Voter anger over the VT Democrats 2023 bill to double their own pay and give themselves a generous benefits package on top has led to some backpedaling here in 2024. The latest version of the new pay raise bill would only give lawmakers a 42% pay raise (about $6000).

Watch a whining, sarcastic, entitled Sen. Becca White (D-Windsor) meltdown and, among other things, call such a piddling windfall a “tough pill to swallow.”

This from a person who voted for every tax she could on her constituents – the carbon tax on home heating fuels, she’s the lead sponsor of gas and diesel carbon tax bill, she voted for the payroll tax that will hit us this July, she voted for the education spending bills resulting in the estimated 17% property tax increase, she voted for the 20% rise in DMV fees…. But complains that her getting only an additional $6000 per year from those same taxpayers will cause her “financial stress.”

 

Cry me a river, you entitled brat.

 

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

The post State Senator Melts Down After Learning She Can Only Vote Herself a 42% Pay Raise. appeared first on Granite Grok.

From the “pay no attention to the transman behind the curtain” file, we have this massive self-own from an individual who was concerned about a law in Florida that would allow the death penalty for those who sexually abuse children.

You, me, and almost everyone else agree. Leave the kids alone. But that’s not the direction in which the progs have dragged the culture. Groomers and predators have more rights than parents or child victims. Daring to stand up for kids gets you labeled as a hater. But they happened to be 5×5 in Florida and moved on the issue. The legislature and governor were willing to take a stand.

If molesting kids is your hill to die on, then we’ll consider killing you.

Such a hot topic begets a not-so-hot take.

pic.twitter.com/lKmH4faXGZ

— I,Hypocrite (@lporiginalg) January 28, 2024

@prshirtz, alleged to be an LGBTQ apologist, had since gone dark for obvious reasons. It is an admission that queer and trans people will sexually molest children, and Penny is probably pre-suicidal over getting caught with their … “narrative” down. If it makes you feel any better (Penny), plenty of people who claim to be trans and queer are not but use the relatively wide landing field provided by creeping progressive culture and the non-stop princess parades to sexually abuse adult women in places where politicos know what Penny at least suspects and allow it anyway.

And no, this is not a new self-own, by the way. It’s nearly a year old.

The bipartisan proposal — which passed by a vote of 34-5 late Tuesday — will also allow juries to hand down death sentences by votes of at least 8-4, after previously requiring unanimity.

The bill — which passed the Florida House of Representatives 95-14 last week and which DeSantis is expected to sign — would apply those convicted of abusing a child under the age of 12.

It is, however, instructive and not the only example, and it fits nicely with another LGBT community family secret. That gay men, not all, but some, prefer them young. Now and then, someone lets loose and gets it out for some sunlight, so in Florida, it would be Trans, Queer, and Gay people will end up dead.

And Florida is right. It would be best to have a stronger deterrent, though I question whether this will do the trick. Pedo bear is angry for tot-tail and was never inclined to pay much attention to the other laws.

And will there be (or has there been) an exodus of public school employees from the Sunshine State? I’m sure we’d have heard if there was a rise in death row sentencing for child molestation.

The post So, You Were Saying That Trans and Queer People Sexually Assault Children? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Given my background in Criminal Justice, I have over 20 years of experience as a trained observer. A background that trained me always to be suspicious of so-called coincidences and be willing to investigate wherever the evidence leads.

A background where I observed motivated bad actors almost always lie or manipulate the truth and will almost always abuse systems, especially if there are little to no repercussions to their bad acts. In short, let us just say I have “trust issues” and almost always verify or investigate regardless of the so-called “truths” I am being told.

So, when I broke down the 2022 Midterm Election results, and I saw a very consistent deviation and unusual nature of voters flipping their vote from Republican to Democrat back to Republican up and down the ballot, I began to investigate. That total investigation is for another day, but that investigation led me to have a conversation with several town clerks throughout the county—one of the towns and conversations with the town clerk of Durham.

Now, for the record, the Town Clerk was very polite, professional, respectful, and forthright in answering all my questions that day.

One of the inquiries or lines of questions I had was about “same-day registration.” I was astonished by the number of same-day registrations they had and were allowed to vote. The 2022 midterms Durham had 5,934 ballots cast with 1,446 same-day registration. Almost a quarter of their votes were voters who did not appear in the voting roles but were allowed to cast a ballot in our elections. I, of course, questioned the verification process with the Clerk, and I gave any number of ways the system could be manipulated.

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

Her only defense was, “Well, they sign a paper swearing it is them, and the information that they provided is true.” I retorted by asking but what stops the motivated bad actors from taking advantage of the system I presented any number of scenarios, such as:

“Given places like Pennsylvania now have months-long early voting, what stops a student from voting in Pennsylvania (their home record and permanent residence) in September and then showing up on election day in NH, filling out a same-day registration form, and then voting again in NH.”

Essentially, she said sometime after the election (allegedly), they will notify Pennsylvania, and it is incumbent on that state to scrub their roles.

Well, given my wife just received her absentee ballot application to our home here in NH from Massachusetts after living and voting here for three years, that just tells you how well these states are doing at “scrubbing their roles.” Another clerk told me the only state that does an immediate check and cross reference is Florida. (Gee, a “purple” state with voting integrity that has been trending more and more red. But I digress.)

This system of “same-day registration” baffled me. I mean, do not get me wrong. Massachusetts has almost no voting integrity, and their system is a nightmare. But the one thing they do right in comparison is they segregate same-day registration ballots and only count them after true verification and or if it is necessary in a close election.

So, when I had an opportunity to observe Durham and how they process so many same-day registration ballots, I had to go and observe. Frankly, after breaking down the numbers in 2022, I planned to be shocked, but what I saw when I walked through the door was beyond shocking.

First was the share size of the venue and the number of poll workers facilitating the vote manufacturing that I observed. It was an absolute machine. Industrialized processes all centered around processing these same-day “voters.”

There were nine tables with two poll workers at each table with the only responsibility of helping college students register to vote. It was amazing to see. I have never seen Government Workers work so fast and “efficiently” in anything in my entire life.

I arrived at 5:30 PM, and until the very end, those tables were full, and these workers were turning over new registrations, I would say, every 5 minutes. By my estimate, I observed about 100 new “voters” in about an hour. This explains how they can register, on average, 1500 voters every election.

The “verification” process was nonexistent.

First off, I doubt if any of these poll workers were trained in identifying fake IDs and or if they were trained in identifying facial features to make sure the ID they are using is actually the person presenting said ID. (You know, the same training bouncers and bartenders have to go through to serve alcohol.) Which, even with the best training in the world or even facial recognition software can be thrown off when the person presenting an ID is wearing a surgical mask. And I know it has been many moons since I was not of age and went to a State University, but I seem to remember a lot of fake IDs being used and passed around, and the risk and reward of getting caught was worth it every weekend to most motivated college students.

Now imagine if your college professor or social media influencer told you Donald Trump is Hitler and the Republican Party are Nazis. I would think the risk of getting caught (which to date is 0% chance) and the reward of “stopping MAGA” is worth the risk in a lot of 20-year-old minds. In law enforcement, this is called Motive.

