We learned that it took from 9am until 7pm, with an hour or so break for lunch, to get through 43 bills on the regular calendar, 2 off the consent calendar, plus 3 that were taken off the table, and 1 more that was reconsidered. It was a long day and I’ll try to review some highlights.

We learned that today was Table Day! Many bills were either put on the Table, attempted to be Tabled, or Taken off the Table today. Tabling was the motion to do if you wanted something dead after today because, after today, you will no longer be able to remove bills from the table with just a simple majority. Tabling a bill today also killed a bill without going through all the speeches and Parliamentary Inquiries (PIs) – so it saved some time.

We learned that the House was in a forgiving mood as we passed HB1366, with a Roll Call vote of 283-80. This bill annuls criminal convictions, which resulted in a misdemeanor, for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Having a misdemeanor removes some economic barriers for these folks who committed crimes of possession, and the House just thinks it’s time we let bygones be bygones, especially since some claim we’re on the cusp of legalization in our state.

We learned that HB1713 and its amendment passed on a voice vote. This bill requires that a defendant who is charged with or awaiting sentence for an offense punishable by life imprisonment or imprisonment of a maximum term of 15 years or more be present at the return of the verdict and at sentencing after trial, subject to excusal for cause. The bill further permits a court to order the use of reasonable force in carrying out a transport order issued pursuant to this section of an incarcerated defendant who refuses to comply with that order. The bill further makes it a class A felony to knowingly violate this provision. This was a bill created by Former House Speaker Steve Shurtleff (D-Penacook) in response to the murder conviction in the Harmony Montgomery case. The bill was accepted by the House as a late bill (submitted after bill submission deadlines) and fast-tracked through the House. If this bill passes the Senate and gets signed by the Governor, Adam Montgomery may have to face the family and loved ones of the daughter he is convicted of murdering at his May 9th sentencing date.

We learned that a bill prohibiting mandatory masking policies in public schools passed 187-184. HB1093 would prohibit public schools from adopting policies that require students or members of the public to wear a mask while on school property. Protective equipment used for sports or for handling chemicals for scientific or educational purposes was excluded. I think they omitted Halloween festivities at schools, but at least this was a good start.

We learned that HB1592 was Tabled 191Y-186N. This bill was another attack on Education Freedom Accounts, and would have prohibited the use of EFA funds for religious school tuition. This would be contrary to multiple U.S. Supreme Court rulings dating back several decades. These include Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002), Trinity Lutheran v. Comer (2017), Espinoza v. Montana Dept of Revenue (2020), and Carson v. Makin (2022). The opinion in the Carson case sums up these cases: “A neutral benefit program in which public funds flow to religious organizations through the independent choices of private benefit recipients does not offend the Establishment Clause.” Week after week, we see these continued attacks on our successful EFA school choice program…. Because afterall, House Democrats will tell you,“it’s for the kids”.

We learned that parental consent won today. HB1616 passed 190Y-187N. With regard to Medicaid reimbursement for medical and health related services provided to students with disabilities, this bill affirms that written parental consent should be obtained for each new service provided to the child and billed to Medicaid. Proponents believe that an initial consent should not be an open door for all services and billing for the child. Parents have a right to know what is being billed. Democrats wanted to Interim Study this bill, essentially killing it and allowing the continued practice of “blank check” billing and non transparency. I think parents should know if their kids are actually receiving the services that are being billed by providers.

We learned that HB1145 passed 208Y-162N. The House was talkin’ trash as they debated banning the private ownership of landfills. An initial motion to Table failed 180Y (R:178 D:2) to 193N (R:11 D:182). The premise of this bill is to ban private ownership of landfills in New Hampshire in order to get around the US Commerce Clause and allow us to limit – or even eliminate – the importation of out of state trash. It grandfathers in existing landfills, so there will be no impact to what we already do at those facilities anyway. Four of the six landfills in the state are publicly owned. Almost 50% of those facilities’ landfilled trash is from out of state. We only have one new landfill permit currently being considered at the State Department of Environmental Services, and it appears this bill just seeks to shut that down. It’s the one being considered in Dalton. It’s not even clear what would happen to that permitting process if this bill gets signed into law. Proponents claim it’s a better idea for all landfills to be owned by the state, or its political subdivisions, and operated by a contractor. Opponents just don’t like the fascist idea of banning private ownership of anything.

We learned that HB1222 passed with an amendment and a voice vote. Currently, Physician Assistants (PAs) may only practice if they have a signed collaboration agreement with a physician, and basically, this bill eliminates that requirement. These collaboration agreements can be costly; up to $1000/month and in many, cases the physician who signed a collaboration agreement had no relationship with the PA other than requiring the PA to pay for the signature. This bill will make it easier for PAs to practice in NH would help alleviate the shortage of medical personnel, and increase access to medical care.  This bill will make it less expensive and easier for them to say, “Take two aspirins and call me in the morning.”  Just kidding… they do more than that!

We learned that HB1323 passed on a voice vote. This will allow an appropriation to be made to print 5,000 copies of the NH State Constitution for the fourth graders who tour the State House. I’d say civics education is a worthwhile use of tax dollars. As they say, “It’s for the children”!

We also learned that parts of HB1607 passed. This was the “Safe Haven” bill. Current law allows a parent to surrender an infant within seven days of birth directly to a person at a hospital, church, police or fire station, or to an EMT at an agreed location. That is considered a “warm handoff.” This bill, in its entirety, would expand the time for surrender to 61 days and would allow the parent increased anonymity, as the child could be placed in a safe haven baby box at a hospital, fire station, or police station, which is attended 24 hours a day. As drafted, the bill also provided for the exclusion of all evidence of abuse or neglect gathered as a result of the parent surrendering a child in this manner from being used as evidence in a criminal or civil trial. The exclusionary piece was stripped out on a motion to divide the bill into two questions. Sections 1-4 and 6 of the bill passed 372Y-1N and section 5 of the bill, regarding the exclusion of evidence, failed 185Y-188N. House members did not want someone who abused a child after 61 days to get off “scott free” after surrendering a child to the safe haven box. House members who wanted the exclusionary portion to remain in the bill, claimed that saving a babies life should take precedence over prosecuting a parent. We have now left this bill in a box for the Senate to deal with.

We learned that HB1121 passed on a voice vote. This common sense bill allows a wetlands permit exemption for a property owner who wishes to clear storm debris from a stream on their property, especially if the debris is causing a blockage in the stream causing the stream to divert course which threatens property. Recent flooding in my town prompted me to author this bill. I’d be pleased if you called your senator and asked for him/her to support it.

We learned that both wake boating bills were tabled. HB1301 sought to establish a petition process before the NH Department of Safety where 25 people can request a hearing to ban wake surfing on a specific body of water. That was Tabled 196Y-172N. HB1390 was Tabled 190Y-178. That bill added definitions, made various prohibitions and restrictions to wakesports. The changes sought to lessen the impact of the energy distributed by these waves to shoreline, loon nesting spots, and unintentionally to people who are recreating in smaller craft and to protect the water quality of the lake. Opponents of both bills claim that they were too restrictive, would have hurt tourism and most importantly that public waters belong to everyone to enjoy. They were not convinced that wakesports are a cause of water quality damage but that excessive rain and other factors contribute more to shoreline erosion and cyanobacteria blooms. I would imagine these bills will probably come back to the legislature again, like large ripples in the pond.

We learned that both bills designed to increase housing passed. HB1291: increasing the number of Accessory Dwelling Units allowed on a property passed 220Y-143N after a Tabling motion failed 87Y-277N. HB1399 also passed 220Y-140N. That bill allows single family homes to be divided into a duplex. Opponents of both bills said this was a top down, one size fits all zoning change mandated by the state. They felt local control should prevail in these matters. They’re not wrong either.

We learned that HB1683, relative to coverage of circumcision under the state Medicaid plan, was tabled last week 188Y-187N. Today it was taken off the Table 189Y-188N followed by a motion to ITL which failed 185Y-188N. Then a Motion to Reconsider the OTP/A motion passed 188Y-186N followed by the final OTP/A Motion that failed 184Y-191N. After that, it was put back on the Table with a Voice Vote. So you can see how that whole exercise was a total waste of time.

We also learned that HB1353, the bill that would give the Commissioner of the Dept. of Education subpoena power (Tabled last week 293-58), was also attempted to be taken off the Table. The motion to remove from the Table failed 183Y-194N.

