Well, here we are.

I’m an old guy.  I was born a couple of years before Ike Eisenhower was elected US President.  It was at the height of American power.  Eisenhower had fought the Nazis to surrender.  Our industrial power was unmatched in pounding out everything from slingshots, aircraft carriers, and to space weapons.

What happened?  Why did our heavy industry slide into oblivion?  This unprecedented industrial disappearance seems to mirror the rise of empty suits, the non-entities, directing our nation.  Today these non-entities, politicians with no real-world experience, solons who have spent their lives in DC, seem to have just one or two beliefs, are in charge.

I grew up in upstate New York.  And in those long-lost days, the NY governor was a guy named W. Averell Harriman.  This gentleman, a Democrat, was the special envoy of America during WWII and was a driven man who took actual stands on issues while drawing support across both aisles.  Today, NY is governed by another non-entity, a woman named Kathy Hochul.  She is part and parcel of the mob chorus which demonstrates how far we have fallen.  She loves open borders, illegal aliens, and demands we all acknowledge that infanticide is somehow related to a woman’s “health” and that woman’s choice to be “healthy” is only possible thanks to abortion. And Kathy hates guns.

We want to thank John Burtis 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.

 

When I was coming up, my old man collected Civil War revolvers and we’d shoot these black powder cap and ball revolvers at the rifle range.  Following this exciting excitement, we’d go to a diner with my old man toting a Navy Colt .36 with an ivory handle on his hip as naturally as the necktie he wore to trade commodities.  Today, a similar guy would be arrested and do hard time for such open insouciance.  Imagine, a businessman walking around with iron low on his hip while sporting khaki pants and a Lacoste polo shirt.  Nobody cared, and not a single social justice warrior used a discouraging word about those obvious micro aggressions.

Today, I happily live in New Hampshire, for which I consider myself extremely lucky.  From my home in the trees, I can see fellow travelers destroying our nation.  Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts just vetoed a bill that awards driver’s licenses to non-citizens in a shock to his supporters.  His veto was then overridden by the hapless legislature who are, again, making another bold step on the road to our destruction and helping to swamp us here with non-citizens voting for Biden’s, Pelosi’s, Hassan’s, and Kuster’s party.  And what a party it is, having spent tens of millions of dollars in unsuccessful attempts to destroy Donald Trump because, in simplest terms, he beat the long anointed Democrat Hillary Clinton fair and square in 2016.

In New Hampshire, we are “dealing” with Senator Maggie Hassan who is, as far as her communiques go, just a two-issue representative this year.  She has sent me two missives, one decrying the cost of prescriptions while our nation crumbles about us and the second, with Roe v. Wade having been found devoid of the constitutional protections it was supposed to have perpetuity because a number of justices had read the Constitution, that the “Magster” will continue to fight for those non-existent and non-enumerated rights while we burn.  Meanwhile, we’re being led to the growing bonfire of our clearly enumerated constitutional rights by an elderly fop who, when not vacationing at one of his homes, is happily tearing up and tossing the scraps of the first and second amendments into the growing conflagration.

Maggie Hassan has voted the straight Chuck Schumer-approved ticket, time after time, never even quantifying the growing inanity she supports with any sort of clearly elucidated position which could benefit us here in New Hampshire.  Chuck will say “jump” and Maggie Hassan doesn’t even ask how high anymore.  Nope, she’ll just toss off an “aye-aye, sir” as if she lives in a vacuum, and her votes for the laws girding our current horror are made as if they have no consequences.  They do and she is another fraud of a hoax or just an empty suit that we can ill afford.

I cannot find anything she has supported which does anything but constrain us, economically, politically and debase our GGod-given rights, which are so clearly defined in our Declaration of Independence and our marvelous Constitution.  Yet she remains our US Senator, coyly buoying up the faltering Biden regime, whose first family is wound as tightly and as surely as wires on a rotor coil wrapped around an iron core propelling the expensive e-cars Biden loves, to vast fortunes issuing from Red China.  Hunter Biden is no Rembrandt or Montague Dawson and that’s the joke of his operating this portal for seemingly endless far-Left riches “gifted” to him from billionaire Democrat cognoscenti  and oriental fat cats for his paint by numbers “art”.  As endless as his ability to churn out worthless pap in an honest market.

As Tom Wolfe put it so adroitly, “You’re either on the bus or you’re off.”  By her comments and votes, Maggie Hassan is firmly hugging a coveted seat on that unbalanced runaway Democrat-Biden bus hurtling toward our economic and political destruction.  The impending high-speed crash will signal the ruination of more American businesses, but those are the breaks when a congress of Democrats make an omellette.

The post Dealing with Maggie Hassan appeared first on Granite Grok.

First, it was the current Communications Director of the NH GOP. Now it is the former one: Maya Harvey. Like many of the NH GOP staffers, she jumped ship (like Joe Sweeney) in their efforts to grab the brass ring (as I have been putting it for YEARS) in riding a Federal campaign into The Swamp Congress on the back of their candidate.  This time, it’s Chuck Morse’s campaign.  From calling potential volunteers, influencers, and voters “Uneducated Rednecks” in Coos County, now a display of crassness by a staffer (and not the candidate), is this a “by any means”?

