Monday • December 4 • 2023
Vol.XV • No.XLIX
Manchester, N.H.
A New Hampshire Democrat has announced his plan to explore a run for governor on the unity platform. Who can’t wait to see how that looks? Anything like Biden’s “unity”? That might be a great question for some reporter to ask him.
Dr. Tom Sherman is a New Hampshire State Senator from Rye, and he’d be challenging sitting three-term incumbent Republican Chris Sununu.
Today, I’m taking the first step towards running for Governor. We must unite our state, end the divisiveness, and heal from the last few years. I look forward to talking with folks all across the state over the next few weeks. #NHPolitics https://t.co/giUuqlGGoo
— Dr. Tom Sherman (@TomShermanNH) February 15, 2022
It will be interesting to see how he defines divisiveness and how he frames its opposite. Any reference to identity groups would blow a hole in his hopey-changey balloon. Chit chat about parents having the right not to mask or vaccinate their kids. Not just support for a curriculum that frames white children as racist supremacists but failing to step in and end it.
His stance on policing and the rule of law.
And true liberty requires the ability to disagree with enthusiasm. Anything worth thinking or talking about can result in disagreement. We need our speech to be free, or we can’t begin to have those conversations. Offending people is inevitable. What’s divisive is shutting one side or the other off.
Most Democrats can’t get past go in their own party primary opposing divisiveness in practice.
And finally, as one observer noted to me, “Tom Sherman used the word “folks” in his announcement that he is running for governor instead of the correct word to make it inclusive of marginalized people “folx.” He is already outing himself as a white supremacist.”
That’s your team’s book of rules, Tom. We can’t get rid of divisiveness if you plan to use that.
Sorry, one more. How long will it take before some leftist argues that talking about divisiveness means is divisive?
HT | Beth Scaer
The post Another Dem Announces “Run” for Elected Office on Unity and to End Divisiveness. appeared first on Granite Grok.
Over time, it seems that too much power and authority works its way into the executive branch. However well-intended, this transfer of law-making authority needs to be restored to the legislative branch.
Too much power in the hands of one branch of government leads to administrative overreach and a diminishment of citizens’ freedoms.
HB 1379, would remove authority from the Executive Department of Health and Human Services to determine what vaccines children must receive to go to school and restore the Legislature’s sole authority as the lawmaking branch of government to determine what vaccines ought to be required.
Furthermore, vaccines are defined by the Code of Federal Regulations. The current “EUA authorized” mRNA shots being passed off as vaccines, do not meet the current federal definition of a vaccine.
We want to thank John Cawthron for this Op-Ed.
Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
No person in New Hampshire should be forced to take any therapy, that has not undergone the normal course of three stages of FDA trials and testing. Such an order would be far less likely with the legislature in charge.
As we have seen over the past two years, almost no executive branch department can be trusted to apply actual scientific, ethical, or moral standards in their decision-making. They have to a person, simply followed the herd and implemented rules and policies that destroyed lives, the economy, and many a small business without regard to the damage done.
It is not in the best interests of the citizens of New Hampshire to have Executive Branch bureaucrats deciding what ought to be law in our state. This is a Constitutional authority and duty that should be exercised by the Legislature alone.
I urge you to support HB 1379.
The post It’s Time to Roll Back Executive Rule Making Authority on Vaccine Mandates appeared first on Granite Grok.
Two weeks ago, before the Olympics started (I missed them on purpose too), we warned you that the media would blame the lack of snow on global warming. While (get this) running parallel reports about how bitter cold it is.
We even equipped you with facts two weeks ago for the expected duels on social media.
Chinese Central Planners planned to have these Olympics in a place that gets cold enough but has almost no precipitation in the months before the event.
[This part of China] averages about half an inch of precipitation between November and February (sometimes referred to as winter) and not much more the other eight months of a year. Barring a freak weather event (which would be blamed on global Warming), this location is one of the worst places to hold a Winter Olympics if real snow matters.
The plan all along was to rely on artificial snow. The International Olympic Committee knew going in that competitions that need the stuff “would rely completely on artificial snow.”
And they have, and it’s been excellent snowmaking weather, but the “unbiased media” never passes on a chance to blame natural events on human activity if it can advance Climate Marxism. And it’s not just the Olympics doing the heavy lifting.
Everything is something, but that something never happens, and the Media isn’t about to cover that honestly either.
For an excellent roundup of this foolishness, check out this short clip from Tony Heller at Real Climate Science on the Olympic Climate folly and more.
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The post As Predicted, Media Says Snowless Olympics (In a Place That Gets no Snow) is Proof of Global Warming appeared first on Granite Grok.