We further learned that when Republican attendance dropped to 178 and Democrats were 182, (around 6:05 PM), Rep. David Luneau (D-Hopkinton) seized the opportunity to remove HB546 off the Table. That bill was Tabled back in January (01/03/24) with a vote of 190-187. This bill was relative to the School building aid funding program and requires a minimum of $50,000,000 per fiscal year to be transferred to the school building aid fund, in addition to any debt service payments, for school building aid grants. The Remove From Table motion passed 182Y-179N and an OTP motion then passed 182Y-178N. The breakdown of roll-called votes went like this: Yeas 182(R:1 D:181) Nays (R:177 D:1). It’ll be interesting to see what the Senate Finance Committee does with it.

We learned that HB1711 was pulled off the consent calendar. HB1711 authorizes 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. All the gun groups were against this bill. At first, a Table motion failed 150Y-205N. Then, the committee amendment (0431h) passed on a voice vote, and two other floor amendments failed. Ultimately, the bill passed with the committee amendment, 204Y-149N on a roll call vote. The vote breakdown was Yeas 204 (R:25 D:179) Nays (R:147 D:2).  Proponents said that this language was adopted by language from the NRA and was vetted with our NH Attorney General and NAMI and that it works well without any problems in other states to keep guns out of the hands of people with mental illness. Opponents felt there were too many issues with a “red flag” bill like this and that psych doctors could declare anyone “unfit” and strip them of 2A rights.

We finally learned that at 7 PM, HB1283—the assisted suicide bill—was reconsidered after it passed last week OTP/A 179-176. The reconsideration motion failed 147Y-210N. I think at this point, people just wanted to go home. This bill will now go to the Senate, and we’ll see if they will assist in its demise.

Next week, we get a break, but we’ll be back with more bills and motions on April 11—which will also be Tartan Day! We’re headed to Crossover Day, and we’ll start seeing Senate bills hit the House floor.

The post So Kids, What Did We Learn From This Week’s House Session (3/28/24)? appeared first on Granite Grok.

The dark clouds in Joe Biden’s latest pronounced promise to his gullible following are that he will dismember the Second Amendment and create their dream of gun control (elimination, that is). I guess Joe really thinks he’s a King of something; I’d suggest he’s the king of fools.

The only way he could do that is by amending our constitution (ours, not his), removing, eliminating, or radically chaining the 2nd. Oh, he might try stacking the SCOTUS, even if that is problematic, but the only other way is by some kind of force.

Either of those routes would be met with equal measures of resistance. So, unless Biden and Democrats can gain supermajorities in both houses of Congress, the only path would be to trigger some kind of reaction they could declare, such as a revolution, then martial law, and try to seize permanent control of the government.

A key for we conservatives is to keep from overreacting to any provocation from the left, hold our ground on our rights, and watch those sons of you know what. Next, we must unite and vote out the Democrats and elect our people. Once we do that and have Trump as President again, we can demand every leftist criminal in or around the government be arrested, prosecuted, and sent to prison for exceedingly long terms.

Never Trumpers need to understand that Trump has not broken any laws, has upheld the constitution, and even if he lacks the proper etiquette or what they expect from a president, he does give us our best chance to save this Republic—better Trump than communist slaves.

The post Night Cap: Dismembering the Second Amendment appeared first on Granite Grok.

Lily Tang Williams, the front runner Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Hampshire’s 2nd district, issues her statement on Rep. Annie Kuster not seeking a 7th term.

“I want to thank Rep. Kuster for her service and I hope all is well with her and her family.

I am energized that the voters of our district will be offered a choice based on issues rather than incumbency.

Please Submit Group communications or Press Releases to steve@granitegrok.com.
Submission is not a guarantee of publication – Publication is not an endorsement.

As a legal immigrant who worked hard to earn my citizenship, I believe it is critical that we re-establish our nation’s Border Security to protect our northern and southern borders, reduce government deficit spending, control inflation, and develop all energy resources within a free market economy.”

Lily Tang Williams, born and raised in Communist China, came to the US to seek freedom in 1988. She is a mother of three adult children, two of whom served in the US Military, is a self-employed small businesswoman. She is actively campaigning in NH 2nd Congressional District and has garnered 52 endorsements from current NH State Legislators. Lily’s campaign slogan is “KEEP THE AMERICAN DREAM ALIVE.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Weare, New Hampshire
March 27, 2024
Contact: Mark Zaccaria, zaccaria@att.net, 401.225.5051

 

Reminder: Content about candidates or by candidates is not an endorsement by GraniteGrok.com or its authors.

The post Lily Tang Williams Statement on Rep. Annie Kuster not Seeking Re-Election appeared first on Granite Grok.

For years, Democrats in New Hampshire have pretended to be the Jimmy McMillin of property taxes. Like the rent, they are too damn high. If elected, they promise to do something about it. Lower them. Not taxes; those will go up; you just won’t see them.

The goal is not fewer taxes but less visibility, at least initially. Your property tax bill will get a trim, but your total tax burden will grow substantially. These are Demcorats. It can’t go any other direction but up. Government always comes first; if you’ve any doubts, look left (from New Hampshire) to Vermont.

The Green Mountain State used to be safer and healthier but has been heading in the wrong direction on tax and regulatory policy for a long time. An itch it has gotten more aggressive at scratching as Democrat majorities increased to veto-proof majorities. Vermonters only have themselves ot blame, but it allows the rest of us to learn from their mistakes.

The Vermont House is expected to vote on an $8 billion state spending plan this week. It comes as lawmakers consider millions in new investments and millions in new taxes to fund them.

A key House panel advanced a plan to fund critical priorities in the budget, floated by about $125 million in new taxes.

The House Appropriations Committee is considering a state spending plan, including a big expansion of Medicaid, an expansion of the judiciary and more supports for affordable housing. And those ideas are all funded by new taxes– increases in the corporate income tax, the foreign income tax and the property transfer tax, and a new tax bracket for Vermonters who make more than $500,000 annually.

A proposal to tax unrealized gains like stocks did not advance.

Others, like a potential tax on candy, soda, streaming services and an expansion of the sales tax are still up for debate.

Vermont is already overtaxed. It has environmental aspirations that will cost billions and an education funding debacle it created that requires a 20% hike in … property taxes. That’s unpopular, so the people who made the mess are willing to consider raising less visible taxes as if that helps.

But a revenue option to buy down the property tax hike is not yet on the table, though Vt. House Speaker Jill Krowinski said last week they will work on ways to lower the property tax burden.

Gov. Phil Scott said last week he would consider raising taxes to buy down the $240 million ed fund increase, but he said he would only support that if lawmakers pass widespread systemic reform, which is something that would likely take multiple studies and legislative sessions.

The necessary reform is fewer Democrats and, it has to be said, fewer Republicans like Phil Scott, who can’t stop the Democrats he has and can do little more than appear to resist impulses he shares.

I’m not sure if Vermont can be saved. It would take a level of civic and electoral awareness that people who tend to vote for Demcorats lack. New Hampshire, on the other hand, is teetering on the ends of a bowl, leaning back against a growing army of Democrats trying to push it in. If they succeed in taking the majority and the governor’s office, we’ll be swirling in the blue water behind Maine, which has a bit of a head start but still has a way to go to catch Vermont.

Both places where the more the government takes, the worse everything else gets.

 

The post Granite Stater’s (Any Stater’s Actually) Can See What Democrats “Mean” by Looking At Vermont appeared first on Granite Grok.

Incumbent NH State Representative Jose’ Cambrils is running for re-election in Merrimack County District 4 – Canterbury / Loudon.

Jose’ was born in Victoria De Las Tunas, Cuba in 1960. He and his family immigrated (legally) to the United States in 1965 to escape from the Communist Castro regime.

He was very proud to take the oath of citizenship and become a U.S. citizen in June of 1973.

He went on to earn a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., in 1983 and an MBA in Operations Management from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, Mass., in 1987.

He moved to New Hampshire in 1987, fell in love with this great State, and has been here ever since. He and his wife, Allison, have lived in Loudon for the past eight years.

He has been a life-long “Reagan” Republican since voting for the first time in the 1980 election.

Jose’ worked for Honeywell, Wang Labs, Cal-comp, Sanders Associates, Lockheed-Martin, and BAE Systems over the course of his 35-year career as an Engineer and Engineering Executive in the Commercial and Military Electronics business.