Just as there is a code among thieves, there is oft an unwritten code during campaigns that one will “step on” another for an advantage; just don’t make it blatant.  Like this:

This was sent to me today by a loyal reader.  I have no idea where this took place or when but it’s clear that it is Brig. General (Green Beret) Don Bolduc speaking talking about those soldiers that perished under his command via his orders. It’s clear that he isn’t using them for a political point – but pointing out that he will ALWAYS honor their sacrifice. So watch the “stepping all over”:

• At 0:03 of the video (3 seconds in) at about the mid-level of the frame to the right of the baby carriage. What appears to be red, white, and blue are signs.
• At 0:16, you can see a woman dressed in white and with what seems to be a camera around her neck (to the right of the man with that white hat and orangish polo shirt) sweeping into the frame from left to right.
• At 0:22 she stops at that “red, white, & blue”, picks it up, and reveals it to be two campaign signs for Chuck Morse (yes, hard to pick out but this was verified by an attendee) and starts to put them up behind Bolduc so as to upstage the speaker as he is speaking.

And just stands there, holding them up as Bolduc continues to speak. Tacky.

Look, a staffer’s job is to make sure that their candidate’s name is foremost in the minds of those in attendance at these political events.  The problem is HOW is your candidate going to be remembered? The people who attend these events this early (with respect that most peoples’ heads won’t get too wrapped around candidates until mid to late August) are watching EVERYTHING – what is said, what is the presentation, and what are the staffers are doing.

And yes, when I go to political events, I am watching EVERYTHING because the staff are representing the Candidate.  If they are acting badly, that will get around and reflect badly on the candidate EVEN if they are not allowed to actually speak to the attendees.

The person sending me this video was not impressed. It’s understood that this is an intensely competitive endeavor with big stakes at the end of the General Election. S/he has made it known that even with this small slight of a speaking candidate will be discussed with those that will ask that person “well, who do you like?”.

At this stage, some level of manners is still required – even if you “own” the NH GOP by dint of the number of former NH GOP staffers working for you.

UPDATE: A reader sent this in:

The incident with Maya Harvey was at the Summer Social that was held in Chester. This would have been the Saturday before Father’s Day.

Thanks!

 

The post Crassness? I Think This Is Called “Stepping on Your Opponent’s Speech”. Nice, Maya of the Chuck Morse Campaign appeared first on Granite Grok.

I had the pleasure of speaking from the main stage at Porcfest 2022, the biggest, sold-out Porcfest ever. My speech was about the history of Free Talk Live and the FBI’s obsession with the Free State Project, specifically agent Phil Christiana. Thank you to Dennis Pratt and the rest of the Porcfest crew for having me back!

Here’s the full speech and Q&A:

Thank you to Jim Babb for speaking out years ago and Rodger Paxton for laying the groundwork for having me back to Porcfest.

On June 21, 2022, The City held the public hearing for the 2023 Budget. Of course, the Mayor opened the meeting with a discussion on the budget and some significant tax impact issues facing the City.

Once such topic covered the August release of the new property assessments coming to property owners’ mailboxes and hitting their checkbooks soon. His Honor explained that the commercial property market values have under paced the rapidly rising residential housing market resulting in a shift in the tax burden. Residential and rental property owners will carry a higher tax burden and many will see their taxes increase. This shift hasn’t occurred in Nashua since 1992, the last time His Honor was Mayor.

This revaluation was ordered by the State after the 2018 property update because Nashua had data discrepancies that needed correcting. It has been almost 30 years since the last thorough property data review was completed; state guidelines recommend this review be done every nine years. This current revaluation is intended to address discrepancies and overall property data quality and assessment fairness.

State law requires property revaluation to be done at a maximum of every 5 years. In 2019, when the State ordered the City to a hearing in Concord, the City acknowledged the significant time lapse between the Nashua last Measure & List (1991). Attorney Bolton stated at the August 13, 2019 Board of Alderman Meeting, “But I did let them know that Nashua was considering and basically had plans to do a Full Measure & List for the tax year 2022. Frankly, this is something that I have recommended for approximately 2 years now.”

At Tuesday’s Budget Hearing, His Honor stated that if it were his choice, he would not be undertaking a property revaluation now. He blamed the state for this mess for ordering the 2022 update. Your Honor’s remarks were disingenuous, incredulous and just plain whiny. The Mayor backed the 2022 revaluation in 2018 as evident in Attorney Bolton’s statement to the BOA. His Honor recognizes that Nashua’s property equity had fallen 40% below market value, well below the state guidelines for revaluation.

 

 

Our fair weather Mayor flip-flops when the going gets tough. Our Assessing Office is a mess. His Honor’s lack of leadership and ownership of problems is why Nashua will never have a credible Assessing office or a Chief that can manage our properties with any real integrity.  This cut-and-run style of leadership and the political blame game isn’t good for Nashua. Let’s hope in our next election, Nashua has a Mayoral Candidate with integrity. Only then can we begin to correct our Assessing problems and create fairness in our tax base.

The post Mayor Donchess No Longer Supports the Vision Property Assessment Revaluation appeared first on Granite Grok.

The leadership of the NHGOP wasted no time, after the Supreme Court’s Dodds decision was finally released, to assure us that New Hampshire will continue to allow abortion, for any reason, for the first 24 weeks:

House Maj. Leader Jason Osborne: "While today’s ruling returning complete authority over abortion back to the states where it belongs is a great triumph for federalism, it does nothing to change the accessibility of these services in New Hampshire.” #nhpolitics

— Kevin Landrigan (@KlandriganUL) June 24, 2022

.@GovChrisSununu has predicable reaction: "Regardless of this Supreme Court decision, access to these services will continue to remain safe, accessible, and legal in New Hampshire." #nhpolitics

— Kevin Landrigan (@KlandriganUL) June 24, 2022

That will place New Hampshire on the far-left of the political spectrum. For example, Virginia Governor Youngkin told the Washington Post that he wants a ban on abortion after 15 weeks because that is the point an unborn baby can feel pain:

He said he would like to see abortion outlawed at the point at which a fetus feels pain, saying he believes that to be 15 weeks — similar to recent laws passed in Florida and Mississippi. Others have put the pain threshold at 20 weeks, he added, suggesting that might be a point of compromise between the Republican-controlled House of Delegates and Democratic-controlled Senate.