The left-right paradigm is the traditional understanding of the political spectrum as it is taught in political science classrooms and practiced by the mainstream. This simplification makes it easy to draw comparisons between political stances so that a lay audience can understand conversationally.
The left-right divide emerged from the French Revolution of 1789, a couple of hundred years ago. That cultural and political shift, occurring shortly after the American Revolution, marked a global transition from feudal, monarchial governments to parliamentary constitutional republics.
The movement culminated in the early 20th century with the collapse of one of the greatest monarchial structure at that time, the Qing Empire in China.
But the left-right debate is an over-simplification.
Initially, the French leftists favored decentralized authority while the right supported the monarch. This dichotomy has evolved considerably in the centuries and even differs from country to country. Leftists in India, for example, might be aligned more closely with those on the political right in Canada.
As political parties compete for votes and political issues develop, the sides morph and change.
One effective way is to consider two spectra— Authoritarian to Libertarian plotted against Capitalist to Socialist. In a sense, this juxtaposes political leaning with economic philosophy. This is a considerably more accurate depiction and effectively illustrates that authoritarians exist on both the economic left, traditionally associated with socialism, and the capitalist right.
In light of the recent labeling of Canada’s Freedom Convoy as “far-right,” let’s consider another angle.
How about the idea that what is politically right is also morally right (correct) in the sense of good against evil? Many leftists worldwide label certain information as right in a ploy to “other it” and present it as not worth pursuing. But, what if what they are really saying is that information is correct and proper?
It aligns well with the reality that most religions are considered politically right. It’s difficult to say that religions, which are some of the most massive political organizations on the planet, are wrong. Indeed, all religions practice, advise, and promise all of the good things in life to their followers.
So, if the political right is correct and proper, this logically leads one to find the left as wrong. Indeed, in the original French language, the word gauche, which means left, also means wrong.
Freedom is a right concept. In the Buddhist sense, consider the Noble Eightfold Path. It is the path for liberation from all suffering. There are eight steps. Right Understanding, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Livelihood, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Doubtful that the amoral, atheist, agnostic political left has any interest in this nonsense. Do they?
In a sense, this makes the political left natural clowns. For some people, being a clown is a way of life. For others, they are unknowingly clownish and trollish. Their purpose is to entertain, mislead, distract, and present a temporary fake reality. To many considering the political left today as freedom-loving countries that have for centuries nurtured liberal democracies, this might make a lot of sense. What politician in their rational mind would decide that authoritarian tactics are to be perpetuated?
Well, many Western democracies have found themselves led by such clownish figures— demented octogenarians or bratty trust fund youngsters. Not a recipe for a well-led state.
The post How Far Right Is Freedom? appeared first on Granite Grok.
Here’s a summary (from CNN) of the legal argument that just cost Remington $73 million:
Lawyers for the plaintiffs contended that the company marketed rifles by extolling the militaristic qualities of the rifle and reinforcing the image of a combat weapon — in violation of a Connecticut law that prevents deceptive marketing practices.
Let’s think about that for a minute. The AR-15 is a militaristic weapon. That’s exactly why so many police officers and soldiers and other government agents carry them.
It’s also why American citizens should own them. They may someday have to fight their own government, and the AR-15 is just the kind of weapon that would be useful in that kind of military situation.
They are also fun to shoot, are easy to customize, can use a wide variety of ammunition, and have a lot of other attributes that make them attractive to people who want to own a rifle.
But as many gun writers point out, one of the best ways to figure out what guns you should own is to look at what your local police carry. And in many — perhaps most — cases, that’s the AR-15. And while the AR-15 is, as ATF likes to say, ‘suitable for sporting purposes,’ that isn’t what it was designed for, or why the police carry them.
People who pretend otherwise — e.g., by using euphemisms like ‘modern sporting rifle’ — are playing a public relations game that they’re destined to lose, as this lawsuit shows.
That is, if Remington had downplayed the ‘militaristic qualities’ of its rifles — focusing instead on their ‘sporting qualities’ — they would still have been sued, just as successfully, for ‘deceptive practices.’
So here’s the kind of judicial Wonderland we now live in: If you say what something is, that’s deceptive. If you say that it’s something else, that’s also deceptive. It’s a classic example of Catch-22. Or in this case, Catch-73 Million.
It’s like Ferrari extolling the racing qualities of their cars, and then being forced into a $73 million settlement in a suit filed by the family of a Ferrari owner who died while driving the car very fast.
It’s like Ryder extolling the cargo-carrying ability of its trucks and then being forced into a $73 million settlement in a suit filed by the families of people killed in the Oklahoma City bombing.
Presumably, the only avenue left for gun companies is to avoid advertising at all. This is probably one of the goals of the lawsuit and the most salient reason why the settlement should be overturned on appeal.