He retired from BAE in September of 2015 at the age of 55. He has remained very active in politics and in local community support. He is also a proud long-time member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the NH Firearms Coalition (NHFC) and the American Numismatic Association (ANA).

Jose’ is a Republican State Delegate and he was the treasurer of the Merrimack County Republican Committee from September 2017 – January 2024. He continues to be an MCRC member. He was given the Norris Cotton Award for his service by the NH GOP in January 2024.

In 2020 Jose’ won the Republican primary and the general election for one of two seats for NH State Representative in Merrimack County District 9. He became the first Cuban refugee to hold high office in the State of New Hampshire. He ran again and won re-election for State Rep. in 2022 for Merrimack County District 4 – Canterbury/Loudon.

Jose’ served on the Science, Technology & Energy Committee in his first term. In his second term, he was asked to serve on the Finance Committee. He is a member of the Freedom Caucus. He has never missed a House session in four years of service, and he has a 100% vote rating with the House Republican Alliance 4 years in a row. He received the “General John Stark Protector of Freedom” Award from Americans for Prosperity (AFP) in 2021 and a 100% voting record Gold Award from Granite State Taxpayers (GST) in 2022. Additionally, he has been endorsed by NRA, NHFC, NH Liberty Alliance, Cornerstone, CPAC, and RebuildNH with “A” ratings.

He is fluent in Spanish, and his interests include fishing, hunting, coin collecting, and Cuban-style pig roasts. VOTE FOR JOSE.

 

E-Mail: Jose4NH@comcast.net

WEB Site: Jose4NH.Org

 

Reminder: Content about candidates or by candidates is not an endorsement by GraniteGrok.com or its authors.

The post Jose’ E. Cambrils for NH State Rep. 2025-2026 appeared first on Granite Grok.

Local ABC affiliate WMUR reports that pasty white New Hampshire Democrat Colin Van Ostern is stepping up to run for Congress after Ann Kuster announced her retirement. Van  Ostern has been Kuster’s campaign manager, a former Executive Councilor, and one of Chris Sununu’s Dem challengers (he lost).

He is your typical NH Democratic candidate, Pale and White. It’s an interesting way to start the day after Kuster’s announcement: out with one white Democrat candidate, in with another.

Given how they prattle on about rights, equity, and social justice, you’d have expected someone with more melanin to announce first. Prompted perhaps by pasty white Ray Buckley.  Or perhaps that’s all just bullshit, or maybe they, like their ideological ancestors, are a bunch of racists. Dumb racists. Related: Can Democrats Overcome “Systemic Racial Inequality” When They Can’t Manage it in Their Own Primary?

The DNC revoked their First in the Nation Primary position because (drumroll) “people of color.” New Hampshire is too white, you see. We are not diverse enough. A problem for Democrats that I have long argued could have been averted had the proglodytes nominated someone of color in any federal race. You only needed one but it has never happened, but it’s not hard to do. Republicans have nominated blacks and Latinos to run in CD2 (for example) more often than not in the past decade-plus.

When NH CD-1 opened up, they nominated a pasty white guy named Chris Pappas. He’s perched in that position, Pelosi rubber stamp in one hand, chicken finger in the other, for two terms, and he looks whiter every year. Pasty white Kuster announces her departure, and the first face to pop up over the gated community fence is someone whiter than she is—a guy I like to call Colon Van Oscopy.

He’s in: @ColinVanOstern tells @WMUR9 in 1-on-1 interview he’s running for Congress in New Hampshire’s 2nd District https://t.co/gYVcEEE019 #NH02 #NHPolitics #WMUR pic.twitter.com/DwqyuYWFXy

— Adam Sexton (@AdamSextonWMUR) March 28, 2024

And now the Dems in New Hampshire have another problem. They like to discourage primaries, but it behooves them to find someone brown to run against Van Ostern. A “someone” who will likely lose the primary, once again proving they are a party that talks the talk but never walks the walk. Related: Why NH Democrats Should Be Proud to Lose Their Primary

If it matters, the Republican challenger is Lily Tang Williams, a woman from China who escaped Mao’s tyranny. Van Ostern, for the record, will work to duplicate that tyranny here in America.

The post Pasty White VanOstern Running to Replace Pasty White Ann Kuster – Did the NH Dems Learn Nothing? appeared first on Granite Grok.

In a fast-moving story culminating in the shortest career ever at the NBC News Network, Ronna McDaniel is officially out as a political analyst at MSNBC. The inmates have taken over the asylum as the top echelon of the network has bent their knees, apologized to, and assuaged their celebrity talking heads who began their temper tantrums on air Sunday morning.

With each successive show, the former employees, now network executives, grew louder and bolder. Chuck Todd, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Jen Psaki, Joy Reid, and Rachel Maddow all took their shots at management, condemning them for their lousy decision to hire McDaniel without consulting the rank and file. In reversing their decision because of internal condemnation, the leadership of the NBC / MSNBC network has been transferred to the hired help. TV on-air personalities have inflated egos and elevated personal value, but the camera angles must be adjusted to fit their enlarged heads on the screen.

Here are some of the quotes from Tuesday evening’s shows.

Rachel Maddow, “You wouldn’t hire a made man, like a mobster, to work in the DA’s office (chuckle).”

Jen Psaki, “Our Democracy is in danger because of the lies from people like Ronna McDaniel has pushed on the country.”

Chuck Todd, “She already has a credibility issue she must work through before facing the public.”

Keep in mind that these quotes are from people who pushed the Russian Conspiracy Theory, the dossier, the Trump phone call to Ukraine, denied the existence of the Biden laptop, and that radical Trump supporters killed four Capital police officers on January 6. These people are not afraid of the truth. They have no conception of the truth. Their ambivalence towards McDaniel has little to do with the truth and more about their need for unfettered delivery of the White House and Joe Biden doctrine. They want no debate on the Peacock Network. They want only a continuation of the orchestrated gaslighting that has been the narrative of the Legacy Media, CNN, and MSNBC.

In the official statement from NBC Universal News Chairman, Cesar Conde:

“Our initial decision was made because of our deep commitment to presenting our audiences with a wide diverse set of viewpoints and experiences, particularly during these consequential times.”

It sounds impressive and a welcome change to NBC and MSNBC, which has been more of a Democrat mouthpiece than a news source. Unfortunately, retracting the position to Ronna McDaniel because of the internal grumbling of the staff shows this was an empty line meant to impress but not to be authentic. The lineup of political opinion analysts, there are no actual news shows on MSNBC, does not want diversity in their ranks unless you are talking about skin color or sexual proclivity.

To bring political diversity to NBC and MSNBC would expose their audience to a storyline that would be very foreign to them. It may also prompt people to view the network as a biased entity that has been gaslighting since its inception. That is something we have been trying to tell them for years.

The post Move Over Peacock, Make Room For Mika And Rachel appeared first on Granite Grok.

On the morning of March 26, the Francis Scott Key bridge across the Patapsco River in the upper Chesapeake Bay suffered critical damage after a cargo ship, the Singapore-owned Dali, crashed into one of its key support struts. This noteworthy incident has captured international headlines and dominated US political conversation since. The key question swirls: Who did it?

The answer is simple once you consider all of the potential culprits. First, establish what actually happened. A single review of the video footage makes it clear that the incident was a cyber attack. The ship lost power multiple times. During the power issues, it drastically changed course and veered directly into the strut. No ship captain onboard would make such a maneuver. It’s a career-ending mistake. Such a steering action could only be intentional and could only have been done by special operatives hijacking the ship or by remote control through a cyber-attack.

Whether it was a cyber attack or spec-ops is irrelevant because both point to the same conclusion– it was actors within the government of the United States of America itself who committed the attack.

Let’s do a quick review to confirm this by asking the simple question necessary in all geopolitical analysis: Cui bono? Who benefits?

Among all countries capable of remote cyberattack—the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Japan—which would care about Baltimore Harbor? And which would care about an attack right now? What is the context of this attack?

Baltimore is in a state of decay. The city badly needs revival and direction. Nationally, in the US, Trump just received a windfall reduction in a key court case being waged against him for the 2024 presidential election. Another key candidate, RFK Jr, just announced his VP pick and it does not look like a good call for Team Biden. On the international scene, Israel ignored the Biden administration’s advice to delay or defer an attack on Rafah, the last part of Gaza that has yet to be cleaned out by its military operations following the October 7 events. Russia just suffered a humiliating and devastating terrorist attack on civilians in the Moscow suburbs. So, ask again, cui bono?

