One of the many, many, many criticisms of Ron DeSantis’ disaster-of-a-campaign was that his social media “influencers” were obnoxious. This critique was spot on in New Hampshire. The three that I found particularly obnoxious were/are Jason Osborne, Ross Berry, and Melissa Blasek.

Particularly the nonstop regurgitation of the Left’s calumny that Trump voters are cultists, simpletons, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. They kept insisting over and over and over and over again that Republicans in New Hampshire are doomed … DOOMED … if Trump is on the ballot in November.

Well, it turns out the terrible threesome is as bad at prognosticating as they are at “influencing.” Trump was on the ballot in January and the NHGOP flipped two seats in Coos County. And this was despite Nikki Haley and her porky sidekick Chris “Sun-King” Sununu begging the “Undeclared” to take a GOP ballot and vote for High-Tax Haley AND the NH-Democrat-machine practically dragging Democrats to the polls to vote for that senile-pedophile, imposter-President Joe Biden.

The NHGOP victories in Coos were due to Trump bringing out voters that ONLY Trump can bring out. Voters that would stay home if some establishment weasel like High-Tax Haley were the nominee. Predictably, “Dearest Leader” Osborne took credit for Trump’s coattails.

The chutzpah of these people knows no limits:

The post Trump’s New Hampshire Coattails appeared first on Granite Grok.

• These are the most liberty-critical hearings for the week
• Click on the bill number to read the bill.
• Click on the committee name to email the committee your thoughts.

Of the 118 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 24 and opposition of 17 with 5 being of interest.
Of the 55 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 3 and opposition of 8 with 4 being of interest.