The post Catch-73 Million appeared first on Granite Grok.
But not for long, we hope. Thursday at 2 pm is when we are migrating from our current server to one that is 3X more powerful as I remarked before.
Our hosting company used to do this in the wee hours of the morning but no longer – it’s now a 9 am-5 pm job. They are thinking it will take about 2 hours and then we’ll either be on that new server or will have reverted back to here.
So hopefully, things will go well and we’ll all be better off for it because I’ll tell you, I’m glad for all the new traffic and eyeballs but we have all have earned better uptime!
The post Announcement – GraniteGrok will go Dark on Thursday, 2/17, at 2pm … appeared first on Granite Grok.
PJ Media: Ottawa Police Chief Quits After Trudeau Declares Martial Law and Commandeers Police Force
Under Canada’s Emergency Act, the prime minister (currently Justin Trudeau) may take over police forces throughout the country. After Trudeau invoked the act, declaring what is tantamount to martial law, and conscripted Canada’s law enforcement, the Ottawa Police Chief has handed in his resignation.
In response to the Freedom Convoy of truckers and thousands of others tired of Trudeau’s fickle and authoritarian response to COVID-19, the prime minister and his cabinet invoked the never-used, last-ditch authority to take over everything in Canada. He’s a dictator now.
CBC reports that “in an unusual move,” under the Emergency Act, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) “will be empowered to enforce all municipal bylaws and provincial offences in Ottawa. The RCMP does not carry out many policing functions in Ontario.” They do now.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly reportedly was pushed aside by Trudeau as his federal troops took over Monday night.
[...]
Trudeau has gotten pushback from the premiers of several Canadian provinces over invoking the Act. CBC reports that before he invoked the Act he was required to determine if “the emergency exceeds the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it” and whether the situation “seriously threatens the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada.” The premiers of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and Alberta have all declared the drastic action unnecessary.
Trudeau says he’s limiting the Act to Ottawa, but people are dubious.
The Toronto Star editorialized today that “Trudeau has gone too far.”
In the editorial, the Star opines that Trudeau was waiting for a Jan. 6 moment to come and it never did. Invoking the Act appears to be a way to attempt to force it.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s unjustified invoking of the Emergencies Act is deeply problematic and will have long-lasting consequences for the country.
[…]The Liberal government appeared to be hoping for some sort of Jan. 6 style event as happened in the United States last year. All of their rhetoric indicated they were keen to see such an event go down.
It never did. The convoy has been peaceful throughout.
[…] The only thing that can be said in defence of Trudeau’s invoking of the Emergencies Act is that it was his incompetence that made such an extreme measure necessary.
Read the rest here.
Freedom Convoy supporters in Ottawa, Canada respond to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s declaration of a state of emergency that includes powers to freeze the bank accounts of the protesters. pic.twitter.com/RBeSjRKi9J
— talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) February 15, 2022
Epoch News: Russia Says It’s Pulling Back Some Forces from Ukraine Border
Russian officials said on Feb. 15 that some units taking part in military exercises near the Ukrainian border would start returning to their bases, sparking hope that the Kremlin might not invade Ukraine after all amid a massive troop buildup that put Western leaders on high alert for an “imminent” attack.
“The units of the southern and western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and will begin moving to their military garrisons today,” Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
While it is unclear how many troops Russia is withdrawing, Konashenkov suggested that other Russian units stationed near Ukraine’s border would follow suit.
Read the rest here.
Sun-King Sununu does not think parents should get to decide whether their children wear masks in school. According to the Sun-King, the principle of “local control” means that school districts get to decide the issue of mask mandates.
As usual, the Sun-King is spewing BULLSH*T.
Local control means pushing governmental decision-making down to the lowest possible level. That is, government decisions that can be made at a local level should be made at the local level rather than by Concord. It does NOT mean that local government gets to take away rights that belong to parents … such as whether to mask their children. When it comes to masks, local control means letting parents decide.
Governor Yougkin and the Virginia legislature … unlike Sun-King Sununu … understand this. From the Federalist:
The Virginia House of Delegates approved a bill on Monday that would provide parents the power to decide whether they want their child to wear a mask at school. The vote came along party lines, with 52 Republicans supporting and 48 Democrats opposing. … previously passed the state’s Democrat-controlled Senate last week in a 21-17 vote, with three Democrats joining Republicans in supporting the measure.
According to the legislation, “[N]otwithstanding any other provision of law or any regulation, rule, or policy implemented by a school board, school division, school official, or other state or local authority, the parent of any child enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school, or in any school-based early childhood care and education program, may elect for such child to not wear a mask while on school property.”