Of course, the Biden administration benefits from this attack. First, it distracts from the Trump and RFK campaign moves with a clickbait event– a negative event that forces Biden to act positively. Second, it provides a platform for Biden to make positive infrastructural promises for a solidly Blue area in Baltimore. Third, it provides Baltimore with a positive infrastructure project that will generate economic activity for the city. This economic activity is regionally a boon for the US economy as a whole– there will be more requests for permits in new locations due to rerouted transportation, other ports will receive boosts in shipping activity, and shipping routes will be longer so overland US shipping companies will see higher revenues. This is all in line with Biden’s general policy platform, which has favored corporations over citizens and sought consistently to boost government and corporate profits at the expense of citizens.

Ultimately, the FSK bridge is an inconsequential target, despite Lara Logan’s assertions otherwise, in the sense that the US transportation infrastructure in the Baltimore area is quite strong. There are many other routes for key overland shipping. There are also many other ports that can accept large freight cargo ships and transportation networks that can reroute deliveries. It does not pose a major problem. If anything, it protects Baltimore from the risks associated with an open shipping lane. It is defensive to shut shipping lanes there and effectively close Baltimore harbor.

And what about Israel? Netanyahu and Biden have sparred publicly on the international stage in the run-up to the Rafah ground offensive, which is starting this week. A large-scale international event like the FSK bridge attack provides cover in US domestic media and some international media channels for the Rafah offensive. Many people will focus on Baltimore and forget about Rafah, at least until it is too late and Israel has already achieved its objectives there in rooting out the last Hamas tunnel terrorist networks.

Finally, there is the Moscow theater terror attack. It seems that the FSK bridge attack could potentially be a response to the Moscow attack. The USA said that it was ISIS-K that conducted the attack, which means it was an organization with US links. The assailants fled towards Ukraine, which means they were likely Ukrainian or seeking NATO shelter. So, for Russia to strike back at the US seems like an expected occurrence. Yet, the twist is that for the Biden administration, in attacking Baltimore itself, it allows the US to remain in control of the conflict. Since the US is the assailant, others will not conduct attacks, thinking that the Moscow theater counterattack has already occurred. Russia might even think someone else has acted on their behalf.

This is a classic full spectrum dominance move, if it were the US. Not only does it provide a positive platform for Biden to act upon with strength, but it also allows the US to remain in control of the conflict, on its own terms. No other country has an interest in Baltimore bridges. Any such action from Russia, China, Israel, or another country, would have been aimed at a much more serious target and intended to do much more damage.

Why would the attack occur at 1:30 am? Well, to reduce casualties. That’s why this was a carefully calculated move of self-sabotage. A move meant by the US to protect its own interests, to provide cover, and to make it seem as if the country is under attack.

This is why the FBI came out almost immediately, saying the attack was not a terrorist incident. It’s why Biden says he doesn’t want insurance companies investigating and why he moved so quickly to announce the repair packages.

Such is the nature of geopolitical events.

Here’s the kicker and the giveaway that the Chinese-influenced Biden administration was behind this– the name of the container ship, Dali, means ‘big knife’ in Chinese. If any country other than the US did it, it was China and Biden’s Chinese connections.

The post HOT TAKE: Baltimore Bridge Collapse was Biden appeared first on Granite Grok.

Maine politics is not dull in this new Liberal era for The Pine Tree State. Every week, we see a different Progressive attempt to outdo the previous outlandish piece of legislation. When you look at the range of laws passed, starting with the legalization of Marijuana in 2016.

This law did not take effect until 2020, when the way was cleared for recreational pot dispensaries. Maine has 218 licensed dispensaries. In comparison, there are only 159 Dunkin’ Donuts in Maine.

We have talked about some of the more controversial laws passed, such as:

• Expand online voter registration, which welcomes fraud.
• The most progressive abortion bill in the country allows abortion up to the time of birth.
• Established Maine as a sanctuary state for minors from more restrictive states seeking abortion or transgender services.

These are just a few examples, but they give you a good look at the trend line for the powers-to-be in Augusta. The trend line is straight down. There is no idea too Progressive for these elite Libs. The problem is they are not destroying themselves alone. They are dragging Conservatives down into their cesspool with them.

Maine House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) has introduced a bill to establish a state “social equity program” and advisory board to push affirmative action business development initiatives for disproportionately incarcerated populations. That is a typical word salad. Let’s reword. Ross is introducing a WOKE bill to give $12,000 to people who have been convicted of marijuana-related charges so they can set up a business for themselves in Maine’s marijuana environment. We will also set up a board to seek out and identify these lucky folks who law-abiding Mainers will fund their new business venture. So, it is not only a way to waste your tax dollars but sets up a new bureaucracy at the same time. Excellent job, Speaker. Is anyone in the family high on the list to get the $12,000 check? This thinking is tantamount to taking pedophiles with DWI convictions and making them school bus drivers.

So, in the epitome of Democrat philosophy, we are going to play identity politics. We are going to single out people who have already been convicted of crimes, and then we are going to single out minorities within those ranks. Then, we will take tax dollars from everyone outside the box to benefit the few. So, who is benefiting from this ridiculous bill?

We have over 300 illegal, Chinese-owned pot facilities in the state. Yes, the state and local police have been raiding these facilities, but none seem to be put out of commission. We also have an Attorney General in Merrick Garland and a nonresponsive Department of Justice that has ignored calls for help from members of Congress since last August. We have a State Justice Department that has produced a list of crimes that will no longer be recognized for arrest or prosecution. Rather than direct efforts and resources in a direction, the elected of Maine have opted for identity politics. Rather than help every Mainer by creating a state that is a positive environment for all business owners, we are singling out past offenders. This decision is beyond reason and comprehension. It is terrible pieces of legislation, such as the social equity program, that prompt the question of whether anyone who votes to put these WOKE liberal hacks into office ever makes themselves aware of the actions of these people. I would have to say no. There is no way a person can justify this stupidity unless they have a vested interest in the foolishness.

I asked the question in a previous article if we have passed the point of no return. People like Maine House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) are on a mission to ensure we have gotten to the edge of the cliff and are taking our turns to jump.

The post When Will The Insanity Stop appeared first on Granite Grok.

Last September, we reported on a class action lawsuit filed by a handful of Democrat-run warzones (doing business as cities) that blamed rising car thefts on automakers whose vehicles are easier to steal. Isn’t that like saying it’s okay to punch someone because they look like they won’t punch back?

Violent thug: Did you see the look on that guy’s face? He was begging to get beat up.
Democrat DA: You’re right. Let’s sue his parents.

Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York sued Kia/Hyundai for making cars people don’t want to steal but can’t help themselves. It’s just so darn easy, like blaming someone else for a problem created by decades of democratic rule and deliberate policy choices (like not prosecuting theft). However, prosecutors aren’t going to get jackpot justice from former Kia and Hyundai owners, so the Democrats are blaming the car maker.

Minnesota AG Keith Ellison wants in on this action.

“But we have to go upstream, and we got to make sure that the automobiles are not so easy to steal that they are a tempting, attractive nuisance for young people. Right now we are investigating two major automakers because their cars are dramatically too easy to steal for young people.”

What happens when you take that statement and replace “automobiles” with retail goods?

“But we have to go upstream, and we got to make sure that the retail goods are not so easy to steal that they are a tempting, attractive nuisance for young people. Right now we are investigating retailers because their inventory are dramatically too easy to steal for young people.”

Or personal property.

“But we have to go upstream, and we got to make sure that the personal property is not so easy to steal that they are a tempting, attractive nuisance for young people. Right now we are investigating homeowners because their belongings are dramatically too easy to steal for young people.”

Or, what the heck, election!

“But we have to go upstream, and we got to make sure that elections are not so easy to steal that they are a tempting, attractive nuisance for young people. Right now we are investigating local precincts because their votes are dramatically too easy to steal for young people.”

You can plug almost anything in there, and what you end up with is a so-called criminal justice system whose purpose is not to protect people from loss of property (or life). It is to distract victims while it profits from their misery.

Neither Ellison, his state, nor any of the municipal crime lords doing business as AGs or prosecutors will spend a dime of any settlement on improving public safety because they aren’t in that business.