The 15 week threshold will likely become the “political center” as a number of States have banned or will soon ban abortion entirely:

Abortion is now banned in at least nine states, with trigger bans in several more set to take effect in the coming days. Laws in eight states took effect on Friday after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade. https://t.co/urnXjV1uNF pic.twitter.com/3pYUVKlmvA

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 24, 2022

While States on the other end of the political spectrum, like California, will allow abortion up to the instant of birth:

Abortion is legal in California.

It will remain that way.

I just signed a bill that makes our state a safe haven for women across the nation.

We will not cooperate with any states that attempt to prosecute women or doctors for receiving or providing reproductive care.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 24, 2022

So what is going to happen is that Leftists in States that ban or restrict abortion will move to the pro-abortion States. New Hampshire will be an attractive destination for those Leftists because States like California have been turned into dumps by decades of Democrat Party governance.

At the same time, people opposed to abortion who live in pro-abortion States, and that includes New Hampshire, will relocate to States that are not pro-abortion or at least less pro-abortion.

In other words, New Hampshire is going to get MORE “blue” as long as Sun-King Sununu and his minions keep New Hampshire well to the Left on the abortion-spectrum.

So why is this a good thing?

Because this country is nearly evenly divided into two halves that have virtually nothing in common with each other. I don’t want to rule over the half of the country that believes that aborting a nine-moth old unborn baby is “health care,” that believes BLM/Antifa riots are an acceptable form of political protest, and that believes that it is normal and acceptable to force people to inject experimental drugs into their bodies, even after those drugs have been shown to be useless, to name just a few examples. Nor do I want to rule over such people.

I just want us to peacefully go our separate ways. And, for the reasons I laid out above, I believe Dodds will, at least, nudge us in that direction by making “red” States redder and “blue” States “bluer.” In other words, Dodds will nudge us in the direction of peacefully splitting into two countries.

The post Dobbs Decision Means New Hampshire Will Get Bluer … And Why That’s A Good Thing appeared first on Granite Grok.

The conflicting visions he describes in the book are the constrained or tragic view of human nature and the unconstrained or utopian view. People with a more constrained view of the human condition see mankind as hopelessly flawed. They see inherent limits to human betterment. We might want to end war or poverty or racism, they say, but that’s probably not going to happen. Therefore, our focus should be on putting in place institutions and processes that help society deal with problems we’re never going to eradicate.

On the other side, you have the unconstrained or utopian view of human nature, which rejects the idea that there are limits to what humans can achieve. This is the belief that nothing is unattainable and no trade-offs are necessary. According to this perspective, by utilizing the proper amount of reason and willpower, we can not only manage problems like war, poverty, and racism but solve them entirely.

Depending on which view they embrace, Sowell explains why two people, similarly well-informed and similarly well-meaning, will reach opposite conclusions on a whole range of issues including taxes, rent control, school choice, military spending, and judicial activism.

When Kant said that from the “crooked timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made,” he was exhibiting the constrained view. When Rousseau said that “man is born free but everywhere is in chains,” he was voicing the unconstrained view. When Oliver Wendell Holmes said his job as a judge was to make sure the game is played according to the rules, whether he liked them or not, it was a constrained view. When Earl Warren said his job as a judge was to do what he thinks is right, regardless of the law, it was an unconstrained view. This is the philosophical framework that explains Sowell’s writings on almost any topic.

-Jason Riley (The Continuing Importance of Thomas Sowell [Hillsdale College Imprimus])

This insight tells us why, when we debate the other side, we MUST define terms/words used in such a debate. This process MUST highlight the differences between each side and then make the attempt to use the standard definitions of those words.  Example: gay now means homosexual and no longer, from the Flintstones cartoon, hilarity and fun as in “a gay old time!”. “CIS” is now the new term for what used to be called “straight” or heterosexual.

The list goes on and on and then graduates not only to other “new terms”, equity doesn’t mean what it used to and pronouns have become weaponized in the social justice politics to sow chaos into the debate.  By allowing the Left to continuously change the language, you lose. But that’s not the only part.

Riley correctly points out that your starting point MUST be established first before your Leftist “friend” sets the tableware.  Too often we have done the “polite route” – and by saying “after you”, you are what’s for dinner.

It is one thing to think nicely of others. The problem is that too many people AREN’T nice – all one has to do is study prison recidivism rates to see that there is a large percentage of the population that cannot be “elevated” and “improved”.  Fact is, you may become that statistic because you insist on “changing them” and not realize, in doing so, that you will be on their supper table – literally. They will take advantage of your niceness.

The unconstrained view never seems to want to see that their processes to forcefully “improve” us fail the majority of the time. They refuse to admit that their view of human behavior is flawed and will not work.

And like we saw this week with the two SCOTUS decisions on Second Amendment (NY City gun law) and Dobbs (abortion), how the Left doesn’t get that there is a whole bunch of us they don’t understand and refuse to acknowledge “you’re right”. And then they act like spoiled brats.

The post The intellectual orthagonal “plane” – the Constrained (Conservative) vs Unconstrained (Progressive/Socialist) Outlooks. Never the Twain Shall Meet appeared first on Granite Grok.

