seen before. The attackers managed to breach Israel’s defenses on multiple fronts, catching the nation off-guard. This audacious maneuver involved a surprise assault that overwhelmed Israel’s security measures, raising questions about the effectiveness of their intelligence apparatus.

One of the most alarming aspects of the attack was the bulldozer incident at the Gaza border. Hamas exploited a vulnerability in Israel’s defenses when a bulldozer was used to breach the border fence, allowing many fighters to infiltrate Israel. The timing of the attack, strategically launched during a Jewish holiday when many military personnel were off duty, further exposed Israel’s vulnerabilities. The element of surprise was a critical factor in Hamas’s success, revealing a lapse in Israel’s ability to anticipate and prevent such a large-scale operation.

Moreover, reports suggested that Israel’s highly regarded Iron Dome missile defense system was not operational when the Hamas rocket barrage began. If these reports were accurate, it would signify a significant lapse in Israel’s defense infrastructure.

In the wake of this attack, Israeli authorities and security experts initiated a process of introspection and reassessment of their nation’s preparedness. The Israeli government faced the challenge of addressing immediate security concerns while shoring up its intelligence and defense capabilities to prevent future surprises. Israel needed to learn from this event, identify gaps in their intelligence network, and take corrective measures to enhance national security.

The Hamas attack and the potential intelligence failure had broader implications for regional stability. The security of the Middle East was a matter of global concern, and Israel’s ability to defend itself against threats was pivotal to the region’s stability.

Hamas, a Palestinian militant organization, had a well-documented history of using extreme violence against Israeli civilians as a means to achieve its objectives. This history included suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and other acts of terror, earning the group a designation as a terrorist organization by several countries and international bodies.

The scale and precision of the recent attack indicated a level of planning and coordination that went beyond a simple act of retaliation. This operation involved land, sea, and air operations, revealing a high degree of sophistication in its execution. The timing of the attack during a Jewish holiday, when many Israelis were off guard and military personnel were on leave, suggesting a level of strategic planning to maximize the element of surprise.

While the immediate goal may have been to inflict damage and capture hostages, the broader aim might be to shift the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Furthermore, this incident served as a reminder of the dynamic and evolving nature of conflicts in the Middle East, emphasizing the importance of continuous adaptation and readiness in the face of emerging threats.

The audacity of this attack stunned Israel and garnered international attention, leading to an escalation of hostilities, with Israel launching airstrikes on Gaza in response. The situation remained highly volatile, with the potential for further violence and instability in the region.

The international community closely watched these developments, with leaders from various countries condemning Hamas’s actions and expressing concern for the safety of Israeli civilians. They emphasized the need to de-escalate the conflict and find a peaceful resolution. Truth be told, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not about land and will not be solved by the two-state solution. It is and has always been about pushing the Jews into the sea. The Hamas attack only underscores the urgency of addressing this reality.

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Is Pfizer Doomed?

Tue, 2023-10-17 15:00 +0000

The funny thing about getting politicians to promise you immunity from prosecution is that there are limitations to what can be excused. Take deliberate deception and fraud.

If you hide details that lead to harm, the political rats will abandon your ship faster than you can say mRNA Vaccines.

That’s the boat Pfizer may soon find itself in, and it should not expect its Pfederal Pfriends to lift a finger to help, noting that any who might have probably “retired” and have packed their”stipends” and inducements in their saddle bags as they ride into the sunset. Any still on the payroll (wink-wink) also got what they wanted. A full-scale global tyranny test that a majority of the Western World Pfailed.

Rules were bypassed to get here from there, safety measures sidelined, and immunity from prosecution promised. But as we’ve learned, Pfizer lied, and the FDA and CDC either took the idea of Warp Speed to mean they could be loose with their obligations or were pressured to ignore safety signals.

It hardly matters for Pfizer. The ‘crats (Demo and Bureau) will feign surprise and outrage if the weight of truth becomes too much for the narrative damn to hold back, they will find the nearest microphone and throw Pfizer under the bus. The Pfeds will lose the Pf and launch investigations while states bring lawsuits to take whatever settlement they can manage as “compensation” for being fooled or in on the scam.

And the Jabernauts in the Pfizer Glee Club will be the first to hold your hand, bend it behind your back, and slip in some handcuffs.