Secondly, let us look at what this state allows for in regard to same-day registration in the verification process. Clearly, if you have a New Hampshire State ID/Driver’s License, then you are allowed to register. But from the public viewing, it was not clear which state IDs were being presented, given so many states’ licenses look the same these days. In other words, I could tell from my training and experience they were State IDs, but I could not tell which state. But what I didn’t see was any diligent scrutiny of the ID and or if the ID matched the person presenting said ID.

But when I saw someone use a passport, which has no address, to register to vote, I asked the moderator, “How do you verify that person lived in Durham?” He explained that if one of the over 200 poll workers (Yes! You read that right. According to the clerk, they have over 200 poll workers just in Durham alone.) “vouches” for that person, then they are allowed to register and vote. This led to a follow-up, of course, “So if a politically ideologically driven poll worker/volunteer who is likely not vetted themselves “vouches” for a person, they can vote. I said that cannot be true.” Then I was presented a piece of paper from the Secretary of State’s Office saying, “Those are the rules according to his office.”

Then I saw another woman with what was clearly not a government-issued ID be allowed to register. When I asked about that person, I was told, “Well, she had a student ID, so that works.” In my head, and politely out loud, I said, “Are you kidding me…student IDs are an acceptable form of identification to register to vote!?” I mean, you cannot use a student ID to get a driver’s license at the State Registry, buy alcohol in a State-run Liquor store, get into a tavern, and pretty much anywhere else save the University Library or Dorm. But walk right into Oyster River HS on election day and you can register and vote for the leader of the free world.

The bottom line is there is no true verification process, and almost anyone can walk in with or without any real identification, register to vote, and drop their ballots into the (dreaded) machines with absolutely no risk of challenge or getting caught. Now we have “Motive and Opportunity,” which makes this system tailored for abuse, which made me extremely suspicious and concerned.

And almost immediately, my suspicions and concerns were confirmed…

Durham, historically, is about an 80/20 town Democrat to Republican. We know Democrat Megadonor, Epstein Associate, and World Economic Forum member Reid Hoffman was donating to Nikki Haley’s campaign. He, along with Governor Sununu, were encouraging Democrat Voters to vote in the Republican Primary to “stop Trump.” Knowing full well, as Reid Hoffman admitted, the plan was to Stop Trump but to vote for Biden in November.

Well, I watched as more than half (about 50 or 60) of the 100 voters I observed took a Republican Ballot. Which played out in the final tallies, which went as follows:

3,329 Total votes
1,749 GOP ballots cast.
1,101 Haley
476 Trump

172 Other Candidates (Which included 13 write-ins for Joe Biden, tied with Chris Christie for 3rd highest)

This means this election manufacturing center went from seeing, on average, 20% Republican to almost 53% on a night when Governor Sununu, Candidate Haley, and a complicit GOP Party Chairman Chris Ager joined forces with Democrat Mega Donor Reid Hoffman to encourage this type of election interference played out exactly how they wanted.

Exit polls show over 70% and upwards of 80% of Nikki Haley’s votes were from Biden Supporting Democrats, and I am willing to bet if we went to the 4 or 5 college towns in the state, most of those manipulated votes came from those vote manufacturing centers like I saw in Durham.

The only good, if not great, news is what I saw after the polls closed. I watched 15 poll workers successfully hand count over 1,500 write-in ballots on the Dem side in less than an hour. President Biden, The NH Democrats, and GOP “leaders” proved without a doubt the machines are not necessary, and there is absolutely no reason why we cannot hand count every ballot forever more.

But first thing is first and I say this without hesitation. We will never have fair and free elections in NH if we continue to allow anyone and everyone to walk through the door with or without a proper identification process and be allowed to register and vote.

And I know what I am about to say is blasphemy here in NH, but what Sununu, Ager, Haley, Scanlan, and the donors proved is we in NH can no longer be trusted as stewards of the “First in the Nation” primary. If I were a Republican in a state like Florida, which has closed primaries, and watched the unmitigated disaster this past Tuesday, I would be livid and would rightfully be demanding NH lose it is First in the Nation because our system is so easily corrupted and Durham would be Exhibit “A.”

I, for one, want to maintain the First in the Nation, but only if we earn that honor with free, fair, and secure elections without manipulation. But unfortunately, GOP Party Chairman Ager has blocked all attempts to secure the primary process and our elections.

The post An Observers Account of The Election Process in Durham NH – You Can’t Trust The Results appeared first on Granite Grok.

If you missed it, Granite State Matters, the latest of many incarnations of online activism by former State Senator Jeanne Dietsch, has a list of anti-democracy extremists. You can check that out here, and when you find yourself missing, we have found a way that you can turn yourself in.

A reader sent me the list, and another reader sent me the form that drives the list.

It is an online form, and it occurs to me that it could be used to add actual extremists (like Jeanne Dietsch). There is, after all, no Democracy at the end of the Political Left’s agenda unless by that you mean dog and pony show elections where Dear Leader gets 97.8% of the vote and any actual opponents are charged with crimes, dragged through courts, or just happen to have unfortunate accidents.

I’m sure someone with lots of free time checks it before making the main list, but that’s no reason not to try.

Here’s a link to the form (there is a partial screengrab above). Be warned. Google will grab your Gmail, or you’ll be asked to provide email, which means you’ll be added to the mailing list, which Jeanne can then pretend makes this most recent diversion popular or successful. I’m sure you can unsubscribe just as easily.

But you will have the opportunity to provide the name of an extremist and a link to something that leads you to believe whichever individual(s) you name are extremist. I’m sure it’s not partisan. That wouldn’t be equitable. And you can probably enter as many as you’d like.

 

The post Bonus: How YOU Can Help Democrat Jeanne Dietsch Find Extremists in New Hampshire appeared first on Granite Grok.

A curious thing has happened in Stamford, Connecticut. The school board has voted 5-3 to make teachers who hate Columbus Day and Veterans Day but were getting paid to sit on their asses – work both days. The school will be open, and regular classes will commence.

This, of course, creates several problems, with all the other public servants getting paid to do nothing. It hardly seems fair. Making teachers and staff toil over hiding the kiddie porn, telling white children they are racists, and convincing six-year-olds they were born in the wrong body. The devil’s work is exhausting, and it might benefit from a few extra days, but the critical point here is that they were getting paid, and now they have to emit loads of carbon to show up.

I mean, how many then were even celebrating the age of discovery as a catalyst that led to the founding of a nation that ended slavery or the sacrifice of our service members in wars that weren’t for Ukraine? They might as well show up for work.

I know, but, but, but what about all the other details? You can be angry, discouraged, lament the decline of the culture, or just outraged, but if you happen to live in Stamford or anywhere else, this has or might become a thing, it need not be an intractable conflict. Yes, you should vote for different school board members, but while you’re waiting to do that – or if that won’t likely make any difference if you’ve got the Day off already, honor both holidays and keep your kids home.

Teach your kids that there are a lot of things more deserving of our time and honor than what the government did to K-12 education.

Or is that too simple a solution?

The post A Different Take on a School Board That Voted to Hold Classes on Veterans Day and Columbus Day appeared first on Granite Grok.

As promised in Monday Memes, I have an overflow.  And yes there will be a Friday edition too.