After passing both chambers of the General Assembly, SB 739 will give parents a choice regarding their child's health, education, upbringing, and care.
— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) February 14, 2022
The post Governor Youngkin Believes in “Local Control” … Sun-King Sununu Does NOT appeared first on Granite Grok.
Rasmussen: 59% of U.S. Voters Support Canadian Truckers in ‘Freedom Convoy’ Protest
Canada’s prime minister has invoked emergency powers in an attempt to shut down a protest by truckers seeking an end to COVID-19 restrictions, but most American voters support the so-called “Freedom Convoy” – and think a similar protest here would be a good idea.
A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports finds that 59% of Likely U.S. voters support the Canadian trucker protest, including 42% who Strongly Support the “Freedom Convoy.” Thirty-three percent (33%) of voters oppose the trucker protest against Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions, including 21% who Strongly Oppose the protest.
If you are a Rasmussen subscriber, you can read more about it here.
Margot Cleveland: Special Counsel: Democrats Framed And Spied On Trump While He Was President
Enemies of Donald Trump surveilled the internet traffic at Trump Tower, at his New York City apartment building, and later at the executive office of the president of the United States, then fed disinformation about that traffic to intelligence agencies hoping to frame Trump as a Russia-connected stooge.
A tangential filing on Friday in the criminal case against former Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann revealed these new details uncovered by Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation. The revelation came in the middle of a 13-page motion Durham’s prosecutors filed in the criminal case against Sussmann. The special counsel’s office charged Sussmann in September 2021, in a one-count indictment of lying to James Baker during a meeting Sussmann had with the then-FBI general counsel in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election.
Read the rest here.
As we roll inexorably toward the midterm elections the Left has gotten a free pass on their fake J6 outrage and that has to end.
Should people have wrestled their way to the Capitol doors? No! But there is much speculation that the FBI and others planned to rile up the crowd and drive them to occupy the US Capitol. And they didn’t break-in, someone let them in. Someone told the Capitol Police to let them in.
But let’s pretend none of that is true.
What happened after? Nothing. Selfies, maybe a few souvenirs (petty theft?), trespassing in a public building. Only the Capitol police were armed. No one has been charged with a serious crime, not even the officer who murdered Ashli Babbitt.
If that’s the baseline the left has a big problem.
Democrats advocated, pandered too, or underplayed attacks on minority businesses, minorities, arson, theft (looting, assault, rape, and murder).
They held parades to support groups that were assaulting police stations, courthouses, occupying public buildings, and entire neighborhoods.
Not over a few hours but for several months.
Many of their protesters were armed and a lot of people were injured or killed.
The Democrat response? Deescalate police presence and political support for law and order which not only increased the likelihood of personal and property crime, in some minority neighborhoods crime rose as much as 500% and continue to do harm to people of color.
When the Left brings up J6, paint that picture.
Remind them about the State Capitol in Wisconsin. The White House Fence Breach. Texas. The Kavanaugh hearings, there’s quite a list. So-called democratic processes halted or disrupted by outraged leftists.
None of them are in indefinite detention for trespassing.
J6 is a meaningless distraction but Democrats will keep raising its specter uness you make it politically inconveninet to do so.
So, do that.
The post Every time Democrats Bring Up J6 You Need to Do This … appeared first on Granite Grok.
Loyalty has always been considered an admirable quality in the business world and in politics – in life in general. Many would argue that loyalty is the foundation upon which any relationship is built.
But what happens when loyalty conflicts with conscience? What if we find ourselves in a situation where we have to choose between doing the right thing and allegiance to some someone, some cause, or some organization?
The radical agenda of today’s Democrat Party will dramatically transform America as we know it. And it leaves traditional Democrat lawmakers caught on the horns of a dilemma.
If radical Democrats have their way, America’s role as a proud world leader will cease to exist, and we will become a country obsessed with self-loathing – deeply and perennially divided by race, economics, and politics. We will become a country where chaos rules, a lawless place where police officers are scorned and law enforcement agencies are dismantled and replaced by social workers and drug distribution centers. The rule of law will become just a meaningless phrase, and those in charge will be free to impose arbitrary laws and regulations that never apply to them. Free and fair elections, the cornerstone of any democracy, will become a thing of the past, after Democrats eliminate election safeguards, using health emergencies, social justice, or some other inane excuse to justify their action.
With the current pandemic mostly behind us, Democrat politicians will patiently wait for the next variant or a new epidemic, that they’ll use to chip away at more of our personal freedoms and to expand their own political power.
Inflation will continue to rage out of control, spawned by unbridled spending and the elimination of our fossil fuel industry, with no viable alternate energy source on the horizon.