Position	Bill	Title	Committee	Day	Time	Room	State Analysis
Of Interest	HB1437	relative to the membership of the state board of education.	Education	Mon 1/29	1:30 PM	LOB Room 205-207	This bill changes the composition of the state board of education.
Oppose	HB1205	relative to women’s school sports.	Education	Mon 1/29	2:00 PM	LOB Room 205-207	This bill requires schools to designate athletics by sex and prohibits biological males from participating in female athletics. This bill further creates various causes of action based on violations of the provisions in the bill.
Oppose	HB1279	relative to payment by the state of a portion of retirement system contributions of political subdivision employers.	Finance	Mon 1/29	10:00 AM	LOB Room 210-211	This bill provides that the state shall pay 7.5 percent of contributions of retirement system employers other than the state for group I teachers and group II members.
Oppose	HB1508	requiring fiber optic communications service providers to prioritize service restoration for public safety and public health organizations.	Science, Technology and Energy	Mon 1/29	10:30 AM	LOB Room 302-304	This bill requires fiber optic communications providers to prioritize the restoration of communication and Internet access for critical infrastructure of public safety and public health organizations over commercial and residential customers.
Support	HB1576	relative to allowing property owners to opt out of public utilities.	Science, Technology and Energy	Mon 1/29	1:00 PM	LOB Room 302-304	This bill requires public utilities, cooperatives, and municipal corporations providing electric, gas, water, and sewer connection services to allow property owners or existing customers to decline service.
Support	HB1308	relative to parent access to children’s library records.	Children and Family Law	Tue 1/30	11:00 AM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill provides a parent or legal guardian with access to their minor child’s library records.
Of Interest	CACR25	relating to the rights of children and parents. Providing that parents and children have the right to control their health, education, and welfare.	Children and Family Law	Tue 1/30	1:15 PM	LOB Room 206-208	This constitutional amendment concurrent resolution amends the constitution to recognize the rights of children and parents to provide for the protection of their minor children.
Of Interest	CACR17	relating to the rights of parents. Providing that parents shall have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their minor children.	Children and Family Law	Tue 1/30	1:30 PM	LOB Room 206-208	This constitutional amendment concurrent resolution adds an amendment to the constitution stating that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their minor children.
Oppose	SB308	relative to the state minimum hourly rate.	Commerce	Tue 1/30	9:45 AM	SH Room 100	This bill provides for increases in the minimum hourly rate.
Support	HB1159	relative to toilet facilities provided by restaurants and other food establishments.	Commerce and Consumer Affairs	Tue 1/30	10:00 AM	LOB Room 305	This bill would require that restaurants designed to seat 50 or more patrons have at least 2 separate toilet rooms, and eliminates the requirement for separate bathrooms to be gender-specific.
Support	HB1090	repealing the requirement to register “farmers’ market” as a trade name.	Commerce and Consumer Affairs	Tue 1/30	11:00 AM	LOB Room 305	This bill repeals the prohibition against using the term “farmers’ market” in a trade name unless the use met specific requirements.
Of Interest	SB523	relative to the regulation of public school library materials.	Education	Tue 1/30	9:15 AM	LOB Room 101	This bill prohibits material that is obscene or harmful to minors in schools, requires vendors of school library materials to develop appropriate ratings, and creates a procedure for removal and cause of action.
Support	SB339	relative to repealing the graduation requirement regarding Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications.	Education	Tue 1/30	9:30 AM	LOB Room 101	This bill removes requirements that students file a free application for federal student aid form (FAFSA) or a waiver for such form prior to graduation, and removes all references to the FAFSA.
Support	HB1446	relative to eliminating the cost for electronic copies of the checklist.	Election Law	Tue 1/30	10:00 AM	LOB Room 306-308	This bill eliminates the cost for an electronic copy of the checklist that is emailed to the requestor but enables the town or city clerk and the secretary of state to charge a fee for electronic copies given on an external storage device.
Support	HB1313	relative to access to the voter checklist by candidates.	Election Law	Tue 1/30	11:30 AM	LOB Room 306-308	This bill enables municipalities to send a copy of the voter checklist electronically to candidates.
Oppose	HB1292	relative to coverage of children under the state retiree insurance plan.	Executive Departments and Administration	Tue 1/30	10:00 AM	LOB Room 210-211	This bill removes the requirement that young adult children covered under a retired state employee’s insurance plan be full-time students.
Support	HB1070	relative to procedures during a state of emergency.	Executive Departments and Administration	Tue 1/30	1:00 PM	LOB Room 210-211	This bill prohibits state employees from cooperating with the executive branch in suspending civil liberties during a declared state of emergency.
Oppose	SB460	establishing the crime of and penalties for unlawful use of unmanned aircraft systems.	Judiciary	Tue 1/30	1:30 PM	SH Room 100	This bill establishes the crime of and penalties for unlawful use of small unmanned aircraft systems (drones).
Support	SB578	relative to criminal pre-trial services and monitoring.	Judiciary	Tue 1/30	2:00 PM	SH Room 100	This bill prohibits criminal defendants on pre-trial release from being required to pay for pre-trial services or monitoring, including electronic monitoring, with the cost instead the be paid by the court where the defendant is charged or through appropriations to the agency performing the pretrial services and monitoring. This bill further requires the agency performing the pretrial services and monitoring to use the least restrictive interventions that are necessary unless otherwise ordered by the court.