Let the mayhem, mockery, and ridicule resume:

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

What was it Mark Twain said?  A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can pull its boots on.

 

 

Totally on the up and up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foghorn always did have very… colorful and amusing phrases.

 

 

 

 

But… but… but there’s no evidence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA

 

 

That’s exactly what they are.  Psychopaths.  Until you appreciate these people have a psychopathic view of humanity, with us actually not even being human in their eyes, you will continually be surprised and shocked.  At this point very little they do truly shocks or surprises me any more.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come on, sweetie – just LEARN TO CODE.  I’m having waaaay too much schadenfreude over this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Washington State – official.  How does anyone actually believe this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karma is… entertaining sometimes.

 

 

Like Michael Savage has said, Borders, language, and culture.  And all three are under dire attack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every single “study” result is aimed at making you dependent on the food The System creates.

 

 

 

 

 

Me too.  The last few years have witnessed multiple illusions of mine being shattered.  Including my belief in vaccines.

 

 

 

 

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

 

Links with comments:

(Apologies for the after the fact insertion)

 

Bayou Renaissance Man: Ammo warning – updated

Buy more.  If you think you have enough… you don’t.

—

If You Want War, Prepare for Peace – PJ Media

Great concept.  We’re in serious trouble, people…

—

Child Protective Services ‘kidnaps’ girl for gender care, revokes parental custody (wnd.com)

Parents say Montana CPS seized their daughter for opposing her “gender transition.” Not California. MONTANA. | Not the Bee

So you live in a “Red” state and think you’re safe from this lunacy?  Think again.  And understand that while I do not ADVOCATE for violence, I will opine that if I was on the jury should people in this conspiracy develop high velocity lead poisoning, I’d accept the They needed a little killing! defense.

—

Report: Dress E. Jean Carroll Claims She Wore During Alleged Trump Assault Did Not Exist at the Time (breitbart.com)

Well, this is interesting!

—

Trump Official Hospitalized After Being Shot by Soros Activist – The People’s Voice (thepeoplesvoice.tv)

Holy carp!  This is not a good turn of events.

—

Twelve states sound the alarm: Globalist banks are conspiring with the UN to WIPE OUT U.S. farms and food production – NaturalNews.com

Dependent.  That’s what they want us.

—

Illinois City Councilman Challenges Constituents To Open Their Homes To Illegal Migrants (tampafp.com)

Like Massachusetts.  And at some point it will be threats.  And then force.

 

*** CONCLUDING ***

 

How I know the 2020 presidential election was stolen (substack.com)

I defer to Surak’s knowledge of data analysis and statistical anomalies; this is a fantastic bit of work.  Also, here:

 

 

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

 

Pick of the Post:

 

 

So the guy who discovered the medication, developed it, and launched it… doesn’t understand it.  Uh huh.

 

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

 

Palate cleansers:

 

—

—

 

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

 

Come back on Friday for more memes.  Same meme time.  Same meme channel.

 

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

 

The post Meme Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.

There is a new study, Time Dependent Climate Energy Transfer: The Forgotten Legacy of Joseph Fourier by Roy Clark, that finds "no ‘climate sensitivity’ to CO2." The focus of this article is on the null hypothesis that changes in the... Tom Bowler

Mr. President, with all due respect, is that the message you gave to the families of the three service people killed over the weekend? Or were you too busy resting in Delaware, and you might get to it this week? By the way, there were over thirty injured in the drone attacks, with what are called severe head injuries.

If all you have for those grieving families is we had a rough day, don’t make the call. They do not need to hear your drivel in their time of loss.

The attacks this weekend bring the total of attacks by Iranian proxy groups, primarily from Yemen, to 160 since October 7. These attacks have been against American military installations in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. With each attack, Biden pledges retaliation, but his response has been minimal and feeble at best. And please do not forget that during this time of conflict and attacks on American assets, Biden did not know his Secretary of Defense was AWOL in intensive care. The October date is important as the attacks against American troops in the Middle East started the day Hamas invaded Israel, butchering innocents and taking an untold number of hostages. We do not know the number, location, or status of the hostages, but we do know Americans were taken into Gaza by the Hamas terrorists.

Lloyd Austin, our Defense Secretary, addressed Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, and stated emphatically that he and President Biden are committed to retaliating in kind to any attack by Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi, or any other proxy group of Iran. What we have done to this point is bomb empty or deserted facilities so that we can check the box that we have struck back. The drone that did the damage and killed three of our brave service people while they slept was mistaken for one of our drones that was scheduled to return to Syria. It is possible that Iran knew the schedule of our drone and used that info for cover. That move now means flag-draped coffins will be returned soon to America.

Republicans and some Democrats are growing impatient waiting for Biden to punch back. Proponents of strong retaliation don’t want these proxy groups targeted. They want Iran punished for what they are doing, and 160 attacks on Americans is 159 too many.

My observation of Biden being asked over the weekend about the attack and dead Americans was of a man disenfranchised with the situation. His lack of passion was palpable, and he needed to have virtually every question repeated because he could not hear or understand the questions. It was not a powerful look, and the scene with Austin was not much better. Austin explained his performance as a man still recovering. There was no excuse for Biden, just excuses. Those excuses come daily from KJP and John Kirby, but this weekend, they even came from Gavin Newsom, who is taking a more active role in supporting the President. Only the devout followers are buying the empty comments.

What we do understand and will buy is definitive action, but we are not holding our breath. Since the Hamas attack on Israel, Biden has been very careful to be strong and critical of Israel’s defense while hedging to the same treatment of Iran or Lebanon. That is why we believe that Biden is the wrong person at this time to be our leader. We need and deserve better, and that is not Kamala. And a final note. When those three heroes are returned to their homeland, you best be there to salute them and leave your watch in Delaware, this time.

The post Biden Says “We Had A Rough Day” appeared first on Granite Grok.

This will probably go over well, but not in the intended manner. NH Democrat Jeanne Dietsch recently shared a link to a working list of what is called anti-democracy extremists in the Granite State. I see a lot of errors in the list, not the least of which will be the people who are not on it but would like to be.

There are over 500 names and some other details, and it is a whos-who of limited government, individual rights-type liberty supporters (with a few exceptions). People who think that you – common citizen – know better than, say, Jeanne Dietsch. Those who want the government to be small and local and to leave you and your family alone to do your thing, which, to a Marxist like Dietsch, is extreme. I won’t deny that.

There is a read-only Google Doc version here, or you can look below – sorted by town, the town in which they believe the “extremist” lives. And as with the Extreme 16 (back in the day), I expect a few folks will want to know why they are not on the list. No worries, just send her the details, and I’m sure she’ll add you to her list of anti-democracy radicals.

By the way, Jeanne, I live in Merrimack. And Jeff Chidester MC’d Groktoberfest. I was just a speaker at my own fundraiser.

[update] Granite State Matters (Dietsch’s website) has apparently locked down the list (tee hee), but fear not: we grabbed it and saved it in a spreadsheet you can view here. Note: The original was stored in a publicly accessible read-only Google doc.

Here is our slightly edited PDF version formatted for the blog space. You can get the entire spreadsheet here.