And as millions of migrants from countless poverty-stricken nations continue to scramble across our borders, America will no longer be a melting pot, where new citizens assimilate into the American way of life. It will become a morass of balkanized enclaves without even a common language to unite us. The drug epidemic we’re witnessing today will be just a prelude of things to come, as more lethal drugs continue to flow unabated across our borders, and Democrats devise ways to more efficiently distribute them.
And the children of America – the future leaders of America – will learn from their radical teachers that all of it is normal – that it’s all good.
That’s the future, envisioned by the far-left Democrats and that’s the dilemma rational Democrat lawmakers face today. Do they blithely follow Joe Biden and the Democrat leadership down this destructive path, or do they show a sliver of moral courage?
It may be just a coincidence that 22 Democrats from both Houses of Congress have recently decided to retire from public office. Or maybe it’s something else. Psychologists tell us that stressful situations stimulate a fight or flight response. Maybe those 22 congressmen just decided to flee an impossible situation.
Only three Democrats in Congress have shown enough courage to speak out against Joe Biden’s radical agenda. They haven’t abandoned their traditional Democratic principles, but they recognize insanity when they see it.
Rep. Henry Cuellar is the only Democrat who has voiced opposition to Joe Biden’s open border policy. He understands that it’s destructive to the country and completely illegal. He knows that the free flow of drugs across our border is killing untold numbers of Americans and that among those unscreened immigrants are hardened criminals, and terrorists. He also knows that the arrival of millions of new welfare applicants will drain our social programs of funds intended for American citizens. And he knows that, without medical screening, some are bringing with them various communicable diseases, including the virus that shut down this country for so many months.
And only two Democrats in the U.S. Senate have shown the courage, under immense pressure, to stand up to Biden’s other radical policies. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have been branded as turncoats because they dared to defy the party groupthink. Biden likes to blame them, and only them, for the defeat of his Build Back Better plan. But the plan failed because of 50 rational Republicans and two courageous, clear-thinking Democrats. Biden may not like it, but that’s how our system is supposed to work.
Democrats in Congress may be self-serving, ruthless, and unscrupulous, but they’re not stupid. They see the same things their three intrepid colleagues see, but so far, they’ve shown no courage – only a willingness to abandon their conscience and blindly follow their party leaders.
If they’re having trouble mustering the courage to do what’s right for the country, maybe they can draw some inspiration, or at least some common sense from Mark Twain, who suggested, “Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it.”
The post Democrat Lawmakers Caught on the Horns of a Dilemma appeared first on Granite Grok.
Technology truly is evolving constantly, and in 2007 we were able to witness the rise of the popular smart TV. Although there may not be a difference in physical features for a smart TV compared to a normal TV, even though newer smart TVs may look thinner, the possibilities that can be achieved are second to none compared to a standard TV. If you aren’t too tech-savvy, and a TV is a TV to you, continue reading as we give you a breakdown on why a smart TV is better than a normal TV.
You can still access live TV
First of all, some people may be reluctant to purchase a smart TV with the fear of it being way more technical and complex than a normal TV. To answer your concerns, it is not! Although a smart TV will offer several new benefits that relate to an internet connection, which we will discuss further shortly, the option to access live TV and continue using live TV features is not eradicated. Therefore, if you are looking to purchase a new TV, opt for a smart TV, you will still be able to catch up on your morning news, your favourite sports channels, and your preferred evening soaps. Just ensure that when you purchase and set up your smart TV you do not get rid of your TV aerial. Although to access internet features, it is not required, it is still needed for live TV viewing. Click here for TV aerial installation or repairs.
Unlimited options with internet access
So, here is the main reason why a smart TV is better than a normal TV, the key feature of being able to access TV programmes, shows, movies, and music through a variety of different apps and streaming services. One thing we would like to highlight is that a smart TV will require internet access, therefore before buying one, ensure that you have a Wi-Fi router available or these features will simply be inaccessible. There is a range of apps to download once your new smart TV is set up including favourites such as YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney Plus, and market-leading Netflix. That’s only to name a few! We are sure that you will be able to find other fan favourites in amongst these options. Be sure to note that you will need a subscription to access the majority of these apps and it usually comes at a cost. To put the pricing into perspective, a Netflix monthly subscription starts at a basic cost of £5.99 and can progress to £13.99 a month for advanced features.
Whilst a lot of the streaming apps offer the same service and similar content, we would advise opting for 1-2 subscriptions between apps. If you sign up and subscribe to several apps, before you know it, you are throwing money away monthly on accounts that you potentially have limited time to use! Everyone has their favourites and specific preferences so choose wisely!