Why do you think they want you disarmed? Yes, it is impossible to advance to actual tyranny in a land with armed citizens, but it is also true that if citizens were allowed to gun down criminals, it might have a deleterious impact on achieving that tyranny. Deliberate crime creates chaos, and the goal is to so unsettle the middle class that they demand the government take more freedoms for the promise of safety they never intend to deliver.

And that lawlessness and mayhem is always someone else’s fault, and that is a lesson that victims of Democrat rule can’t seem to learn. They have controlled everything for decades but are responsible for nothing.

You’d never tolerate that BS from a friend or family member, so why do politicians and bureaucrats get a pass?

 

The post AG Blames Car Thefts on … The Cars appeared first on Granite Grok.

This is in response to Ann Marie Banfield’s Hudson” Alvirine High School Calls In Black Lives Matter to Meet with Students, which exposed that under the pretext of “diversity” and “inclusion,” Black Lives Matter would be indoctrinating high school students regarding “microaggressions” and “privilege.”

In other words, anti-white racism. But don’t worry … I know just what to do! I have a plan!

It’s really quite simple. We elect a Republican legislature and Governor, and then we ban DEI in public schools (including the university system) just like other States have. What’s that? Huh? You’re telling me that we already have a Republican legislature and Governor, and they passed a law banning “divisive concepts”? Really?

Well … your “divisive concepts” law OBVIOUSLY is sh*t since the unelected permanent government that actually runs the public schools had no problem bringing BLM to Hudson to spew anti-white racism. And OBVIOUSLY and UNDENIABLY, if you want to ban anti-white racism from New Hampshire’s public schools, you need to do just that … actually ban DEI, just as other States have.

Kudos to Ann Marie Banfield for being willing to battle the unelected permanent government that actually runs New Hampshire’s public schools, and winning that battle in this instance. But this whack-a-mole approach is unnecessary and nowhere near as efficacious as actually banning DEI, just as other States have.

But don’t hold your breath waiting for the supposedly “Republican” legislature to actually act like Republicans. They have far, far, far more important things to do … such as turning New Hampshire into an endless stream of apartment complexes. And the very “Republicans” whose priority is making New Hampshire look like Massachusetts are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, clucking, “Don’t Mass up New Hampshire,” “Don’t Mass up New Hampshire.” Like this clown:

New Hampshire Advantage! Slava Ukraine! Slava Ukraine! Mask up! Vax up! Workforce housing! Slava Ukraine! Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck.

The post BLM In Hudson? … I Know Just What To Do … Here’s The Plan!!! appeared first on Granite Grok.

I’m sure the grapevine has reached all corners of NH and cyberspace with Annie Kuster’s retirement announcement earlier today.  I was at the state house and wearing my “Chuck Morse’s voting record matters” shirt when I received the news just before the executive council was called to order.  Readers ought to be familiar with his 11/19/21 crime against NH.

However, I’m here to talk about what happened AFTER all the commotion in the LOB following that unfortunate roll call, and what fellow committee member and former Senator Giuda said as he addressed the unhappy crowd across the street behind the state house.  Chau Kelley took a video of him, but she was later unsurprisingly kicked off YouTube, and 15 years worth of citizen journalism disappeared as a result.  I reached out to her in hopes that a copy was available through another account, but I am not going to keep you waiting for that, nor will I keep you waiting for what I have to say about Senator Giuda’s words.

He called money the “mother’s milk” and emphasized the importance of donating directly to the candidate rather than a middle entity, such as the NHGOP or an activist group.  I’m going to pick on 10 Water Street for a moment.  I use the address because it has a “10 DOWNING Street sound” to it; I just need to get Grokster Di Lothrop to say it out loud.

When I returned from Concord, I found a 1:31 pm email from info@nhgop.org in my inbox announcing Annie’s retirement, which also had its routine request for donations.  I want to remind everyone that regardless of their current thoughts about General Bolduc, he announced his 2022 candidacy shortly after losing to Corky in 2020.  Corky, as most people know, was “the chosen one” despite being a bought-and-sold carpetbagger.  In the next election, General Bolduc was essentially ignored as Chuck Morse and a handful of others appeared shortly prior to filing time.

Do NOT allow Chris Ager and the 10 Water Street influencers to do to Lily Tang Williams what they did to General Bolduc!  You can help by following Senator Giuda’s advice and donating to her directly.

No donation is too small.  In fact, what’s not stated enough is how important it is to have a hearty number of donors from NH, so please, even if it’s just a dollar, do it.  If you visit her link, you will find a variety of ways to get your donation to her campaign and choose the method that best suits you.

I’ll also add that when Elise invited Karoline and seven other women running for Congress to a Newsmax panel, I noticed Lily’s absence. While I was happy for Karoline, I emailed Elise’s office, politely, of course. I pointed out that we are the 50% and we had one woman running for Congress and requested that she show her some love. Of course, my email was ignored, which was no surprise.

I later mentioned that to Lily because I previously remember Steve Negron being snubbed in a variety of ways that the darling Mowers didn’t experience.  Lily pointed out that she had not met the fundraising requirements to be considered by Elise.  Fair enough, I’ve been educated.

I will close with a final talking point: Lily deserves access to the opportunities that (dare I say Dr Chan’s favorite word)ROBUST fundraising provides. So again, if you could pitch in even just a dollar(or more), it would be very helpful, and now, right on the heels of a current event, is a good time. Don’t wait.

 

The post The Time to Donate to Lily Tang Williams is Right Now! appeared first on Granite Grok.

Congressman Ken Buck (Republican-CO 4th), when resigning early from Congress, has let the cat out of the bag. There is the Demolitioncrat/Uniparty plan for your children and grandchildren.

Buck claims that three more Republican Representatives (now Mike Gallager of Wisconsin has resigned) will soon exit the House of Representatives. That would flip the House majority to Democrats, and Hakeem Jeffries would become Speaker of the House.

That would flip all the Chairpersons of House Committees to Demolitioncrats, who would shut down all House investigations into the Biden bribery scandals. Why would I suspect that former Speaker McCarthy is sabotaging Republican control of the House?

If living in 2024 has taught anyone to pay attention to anything, it is that conspiracies are real and, as Steve Bannon of “War Room” fame says, there are no coincidences!

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Buck’s resignation has also forced an election to replace him in Colorado 4th at the same time as Republican Lauren Boebert is running in a primary for that seat in the House. Boebert would have to resign her current seat in Colorado 3rd to run in the election to replace the traitor Buck in Colorado 4th. To her credit, Boebert refuses to resign because of the current slim majority in the House. Does anyone smell an odor of McCarthy sabotage?

As for the Electoral College, the invasion of 15 million illegal aliens added to the Census will likely result in an additional thirteen Demolitioncrat seats in the House of Representatives. Recent polls show that 57% of Demolitioncrats would support the House refusing to confirm Trump’s 2024 election. Demolitioncrat strategist Marc Elias’ plan is to retain control of the House and refuse to confirm Trump’s election as the 47th POTUS.

Psychics tell us Demolitioncrats, helped by Mitch McConnell RINOS, who promulgated the J6 2021 insurrection lie, will cause the same on J6 2025.

The post Night Cap: A Congressional Conspiracy Against Donald Trump? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Neutering children is all the rage in Western democracies, or it was. A few weeks ago, the UK banned the public health service from allowing gender transition drugs (and therefore surgeries) on minors, following a four-year study that showed the practice had no mental health benefit or made matters worse.

This announcement came on the heels of an undercover report featuring internal communications from doctors who prescribed hormone blockers and who mutilate children for money, admitting the drugs are dangerous, leading to cancer or death. In other words, they are neither safe nor effective, an opinion shared by regulators in France, who “want to ban gender transition treatments for under-18s, after a report described sex reassignment in minors as potentially “one of the greatest ethical scandals in the history of medicine.”

Thus the title.

The report, commissioned by the opposition centre-Right Les Republicains (LR) party, documents various practices by health professionals, which it claims are indoctrinated by a “trans-affirmative” ideology under the sway of experienced trans-activist associations.

The report, which cites a “tense scientific and medical debate”, accuses such associations of encouraging gender transition in minors via intense propaganda campaigns on social media.

Jacqueline Eustache-Brinio, an LR senator who led the working group behind the report, concluded that “fashion plays a big role” in the rise of gender reassignment treatments.