Dietsch List of Extremists in NH

 

The post Are You On the List of Right Wing Extremists in New Hampshire (I Am! – And I’m in Excellent Company) [Updated] appeared first on Granite Grok.

Forget the American dream – try the Irish dream. It’s not exactly the most exotic place to visit, and you can be promised rain more than the sun. But the atmosphere, historical beauty, and iconic Irish charm will keep you going back for more.

Ireland is where you need to be in 2024. There are some cheap travel deals on and, as always, plenty of things to do.

Ireland’s Must-Visit Cities

Ireland is a pin drop in the ocean compared to the US, but its cities pack a punch:

• Dublin: The most-visited city, the capital, the wonder. Visit the legendary Guinness Storehouse. The Little Museum of Dublin or the Jameson Distillery Bow St. are great.
• West Cork: West Cork is stunning. One of the best things to do in West Cork is Blarney Castle and Gardens.
• Waterford: Waterford isn’t as well known as the other locations on the list, but it’s well worth a visit. The Waterford Treasures Medieval Museums are really good. Mount Congreve gardens are also beautiful.

The Great Irish Outdoors

Ireland’s landscapes are usually the reason people visit (and the alcohol).

The Cliffs of Moher will take your breath away. They’re always a stop-off point for international travellers. Not much scenery can compete with it.

For a serene experience, the Ring of Kerry offers miles of quaint villages and stunning vistas. It’s something you won’t be able to find in the US.

If you’re feeling adventurous, the Wild Atlantic Way is a road trip you won’t forget. The stretch along the west coast has rugged coastlines, hidden beaches, and the chance to say you’ve stood at the edge of the world.

But it’s 1600 miles in total, so you’ll have to pick your favourite route on the trip and go for it. Unless you want to do 1600 miles – you could rent a motorhome.

The Warmth of Irish Culture

Google why people go to Ireland, and the culture is the reason. They have to be some of the most welcoming people on the planet. And they know how to hold a good conversation. There are cosy pubs with lively music in every town, incredible places to eat, and just people smiling everywhere.

In Dublin, experience the literary legacy of James Joyce with a pint at the historic Davy Byrnes. In Dingle, Dick Mack’s pub is a must-visit for its whiskey selection and vibrant atmosphere. And that’s just two examples. Google Irish pubs with the best atmosphere, and you’ll find more. You have to spend most of your time in Ireland in a pub, of course.

Irish music is the country’s soul, and the pubs are where it’s at.

Ireland is more than a destination. It’s an experience that stays with you forever. Whether it’s the lively streets of its cities, the breathtaking beauty of its landscapes, or the unforgettable charm of its people, it’s just incredible. We promise you’ll fall in love with everything about it. And as they say, they’re waiting with a “Céad míle fáilte” (a hundred thousand welcomes)!

The post Ireland: What Makes It The Best European Destination For Americans appeared first on Granite Grok.

Why Elon Musk allowed Walter Isaacson 2 years of unfettered access and to write a biography that Musk did not in any way change is a mystery. It could be that Steve Jobs did the same and Musk felt a need to share his story similarly, but it does not matter.

His personal life, thought process, work strategies, accomplishments, and flaws were laid bare.

Born into an extremely dysfunctional family and brought up in a violent South African environment Musk learned from an early age to work hard and fight to achieve success. Gifted with a genius aptitude in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math {STEM}, he made his way to college in Canada, transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated with an engineering degree. Musk existed on a different intellectual plane and his interpersonal skills can be summed up as he did not care what others thought and suffered no fools. Society would ordinarily crush such an obnoxious person, but Musk brought to the table unique skills. Skills that a capitalist society could leverage and make investors rich. The unifying theme throughout Musk’s biography is that Musk is a shining star, a renaissance man with a vision to preserve humanity from destructive forces. But what sets Musk apart is the way he turns his visions into reality. He gets venture capitalists to see the potential profits and they put up the funds needed to get the companies off the ground. Musk then drives worker productivity and delivers on-time product success.

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

All of Musk’s visions involve creating STEM products. Engineers design the products, and workers build them. “Musk’s Rules” for success are quite simple. Discover what part of the product assembly was taking too long or costing too much and find a way to make it go faster and cost less. Challenge every regulation, and if it does not make sense, ignore it. Make the engineers who designed the product work near the production site so they could see the design flaws that made assembly difficult or costly, and then correct the flaws. But what made Elon Musk unique is in difficult times, he would walk the assembly line, day and night, interacting with all problem areas, giving advice, and demanding engineers and workers alike be more efficient, innovative, cost-effective, and most importantly, take risks. If 10% of the risks did not fail, Musk decreed the employees were not risking enough. Musk made few friends and terminated workers who did not meet expectations, and not surprisingly, employee burnout was substantial. But as opposed to the cost-plus contracts the government routinely awarded to other private companies, contracts the companies never completed on time and for which they always came back for more funding, Musk delivered on time and within budget. SpaceX is an excellent example of Musk’s modus operandi. Musk felt there was a high probability humans would destroy themselves and that for humanity to survive, other planets must be colonized. Musk recognized that America’s space program was in tatters and to realize his vision of interplanetary colonization, the space program needed to be revitalized. He raised investor capital with the vision that if a private company could cost-effectively launch rockets into orbit, satellite placement could be monetized by capturing lucrative government and private contracts. He implemented “Musk’s Rules” and personally oversaw the work. SpaceX succeeded in creating a cost-effective reusable rocket that could be launched into orbit, and SpaceX became profitable. Musk’s creation launched thousands of satellites that, when linked together, formed the satellite-based internet connection “Star Link.” During its Ukrainian invasion, Russia was able to jam all earth-based internet connections, and without Musk allowing Ukraine to use Star Link, Putin would have overrun Ukraine. SpaceX continues to try and develop a massive rocket capable of leaving orbit and propelling humans to Mars. While Elon Musk has been overseeing multiple other ventures, six prototypes have failed. The Space X story highlights Musk at his best, but it also demonstrates his inherent weakness. The truth is colonizing Mars in Musk’s relatively short time frame is not going to happen. Even if SpaceX can produce a rocket capable of reaching Mars, the technology and infrastructure required to mount a colonization effort does not exist. Until spaceships can achieve a velocity approaching the speed of light or a breakthrough occurs that allows time and space to be warped, the present nine-month one-way trip to Mars would be self-limiting. Not to mention the harsh atmosphere’s lack of oxygen and the planet’s lack of usable water. If there were easily harvested profitable Mars assets, investors might be interested, but this is not the case. SpaceX demonstrates by the sheer force of his vision, engineering innovation, “Musk rules,” and refusal to accept defeat, Elon Musk can produce a marketable futuristic product. But until the rest of the universe’s infrastructure catches up to Musk’s new product, his vision hits a dead end. As with his rockets, the same can be said about his electric cars. A Tesla is a wonderful technological achievement, but present-day electric grid infrastructure and electricity production cannot support America’s transition to all-electric vehicles, and charging stations are not readily available. Middle and lower-class Americans cannot afford the expensive electric cars or the price of installing home charging stations. The massive amounts of electricity needed will have to be derived from fossil fuels, and thus defeat the purpose of electric cars. Both SpaceX and Tesla are examples of putting the proverbial cart before the horse. This does not mean the companies founded by Musk will be in financial trouble. Both SpaceX and Tesla have morphed away from Musk’s initial vision. SpaceX is more of a vehicle for access to space, and Tesla is moving towards high-end driverless electric cars and artificial intelligence. With Musk distracted by X {formerly Twitter}, these successful companies may decide they no longer need or want Elon Musk’s” Rules”. Musk has moved into the public square and labeled the progressive agenda as a “woke mind virus” triggering civilizational suicide and he has told the biological truth about there being only two sexes. By liberating Twitter from its woke masters, Musk has plunged a knife into the progressive elites’ plans to control and censor free speech. But in doing so, he has made very powerful enemies. Enemies who never cared about Musk’s lofty visions and only tolerated Elon Musk’s unsophisticated rudeness because he previously served their purpose. Enemies who know how to bring the force of government against him. Enemies that can manipulate the media to harm both him and his family. If Elon Musk’s simmering star is not to be extinguished by the coming global elite onslaught, he needs to prioritize his vision to save humanity. Most importantly, Musk has to keep X and free speech alive. Because spreading the truth on a platform that reaches billions and leveraging every bit of his formidable abilities will fuel Musk’s star, morphing Musk into a white-hot weapon. A weapon perfectly suited to incinerate the “woke mind virus” and thwart those who would enslave us all.