With Friday’s decision in Dobbs, the issue of abortion has now been returned entirely to the states. Despite what you may have heard, Granite Staters who oppose abortion should understand that, when it comes to abortion law, this decision changes nothing about our immediate situation in New Hampshire.

Early this year, Governor Sununu—despite his earlier promise to support a late-term abortion ban—unsuccessfully backed legislation which would have effectively destroyed our current six-month ban and returned New Hampshire to unlimited abortion up to birth. The Governor’s efforts to undermine these protections for the preborn nearly succeeded in the House.

In May, the Governor even used his veto power to protect anti-free speech “buffer zones” outside abortion clinics—even though he had promised in a signed letter that he would repeal the buffer zone law.

Recent polling shows that 62.2 percent of Granite Staters either support New Hampshire’s current six-month limit on abortion or want a more restrictive abortion ban. Yet the people’s views on abortion are, unfortunately, not at all reflected in the composition of our state government. In our state capitol, every Democrat and many Republicans now consistently vote to allow abortion for any reason until the moment of birth. Friday’s decision does nothing to change this unfortunate dynamic in New Hampshire.

This means that, in the area of state abortion law, our immediate priority must be consolidating our modest victories, repelling further attacks by Democrats and the Governor, and continuing the fight to protect children from being aborted weeks or days before birth.

Make no mistake, however: New Hampshire cannot be isolated from national politics. We expect Friday’s news will hasten political polarization around the country, including New Hampshire, and inflame the hateful totalitarianism which is threatening America’s constitutional order. We must also focus—more than ever—on the physical safety of pregnancy care centers and churches and, ultimately, on protecting the separation of powers and the rule of law. There is much work ahead.

However, despite the fact that the status of the pro-life in New Hampshire remains unchanged, Friday’s decision is a massive victory for the cause of the preborn. Because of the Supreme Court’s ruling, countless babies’ lives will be saved, and pro-life citizens across America now have a fighting chance to work to see state-sanctioned abortion ended in our nation. We give thanks to God for His great mercy in guiding the hearts of the six justices who voted to protect our country’s most vulnerable members.

The post Cornerstone Statement on Dobbs Decision appeared first on Granite Grok.

I have been under the impression that the New Hampshire Republican Party’s platform says that life begins at conception. I went to the website nh.gop to verify that because in light of the recent Dobbs decision overturning Roe and Casey, a Party that says it is opposed to abortion AND that has legislative majorities and also controls the Governor’s office should be expected to hold a special session to outlaw or at least further restrict abortions.

We believe that life is sacred, from conception to natural death and that we cannot diminish the value of one category of human life without diminishing the value of all human life.

I could not find the platform on nh.gop  (Added the link and the “plank” -Skip). Perhaps I am just not as tech-savvy as the presumably “young guns’ who maintain the website, or perhaps the Party is embarrassed by its owna predictablea predictable platform?

Assuming that the platform says about abortion what I have been under the impression it says … that is, that the NHGOP is opposed to abortion … then the NHGOP has some serious cognitive dissonance issues because its leaders are NOT opposed to abortion, as they quickly pointed out in response to Dobbs:

.@GovChrisSununu has predicable reaction: "Regardless of this Supreme Court decision, access to these services will continue to remain safe, accessible, and legal in New Hampshire." #nhpolitics

— Kevin Landrigan (@KlandriganUL) June 24, 2022

House Maj. Leader Jason Osborne: "While today’s ruling returning complete authority over abortion back to the states where it belongs is a great triumph for federalism, it does nothing to change the accessibility of these services in New Hampshire.” #nhpolitics

— Kevin Landrigan (@KlandriganUL) June 24, 2022

With Roe and Casey overturned by Dobbs, isn’t it time for the NHGOP to stop the charade that the Party is pro-life? Prior to Dobbs, the NHGOP “leaders” could say that their hands were tied by Roe, that the 24-week ban is as far as they could go under existing law, blah, blah, blah.

They can’t do that anymore. If they aren’t going to ban abortion, or at least move to a 15-week ban, such as Virginia Governor Youngkin has proposed in response to Dobbs, WHICH CLEARLY THEY ARE NOT … then stop the charade and change the platform so it no longer is pro-life.

The post Is It Time For The NHGOP To Stop The Hypocrisy On Abortion? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Are you going to impress your guests at your next party? Then why not try making a cheese board! This simple appetizer is sure to please everyone. Plus, it’s a great way to showcase some of your favorite cheeses. Here are a few tips on how to create the perfect bamboo cheeseboard.

 

Arranging the perfect cheese board isn’t that difficult. But to speak of a selection, you should offer at least four types of cheese. And so that it is also something for the eye, it is best to make sure that it is attractively decorated, maybe even lavishly. In any case, it should also be something to look at.

How much cheese do you need?

If you consider the cheese platter the “main course,” you should calculate around 170g to 200g of cheese per person. If the cheese platter is part of the buffet or intended as a dessert, approx. 80g to 120g of cheese per person. It is also quickly cut off a more significant piece.

How to place different kinds of cheese

To develop its full aroma, it is best to take it out of the fridge half an hour before serving. When arranging a mixed cheese boards with different intensities, you can follow a certain palate logic, which is what the textbook says. The mildest cheese is served “at midnight,” i.e., at the top. The more intense cheese then follows in a clockwise direction. It doesn’t matter to me at all. I only go by eye when arranging the cheese and the trimmings. Who knows the palate logic?

There are an incredible number of cheeses. You can get advice at the cheese counter and put something together with the seller. These professionals are very experienced and have always given me good advice. Maybe you even have a specialty cheese shop or delicatessen near you. Of course, you can always ask to taste a piece of cheese at the counter.