So, what’s the safety signal suggesting Pfizer is in trouble? Igor Chudoz posted their stock chart, and it does not look like that of a company whose business plan raked in billions of guaranteed sales from billions of doses of product. It seems like a company investors see as a risk. As Chudove notes,

 

Take a look at this chart: Pfizer’s stock (PFE) is valued at 25% less than it was five years ago, despite the billions of dollars it received from the sales of COVID vaccines, and the stock market and the pharmaceuticals index having gone up:

 

He then compares it to the demise of Purdue Pharma, which peddled opioids, bought doctors and media, and lied to everyone else until it came to kill their business.

 

If so, the following are similarities between Pfizer and Purdue Pharma:

  • Reckless disregard for the dangers to recipients of their products. Pfizer abandoned any semblance of care for Covid vaccine safety. Pfizer tested their recent vaccines on several mice only – just one example.
  • Corporate greed is exemplified by risky decisions to chase billions in immediate profits at the risk of bankruptcy in the long run.
  • Buying off the press and regulators to corruptly obtain support for their products.
  • Hiding deaths and adverse effects from the public.

Purdue Pharma was able to play its game for years. Finally, the deaths were too many, and the lawsuits took it down.

If the stock price of Pfizer is any guide, the capital markets now see that the same may eventually happen to it.

Hopefully, the people who suffered various ills from COVID vaccines would be entitled to compensation.

Pfizer may also be the perfect player to throw under the bus to save other Covid pandemic players.

Pfizer, however, does not have enough money to compensate every victim fairly.

And while the potential demise of Pfizer might put a smile on a few faces, it is not enough. Absent criminal penalties, massive fines, and jail time in actual prisons for the people in both Big Pharma and Big Government who denied recipients fully informed consent – and we know they knew about all the badness – it is meaningless.

Taking away the golden goose after they’ve collected so many eggs is no disincentive, and while some might dance around the ashes of Pfizer, the Government is to blame.

Suppose we don’t or can’t fix that. What’s to stop Next-Gen Fauci and Company from working another pharmaceutical company into a tizzy with promises of immunity at the expense of Americans’ quality of life or their very lives?

Nothing.

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Mr. President, With All Due Respect, Stop Lying To Us

Tue, 2023-10-17 13:30 +0000

The Biden Administration has had a credibility issue from day one. Its problem with the truth and transparency is rooted in the President. It has become Standard Operating Procedure with every member of the Administration, right down to Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden’s Press Secretary.

The last couple of weeks since the initial terrorist acts inflicted on Israel by Hamas. When the country and world needed facts and truth from a strong United States President, they got Joe Biden and a package of indecisive actions, questionable information, and lies. In actuality, we got what we should have expected, for this is who Joe Biden has been for the half-century he has been in Washington. What has always been explained as Biden gaffes are actually lies.

Before we recap history, let’s discuss the interview on 60 Minutes on Sunday evening.

  1. Mr. President, can we afford to get involved with two active conflicts-Ukraine and Israel?
    1. Joe Biden’s answer- We are the United States of America, for God’s sake. We are the most powerful country in history. Of course, we can afford conflicts in two theaters.
    2. Wrong, Mr. President. We are $31+ Trillion in debt, and we are broke. The only way we can “afford” two conflicts is to print more money, which will add to the deficit and increase inflation.
    3. Janet Yellen and John Kirby have echoed the President’s claim.
  2. Mr. President, is Iran behind the horrendous attacks on Israel?
    1. Joe Biden’s answer- Iran funds Hamas and Hezbollah, but there is no proof they were involved in planning or scheduling the assault and slaughter.
    2. Wrong, Mr. President. We have confirmation of meetings between Iran’s and Hamas’ leaders, and we know that Iran has realized a tremendous increase in the revenues from Oil sales that were supposed to be restricted by U.S. sanctions. Those sanctions are not working.
    3. John Kirby claims daily that the President has implemented hundreds of new sanctions, but the facts do not lie. Unfortunately, Biden and Kirby do. The sanctions are not enforced, and Iran is flush with cash from oil sales.
  3. Mr. President. Is our Southern Border secure?
    1. Joe Biden’s answer- We are vetting and processing every alien, illegal or otherwise, and the Border is more secure than ever in history.
    2. Wrong, Mr. President. With over 7 million illegals already across our Border since 2021 and processing dates as far as two tears away, we have no idea who is here or where they have gone in our country.