 

The post The World Needs a Star appeared first on Granite Grok.

Contrary to several detractors, our “Live Free; Die Free” act (House Bill 1283) does not “legalize physician-assisted suicide”: it, in effect, simply removes a current law that prevents the dying from buying medicine that they want.

If the dying further chooses, it would be the dying – and no one else – who would self-administer that medicine. It is more accurately thought of as “Right to Buy” – but only for the almost dead, and only if we just can’t stand the pain any longer.

The state currently cruelly prevents us who are suffering horrible deaths from obtaining medicine that could help us die peacefully, in our sleep, quietly, and (my personal preference) amongst friends & family. Instead, the state, righteously wielding its violence of law, forces us to continue to be tortured by our disease, to stretch out our pain, indignity, desperation, and loneliness for days or weeks, even though the end for which we may be long past ready is inevitable.

Oh, its apologists will offer to us (with a whisper and a wink) “other ways” to end our misery – ways that are less successful, less peaceful, more scary, and/or more painful. You see the state graciously countenances us, the desperately dying, to starve ourselves to death, or to refuse water until we dehydrate to death, or (the most commonly suggested alternative) to “accidentally clean” our guns. The state’s benevolence certainly accepts our suffering and our screams. (“But not too loudly, dear! After all, there are other patients on this floor.”) Or it will tolerate drug-comas to quiet our cries (until we wake up, panicked, pressing our call button).

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

What would we do without its compassionate over-lording? Surely, we, the dying, are too feeble-minded, too unaware of the disease consuming our bodies! Should we not be thankful to be so selflessly served by such wise and courageous white knights?!

You see, the righteously ruling ultimately don’t see us, the dying, as equal to them. During the last days of our lives, when we are most vulnerable, they steal our bodies from us, patronizing us that they know better than we (who are actually suffering inside those very same disease-wracked bodies). They even have the audacity to argue that this hard-hearted violation of our most basic self-ownership is not evil but an actual kindness to us!

But here’s their error: granite staters are no one’s slaves, not even when we’re dying.

Even we, the dying, have the right of self-ownership. You see, no matter how much busy-bodies busy their bodies, our bodies never magically become theirs. The state has no right to torture us – not for sadistic ritual or political posturing. The decision over my body, especially at my life’s end, is mine, not theirs. (And over your body? At your life’s end? It’s yours, and still not theirs.)

Whether we, the dying, decide to buy the medicine or not (most of us will not), whether we, the dying, decide to ingest our purchased medicine or not (at least 15% of us will not), is not the human rights issue at the center of House Bill 1283.

Its central human rights issue is: “Who decides for this human being’s body right here?” Is it the person trapped inside that anguished body, or is it some outside master? May I – now that I am dying for sure – buy something I desperately need? Or does that pitiless master own my body more than I do, remote-controlling my suffering from his bureaucracy?

In New Hampshire, the freest state in the world, we should be free to not only live free, but also to die free, not on our knees begging a master for relief.

 

Dennis Pratt lives in Dover with his wife Carol of 43 years, and their two dogs. He is head of “Die Free,” a liberty-based group for recognizing end-of-life sovereignty, and has worked for the last two years with the grass-roots organization NH Options on House Bill 1283. He has written over 1800 essays on libertarian ethics and is the Chair of the Judicial Committee for the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire. Sure, he’s sparring with cancer, but don’t think that makes him a wuss.

The post We The Dying Should Decide, Not The Government appeared first on Granite Grok.

On Thursday, February 1st, the Democrats in the New Hampshire House of Representatives will be attempting to put a right to abortion in the New Hampshire Constitution (CACR23), and we must stop them. We cannot make the destruction of children and women a right in the New Hampshire Constitution.

Predatory abortion clinics intentionally disguise themselves as “healthcare centers,” when in truth they do not offer healthcare, they only sell coercion, lies and trauma. Their counseling consists of an abortion sales pitch where the “clump of cells” inside you must be removed before it turns into a baby because they say you’re not ready to become a Mom.

After the initial sales pitch and pressure, the next steps move quickly, like a whirlwind. You soon find yourself in a procedure room with your legs in stirrups, and then you quickly find out that you were lied to because you feel your child being violently removed from your womb. The people surrounding you at that very moment are all accomplices in the lies that led up to the death of your child. Terror and grief grasp you so hard that you are numb and in shock. They throw you a bag of saltines and a dixie cup of juice and sit you in a waiting room with all the other broken women to wait to make sure you’re not hemorrhaging. After a little while, you are shown the door, and that is the last you hear from them. They are done with you, but your nightmare has just begun.

The abortion clinic didn’t offer me healthcare, help, real counseling, or the truth. They coerced me, took my money, ripped my child from my womb, and then left me broken with a lifetime filled with trauma and grief.

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

A few years later, and in a different relationship, I became pregnant again and went to an ob/gyn for care. They did routine genetic testing, which came back positive for Down’s Syndrome. The Dr. assured me the result was accurate and then proceeded to pressure me to terminate the pregnancy because “raising a special needs child would be difficult.” We refused to terminate the pregnancy because we knew our child would be perfect and loved regardless of any challenges that may come with her.

Months later, my daughter was born a healthy and perfect 10 pounds 9 ounces. She did not have Down’s Syndrome or any other challenge. We were blessed. Later, I found out that several friends and relatives also had the same experience I did with a positive result for a genetic abnormality, and they too were pressured to terminate the pregnancy, and they too refused and had children who were born without the predicted abnormality.

I looked into these genetic tests and found that they have false positive results over 80% of the time. These same genetic tests are still being used today and still have over 80% false positive results. Why is this????

Millions of babies have been killed, and millions of Moms have been traumatized due to the lies, coercion, and deceit of the predatory abortion industry, whose tentacles are far-reaching into our healthcare system.