Cheese kinds Gruyère

(Made from cow’s milk): It is available in different stages of ripeness and also cave-matured. It is Swiss cheese, and the Gruyère Premier Cru variant has even won an award. This is one of the best cheeses in the world. Gruyère has the consistency of Parmesan and is ideal for the cheese platter, as you can snack on it with delicious grapes.

Cheddar

(Made of cow’s milk, pasteurized): “The Gouda Englands” goes well with bread and crackers, has a mildly spicy taste, and has excellent melting properties. If you have any leftovers, you can use them to gratinate.

Mimolette

(Made from cow’s milk, pasteurized): Unfortunately, it isn’t straightforward to get hold of, but the absolute eye-catcher on the cheese platter is its beautiful orange color. When you get it, it crowns every cheeseboard. Its consistency is relatively complex and slightly brittle, and the taste is mild. It comes in different levels of maturity.

Morbier

(Made from cow’s milk/raw milk): The plant ash layer that runs horizontally through the middle of the cheese is characteristic of it. It immediately melts in your mouth, tastes mild, delicately spicy, and is an absolute eye-catcher. Walnuts go particularly well with him, by the way.

Wildflower cheese

(Made of cow’s milk): It’s also pretty to look at and very delicious after the maturing period of approx. The cheese wheels are coated with delicate herbs and a flour mix for six weeks. This is how the essential oils of the herb-blossom mix are transferred to the cheese wheel. It gets its flowery aroma, and the edible rind underlines the taste experience in a particular way.

Serving cheese

There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to serving cheese for quests. 

 

• First, make sure to have a variety of cheese available. It’s a good idea to have both hard and soft cheese and a mix of mild and intense flavors. This will allow your guests to try something new or stick with a favorite. 
• Second, provide a variety of accompaniments. Bread, crackers, fruit, and nuts are all great options. This will help your guests to create their perfect bite. 
• Finally, don’t forget the wine! A glass of red or white is the perfect way to enjoy cheese. So, next time you’re hosting guests, keep these tips in mind and serve up a delicious spread of cheese.

So, there you have it – the perfect guide to serving cheese for quests! By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your guests are well-fed and happy. Do you have any questions about how to serve cheese for quests? Leave us a comment below, and we’ll be glad to help.

 

 

The post How to make cheese board by Royal Craft Wood appeared first on Granite Grok.

To those legislators who voted against the Parental Bill of Rights Legislation in New Hampshire, I will be here to remind you that you voted to deny parents important information about their children while they are in school.

You decided that hiding information from parents is important but those of us who supported this Bill knew that this would help parents identify inappropriate relationships with school personnel.

A parent is in the position of monitoring what is going on with a teacher or another employee who works in the school. By keeping parents informed about what is going on in the school with their child, they may be able to pick up on inappropriate relationships with school personnel.

Unfortunately, we had legislators who voted to keep parents in the dark so if a groomer is preying upon their child. That may not have been their intention, but if the information is hidden from parents, they will certainly not have the same opportunities to monitor a relationship that may be developing.

In this case, you can see that the Principal at this school groomed a child after there was a death in his family.

A Pennsylvania high school principal was arrested and faces more than 30 felony sex charges for an inappropriate sexual relationship he had with a male student over a seven-year period.

Roger Weaver Freed, 34, was charged Tuesday with 30 counts of indecent sexual contact with a student, one count of sexual assault, one count of aggravated indecent assault, one count of corruption of a minor and three misdemeanor counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor, according to court records.

The student told investigators that he first grew close to Freed after the death of a family member. He began to lean on the educator for emotional support and said “he trusted Free ‘like an older brother,’” the document states.

Their relationship soon grew to time outside of school, with Freed volunteering to give the student rides to various locations so they could have “one-on-one conversations.”

 

Groomers prey upon children and try to keep as much from parents as possible. Sadly parents in New Hampshire may miss an opportunity now to catch a predator.

Here is how the NH House members voted on this important legislation. It lost by a slim margin.

Keep in mind, that those who were NOT Excused for the vote, also failed parents by leaving the room so their vote wouldn’t be recorded.

The post To the OPPONENTS of the PARENTAL Bill of Rights: Sexual Grooming of Children Continues appeared first on Granite Grok.

Drag shows are sex shows. Everything about them is sexual fantasy mixed with the latest deviancy trend—fantasies for adults, who are entitled to them, but never for children. And now we’ve got another reason why.

 

[Dr. Ingrid] Thrall said there is a name for exposing someone to sexual material without their consent, and children qualify under this definition because they are not old enough to legally consent.

“It’s called visual sexual abuse, and it’s basically an exposure to adult sexual content involuntarily, not consenting, especially in young children because they’re so impressionable,” she said.

She added research has shown this exposure can cause issues later in life including addiction, depression and even aggressive sexual behavior.

 

Thrall notes that wanting to expose your children to different lifestyles with a goal of open-mindedness is not a bad thing. But most drag shows are too explicit and can cause long-term mental health issues for the child through adulthood. It’s just too much too soon.

 

“Correlation does not mean causation, but why would you want to take a chance if it has been suggested that in numerous cases it has caused dysfunction of some sorts in their adult lives?” Thrall said. “So I would like to educate parents on that piece, that your intent may be wonderful; however, this might not be appropriate for that age group.”

 

Walking upriver from the Left’s preferred culture usually gets you a paddle to the back of the head, so we’ll see how Dr. Thrall’s career or opinion fare in the coming weeks or years. She may be right, but when has that ever stopped the Left?