Compound these mistruths with those about the Economy, bad investments in Green Energy companies, the banning of countless gas appliances we rely on, his numerous lies about his interactions with his son, Hunter, and how he has weaponized his Justice Department and Intelligence Agencies.

Joe Biden promised the most transparent Administration in history, which was the first lie. After the first, all subsequent lies are easy. We can believe nothing from the White House and must rely on our eyes, ears, and research. When you cannot trust your leader, you have none.

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

4 Myths About Israel and “the Palestinians”

Tue, 2023-10-17 12:00 +0000

When it comes to Israel, the unofficial position of the political left is they hate it. Western Jews are encouraged to do that too and to facilitate the hate, they perpetuate myths.

Ben Shapiro has quick some thoughts to share about history, facts, truth, and the lies the left stands on to justify murder. Feel free, as always, to agree, disagree, or agree to disagree below in the comments.

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Betrayal of Property Rights by Government Is Stealing

Tue, 2023-10-17 10:30 +0000

Mao’s Agrarian reform growing into Klaus Swab’s WEF, Great Reset and the UN Agenda 30 plans will control every aspect of our lives. The Harold Ware Communist Party Cell planted in the Agriculture Department in 1933 sprouted the American “War on The Farmers.”

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You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.

Soviet agent Alger Hiss started his career of espionage there, later becoming Roosevelt’s Advisor at YALTA and co-authoring the UN Charter. Hiss’ policy of paying farmers not to grow crops puts farmers on welfare, which has far-reaching consequences to this day.

Today, the war on the food supply is on steroids, with our farmers feeling the impact of Karl Marx’s plan to destroy private property. Forced property surrendered under the banner of eminent domain is authorizing Carbon Capture pipelines to ruin countless acres of rich agriculture in the heartland. A few days ago, the John Birch Society (JBS) Leadership Conference in Des Moines, Iowa (see link below), revealed an international scam called “Carbon Capture.” Navigator CO2’s application to implement a Carbon Capture pipeline was denied by the South Dakota Public Utilities, thanks to the JBS. Several weeks before, Summit Carbon Solutions’ application for the pipeline was also denied by the North Dakota Public Service Commission.

In contrast, a public hearing before the Iowa Utilities Board to investigate a similar process in Iowa was met with a kangaroo court atmosphere. Officials simply did not listen to the opposition. The pipeline company even hired security personnel to intimidate and harass the opposition. Why would other states deny these applications to infringe on private rights while Iowa’s process ruled against the farmers? Because members of the Iowa Utilities Boards are appointed by the governor. Other states continue to prove the power of the people is superior to governors appointing bureaucrats who promote job security with no vested interest in protecting personal property rights.

Usurpation of power by governors appointing commissions to destroy property rights must be stopped! This scheme is based on fraudulent science that claims the opposite of our Creator’s balance in nature. Digging ditches all over America’s heartland to store carbon below the earth amounts to promoting doom and gloom environmentalism for profit.

While power and money cabals hype up their cause to save the earth, don’t forget that all the foundation pillars that have made America great are at stake. Environmentalist utopia is control over every aspect of your life. Don’t let them take your property! Biden’s Green Power Executive Order has usurped congressional power. Don’t let them continue to cower in silence while the “Great Reset, Build Back Better, Karl Marx’s dream” destroys our liberty. Demand your Senators and Representatives stand up and do their job.

See the complete JBS event that covers aspects of this imminent tyranny creeping, now swiftly upon us, at JBS.org/DesMoines2023. Warning: Google doesn’t like the truth! Download DuckDuckGo to reach this link.

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Load 16 Tons and What Do You Get?

Tue, 2023-10-17 03:00 +0000

If you’re a Middle-Class American who feels like life is getting harder. You are correct. Middle-class Americans are worse off today than they were 20 years ago. That is the finding of a new study.  What does this mean for the future of this country?

We want to thank Marc Abear for this Op-Ed. If you have an Op-Ed or LTE
you would like us to consider, please submit it to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

The new study comes from researchers at USC and Columbia.  Together, they released a study showing average Americans near retirement are worse off today than 20 years ago.  They started with this question: How are people doing in this country in terms of their economic and physical well-being?  Of particular interest were people who were “middle class” and getting close to retirement.