My story is common, but you don’t hear it often because broken women don’t speak up and tell their stories. It took me 30 years and a lot of counseling to be able to tell mine.

I’ll never know my first child or who he would have been, or what he would have done. My second child grew up to be a strong, bright, and independent woman who became one of the youngest women to serve in the New Hampshire State Legislature, and while she was there, she fought against predatory abortion before she even knew she had lost a sibling to abortion.

Please call, email, and text your New Hampshire State Representatives and tell them to say NO to CACR23 on February 1st.

The post No Constitutional Right to Abortion in NH appeared first on Granite Grok.

From the Women’s Defense League: On Friday, February 2nd, in the Legislative Office Building (located behind the state house), in rooms 202-204, there will be multiple gun control hearings held in the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

This is where you can have the chance to testify against or for some of the bills being heard in the committee.

House Bill 1050 – AN ACT relative to establishing a voluntary waiver of the right to purchase a firearm.

OPPOSE – This bill allows a person to surrender their 2nd Amendment rights for whatever reason and be kept on a list so if they attempt to purchase a firearm after voluntarily being put on this list, they will be unable to. If a person attempts to practice their 2nd Amendment right while being on the list, they will be in violation. This bill is so poorly written, it doesn’t explain what that penalty is. The gun control crowd is using ‘suicide’ as an excuse. This bill doesn’t provide help for anyone considering suicide, nor does it actually stop anyone from committing suicide. This could open up a Pandora’s box to their draconian Red Flag law.

House Bill 1336 – AN ACT relative to employees’ firearms in locked vehicles.

OPPOSE – This bill mandates that employers have no say if their employees have firearms locked in their vehicles. While we agree that employees should be able to do this, it is a contract between the employer and the employee. The government shouldn’t be getting involved nor mandating what a private company does.

The next bill is of the utmost importance to OPPOSE. This bill has bi-partisan sponsorship based on an emotional reaction to the unarmed security guard (former police chief) who was murdered in 2023 at the state’s mental health facility.

House Bill 1711 – AN ACT authorizing the state to report mental health data for firearms background check purposes and providing for processes for confiscation of firearms following certain mental health-related court proceedings and for relief from mental health-related firearms disabilities.

OPPOSE – This bill makes it so those who are adjudicated violently mental ill to seek inpatient or out patient mental health care become prohibited persons for purchasing or possessing firearms, but it also requires their firearms be confiscated. Anyone who is adjudicated to receive in patient or out patient mental healthcare (for any reason) already becomes a prohibited person according to the ATF.

This is yet another bill that is discriminating against gun owners and doesn’t actually do anything to solve or help those with mental health issues. If someone is involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, they’ve already lost all their freedoms. If they are released, shouldn’t they only be released if they are mentally WELL? There should be no need to confiscate their firearms. If someone is released, and they are still violently mentally ill, why the hell are they being released?

This is another bill that is trying to solve a mental health issue with gun confiscation.

You can email or call the committee members below:

First Name	Last Name	Email	Phone
Amanda	Bouldin	Amanda.Bouldin@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 494-8689
Amy	Bradley	Amy.Bradley@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 315-1597
Linda	Harriott-Gathright	linda.harriottgathright@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 880-4537
Jason	Janvrin	Jason.Janvrin@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 944-7449
Dennis	Mannion	Dennis.Mannion@leg.state.nh.us
David	Meuse	David.Meuse@leg.state.nh.us
Nancy	Murphy	Nancy.Murphy@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 424-0254
Alissandra	Murray	Alissandra.Murray@leg.state.nh.us
Jodi	Newell	Jodi.Newell@leg.state.nh.us
Ray	Newman	Ray.Newman@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 880-8973
Kevin	Pratt	Kevin.Pratt@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 895-9502
Mark	Proulx	Mark.Proulx@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 669-7179
Karen	Reid	Karen.Reid@leg.state.nh.us
Jennifer	Rhodes	Jennifer.Rhodes@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 762-8069
Terry	Roy	Terry.Roy@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 239-3369
Loren	Selig	Loren.Selig@leg.state.nh.us
Jonathan	Stone	Jonathan.Stone@leg.state.nh.us
John	Sytek	john.sytek@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 893-8889
Jeffrey	Tenczar	Jeffrey.Tenczar@leg.state.nh.us
Johan	Wheeler	Jonah.Wheeler@leg.state.nh.us	(603) 831-9916

You can also sign in to either OPPOSE the legislation and provide written testimony if you so choose by clicking on the following link (an example is below): https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx

The post Multiple GUN CONTROL Hearings on February 2nd! appeared first on Granite Grok.

When you think of Oklahoma you think deep Red, very conservative, etc., etc., etc. …. right? Except Senator James Lankford who is supposed to be representing the people of Oklahoma actually is a tool for Mitch McConnell and the GOP-donor-class. McConnell used Lankford as the “face” of the amnesty-bill he collaborated with Biden and Schumer on … which essentially allows 2 MILLION illegals to jump the line and enter the country annually in return for a promise by Biden that he’ll keep illegal immigration at that limit.

The GOP in Oklahoma is having none of this B.S. See resolution below from the Oklahoma GOP condemning Lankford.

Breaking News: The Oklahoma GOP has passed a resolution saying they condemn James Lankford for his work on the bipartisan border security package. The letter stated, “Until Senator Lankford ceases from these actions the Oklahoma Republican Party will cease all support for him.” pic.twitter.com/pEqgevSLoH

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) January 27, 2024

The post The GOP Despises Its Voters … Senator James Lankford Edition appeared first on Granite Grok.

The media are abuzz with billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that he is raising gourmet beef from wagyu cows on his Hawaiian “ranch,” feeding them beer and macadamia nuts. This contrasts sharply with fellow billionaire farming dabbler Bill Gates, who uses conventional chemical technologies and fancies himself the creator of a new synthetic factory meat.

Pundits are attacking Zuckerberg from both sides of the political aisle: The right calls him an elitist dining on fine foods; the left says he’s a climate destroyer. But what if he is, in fact, neither? Perhaps instead of insulting Farmer Mark, we should thank him for highlighting agricultural truths that are common knowledge for most farmers.

Elitist Farmers

This is not to say Zuckerberg is not an elitist. Worth an estimated $130.6 billion, dining on beef fed better than most humans, and owning 1,500 acres on a small Hawaiian island, he displays the pinnacle of exclusivity. But even elitists need to eat, and he should perhaps be credited with undertaking the challenges of farming rather than just using hirelings – he claims he is involving his family in the actual dirty work, which would be the very best possible thing he could do as a father (billionaire or no).

It is a simple enough American liberty to raise one’s own food – anyone can raise a wagyu (if zoning and space permit), though they might be short on macadamia meal and cow-beer. Zuckerberg’s venture is a gift: It exposes the lies being leveled against cows and farmers alike, contrasting the Gates/World Economic Forum messaging about bovines and fake meat with the traditional farming methods that nurture soils with local agriculture. Zuckerberg’s farm is a poke in the eye to the likes of AOC and recently dethroned climate “envoy” John Kerry.