The French Senate report warns that diagnosing children with “gender dysphoria” results in the premature medicalization of their anxiety

— “The diagnosis of ‘gender dysphoria,’ as shaped by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), seems to accelerate the… pic.twitter.com/1Y7O9djBvq

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) March 24, 2024

European nations are taking a serious look at the benefit-to-harm ratio as well as the bullying from gender warriors.

The French report explicitly points to the militant ideology promoting gender reassignment surgeries.

The report, which is detailed and well-argued, points to a number of abuses by health professionals, indoctrinated by a “trans-affirmative” ideology and subject to the influence of experienced trans activist associations. The report’s authors accuse these associations of unreasonably encouraging gender transition in minors via an intense propaganda campaign on social media.

The scandal has been brewing for several months, thanks to the mobilisation of psychologists, psychiatrists, educators, and parents, who have denounced the ravages of this militant ideology among fragile and suffering young people, to whom gender transition is proposed as a miracle solution to the psychological problems they may be experiencing.

Someone call Dartmouth Medical. The French are revolting against the preferred ideology.

Do not expect the American gender mills to go quietly into that goodnight. There is money, power, and influence in the gender-transition laundromat, much like abortion (which is also knee-deep in this scam). Almost no one thinks on earth it is reasonable to end a pregnancy after 24 weeks, even in extenuating circumstances, except the American left. Most of Europe and the world prohibit the sort of thing Democrats demand – conception to live-birth abortion.

Gender transition strikes me as a little different, and that door has been open long enough for them to realize the benefits of their agenda: indoctrination, sterilization, depopulation, and the medical industrial complex to campaign coffers laundromat. Europe’s position on abortion is in line with a supermajority of Republicans and independents, so it’s wrong, so their opinions about hormone therapy and surgery on minors won’t (likely) move the needle either.

You and I will need to do that with help from the UK, France, and a growing number of countries across Europe.

 

The post “Change Surgery for Minors Could be ‘Greatest Ethical Scandal in the History of Medicine’ ’’ appeared first on Granite Grok.

I was forwarded the below statement on Rep. Annie Kuster’s “retirement” by a journalist who had been investigating the framing of Justin Fairfax, who was “MeToo’d” in Virginia.

At the same time, it is now becoming apparent that Charlotte Bennett, one of former NY Andrew Cuomo’s accusers, is also a fraud who has a history as “Sally Smith,” a false accuser at Hamilton College who got successfully sued by a John Doe that was framed by her and other mean girls.

Rep. Annie Kuster spent a fair amount of the last 12 years pretending to be pro-women, standing up for “survivors,” claiming to be a “survivor” herself. It was always a lie.  Political propaganda always relies on short-term memories. Before Kuster announced she was not going to run for re-election, someone spent a fair amount of time disabling inconvenient links to articles on her Wikipedia Page. Among these were articles about her work as a lobbyist for Rohypnol and statements she had made after women begged for it to be made into a class-A drug because they had been gang-raped under its influence.  She discredited their testimony because she was trying to keep the contracts and revenue for the drug maker which was paying her handsomely for her lobby efforts.

Another article that had its link disabled was one about Rep. Annie Kuster as an “Angel” lawyer in adoption cases.  Kids in New Hampshire end up being adopted after being put in foster care. They end up in foster care after DCYF removes them from their parents without due process – something that has come to light in the most recent hearings held by a committee convened as a result of the decades of failures by DCYF.

There are records and testimonies of parents who have had their children taken from them, never to see them again. Parents who have paid into child support only to find out that the State never gave the child support to the other parent to look after the children because the State didn’t bother to go looking for the children.  Rep. Annie Kuster had a nice business between pharmaceutical lobbying and adoption law.  Let’s not forget that New Hampshire is one of the worst states in the nation for drugging kids in care with opioids and similar.

For all the money Kuster made in private practice as a lawyer, she couldn’t find the time or resources to pay her property taxes on time. Had she not run for Congress in 2012, one wonders if she would have gotten away with it for longer.

It wasn’t until 2014 that Rep. Annie Kuster decided she was going to stand up for campus sexual assault survivors. Why? Because there was a ton of money to be had under the Violence Against Women Act and Susan Carbon, who’d been on Governor John Lynch’s Domestic Violence Commission, had been appointed by Obama to oversee a handout from the Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women. Hundreds of millions of dollars were there on offer. All you had to do was create an excuse to get them. Create “survivors”.

Thus, Kuster stood up on the house floor in September 2016 to declare Chessy Prout “a survivor”. She took her to Capitol Hill in January 2017. Chessy Prout showed her a documentary about sexual assault in school called “Audrie & Daisy,” which aired on Netflix and was sponsored by PAVE, for which Chessy was an “ambassador.”

She took Chessy Prout to UNH in April 2017. She wrote the introduction to Chessy’s book in March 2018 and that book was promoted by Dan Hill – A Government Affairs PR representative whose company boasts the use of stealth and special ops tactics to secure Government Contracts.  The book compared Owen Labrie, a scholarship student at St Paul’s School who should have gone to Harvard on a full ride, to an “Al Qaeda terrorist” and “Donald Trump.”  It was all sensationalist and absurd political propaganda.

Kuster was nearly caught out in July 2019 by ABC/GMA who interviewed Owen Labrie. He was finally going to have the chance to speak for himself on national TV with Amy Robach, who flew with a team to Burlington, Vermont, to interview him on July 15, 2019.  A copy of the program was sent to the Prout family representatives for comment. The program never aired because Dem Caucus Rep Amanda Grady Sexton and the NHCADSV launched a social media campaign called #SurvivorsOverRatings to block it, and her pal Rep. Annie Kuster had her office contact ABC/GMA to block it from airing.

What was at stake, apart from the exposure of corruption in which Rep. Annie Kuster had been complicit? $14 million to be sucked out of Dartmouth College, of which $2.865 million was on the line to go to the NHCADSV to pour into new lobbies to support the Every Voice Matters coalition, which is part of Its On Us and thus part of Civic Nation.

Yes, the Rapuano & Does v Dartmouth suit (filed by the same attorneys who sued St. Paul’s School in the wake of NH v Owen Labrie) was in mediation when the ABC/GMA interview would have aired. Kuster had come out swinging to support Rapuano & Does against Dartmouth.  Times Up had put up the PR money for the plaintiffs. The Concord Monitor had covered it in favor of the plaintiffs and the settlement. Who didn’t cover the suicide of Professor David Bucci, who’d been smeared in the suit but denied the right to speak for himself? The Concord Monitor. The same paper that seems to be looking after Congresswoman Ann Kuster and Councilwoman Amanda Grady Sexton by disabling or deleting links that are now inconvenient to them on these matters.

DCCC Chair Statement on the Retirement of Rep. Annie Kuster

Today, DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene released the following statement upon the announcement that Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) will not seek re-election:

“Annie Kuster has been a tireless champion for the people of New Hampshire. During her time in Congress and as chair of the New Democrat Coalition, she’s been a beacon for common-sense solutions to create good jobs, fight the opioid epidemic, and expand access to mental health care. She’s a leading voice in Congress for survivors of sexual assault – fighting for legislation to support them and ensure that collectively our nation continues to have the important conversations that center the fight for the safety and wellbeing of survivors. 

“Her record of public service and delivering for New Hampshire is unmatched. I am constantly in awe of and inspired by her courage and will miss her as a colleague and friend. With her help, I’m confident that this seat will remain in Democratic hands so that Granite Staters can continue having a fighter for them in Congress.” 

For Immediate Release: March 27, 2024
CONTACT: Viet Shelton | (206) 719-8598
PAID FOR BY DCCC. DCCC.ORG. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE.  

The post Someone’s Been Disabling Inconvenient Links on Ann Kuster’s Wikipedia Page appeared first on Granite Grok.

Usually, when you hire someone to do something, and they don’t or can’t do it, you do not then give them more responsibility or reward them with additional revenue. But let’s say you do, and they fail again and again. At what point do you stop rewarding failure?

In my town of Merrimack, the school system is swirling the drain. Proficiency scores are not great and, in some cases, not even good. The message here is simple. No matter how much money we spend, they cannot teach the kids to read. The other subjects aren’t doing any better, so what does the school do? It asks for more money to play therapist to your kids.

Social-emotional Learning is public school head-shrinking as an on-ramp to full-blown in-house mental health services.