So here’s their methodology. They used a data set from the University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement Survey.  This survey has over 20,000 Americans who are age 50 and older.  They also used a microsimulation called the Future Elderly Model.    The things included were: physical health, private income, housing, disability, and an estimated future life expectancy.

The researchers compared the data from today with comparable Americans from 20 years ago.  What they found is not surprising to those who live it.  Lower class and lower middle class Americans are largely worse off today than 20 years ago. They are living shorter lives, more sickly and filled with disability.  The ailments include hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Today if you are an average 60 year old American woman in the lower-middle class you will likely live to 84, but 40% of your remaining years will be lived with a disability.  The percentage of life you live disabled has risen since 1994.

Researchers also found lower middle class Americans have flatlined in terms of financial health too.   This is true in terms of income and housing.   The gap between the wealthy and working class is getting wider with respect to home ownership.  The gap has tripled in size as compared to 1994.

The researchers suggest we ought to increase the social safety net for these Americans.  Do you think we can afford to pick up the slack with more Medicaid, housing vouchers and food stamps?  Those are the findings and data coming to us from USC and Columbia Universities.  The key takeaway is: For the average American, things are not good.

About two weeks ago, there was a young man named Oliver Anthony from Farmville, VA that had a song go viral.  It’s called Rich Men North of Richmond  a song about the rich men and politicians in Washington DC.  As of Friday 8/25/23, Rich Men North of Richmond is the most played song in all of America… for good reason.

Oliver gives life to the pain and struggles of the average American of his generation and those of his parents and grandparents; the people included in this study out of USC and Columbia University.  His songs are about being a factory worker, his struggle with addiction and obesity.  He’s giving America a primal scream that things aren’t good, things aren’t right.

He makes you feel what this university data can only say.  Predictably, the media turned it into a fight about Left vs Right.  They call this young man racist and bigoted.  What they’re saying is a crock of excrement.  Listen to the song for yourself and you’ll hear that.

Oliver said in response to his sudden fame,  “I appreciate the compliments, but … I’m not a good musician. I hardly know my way around the guitar. My singing’s OK. That’s not what made this song a success.  It’s about you, and the struggles in your life. That’s what’s made this what it is.”

You can say things with facts and data.  But the struggling of the average American you can now feel.  Bill Clinton and Republicans in Congress  absolutely gutted factory towns  across the country when they allowed China into the World Trade Organization 20 years ago.  Researchers at MIT and others have proven that.

NAFTA, now called USMCA, is doing much the same.  Chinese companies are now planting themselves in Mexico to skirt tariffs and take advantage of us and our workers.

America’s social fabric is fraying. Data show that we’re less connected to each other now than we were 20 or 50 years ago  There’s research on that stemming from the book Bowling Alone.

Our children are increasingly being raised in single families.  This includes 49% of black children, 28% of Hispanic kids, and 21% of white children. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/children.html  Compare that to data from 1960, when only 7% of kids lived with just one parent.

These facts and data show things are not ok in this country.  We need to center our conversations on that topic.  It is time to focus on what is true , not just what we feel.  Maybe feelings have a place in the conversation.  Maybe we need to scream that things aren’t ok through our music, through our tears, to our politicians.

So what do we do about this? What do we do with a country that is not well?  When the working people in small towns and big cities are in trouble, in pain, are getting poorer and more desperate will we throw them an anchor like Bidenomics or a life preserver like a return to what made America once prosperous?

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

What NeverTrump Will Apparently NEVER Understand

Tue, 2023-10-17 01:30 +0000

They still do NOT understand WHY a majority of Republican VOTERS continue to support Donald Trump. This ad explains it. I’d add this: these voters understand that Nikki Haley, Chris Christie etc., etc., etc., have much, much, much more in common with the Biden regime than with Republican voters.

That nothing is really going to change by replacing the Biden regime with Haley et al. … that it is all talk designed to fool Republican voters yet again… that once Haley et al. get power, it would be “business as usual” just like Kevin McCarthy did.

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Palate Cleanser – Montana: This Bride Is Making SURE That She’s Getting Married!

Tue, 2023-10-17 00:00 +0000

This Bride and the Groomsmen show what they’d do to ANY challenge to “speak now or forever hold your peace” with their “pieces”.