No need for cable or satellite TV
Using satellite TV services such as Sky can be pricey, especially for installation and monthly payments. Now that you have access to streaming services on your laptop at a much lower cost, this, if preferred, can be cancelled. Now that you have the option to watch what you want when you want if the variety and endless content was what attracted you to cable/satellite TV, that is no longer needed when streaming services come into play. Therefore, a smart TV is better than a normal TV as ultimately it can reduce outgoing excess costs in the long run.
Voice recognition
Some smart TVs, such as the LG 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV, offer voice recognition features meaning that you can use a voice-activated assistant, Alexa, to control your actions on the device through your voice. This means that you can select channels without even using your TV remote! As well as this, the voice activation can be connected to other devices in the home such as speakers so that they can be interconnected too!
Similar in price
With these additional options, why would you not want to opt for a new smart TV over a new normal TV? Especially as they appear to be similar in price. Although the automatic assumption is that smart TVs are much more expensive than normal TVs, that is simply not the case. This was the case when they were released back in 2007 as they were hot new products on the market and it was considered a luxury to have a smart TV in your home, much like when iPhones entered the technology market it was a luxury to own one of them. However, now the majority of people you know or encounter own an iPhone as they dominate the market. The same applies to smart TVs as after checking out Amazon, we realised that every 9 out of 10 TVs on the online retailer are smart TVs, and the pricing is very similar to normal! So, it should be a no-brainer.
The post Why a smart TV is better than a normal TV appeared first on Granite Grok.
Remember that time, at post-election camp, when all the anti-Trumpers insisted on (at least) three things. (1) Dominion voting machines were not connected to the internet so (2) they could not be tampered with, (3) therefore no one hacked them.
The elections were legit.
The Biden Administration has asked a court to keep confidential a sealed report on these machines. Why?
Top officials at a U.S. federal cybersecurity agency are urging a judge not to authorize at this time the release of a report that analyzes Dominion Voting Systems equipment in Georgia, arguing doing so could assist hackers trying to “undermine election security.”
Hackers might hack voting machines that are not connected to the internet and were never hacked in the first place. To what level does the rise higher? Conspiracy theory or debunking conspiracy theory?
If the report includes details that will make the machines vulnerable what exactly does that mean?
The Biden Administration hid their lover in the bedroom closet and they are pleading with you to not open the door.
HT |Epoch Times
The post Why Did The Biden Admin Ask the Court to Not Release Sealed Report on Dominion Voting Machines? appeared first on Granite Grok.
The American exit from Afghanistan will be the poster story of the Joe Biden Presidency. After one year, the Biden administration has put a lock on the worst Presidency in our history.
Biden will have to fail miserably to usurp the end of our twenty-year involvement in the Afghanistan conflict as the most embarrassing and deadly event. The Russia and Ukraine situation continues to heat up, and Russian troops’ eventual incursion into Ukraine is imminent. We have an undisclosed number of Americans that remain today in Ukraine, with the potential of conflict starting at any moment.
Joe Biden had a one-hour video call with Putin on Saturday. Biden claims he spelled out, in no uncertain terms, to Putin what will happen if Russia invades Ukraine. The call transcript does not support Biden’s claim of being tough on Putin. Many feel that we should have been proactive with sanctions against Russia when Putin started building up troop counts on the border. Being proactive is not in Biden’s DNA. He has done nothing.
Our hands are tied for two reasons for sanctions on Russia. Russia is now our number three supplier of oil. We cannot afford for Russia to shut off their flow of crude oil to America, which they will do if we get involved. The other reason is the financial relationship that Joe and Hunter Biden have with Russia. The Bidens are making millions, and those funds will undoubtedly dry up if we take action against Russia.
As for the remaining Americans in Ukraine, their fate is eerily reminiscent of the Americans left behind in Afghanistan. The American government has put these folks on notice that we will not retrieve them should they stay after a Russian incursion. As with Afghanistan, we do not know how many Americans are in Ukraine today. These folks are on their own. The new American government feels no responsibility for the safety of our citizens in foreign countries.
Poland, which borders Ukraine on the west, has offered to accept and harbor Americans seeking safety. The US Government has put restrictions on Americans looking to enter Poland. They must be fully vaccinated, including appropriate boosters. They also need to test negative on a COVID test before leaving Ukraine. Seriously? These people are exiting a potential war zone, and their fate relies on a Made in China COVID test kit. These folks would be treated better if they got to Mexico and came to America via the Rio Grande. Nobody there will check for vaccinations or test results. You will be flown to the city of your choice for free.
Joe Biden will regret his handling of the Russia/Ukraine situation, and holding off on any penalties for Russia until after they invade is going to prove too little too late. Russia has to be kept out of Ukraine. Once in, they will be there forever. Putin is playing chess with Biden, and Biden is playing Chinese Checkers. You would think with the years of experience in the Senate, Biden would be more assertive on the international front. You would be wrong.