This is a school with teachers who, after decades of practice and an exponential increase in fiscal resources, are less able to teach all the kids to read to grade level than they did with more students and less money. In what world does that justify more funding for anything, especially an expansion into mental health-related surveys, sessions, or actual one-on-one engagement?

None, and asking for it is looking in the wrong direction. Public Schools that don’t cherish teaching kids to read, write, add, and subtract have failed not just the children but also the parents and taxpayers funding them.

You can decide when academics stopped being a priority or even a function of public education, but the idea wasn’t born yesterday, and neither, I hope, were you.

Do not reward schools that can’t teach kids with new things they are even less capable of doing, especially when the odds are high that the only reason a child might need such services is because the school that wants to offer them screwed up your kid’s head in the first place.

 

The post Merrimack Should Reject School Budgets Until They Can Teach Kids to Read … appeared first on Granite Grok.

As promised in Monday Memes, I have an overflow. My meme cup runneth over.  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 ***

 

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

 

 

 

Waste of the Day: Debt Held By The Public Will Be “Unsustainable” By 2050 | The Gateway Pundit | by Guest Contributor

IMHO this is an overly-optimistic appraisal of the situation.  We’re already at $100 trillion added every 100 days, and that’s a death spiral that can’t be stopped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is REAL privilege.

 

 

And yet, amazingly, there are people who just TRUST BLINDLY.  I had my own piece about that:

A Crisis of Trust – Urban Scoop

 

 

This is the cost of loose sex women (and men as well, let’s be fair).  It used to be that to gain access to sex – almost always through marriage – a man had to court a woman and demonstrate his suitability as a mate.  Now, it’s “swipe right” and off you go to date, with the deed almost expected on the first date, and practically mandatory by the third or fourth date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I wish I had bought Bitcoin when it was less than a dollar, and envy those who did, I’m still skeptical.  First, it’s late in the game.  Second, to alter Arthur C. Clark’s rule, “Any technology, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from a brick when the power’s off”.  All those bitcoins are useless if we’ve been EMPed or otherwise had the grid go down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you f*cking kidding me?  PAIN BIAS?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I make a “spirited attempt” to keep kosher, so no pork for me and the family.  That doesn’t, alas, prevent my Covidian (not Jewish) wife from occasionally sneaking to let the kids buy something with bacon in it at a fast food place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IIRC it was a SCOTUS ruling that, because someone’s homegrown tomatoes could potentially impact interstate commerce, even in a marginal way, that the government gained power to regulate home gardens, etc.

 

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

 

PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA

 

Project 2025 and Republican Domination (aknextphase.com)

I don’t normally link to liberal bloggers, but this post rises to the very quote attributed to Nazi propaganda minister Goering: “Accuse others of that which you do”.

Understand that a good 30-40 percent STILL BELIEVE The Potato in Thief is doing a good job.  Like Covidians vis a vis The Jab, like Warmists about the dangers of CO2, you can shower them – a la Yuri Bezmenov – with information and facts and statistics and logic, and they’ll slam their mental gates shut.  (See my newly-coined quotation at the end of this post too.)

Cue my three essays “Teflon Intellects” from my old blog:

 

E Teflon Intellects 1

 

 

E Teflon Intellects 2

 

 

E Teflon Intellects 3

 

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

 

Links (some from me, some from my Jarhead friend):

 

Google and Meta Function as Extensions of the US Intelligence Community – Geller Report

Duh.

—

Mike Benz: Deep State – Foreign Policy Establishment Could Go Full Authoritarian – “I Believe They Already Have” (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft

James, Engoron Turning U.S. into ‘3rd World’ Nation, Commentary Warns | The Gateway Pundit | by Guest Contributor

Turning into?  No, IS.

Dirty Obama Judge Amy Berman Jackson Upholds DC Law That Allows Non-Citizens – AND ILLEGAL ALIENS – to Vote in Municipal Elections | The Gateway Pundit | by Cristina Laila

—

Enemies of the People | Power Line (powerlineblog.com)

There’s a reason I call them the ENEMEDIA.  And an absolute majority agree with me.

—

The Era of Informed Consent is Over ⋆ Brownstone Institute

For what the government considers “negligible risk” trials, there’s no need to inform the lab animals trial participants.  More:

FDA is trying to legalize its illegal approvals of COVID vaccines without human trials. Now one animal trial will do the trick to “prove” efficacy? (substack.com)

More FDA stuff:

LUPRON: dangers of this drug yet it persists! Lupron is linked to large increase in fatal heart attacks & diabetes & is even worse IMO than Statins; Lupron as a PUBERTY BLOCKER? IVF? GENDER CHANGE? (substack.com)

—

War Correspondent Michael Yon Warns Russian Style Terror Attacks Coming to America (infowars.com)

Without a doubt.  I have hated going to local malls for years because of this possibility.

—

Corrupt Chicago Democrats Suddenly Pull 10,000 Mail-In Ballots Out of Thin Air in DA Race – Clever Journeys

OMG.  Of course.  Not surprised.  The only thing that’s surprising is that anyone’s actually surprised.  And you really think you’re going to vote your way out of this?

—

Tennessee lawmakers look to ban geoengineering; Critics argue bill ‘based on conspiracy theories’ (wkrn.com)

The measure was opposed by Nashville Rep. Justin Jones, who said a lot of the purported evidence for Fritts’ bill was “based on conspiracy theories.”

So if there’s no actual cost to the state to pass the bill, and no evidence that the threat actually exists, then where’s the problem with passing it, hmmm?

—

While you were distracted by the “Where’s Princess Kate Conspiracy”, Deagel’s Depopulation Forecast was confirmed by Heavily Censored Pfizer Documents – The Expose (expose-news.com)

For the vast majority of Jabbed people in my circle, I’ll mourn.  For some few, I’ll celebrate, and for a selected subset of the latter, the sooner the better!

 

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

 

 

The Potato is Barackus’ third term.  Anyone with three brain cells that talk with each other understands this.

 

 

 

 

“She”.

 

 

 

In every polling station.  As a condition of getting a ballot.  In addition to an ID of course.

 

 

NOTHING says “Trust the science” like a 148 page report with, literally, every word blanked out.

 

 

OOH, I’m sure he could use the support.  OTOH, is this a trap to ID people inclined to support him?

 

 

 

 

MHO, they’d start WWIII, globally, to prevent this.  AND to hide the accumulation of Jab effects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boycotts are appropriate.  But you need to let them know WHY.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funny how research results often seem to align with the desires of who is paying for it.

 

 

I make beautiful, healthy hamburgers for the kids.  I make delicious air-fried, crispy breaded organic chicken for the kids.  I have all sorts of wonderful and healthy recipes… and what do they want?  Wendy’s, McDonalds, KFC, etc.  ARGH!  About my only consolation, at least for the boy, is that he’s bought hook, line, and sinker my telling him that adding greens like spinach is essential to the homemade meat sauce.  That, and the grated carrots add a dimension of flavor.

So far neither of them are aware I add “super-mushroom” powder to a number of the dishes I make for them.

 

 

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

 

Pick of the Post:

 

Shot…

 

 

And chaser…

 

 

Say, Barackus has a house on Martha’s Vineyard.  What’s that maximum elevation?  311 feet.  That passes Tyson’s test.  Barackus paid almost $12 million for his house.  How high above sea level?

Sea Level Rise Dooms Obama’s New Martha’s Vineyard Mansion – Watts Up With That?

Eyeballing the contour map, it’s about 13 feet above sea level.  To quote Instapundit:

I’ll believe it’s a crisis when those who say it’s a crisis act like it’s a crisis.

Leave us not forget eco-loon Leonardo DiCaprio’s real estate portfolio:

Leonardo DiCaprio Builds an Eco-Resort – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Blackadore Caye – while I can’t find an elevation on it, the pictures here are revealing as to its elevation above sea level.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Luxury Eco-Resort Blackadore Caye Proves an Impossible Dream – autoevolution

 

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

 

Palate cleansers:

 

 

Assuming I’m feeling snarky, my favorite comeback to being told that I’m talking with myself is “Yes, and when I finally find someone intelligent to talk with, you butt in”.

—

 

If you didn’t have the song pop into your head…

—

 

One of many demotivational posters available at

Home of Demotivators® – The World’s Best Demotivational Posters (despair.com)

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

I’m going to “mine” my old essays for some of the (hopefully worthwhile) quips and quotes I’ve coined.  And, currently, here’s a new one for you:

 

I would much prefer talking to a brick wall than the typical sheeple.  At least a brick wall doesn’t put on a preening air of intellectual, educational, and/or moral superiority as they ignore the evidence and logic I present them.