 

Frequent commenter at GraniteGrok, Matt, sent this to me. I have no idea where it came from but DANG!, I thought it was really funny. Best of all is the expression on the bride’s face as her husband-to-be had no clue that she wasn’t fooling around in getting hitched…she was QUITE pleased with herself.

Gives “Enforcing the Peace” a whole new attitude, doesn’t it?

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

“Our Country Allows Everyone the Right to Not Only Hold a Personal Belief but to Express That Belief Publicly”

Mon, 2023-10-16 22:30 +0000

RFK, Jr. has quit the Democrat party to run as an independent, and already, we’re seeing pundits on both sides of the political aisle grousing about how this will potentially impact the 2024 presidential election.

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Whether or not his third-party candidacy will pull more votes from Democrats or Republicans, thus changing the calculus of the Electoral College.

One thing that the media hates about RFK, Jr. is that he holds some questionable beliefs, most notably surrounding vaccines in general (and the COVID-19 vaccine specifically), as well as the topics of autism, his father’s assassination, and that the 2004 presidential campaign is “stolen.”

Do a quick Google search, and top returns are, unsurprisingly, headed by the most far-left liberal rags attempting to downplay his legitimacy by casting him as a crackpot conspiracy theorist who’s unqualified to hold the office of the president.

As though an obviously cognitively-impaired, stumbling, bumbling, rambling buffoon in the current White House administration is a better alternative?

My point is this: our country allows everyone the right to not only hold a personal belief but to express that belief publicly. And unfortunately, in 2023, even stating simple facts can be frowned upon by liberals pushing an agenda. Yet free speech, no matter how unpopular, is integral to our founding as a nation and to a modern society based on liberty.

How telling it is, then, that one of my former favorite haunts online—TreeHugger.com—around 17 Sept 2023, went full draconian tyrant mode by eliminating the DISQUS commenting applet, thereby preventing any responses to their nauseatingly boring HGTV-lite articles that have become de rigueur since management axed Sami Grover, Lloyd Alter, and other editors from their payroll. The occasional non-milquetoast article, which could elicit comments of praise, inquiry, or ridicule, has proved to be too difficult a job for the website’s new taskmasters to police, and so they decided it would be easier to manage controversy simply by turning off all comments.

Against this backdrop, TreeHugger.com has been publishing what can only be described as boring-as-hell articles about gardening aesthetics, home decor, and other mind-numbingly dull topics. The benefit of Lloyd Alter and Sami Grover, among others, was that they did try their level best to bring cutting-edge news about advances in (shudder!) climate resiliency, energy efficiency, construction, and technology. It was entertaining, if nothing else, being able to ask legitimate questions about the costs associated with such technological advances, if for no other reason than to spar against ideologues who can’t see that the emperor has no clothes.

Such discourse, however, no longer exists. Free speech was too great a threat to TreeHugger.com’s bourgeoisie overlords because—heaven help them—someone might be offended by what Joe Q. Public might write in the comment section, especially if it didn’t remain lockstep with the progressive narrative heading up the editorial board. Who knows, they might be RFK Jr. operatives undermining the progressive narrative, and we can’t have that, can we?

Well, to state the obvious, anyone who knows anything about how the internet works could have foretold what would happen to TreeHugger.com’s readership as the last excuse for even visiting the website at all evaporated in their misguided attempt to improve the “readership experience.” And now that a new month is here, we have proof of the rats leaving the sinking ship in droves.

This past weekend, I wanted to check the website’s analytics as they reflect web traffic, but as I don’t have a subscription or ownership of the website, I had to skip Google Analytics and rely instead on an alternative, SimilarWeb. You can find the website traffic breakdown here.

What stands out for me from the information provided is this: traffic overall is down nearly 11%, and the average site length visit is just 51 seconds. More than three-quarters of all readers (76%) don’t even read past the home page before leaving the website, too. Further sleuthing reveals over the last three months, their global ranking online has decreased from #30,820 to #32,992 (translation: lower is better; thus, their “blogsite” stock valuation has decreased.) The abandonment continues unabated, but I suspect none of that matters to Dotdash Meredith, the parent company of TreeHugger.com, who in turn is part of IAC, Inc. As long as young people continue to click through just enough to pay the bills and do so without questioning the narratives pushed, then all is well.