 

 

The post Expert Says Exposing Young Kids to “Child-Friendly” Drag Shows is a Form of Sexual Abuse appeared first on Granite Grok.

Elections have consequences, and although Trump only spent one term in the White House, his impact is immense. With the three Justices he put on the Supreme Court, he changed American life’s dynamics. As this SCOTUS term closes, the decisions are coming down with a definite Conservative tone. The Liberals are apoplectic. It’s a beautiful thing. The Supreme Court is why the Presidency is so essential. This week, three significant decisions handed down impact Education, the Second Amendment, and Roe Vs. Wade. All decisions align with Conservative principles. Donald Trump will be remembered for making the most dynamic change in the Court in our history. Democrats will forever vilify him for the same reason. There are three hot topics that rile up the Left if decisions do not go their way. Education, Gun Control, and Abortion and the Conservatives went three for three this week. Ironically, all three cases were decided on a pure interpretation of the Constitution as written, so you would think the decisions would be readily accepted. You would be wrong. The Left could hardly contain their rage. Nancy Pelosi came to the podium and tore into the Court, Republicans, and, of course, Donald Trump. Her face was contorted as she raged about the corruption of the Court by the Right and how women were damaged by the Court’s decision on Abortion. Nancy had little to say about school choice or the right to carry a weapon. But she ensured everyone knew that Abortion was now on the ballot in November. Shaking and red-faced, it was apparent the Court had gotten under her skin. President Biden spoke to the nation soon after the decision came down. It was hoped he would address the country as a unifier. He did not. Biden also went right for the throat of the Court and the Republicans who built the Conservative majority. Just like he is doing with the gas crisis, he assured the American public that he would do everything in his power to get Congress to pass laws to codify abortion rights for every woman in the country. Like the gas situation, we are assured that he will do nothing. We have lost 63 million unborn infants to abortion since Roe Vs. Wade. Twenty percent of all pregnancies today are terminated with abortion. That is a senseless and immoral waste of lives. We hear nothing from these hot-headed politicians who want to protect their votes but care little about the loss of life. Both Pelosi and Biden claim to be devout Catholics. That claim is a sham with their devotion to abortion. Pelosi has had her right to receive the Eucharist revoked by the Archbishop of San Francisco, and if the Church had a spine, they would banish them both from the Church. You cannot play both sides of the morality line without repercussions. Biden did in his final closing ask for peaceful demonstrations, but who will heed his request? Biden and AG Garland have been derelict in their duties to stop the protesting outside the Justices’ homes, and nobody will listen to them now. The group Ruth’s Revenge, or the Democratic Death-Cult, has already promised they will inflict pain and damage if Roe Vs. Wade is overturned. Who are we to doubt these vile individuals. I fear we are into another Summer of Love. Biden will do nothing to stop the carnage. Biden does nothing, period.

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Consistency can be a rare and precious jewel. Nowhere more so than with Sun-King Sununu, aka Chrissy-Abortion, aka Governor Groomer, who believes in “my body, my choice,” when it comes to abortion (which obviously involves, at some point, a third-party who gets no choice), but not when it comes to actual medical decisions:

Ideal candidate for Friday p.m. news dump (on a news day dominated by Roe vs. Wade): @GovChrisSununu vetoes bill to permit anyone to get Ivermectin without a prescription. Social conservatives will be livid at this one. #nhpoliticshttps://t.co/oV8YJX0tTj

— Kevin Landrigan (@KlandriganUL) June 24, 2022

 

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And I just loved the way that Commissioner Gary Kiedaisch tried to project that he’s both a victim while being an accuser. I’ll return to this in a bit.  First, the videos from the meeting. They are edited for time and issue and if anyone wants the entire meeting, I can provide that as well.

First up was the Call To Order, the Pledge, and then the Commisioners announcing that the Public Comment Session that is normally held at the end of the meeting was moved to the beginning. The complaint was made from last month’s meeting was that the public had to wait 5.5 hours until they could have their say (quite late).  Even with that, there was consternation by the public. Again, more on that when I make some general comments:

Next part of the Agenda was the financials presentation:

Next was the review of Capital Expenditure projects – and more than a little bit of money being spent. The first was concerning the main parking lot. Now just dirt, it is to be paved, lights put up, drainage, electric car charges, and the like. Consternation again as only one bid was received and that company used to have an employee on the GAC.

The others were the Stockade Lodge and the Cannonball water line reconstruction (the oldest one on the property):

Then, GAC Committee Reports: Legal, Snowsports, and Technology.

There’s a fourth one, the Audit Committee, but I’m still working on that one. And the second Public Comment session.  “Acrimonious” is a decent word to use and speaks, in part, to Kiedaisch.  And Rusty McLear’s outburst before the beginning of the meeting that I’ll talk about later.  Civility much?

This was the easy part and it should be easy to tell what is the elephant.  Next post will show it more fully.

 

 

 

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Well, we were promised more “mostly peaceful” protests if SCOTUS dared overturn Roe vs Wade. They did and fulfilling their promise “Jane’s Revenge”, a radical group of a radical movement called for “If Row can’t be safe neither can you”.  Sure enough, all those mostly peaceful protestors (aka terrorists) turned out, clashed with police in multiple cities, throwing fireworks, bottles, and other assorted items.  So much for “peaceful” but that’s what terrorists do, look for any excuse to create chaos.