(c) 2024, NITZAKHON

 

The post Meme Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.

Congresswoman Ann Kuster has announced that she will not seek a seventh term in New Hampshire Congressional District Two (NH CD2).

WMUR

The six-term incumbent says she will leave Capitol Hill early next year at the end of the 118th Congress.

“This work has been many things — rewarding, frustrating, inspiring, and challenging. But, more than anything, it has been an honor,” Kuster said in a statement provided to WMUR. “I will continue serving the people of New Hampshire until the end of my term in January 2025. In the months ahead, I will use my time to help Congress build on the progress we have made and finish the job for the American people.”

Kuster said she will also continue to lead the New Democrat Coalition, a centrist, pro-business caucus that has played an increasingly pivotal role in a narrowly divided Congress.

Centrist?

There’s nothing centrist about Ann Kuster unless by the middle, you mean middle left, so this is obviously about money. The New Democrat Coalition is a group of 100 democrats pretending to be centrists to move Overton’s window further left.

I’m also not convinced this is not surprising to the NH Dems or that it is of much concern. An open congressional seat suggests the promise of change, which even Democrats in the district have been demanding for years. They were tired of Annie a long while back, but any Democrat will do, and we’ll get one or more in short order. Let’s see if they can manage a Democrat of color after the fallout from the 2024 Democrat Presidential primary debacle. Not just a primary candidate but the nominee. That would be a change.

What else might change is that Lily Williams, the only Republican running in CD2, should expect National Republicans to start looking to add another one. I love Lily, but the political machine and class have yet to show much interest in supporting her efforts, and an open seat in a swing state is not something they’ll ignore.

We’ll get a primary on the Republican side.

As for Kuster, I wish her well, but I won’t miss her.

My full statement to the people of New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District pic.twitter.com/HLQKyrs70J

— Ann McLane Kuster (@RepAnnieKuster) March 27, 2024

The post Breaking: Ann Kuster Will Not Run for Re-Election in NH CD2 appeared first on Granite Grok.

I feel like a broken record in saying that criticism for one is not necessarily an endorsement for the other when discussing Chuck Morse and Kelly Ayotte, but keep in mind that the latter is a lawyer, after all.

Plus, I’ve come to think of it as a signature line, similar to when local treasure Allison Dyer finishes up her amazing video montages, which I encourage everyone to watch, with her famous parting comment, “And as always, my friends, elections have consequences.”

I’m putting Chuck on the hot seat again for something partly related to his 11/19/21 crime against NH. This crime was preventable if the executive council had stuck with their original 10/13/21 4-1 vote against taking the money and not quietly flipping it two weeks later.

Chuck posted on Facebook about his attendance at a law enforcement appreciation event in Keene yesterday and made another post about it today.

While it’s common, if not very popular, for candidates on our side to say “I back the blue,” both Chuck and Kelly need to go on record in answering the question “will you ever weaponize the green?”  Most local police wear blue uniforms, but the Gestapo, um I mean “state police,” wear green as do the game wardens.

In case you didn’t already know, the Damn Emperor ordered the unlawful arrests of his peaceful critics on 10/13/21, and I don’t know why it took me this long to think of it as an important post-stumping question.  Granite Staters deserve answers and assurance that another tyrant won’t occupy the Corner Office.  I still plan to ask Chuck about his 11/19/21 vote, but the next person to encounter him, preferably in front of recording devices or a large audience of witnesses, please ask him if he will pledge to never do what His Excellency did.  Don’t ask just for me; ask for the nine people arrested by officers who were “just following orders” at the police academy on 10/13/21.

The victims were tormented with 20 months of lawfare following that day until the charges were quietly dropped.

The Damn Emperor wants that shameful part of history banished to the dustbin of irrelevance as he rides off into his personal sunset.  Don’t let it happen.  And don’t ever think that what happened to the NH 9 can’t happen to you!

The post Chuck “Backs the Blue,” But Will he “Weaponize the Green?” appeared first on Granite Grok.

While I defended Tucker Carlson after his interview with Vladamir Putin, some of the other “Russia” coverage didn’t sit well. The trip to the supermarket reeked of propagandist posturing. It stank of Western elites and their love affair with Stalin’s Russia. Putin is a bad man. Look, groceries!

I think the interview was necessary, perhaps groundbreaking, and a great get for any journalist, especially for the ones who whined like babies because it wasn’t them. Many have interviewed strong men with violent reputations to the jealous applause of their peers, never working so hard to push them off a cliff afterward as they did Tucker Carlson.

He’s got the bigger audience, so that (no doubt) wrankles as well. An audience that lays claim to a sense of awareness about truth and media that others allegedly lack (but then don’t they all). And did they buy the supermarket schtick, or were they savvy enough to get it? Putin was never going to let Carlson report on post-Soviet-era living, poverty, police-state militarism, or any reality outside the one that would paint the best picture. This is Russia. Those vignettes were probably part of the deal. You will supplement the interview with reports from places the Russian government selected. You do this then we let you go home.

I’m sure many were savvy enough to see through it, including Tucker, though we never heard him say that (unless I missed it).

It is also safe to assume many were not savvy enough. To be fair, we’ve all tripped over or fallen for something. Wow, that is exactly what I wanted to hear: the affirmation, confirmation bias, and even edification—the desire to see reality align with one’s feelings or at least suspicions. Who doesn’t want that? It makes you smile a little at a time when cheer seems to be in short supply.

The corollary to that might be this hurts my political enemy, so it is my friend, the enemy being a person, project, party, idea, nation, or which way the toilet paper should scroll off the roll. Anyone who disagrees is trapped in an echo chamber.

Just be careful when talking about other people’s echo chambers that the sound you make is not coming from your own. There’s no avoiding this, by the way, but you can assure yourself if you are willing to admit it. On the opposite side, you don’t want to live your life trusting nothing and no one. That’s a tough row to hoe. It can make you bitter and resentful. Angry. It is best to be a happy warrior with a honed sense of skepticism about everything, including what you think you believe.

Did you buy the Russian Supermarket thing? Did you want to? Did you think there were hundreds of these sprawled across what passes for the once-oppressed Soviet landscape? Does it matter? You know there’s no democracy there. No Republic. Putin won the way Saddam Hussein did, and Ukraine is a lot like that now (or again), and regardless of the landscape, post-peace may stay that way.

Russia at least has fake elections; Ukraine doesn’t have any.

Is that a win for Putin or NATO? Was any of it? That depends on who you believe about the what, why, when, where, and how. The Ukrainian people didn’t win, though they might walk away, those that can still walk, with less territory but security concessions (and fewer secret CIA bases and Biolabs).

And maybe some Democracy, not that democracy is all that and a bag of chips. It’s a part of something better, but mob rule describes Russia and more than a few other places where freedom doesn’t exist as we understand it.

In the US, many of the same people whose meddling is responsible for the mess in Ukraine would like to get rid of Democracy here. They talk about it so much that you know they hate it. Democracy used to be about one person, one vote. These days, Democracy is about counting however many votes it takes to protect uniparty institutions and elevating them above the people so that when these same institutions have destroyed faith in Democracy, the people will look to them for some semblance of security and give up freedoms in the bargain. That’s a popular narrative in my echo chamber.

The urge to discard rights (usually someone else’s) in the interest of the appearance of stability is strong. Russia works that way. They have not shuffled off the totalitarian coil. So, Tucker’s sojourn looks like San Francisco before and after Xi came to town. A shithole spit-shined for a moment in time. Proof that the state can pretend to get things done for appearances but has no interest in it other than as a hobby. Tidying up for guests. It’s an illusion we can make into reality if we want to believe it badly enough.

Or is it a truth we refuse to believe? That’s the fun part—working out the difference while saddled with the likelihood that our stereotypes or echo chambers are filtering all of it to the detriment of further inquiry. And is that prejudice or discrimination? No, they are not the same thing.

 

Authors Note: When I started this, I had a different idea about where it was meant to go. It landed somewhere else, and not necessarily well, but I stopped trying to fix it. My apologies if I’ve left you wondering what my point was. There is some value in what’s here, just not the one I thought I was looking for, which, in the end, might be a better thing. 

The post Can We Know the Difference? appeared first on Granite Grok.