Biden has the luxury of reflecting on his performance in Afghanistan. This should help him avoid the same mistakes and assure a more successful outcome. He has learned nothing, which is disappointing. It will prove disappointing and deadly to the people of Ukraine. God watch over them.
The post We Learned Nothing From the Afghanistan Debacle? appeared first on Granite Grok.
Since the dawning of the Global Warming era, circa 1984, the Climate Cult has been preaching the end of the earth and blaming you. But most people never cared enough, which just pissed them off.
So they spent your money (trillions by now) massaging models and expanding budgets to prove that money can buy a narrative or politicians to push it if they spend enough, but not much else.
Our self-proclaimed government watchdogs in the media will trip over themselves to spin the latest press from Captain Planet or Muppet Greta (who has since – literally – outgrown her usefulness). Pimping the climate crap sandwich full of lies while ignoring actual science because it undermines a plan with which they agree.
So the ‘dogs are feeding at the same trough as Capitan Planet to create that endless supply of crap sandwiches. Each delivered with fear for our consumption.
But there’s still no good reason to swallow any of it.
Last July (for example), we shared proof that The Great Barrier Reef had grown to record size. It is exciting news for the folks who’ve been worried about the prophesied consequences of dying reefs or their collapsing ecosystems. Google it. They can’t stop worrying about it because no one is reporting the truth.
Even today, six months after evidence that the reef bounced back, it’s still doom, despair, and agony ‘cuz you. But you were not even at the dance. And if it’s not a man-made problem, then someone might cut the research funding, and while that’s one scary click-bait headline (THEY CUT THE FUNDING!!!), without the stream of crap sandwiches the funding makes possible, whatever shall the media do?
Well, they could report this?
An 1871 dataset of sea temperatures across the Great Barrier Reef in Australia has been compared to recent measurements logged at the same reef areas. No differences in temperature were found by Dr. Bill Johnson, leading him to conclude: “Alarming claims that the East Australian Current has warmed due to global warming are therefore without foundation.”
Your loose and lavish modern lifestyle has not affected the seawater temps, The Great Barrier Reef, or its Ecosystem. The water temps are the same as they were over 130 years ago. That’s an impressive thing, natural by appearance, but the Climate Cult makes the crap sandwiches they don’t eat them, and this is quite a lot for them to swallow.
Years of reporting the demise of a reef that’s got more coral now than it did in the 1980s combined with this news is a lot to take in, which explains the media blackout. They’re in shock. What do we do? Easy enough to keep lying, so they will.
That’s not to say there are no threats to the reef. That gift shop coral comes from somewhere via someone, via coral mining. And there are coral pirates, but the primary source for that kind of decline probably gets permission from some government that’s blaming you and your fossil fuel lifestyle for there being less reef than before.
It’s madness.
Needless to say, this has an enormous impact on the surrounding eco-system, killing marine life and leaving a barren ocean behind. Indiscriminate destruction also causes sand erosion and removes coastal protection. Ironically, much of the coral has been used to build airports and resorts in places like the Maldives to house tourists who come to marvel at the reefs.
Do you remember the Maldives? They were all supposed to be underwater by now, but the “doomed” Island nation keeps letting global corporations build swanky staycation destinations there. It might be because, despite the over-advertised (impending!) sea-level rise, the earth’s coastlines have been growing since 1984.
Not that the media can make time to that either.
The post “Reef” Er Madness! appeared first on Granite Grok.
This week, the House continued with committee work. My committee heard HB 1321, which repealed all the changes we had made to the governor’s emergency powers in the last year, including the sponsor’s own HB 1037. That was recommended to be killed, 17-1.
HB 1274, establishing a study committee on state agencies’ solid waste practices, didn’t garner to much enthusiasm from the committee, especially after we learned that there already exists at least one study committee on solid waste issues.
HB 1171, exempting some “niche” beauty services (hair styling, eyelash extensions, makeup application) from licensure, brought us the biggest crowd since the midwives. The board of cosmetology has voted to oppose the bill, and we were flooded with emails talking about the need for licensing to protect the public.
Several pro-liberty organizations sent people to testify in favor of the bill: the Institute for Justice, Americans for Prosperity, and the Josiah Bartlett Center. It went to subcommittee to deal with the consumer protection definitions, which the Attorney General said were too broad and too different from existing law. HB 1560, reciprocal licenses for barbering and cosmetology, was simpler and less crowded, with the same people as HB 1171 testifying. It, too, went to subcommittee.
We want to thank NH State Rep Carol McGuire 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.