Farmer Bill Versus Farmer Mark

Bill Gates displays a very different billionaire’s farm. Gates did not buy property to try his hand at eating well; he bought up over two hundred thousand acres of US farmland across 18 states as an investment. Mr. Gates does not advocate organic farming, either. Instead, he embraces the unsustainable GMO technologies and accompanying chemical saturation of soils that causes erosion, water loss, and pollution. He invests billions in synthetic factory meat, which will be “cultured” from destructive monoculture crops like corn and soy, requiring saturation of millions of acres with synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and bee-killing pesticides.

Zuckerberg’s undertaking contrasts sharply with the Gates vision and has attracted the ire of Mark’s would-be liberal supporters, who attack him (and all farmers) for destroying the climate by raising cows. Multiple news outlets reported the words of Mitch Jones, deputy director at Food & Water Watch, who argued, “Raising cattle on water-hungry macadamia nuts and beer showcases the excesses of the wealthy. What we need is genuine agricultural reform, which addresses the inequalities in our food system and the reality of a warming climate.”

PETA representative Shalin Gala posted on social media, “Mark Zuckerberg announces he’s now ‘started raising cattle’ on his Hawaiian estate, feeding them beer, then slaughtering them. Mark, the Dark Ages are calling and want you back.”

Farming Disconnect

The attacks on cows as “climate-damaging” have mainly gone unchallenged except by Irish and Dutch farmers. Whether or not it was his intention, Zuckerberg is now a vitally needed cow apologist. His farming methods are not necessarily climate-destroying. Well-managed water resources for both nuts and cows can be part of a soil-building, climate-healing agriculture.

Hawaii imports some 85-90% of its food. Raising produce locally, whether for himself or others, is how Zuckerberg can support the region’s economy and culture (agriculture) as well as the climate – his beef will not be grown in faraway nations and then shipped to his island. He is not employing synthetic fertilizers or herbicides (unless for the nuts or beer inputs). He is not raising his cows on delicate open ranges or crammed into a concentrated animal feed operation (CAFO).

Instead of praising him, climate warriors across the internet are zeroing in on a number of questionable statistics regarding the dangers of the Meta CEO’s farming methodology. Some cite Vice’s 2014 article that says cows produce 132 gallons of methane gas daily. Others that “cattle farming contributes 3.7 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions,” as Essa News reports in response to Zuckerberg’s farming practices. “Methane is a harmful greenhouse gas, causing about 85 times more warming than carbon dioxide,” the site adds.

This is the Big Cow Lie. The relative impact of methane versus carbon dioxide is an arbitrary measure, but even per the Environmental Protection Agency, methane is only 30 times more potent over 100 years than carbon dioxide, not 85. Notably, the EPA also calculates nitrous oxide is 273 times more potent over a century than carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide is released in significant quantities by the synthetic fertilizers Bill Gates favors and that Mark Zuckerberg is avoiding by pasturing cows.

Praising Zuckerberg?

Pastured cows sequester both carbon and methane in the soils upon which they dine and defecate. Their manure rebuilds depleted soils and feeds the microbial soil life upon which plant and animal (and human) health depend. There is no technological replacement for cow manure: only soil- and climate-destroying industrial agricultural processes like those endorsed by Bill Gates and the WEF.

The Facebook founder should be praised for raising and eating his own cows. Sure, he’s an elitist, but the more he raises and learns about gentle bovines, the more he may also raise a voice to truly save the world – with cows, not by culling them from the food chain as rival faux farmer Bill Gates advocates. Growing his own food in Hawaii will educate Mark Zuckerberg and others, defend traditional farmers, and bring the discussion of cows back down to earth.

 

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

The post A Tale of Two Billionaire Farmers appeared first on Granite Grok.

In 2021 a woke school board decided their school logo – a Susquehannock warrior – was offensive and ignorant. They erased it and, with it, the visible history of the people it honored. Since then, the locals replaced those board members with seven new ones (there are nine members on the board).

I’m guessing this wasn’t the only straw on the proverbial camel’s back. Masks, lockdowns, quarantines, vaccines, emote learning – I didn’t look, but if you were a betting man or woman, if they were moved to erase the native history, then the rest was already the new normal.

As noted, the citizens did what not enough citizens do and made a few changes. According to the reporting five of the seven new members were elected last November. When the motion came to return the Susquehannock warrior to its place of honor, those seven voted yes – the other two voted no.

“It took a lot of bravery for people in York County to stand up and fight back against the agenda, like David against Goliath, and the difference they made is incredible,” Billeaudeaux said.

“The SYCSD school board stands as a role model and blueprint for other communities fighting for their Native names and imagery,” the Native American Guardians Association said in a statement after it presented its case last week at the board meeting.

“This movement was about erasing Native American culture and I wasn’t about to stand for it,” said Jennifer Henkel, who has three children in the district and serves on the board.

Not everyone was happy, but then those people are rarely happy, so why ruin everyone else’s fun?

And there’s a lesson to be learned. Keep finding and supporting candidates for school board and defense, and support those you get into office. Then, find some more until you have the majority. At that point, you then remain the superintendent and all the excessive numbers of administrators that they work at your leisure and will do as instructed, or you remove them and replace them.

Or, just remove them. In New England, we have SAUs, and there is no practical reason for them but to waste money and launder cultural Marxism into the curriculum. Anyone who wants to lower local property taxes who doesn’t address excess administrative overhead has another agenda.

They are also more likely to erase all evidence of recent native history if you still have any. I won’t revisit the reasoning here, but you are encouraged to do so in the comments.

The post Flip a School Board – Get Your Native American Warrior Back appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Debt Clock does not have much impact on Americans and appears to not have much effect on politicians. The digits keep spinning, the numbers keep climbing, and there seems to be no number large enough to garner concern.

At the turn of the century, just 24 years ago, the National Debt stood at $5 Trillion, and we wondered what we were doing to our future generations. We were strapping them with a debt they would never be able to repay. After 9/11 and the pandemic, the debt exploded to $34 trillion, and nobody has a plan to stop the spinning wheel or pay down the money owed. It is irresponsible, and the guilt falls on both Parties.

To put this number into perspective, the debt equals $103,000 for every man, woman, and child in our country. Biden wants to forgive Student Loans; maybe he should forgive our share of the National Debt. Biden often claims that he has reduced our debt when, in fact, his administration has added $9 Trillion in three years. Over $900 billion a year in interest, yet nobody seems concerned. Forget irresponsible. It is criminal. America and Americans do not seem phased, but the rest of the world is, and they are taking steps to protect themselves.

The dollar has been the gold standard for international trading for decades. For example, petroleum has been valued in dollars per barrel, but that is changing. The Russians, Arabs, Chinese, India, and even Brazil are joining forces to create an international currency to replace the dollar. This will render the dollar worthless. This action by our allies and adversaries alike indicates a loss in credibility of the American monetary system and a conception that the United States may not be capable of paying its bills. This negativity is virgin territory for America and should concern us all.

BRICS is putting pressure on the U.S. monetary system, but what is more of a concern for anyone paying attention is the lack of urgency on behalf of Washington to change its habits. Every time we get to a debt ceiling decision, the minority Party folds, and a continuing resolution is voted on, which kicks the can down the road for later action, or the Parties reach a compromise and raise the debt ceiling. Nobody and neither Party has the guts to hold their position, let the government shut down, and negotiate a serious bill that will fund the government, not the pork, and hold the debt ceiling where it stands.