In Cedar Rapids Iowa a mob attempted to stop a motorist driving a black pickup truck but the motorist was having none of it and continued at low speed which enraged, “peaceful protestors”  who attempted to stop her, beating her truck and hanging on its sides until she was able to clear these mobsters. One demonstrator, Lyz Lenz, gave a running series of events making the demonstrators sound like victims ( this was not the Christmas Parade terrorist assault) claiming the truck ran down two, but admitting “everyone seems okay,” One woman had her foot run over, the horror, get out of the road Lyz.

Here is some more video of the incident at the protest. Protestors are sharing the video and pictures with me. pic.twitter.com/1HWHqIasfQ

— Lyz Lenz (@lyzl) June 25, 2022

She summed up, ” It was terrifying”!  Imagine that, terrorists being terrified?

Jen Rubin hit the comment button telling her readers that now a State can “execute” a woman for having an abortion.  Scare tactics at their best (or worse) because everyone who is not a brain-dead zombie has to know most states ban executions of even serial killers. And here is the big lie, overturning Roe does not ban abortions it only sends the question back to the states to decide for themselves. We can be sure liberal states will see very little change while a small number (most likely) will ban them. The majority will put various regulations on them.

Can’t see any of this justifying rabid violent demonstrations anywhere. It’s up to cities’ elected officials to uphold their laws, and protect their citizens from violent terrorists. If these officials choose to condone or excuse terrorism, I’m not a lawyer, I believe they should be viewed as co-conspirators, removed from power, tried, and imprisoned.
Suggest none hold their breath though.

The post Night of Rage appeared first on Granite Grok.

The week of May 22, 2022, there were two mass firearm assaults. One in Uvalde, Texas I am sure you are all aware of: 19 children and 2 adults dead. The second, Charleston, West Virginia, you would probably never have heard of except for this editorial. It was far less noticeable because no one died, and that is precisely why they deserve comparison.

In both incidents, there was one gunman. Both gunmen chose the same weapon for their attack: an AR-15. Both gunmen are dead. One occurred outside, the other occurred inside, though in some regards it might as well have been outside, for many of the barriers were unlocked, or even open. The Texas gunman obtained his firearm legally. The West Virginia gunman obtained his firearm illegally. In Texas, the police arrived about 12 minutes into the incident and organized their response as the events played out. In West Virginia, the police arrived after the incident was over. The biggest difference was that in West Virginia there was an armed partygoer.

The party was a birthday and graduation party going on at an apartment complex attended by dozens of people. The gunman sped through the parking lot, and someone asked him to slow down because there were children around. He left and returned with his firearm, exited his vehicle, and opened fire on the partygoers. He didn’t count on one woman at the party being armed with a pistol. She shot and killed the gunman before anyone else was killed.

It is important to note here that the West Virginia gunman obtained his firearm illegally. He was a convicted felon. Laws do not, and never will stop crime. Laws only determine the penalty imposed on those convicted of committing crimes. Generally, the police do not prevent crime either, they arrive on the scene after the crime has begun, or been completed. Their job description is to investigate the crime and provide the evidence necessary to convict the criminal. Before the turn of the century (when there was an “assault weapons” ban) I was told by a person associated with a biker gang that, “It is faster, and easier, to get a gun illegally than legally. More expensive, but faster and easier.” I can put that in quotes because it burned into my brain at the time.

The only remedy to the mass firearm assaults is an armed citizenry. The schools must be reasonably hardened: one way in, many ways out, locked from the inside. The system must be verified multiple times per day. In some situations, it will be advisable to have the school guarded around the clock During the day, there must be multiple people inside armed and trained to deal with an assault on the school.

History has shown that “gun-free zones” have been, the preferred target (for example theatres and schools). This is because the gunman knows that armed resistance is less likely. Here’s a secret, outlaws don’t obey the law. Gun-free zones don’t stop the gunman. Anyone willing to die during, or as a consequence of, the assault won’t be deterred by the threat of a jail sentence. Gun-free zones only stop the person who might stop the assault. Gun-free zones ought to be eliminated, but must be made financially liable for anyone killed or injured by any assault that occurs within them. This must be the case whether the assault is committed using a firearm, knife, baseball bat, or any other tool. When schools are no longer attractive targets, the armed citizenry will be even more important because the targets will be even less predictable. Those that survive a mass firearm assault will likely do so because someone was there that was armed.

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

A couple of weeks ago was the monthly meeting of the BCRC where former NH State Representative (and has filed to run again) JR Hoell was the main speaker of the night.  His topic was his run-in with DCYF that, apparently, wanted to take his children away from him and his wife simply because he administered Ivermectin to his son.  It’s a bit of a harrowing story and knows that it isn’t over even though a Judge has ruled that nothing wrong was done.

Please note – unlike almost all other videos I put up, this HAS been edited for content at JR’s request. He made that clear during the meeting because of legal issues:

Stay tuned as this is not over.

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As a fifty-year resident of Laconia, N.H., I was shocked to read of the unsolvable bathroom issue at Laconia High School where all bathrooms have been locked and students must stand in line at the nurse’s station to relieve themselves.

I channeled Jonathan Swift of Gulliver Travels fame, the ultimate satirist, to obtain his thoughts. Mr. Swift dictated the following to me.

The Disney Company has taken Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse transgender. Mickey is now a girl, and Minnie Mouse is a boy. Pluto now thinks he is a cat. Donald and Daisy Duck are in the throes of deciding whether they are L, G, B, T, or Q. T AP reported that Donald told Daisy that he thinks Disneyland has gone “Quackers” so they must be Qs.