Except it’s not. As we’ve seen over recent months, Bud Light, Target, and Disney all have gone full progressive mode with the sexual grooming of children and suffered mightily for their hubris. Bud Light lost $40 billion in market value and suffered a 27% decline in market capitalization, allowing Modelo to take its #1 spot. Target warned investors their quarterly losses were down over $4 billion exclusively because of the pushback against Rainbow Gestapo-inspired childwear. Disney continues to bleed dollars with every new woke remake of popular animated movies, and the belief that Bob Iger’s return would boost sagging revenue has evaporated more quickly than a drop of sweat falling from the brow of a Phoenician in July.

The common thread throughout all of these examples is that the more woke they’ve become—the less free they “allow” us as consumers to express our objections to progressive communism—the more their bottom line suffers.

IAC Inc. reported around August 22nd that they expect earnings to decline 17.4% per year for the next three years. One has to wonder how much more cash they can bleed before realizing the alienation of their customer base is not the pathway to profitability or sustainability.

Personally, the question is a rhetorical one, in my opinion. There are much bigger fiscal fish to fry that our elected leaders continue to ignore addressing—the Russia-Ukraine war, inflation, and immigration control, to name but three—but TreeHugger.com’s demonstrable decline is a case study in failure that the woke, anti-free speech brigade earned all on their own.

 

 

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Outing Oneself

Mon, 2023-10-16 21:00 +0000

Vivek Ramaswamy, the candidate for President of the United States, initially impressed me after hearing him speak last spring in Alton. I wrote a couple of favorable articles about him here on the ‘Grok and in the [Laconia Daily] Sun. Since then, the candidate has made some very questionable pronouncements concerning Israel.

On the Hannity program on Fox News the other night, Vivek truly and for certain outed himself as an anti-Semitic trying to make a very Leftist-like attempt to equate the bloody Hamas attack on Israel in some kind of justifiable quid-pro-quo view to we voters.

Make no mistake, Hamas is a barbaric terrorist organization dedicated not only to the destruction of Israel but to the killing of all Jews. For that matter, Hamas, like the rest of Islam (that is, all of Islam), wants all nonbelievers either converted to Islam or to be killed. That includes all Americans whom they view as their biggest impediment to their destruction of the Jewish State. They spend hundreds of millions here to buy politicians, favorable media, and support from the ignorant and anti-Semitic among us.

As for Vivek now, who bends over backward to sound very Trump-like, I urge readers to look no further than to the real thing, Donald Trump. President Trump was the best President in my lifetime. He promised to make America Great again and did so in spite of every form of opposition. The same Hamas terrorist excusers are some of the most hateful anti-Trump Leftists and RINOs. They, too, have outed themselves trying to excuse terror while condemning Israel.

Wake up America! The enemy to Western Christian civilization is all of those who excuse barbarism, inhumanity, intolerance, and injustice. MAGA support and vote for Donald Trump for President of the United States.

P.S.  Support Israel’s right to exist, too.

 

Reminder: Endorsements by Grok authors are their own and not an endorsement by GraniteGrok.com 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

New Zealanders Kick a Few Ruling Class COVID Tyrants to the Curb

Mon, 2023-10-16 19:30 +0000

The UPI headline reads, “New Zealand’s conservative National Party trounces Labor; Luxon will be new PM.” What does it mean? The years of abuse by the political Left in NZ have taken a toll, and just enough voters would like a change in direction.

For how long? Well, voters are a lot like bees, Pooh Bear. You can never tell. But New Zealand’s progressive Labor government was famous for not letting the so-called pandemic crisis go to waste. Their earlier gun-grabbing went so well that they paired their Western-style democracy up with a bit of despotism and took that for a spin on the dance floor.

I speak often about political yahoos scratching their totalitarian itch. New Zealand’s elites got zealous and broke it open, bleeding restrictions upon everyone. They even used Santa to get kids to mask up and line up for COVID jabs. Let’s see if you were naughty or once – papers, please. (Why does she sound like Sir Alec Guinness in “Hitler: The Last Ten Days”?)

It was ugly and unpleasant and evidence that the Left is not about helping the disadvantaged. It is about using them to strangle liberty. And just enough voters took notice.

 

Oct. 14 (UPI) — New Zealand’s conservative National Party soundly defeated the ruling Labor Party in elections held Saturday, paving the way for Christopher Luxon to replace Chris Hipkins as prime minister.