Just like we do with our household budget, we have to trim expenses. We need to get realistic about what we have coming in and not outspend it. The pork has to stop, and when your reps brag about funds they are bringing back to the state, you have to ask at what cost. It is not their money they are generously giving us; it is our money, and we need people in office who will be better stewards of our money. Foreign governments know we are not being wise with our tax dollars, so it is time to insist our reps get the message.

The post Think The Debt Clock Is No Big Deal, Think Again appeared first on Granite Grok.

Investigative journalists are dropping like a congressional aide’s pants across the U.S. as main stream media lays-off thousands.

Fake news powerhouse the L.A. Times has nearly emptied its Washington D.C. bureau just months before what many consider the biggest election year in American history.  This shocking move has many of the journalists questioning the real reason behind the mass exodus.

“I had no idea this was coming” a shocked Alexandria Ortega-Churchill bemoaned as she placed her remaining office items into her 100% organic hemp Lululemon grocery tote.  Despite being an investigative journalist neither she nor her colleagues had caught wind of the company’s declining readership and ad revenue.  Explaining they just wrote the stories they were told to write and preferred to get their news from Tik-tok, the group of journalists admittedly didn’t bother to read their own publication, let alone any of the others forecasting news media’s burgeoning climate change.

Never ones to get off message the rumors of systemic racism as the cause began to circulate among those given their parting papers.  “I don’t see too many white people leaving the office, do you?” complained Tykesha Barnes whose most famous piece “Being On-Time Is White Supremacy” won a Poo-lister Prize.  Poo-lister Prizes are awarded to journalists whose contribution to the field is considered on par with bathroom tissue.

Also stunned by the news was Washington bureau reporter Tayler Lorentz who appeared inconsolable after hearing her fans would no longer be able to read her feminist opinions.  Consistently identifying white men as the problem in society and calling them racist may be popular with her Millennial and Gen Z audiences but not with the old white guys signing her paychecks apparently.  A besotted and benighted Lorentz barely managed to Tweet / X an image of her weeping hysterically while holding up her resume.

Speaking of resumes the Vermont Daily Chronicle, despite the national trend of losing journalists, has seen record growth over the last year doubling its number of employees and adding a social media department.  It remains atop the list of conservative publications in Vermont thanks in part to having zero competitors.  Despite running the risk of anti-trust litigation as a monopoly, Chief Editor In-Chief Guy Page remains undaunted.

“Our readership makes up less than 1% of the state where fewer and fewer people are learning to read, so I’m not that worried about it” a resolute Page told Banana’s Media via a now unlocatable email.  Page also informed us he has seen a record number of resumes come in from the sea of jobless journalists recently let go.

“The pool is incredibly wide but not very deep” he noted.  When asked whether or not he was able to find any good hires he answered simply “no”.  Pressing him to explain why he told us about the key questions he asks potential candidates, such as “Is America a democracy or republic?” “Can you identify fake news from the real thing?” and “Would you put real maple syrup on your pancakes if Aunt Jemima was on the bottle?”

“Most of them are so confused they don’t even bother to answer.  If I have any doubt I simply hold up a picture of Donald Trump and note their reaction, which is almost always to flail into a raging conniption fit.”  So far not one of the over twelve hundred applicants has received a follow up interview with the cagey editor.

Not wanting to sully his outfit’s reputation by adding infamous purveyors of fake news beyond his lone Truly Professional Fake News Reporter (Johnny Bananas), seems like a sound business decision given the recent trend in avoiding such problematic employees.  Page wanted to make clear that, although Mr. Bananas is a regular contributor to the Chronicle, he is not a paid employee.

“I can’t imagine anyone would pay that guy – he just makes things up. Take this article for example” Page commented before rushing off to do real journalism by talking to people even less trustworthy than members of the media, namely members of Vermont’s legislative body.

When asked to respond to his editors comments Mr. Bananas declined stating he was too busy working on unionizing his fellow employees.

 

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Grokster Ian is fond of reminding us that we should call things what they are – “As Confucius said, the first step towards wisdom is to call things by their right name.” That is sage advice, so I’ll use it here. Maine has a bill that allows the state to take children from their parents. Kidnapping.

There’s nothing new about that, you say – which is true. States kidnap children every day, and not always in the best interest of the child, but this legislation’s kidnapping provision has a defined focus. It claims the state is acting in the interest of the child. It empowers them to abscond with other people’s children so it can provide access to transgender medical services.

If the state decides the child is leaning away from their biological sex, HP1114 (An Act to safeguard gender-affirming health care) would clear the way for kidnapping and mutilation not just in Maine but from other states.

The bill would have allowed the state to take emergency temporary custody of children who want but are unable to obtain transgender medical services, including genital surgery, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormone therapy.

Law enforcement would also be prohibited under the bill from arresting or extraditing a person based on a warrant from another state that has laws against transgender medical interventions for children.

Courts would also be barred from considering the abduction of a child from a parent “if the taking or retention was for obtaining gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming or gender-affirming mental health care.”

Children who want? Is the state going to get them the toys they want but don’t have or ice cream for dinner or cake for breakfast (which Bill Cosby Fans -pre-date rape scandals – know has eggs, milk, and wheat in it). Words are missing. Adults who think children want and know better, but they have a provision for that as well. Adults with arrest warrants illegally transporting children into Maine (to access the drugs or mutilation) shall not be arrested.

They want to legalize kidnapping and mutilation. It’s a thing in California, so why not Maine? I can think of several reasons, but this is progressive legislation. Children are a lot like a business. You didn’t build that or couldn’t without the auspices of the government, which, ironically – at least until the FED came along and started printing money – couldn’t build anything without you creating wealth for them to take. But, in their heads, since you belong to them, so do your offspring. You can’t have a proper despotism without brainwashed children, and while we’re at it, let’s poison them, neuter them, remove some body parts, and then offer them state-funded mental health services until they can be convinced to kill themselves (MAiD).

The peasants will have fewer children, and those born won’t be able to reproduce. It’s first-world progressive master-race thinking, and do not kid yourselves. The uni-party ruling class isn’t worried that such a bill would be leveraged against them. This sort of thing is for provincial bumpkins or would have been had the judiciary committee in the Maine Legislature not voted unanimously to kill it.

Before the vote, Maine State Sen. Eric Brakey (watch our radio row interview with him here) was quoted as saying, “There are certain lines that I think need to be respected as far as the authority of the family vs. the authority of the state.”

“I feel like this legislation takes a great leap over that line, potentially empowering the state to even take custody of minors in a way that does not feel appropriate to me,” Brakey said.

Encouraging the trafficking of children from other states for treatments or surgeries, they can’t begin to understand does not feel appropriate either. Still, Democrat legislators are sponsoring bills to do that. The public school indoctrinates them. It then gives them mental health assessments without their consent. Then uses that as a basis for ‘abduction.’

That’s just a theory, but I think it sounds. And I’d applaud the rejection by the legislature, but for this. The bill will be back, and if Mainers don’t turn from the left-leaning course upon which they’ve set the state, the next time, it will pass.

 

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