HB 1545, creating a film database, was unanimously recommended to kill since the sponsor found Travel & Tourism already uses one! HB 1287, sleep awareness month, HB 1443, Covid victims memorial day, and HB 1173, proclaiming Indigenous People’s day, all were skeptically received and will probably be killed.
We continued to vote out nineteen more bills. HB 1535, which granted a cost of living increase to people retired at least 5 years, was amended and recommended to pass. The amendment left the current year increase but deleted the retirement system’s mandate to give future increases based on Social Security’s increases. That was estimated to have about a $2 billion dollar cost increase, and the vast majority would be paid through our local property taxes. The amendment also required that the initial increase be funded from this year’s surplus, so there would be no property tax impact.
We sent several bills to interim study, seeing merit in the idea of each but not agreeing on the details:
These bills would have gone to a second committee, so we’d run out of time to work on them now.
HB 1354, allowing real estate brokers and agents to receive deferred compensation after they go on inactive status, was amended to specify “passed” rather than “taken” the state specific examination, and otherwise clarify the requirements for people with licenses from other states. It was recommended unanimously to pass as amended.
HB 1497, on optional allowances from the retirement system, was amended to include the language from HB 1557 (which amended the same paragraph of law) and then recommended to pass. We reconsidered HB 1557, and voted to keep it in interim study until we were sure HB 1497 passed.
My HB 1563, enrolling state employees in the deferred compensation plan, was voted to kill, 17-1. Not me – after considering the matter, I decided it was more appropriate to start as a request from the governor, or the employees, than as a mandate from the legislature. HB 1552, transferring the assessor certification function from revenue administration to a new board under the OPLC, passed with a minor amendment to continue all current licenses until their expiration. We killed HB 1314, a study on management of the state veterans’ home, because a previous study (in 2014) still had open actions and the veterans didn’t agree on what else they wanted.
HB 1427, on membership of the speech-language pathology board, was amended to allow for alternate members; HB 1681, updating the state building code, was amended to include the fire code, and both passed unanimously.
HB 1357, on land acknowledgment, was not so harmonious. An amendment to correct spelling errors (Abenaki is not in spell check!) passed 17-1, then a motion to pass with amendment failed, 8-10. After more debate, we voted to kill it, 10-8, not quite party line (one member of each party voted with the other.) The deciding issue for me was that various tribes in New Hampshire were opposed to the bill, as it only recognized one tribe. HB 1587, which restored some of the changes made to retirement formulas in 2011, was argued at length, and recommended to pass, 12-6. I was on the losing side of this vote – after all, I voted for those changes in 2011 and don’t want to see them all reversed. I also voted in the minority for HB 1460, which repealed the minimum ages for a number of professional licenses: we voted to kill it, 12-6. I thought many of these requirements were silly, requiring veterinarians, attorneys and dentists be at least 18 while meeting all the educational requirements!
HB 1288, on terms of some officials in the department of administrative services, was amended to change some titles and passed.
We voted to kill HB 1065, authorizing licenses for art therapists, on a party-line basis, with minimal debate. HB 1417, requiring the state to pay 7.5% of municipalities’ pension contributions, was debated and killed, also on a party-line vote. I (and most Republicans) were opposed because the towns decide how many employees to have and how much to pay them – so having the state take a fixed share of the payment (which is a percentage of payroll) means the frugal subsidize the spendthrift. In addition, we fear that state funds can mean state control: how many teachers to have, how much to pay our police officers…
Next week we meet in session to vote on most of these bills; in Manchester again, for probably the last time out of the State House. We have a lot of representatives who have never met in the House chamber, and it’s a shame.
Representative Carol McGuire
carol@mcguire4house.com
782-4918
The post Your State House 02/11/22: Emergency Powers, Occupational Licensing, Retirement Raises, … appeared first on Granite Grok.
NH-NeverTrump Journal has a post gushing about Sun-King Sununu’s opposition to a bill that would protect employees from being forced by their employers to choose between taking experimental drugs and losing their jobs:
It is an idea Gov. Chris Sununu finds laughable. Asked if he supports the legislation during last week’s COVID-19 press conference, Sununu replied, “Oh, so you’re talking about the bill that basically says if there’s a vaccine mandate you can decide that the mandate doesn’t apply to you? No.”
Sun-King Sununu is neither a conservative nor a Republican. He is an America-LAST corporatist, who pines for a return to the gilded age:
… I think private businesses have the right to do what they want to do,” Sununu said. “And they always have.”
I’ve heard many people say they have voted for Sun-King Sununu because he is the “lesser of two evils” compared to the Democrat. Just how “less” is the operative question.
The post Sun-King Sununu Finds the Concept of Individual Liberty to be Laughable appeared first on Granite Grok.