Hipkins conceded defeat after results came in showing the National Party scoring historic gains even across some of the most reliable of Labor districts in the country.

With 99% of the vote counted, the National Party had garnered 39% of the vote, while Labor managed only 27% after getting 50% in the previous election. The Green Party, meanwhile, nabbed 11% and the small-government, libertarian ACT Party collected 9%. The National Party will forge a  with the ACT Party, which between them total 61 seats, the barest possible margin to govern in New Zealand.

Lessons learned on the Left. Not a damn one.

“The result tonight is not one that any of us wanted. But I want you to be proud of what we achieved over the last six years, because despite governing through some of the biggest challenges our country has ever faced, we kept New Zealand moving forward,” Hipkins said in his concession speech.

If you are not familiar with Hipkins, he’s the jackass who promised the government would look for those (as in hunt down) who were not vaccinated (to jab them) and then, later – with what passes for a straight face – insisted there was no compulsory COVID vaccination.

And he’s proud of what they achieved. Which means he’d do it again.

 

HT | Legal Insurrection

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

NASA’s Climate Change Metrics Need Fixing

Mon, 2023-10-16 18:00 +0000

Americans love their lawns. Some clean-looking lawns resemble golf courses in the area and may be mowed more frequently than required, a sort of suburban therapy. Cows, cars, and tennis courts are among the targets of climate change agitators.

Are lawns and lawnmowers next? Will shaving that gargantuan swath of grass cause the planet to warm?

NASA’s Spaced-Out View of Lawns NASA reported back in 2005 that there are “conservatively” three times more acreage of lawns in the nation than irrigated corn. The estimate determined that about 49,000 square miles of US land is mowed for aesthetics. A more recent report from Princeton in 2020 estimates that the area is now over 40 million acres (or more than 62,500 square miles).* As for climate impact, NASA’s website reports anthropomorphic lawnmowing activities are not harmful but beneficial:

“[Researcher Cristina] Milesi says that a well-watered and fertilized lawn is a carbon sink [a place that absorbs more carbon than it releases]. If people recycle the grass clippings, leaving them to decompose on the lawn, the U.S. lawn area could store up to 16.7 teragrams of carbon each year. That’s equivalent to about 37 billion pounds — the weight of about 147,000 blue whales. The fact that recycling the clippings on the lawn would be so productive is a little surprising, according to Milesi … After all, decomposing grass is a source of carbon, with bacterial activity releasing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. The growth boost provided by the recycling of nitrogen from the decomposing grass clippings more than makes up for the carbon being released.”

This analysis seems to be a tad skewed. NASA measures the weight of carbon dioxide saved in blue whales, but its bizarre calculus ignores the environmental impact of the industrial inputs required to create lawns and grass clippings: gasoline, lawnmower and leaf blower manufacturing, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and the pollution created by transporting clippings. These are “externalized costs” overlooked by NASA in its one-lens, carbon-centric obsession.

Lawn Facts NASA Skipped Expanding lawn analysis beyond NASA’s narrow carbon-only assessment, the impact of an estimated 800 million gallons of gasoline burned in residential mowers (without pollution-control technologies such as catalytic converters) should be considered: How much energy and carcinogens are released thereby? It is reckoned that at least 17 million gallons of refined gasoline are spilled on the ground each year, filling lawnmower tanks – far more than the 11 million gallons of crude spilled by the Exxon Valdez disaster. Lawns are a sink for gasoline as well as carbon: not very nurturing to microbes. Americans spend billions of dollars on their eye-pleasing lawns, but unseen are the poisons dumped onto grass. Fertilizers cause phosphorous runoff, pollute wells and waterways, and feed algal blooms. Pesticides and herbicides laced with carcinogens kill bees, soil microbes, and other life. Did NASA calculate whether these toxins compromise carbon sinkage? Dead soil does not sequester carbon.

Americans buy some 6 million new lawnmowers annually, including popular “zero-turn” mowers that are anything but net zero. Battery-powered and electric mowers have gained in popularity, but their production comes with a cost. Did NASA consider that? About two million leaf blowers are purchased yearly, an estimated 150 million to be used in America. Leaf blowers are extremely inefficient. A four-stroke lawnmower’s emissions running for one hour are equivalent to an average car traveling 500 miles or running 11 car engines for the same duration.