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

The UPI reports that, just like Laconia High School, Disneyland has been thunderstruck by a Bathroom Brouhaha. Disney’s President reports the issue is so complicated that the Board of Directors has been unable to resolve the issue for six months. The Fauci Flu provided some relief, so to speak, because of a pandemic closure that closed the Park and then reduced crowds.

With recent crowd surges, the brilliant minds of Disney decided to lock all bathrooms in the Magic Kingdom except the bathroom at Cinderella’s Castle. This unique solution led to an exciting, unexpected benefit ( consequence): Wait time for rides has been reduced from one hour to five minutes except for the Bathroom line at Cinderella’s Castle. Disney is covering up the length of lines and the wait time. As everyone knows imaginations run wild in the Magic Kingdom.

Drudge Reports has an exclusive that the confounded Disney Board has retained world-renown mediums to consult Walt Disney to solve the “Bathroom Brouhaha” enigma! Unfortunately, both Walt and Roy have been retained by the Heavenly Bodies to plan and erect a Galaxy Wonderland and Tour! Walt is so out of touch he texted he thought Joe Biden could solve the Bathroom Brouhaha and save Disney’s plummeting stock value from Chapter 11.

GOOD LUCK DISNEY!

The post Disneyland appeared first on Granite Grok.

If you were wondering whether New Hampshire was doing something right, this might help you find an answer. The State’s May Jobs data was just released, and unemployment is at a record low. But is it?

It’s easy to have low unemployment if you’re not counting people who are not looking for work. The simplest way around that attempted fraud is how many people are in the labor force. Those actively employed or looking for a job. In December 2019, amid a booming pre-pandemic economy, New Hampshire’s labor force was 757,710.

The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security report for May 2022 puts that number at 762,370.

We have more people looking or working than before the pandemic.

 

New Hampshire’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2022 was 2.1 percent. This was a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the April rate, which remained at 2.3 percent after revision. The May 2021 seasonally adjusted rate was 3.7 percent.

Seasonally adjusted estimates for May 2022 placed the number of employed residents at 746,090, an increase of 3,650 from the previous month and an increase of 17,150 from May 2021. The number of unemployed residents decreased by 1,220 over-the-month to 16,280. This was 11,460 fewer unemployed than in May 2021. From April 2022 to May 2022, the total labor force increased by 2,430 to 762,370. This was an increase of 5,690 New Hampshire residents from May 2021.

 

And it’s still an employee market. Employers across the Granite State are starving for workers and offering excellent starting wages, even entry-level positions. It’s an outlier given the other economic news and a pin in the bloated balloon of Lftied whining about the minimum wage.

The market sets the value based on skills or needs. Government meddling messes with that, more often than not, to harm the very people its advocates claim they will help.

New Hampshire is the only New England State (to the best of my knowledge) still using the federal minimum wage. I believe all of our liberal neighbors raised theirs to or above 10.00 an hour.

Here in New Hampshire, starting wages are up. Labor force participation is up and still growing. And the only real problem is Democrats and their meddling in DC.

But it is not a problem beyond our reach. November is coming. We could send a few folks who might vote for less meddling.

If we can find some.

 

The post New Hampshire Labor Force Exceeds Dec 2019 (Pre-Pandemic) Figures appeared first on Granite Grok.

Well, “President” Biden has, among other failings, created massive inflation and shortages of just about everything consumers want. High on this list is the cost of gas and oil which under President Trump gas was under $2.00 a gallon but now typically is $4.99.9.  All in the Left’s endeavor to force us to “go green”. In a perfect world, there would be some miracle discovery(s) that would make green energy both efficient and cost-effective but to date, after decades of trying, science has achieved only very modest improvements none of which so far comes even close to those of fossil fuels. That is just a fact but the Left never lets facts get in the way of their political agenda. So, Ole’ Slow Joe buys right into the “go green” narrative and is trying to kill our fossil fuel energy system with nothing comparable on hand with which to replace it.

Biden is, if nothing else, consistent. Everything he does or tries results in failures piled on with disasters. Not willing to accept blame or take responsibility, he claims the cost of oil is due to “Putin’s War” or the “Greedy Oil Companies”; anything except his (the Left’s) policies, mandates, and incompetents refusing to accept facts as facts.

Now what’s the plan? Begging the Arab oil producers to increase production (and thus sales to U.S. and Europe? Especially as Europe would be less dependent on Russian oil enabling them to put more pressure on Putin to stop his invasion of Ukraine? But also so that Joe doesn’t have to tap our national strategic oil reserves for the third time?

Apparently everyone except Biden is supposed to fix the problem that he has created. Chevron CEO Michael Wirth wrote a response to “the President’s” demand that the oil companies help solve the problem by refining more oil. The response told Biden that Chevron was currently refining more oil in its history and in a fact-laden narrative placed the problems blame right back in the President’s lap where it belonged. Biden’s sarcastic response was he didn’t know Wirth was so sensitive. I guess straight talk from someone who actually knows the facts threatens poor Ol’ Joe’s perspective of his self-worth?

Okay so summer is here (kind of)  but, so far, we have not become totally dependent on our A/C’s. Good thing because the latest news is our electric energy costs are going to double. Yup, that’s what the latest plan is that I recently read. Doesn’t sound good to me as here in NH we are already paying among the highest electricity rates of states for the stuff and, come November when heating oil/propane prices skyrocket, the two bills together are going to really really going to bite poor, retired and working families budgets. Even if you have a wood stove, unless you have the wood lot to supply yourself with, you can count on demand to drive up prices there, too. Can’t wait to hear Joe’s excuses for the coming winter sufferings that he and the Left will have bestowed on we poor and working citizens.

No doubt it will be someone else’s fault.

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