‘Renewables’ Pollute

These same oversights bedevil climate warrior assessments of electric vehicles, solar panels, and industrial agriculture. The astronomical mining and fossil fuel impacts of EVs (including all the fancy gadgets like backup cameras) are simply omitted when only their supposed carbon-sparing benefits are extolled. Most Chinese-manufactured solar panels require coal burning and extensive mining in their creation. If such costs (along with disposal) were accurately and honestly weighed, these technologies would turn out to be far from “net zero.” All spew toxic chemicals into the air, soil, and water. They are not salvific as advertised but accelerate environmental degradation.

Industrial agriculture destroys soils with chemicals and treats cows horrifically. These abuses are used to target not the anthropomorphic activities of CAFOs (Confined Animal Feed Operations or factory farms) but their innocent cud-chewing victims. Rotationally grazed cows feed soils depleted and poisoned by tilling (or lawnmowing), creating the most powerful carbon sink possible while rebuilding eroded lands with manure. No human technology can rival this miraculous soil-nurturing: The resulting explosion of bacteria devours far more methane than cows emit. Healthy, regenerated soils sequester exponentially more carbon dioxide than forests, so “rewilding” is a comparative farce, often reducing net carbon sequestration to sell carbon credit indulgences to corporate schemers while eliminating vital farmlands.

Renewable energy manufacturing is a fraud that creates trillions of dollars in profits for corporations who steer captured government agencies like NASA. Grass blades are God’s renewable energy, using photosynthesis to capture energy and carbon. Grazing cows absorb this energy, stimulate growth (without gasoline spillage), produce manure that nurtures soils, and convert that energy into steaks for dinner. Yet it is cows that are cruelly scapegoated.

No Climate Change Integrity

Americans may want to do their own environmental calculus rather than be distracted by social justice shenanigans that deliberately obscure the true environmental costs of gadgets and toxic foods peddled as environmentally beneficial. The same culprits who sold Americans on the large, consolidated dairies and industrial farms that destroy the planet are now claiming that only chemical-saturated GMO soils can feed the world (while killing the soil).

Food-producing, soil-building bovines are routinely slandered by the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and PETA, which claim humanity cannot reduce climate change without cutting meat consumption.

India reveres cows – slaughtering a cow is punishable by death in some districts. America worships its lawns (and ritualistic gas-spilling), much as it idolizes anthropomorphic non-renewable technologies above God’s provision of cows on grass. NASA is lost in outer space on climate analysis. Americans should keep their eyes on the ground: Climate change activists who mow their lawns with fossil fuels had best examine the cow-bashing logs in their own eyes.

 

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

The post NASA’s Climate Change Metrics Need Fixing appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

MONDAY MEMES

Mon, 2023-10-16 16:30 +0000

They’re flying so thick and fast it is amazing.

Take heart – there will be both a Wednesday and Friday Edition.  Last week’s Friday Edition.  Also please see my latest Israel-related installment, which is a rich post with memes, as well as links, info, and commentary.

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 ***

 

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And this is by design.

 

 

 

When people truly understand that there are different standards of the law by dint of who you are and with whom you associate, society is doomed.

 

 

 

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

 

PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA

 

 

 

“First Saturday, then Sunday”.  First the Jews, then the Christians.  If you think that all Islamic terror and wars stop if, somehow, Islam wipes out Israel – you are mistaken.

Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians

Hamas Chief Emphasizes That Israel is Only the First Target (jihadwatch.org)

They’re coming here already:

659 known or suspected terrorists caught at the border in 2023, the most ever (jihadwatch.org)

With Democrats wanting at least a million more.

 

 

And like I said in my last Israel-focused post, they’re out in force in New York City; college and university campuses swarm with them and their sympathizers.  Antifa is their ally and they have already worked / trained together.

Take this example of Islamic treatment of Christians – no Jews involved:

Today in History: Muslims Worship Allah Atop 2,400 Decapitated Christian Heads (raymondibrahim.com)

You may not like Israel.  Or Jews.  But if you think that the feeding frenzy will stop there, you’re sadly mistaken.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Pick of the post:

 

 

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

 

Palate Cleansers:

 

 

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

 

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

 

The post MONDAY MEMES appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

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