Oppose	HB1218	relative to voting for municipal bonds.	Municipal and County Government	Tue 1/30	9:50 AM	LOB Room 301-303	This bill allows for the adoption of municipal bonds by a simple majority vote.
Oppose	HB1362	relative to authorizing municipalities to stabilize rent increases in rental housing.	Municipal and County Government	Tue 1/30	2:30 PM	LOB Room 301-303	This bill authorizes municipalities to enact and enforce rent stabilizing ordinances.
Support	HB1439	relative to vehicle registrations and reciprocal toll collection enforcement agreements.	Public Works and Highways	Tue 1/30	10:00 AM	LOB Room 201	This bill removes the authority of the commissioner of the department of transportation to suspend the motor vehicle registration of owners in violation of reciprocal toll collection enforcement agreements.
Oppose	HB1487	relative to the health effects of 5G technology.	Science, Technology and Energy	Tue 1/30	11:00 AM	LOB Room 302-304	This bill requires certain provisions around measurements of RF-radiation and notification of the effects of such radiation from 5G technology.
Oppose	HB1332	relative to prohibiting electric vehicles from parking in parking garages.	Transportation	Tue 1/30	11:00 AM	LOB Room 203	This bill prohibits the parking of electric vehicles in parking garages.
Oppose	HB1445	relative to electric bicycles, electric scooters, and electric unicycles.	Transportation	Tue 1/30	11:20 AM	LOB Room 203	This bill modifies the requirements for the operation of and equipment required for all classes of electric bicycles, requires the division of motor vehicles to develop procedures for the registration of electric bicycles, and requires that electric scooters and electric unicycles be regulated as motor vehicles.
Oppose	SB428	relative to the use of automated license plate readers by law enforcement officers.	Transportation	Tue 1/30	1:30 PM	LOB Room 101	This bill defines the appropriate use of automated license plate readers by law enforcement officers. The bill also makes an appropriation to the department of safety for digital automatic programming interface to connect data from the division of motor vehicles to the state police.
Oppose	HB1203	relative to prohibiting the charging of rent to charities by charitable gaming facilities.	Ways and Means	Tue 1/30	10:00 AM	LOB Room 202-204	This bill prohibits the charging of rent for facilities or equipment to charities by primary game operators.
Support	HB1346	relative to food service at a bed and breakfast.	Commerce and Consumer Affairs	Wed 1/31	10:00 AM	LOB Room 302-304	This bill permits bed and breakfasts to serve snacks and meals in addition to breakfast.
Support	HB1540	relative to the definitions of full course meals and full service restaurant for purposes of alcohol licensing.	Commerce and Consumer Affairs	Wed 1/31	11:00 AM	LOB Room 302-304	This bill revises the definition of full course meal and full service restaurant for purposes of alcohol licensing.
Support	HB1374	relative to liquor licenses for restaurants.	Commerce and Consumer Affairs	Wed 1/31	11:30 AM	LOB Room 302-304	This bill changes the sales requirements for food for on-premises beverage and liquor licenses.
Support	HB1271	relative to the conversion, combination, and reorganization of boards and advisory boards.	Executive Departments and Administration	Wed 1/31	10:45 AM	LOB Room 306-308	This bill, at the request of the office of professional licensure and certification: 1. Converts the board of acupuncture licensing into an advisory board and makes other amendments implementing this change. 2. Converts the board of family mediator certification into an advisory board and makes other amendments implementing this change. 3. Converts the guardian at litem board into an advisory board and makes other amendments implementing this change. 4. Converts the manufactured housing installations standards board into an advisory board and makes other amendments implementing this change. 5. Combines the advisory board of massage therapists with the advisory board of reflexology, structural integration, and Asian bodywork therapy and makes other amendments implementing this change. 6. Converts the midwifery council into an advisory council and makes other amendments implementing this change. 7. Converts the board of septic system evaluators into an advisory board and makes other amendments implementi
Oppose	SB406	relative to emergency housing assistance and making an appropriation therefor.	Health and Human Services	Wed 1/31	9:00 AM	SH Room 100	This bill directs the department of health and human services to establish a homelessness prevention pilot program, to be administered through municipalities and community action programs. The bill also makes an appropriation to the department of health and human services to assist municipalities in providing emergency housing assistance and preventing homelessness.
Of Interest	SB498	relative to the department of health and human services, division for children, youth and families.	Health and Human Services	Wed 1/31	9:30 AM	SH Room 100	This bill provides that under RSA 169-B, relative to delinquent children, and RSA 169-D, relative to children in need of services, a child may be placed with fictive kin or a child care institution, psychiatric residential treatment program, or other program certified by the department of health and human services.
Oppose	SB559	relative to the definition of vaccine for purposes of the New Hampshire vaccine association.	Health and Human Services	Wed 1/31	10:00 AM	SH Room 100	This bill revises the definition of vaccine for purposes of the New Hampshire vaccine association.
Support	HB1693	relative to the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes.	Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs	Wed 1/31	1:00 PM	LOB Room 210-211	This bill allows and regulates the use of psychedelics for certain qualifying medical conditions.
Support	HB1585	relative to medication administration by direct care staff in residential care facilities.	Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs	Wed 1/31	1:30 PM	LOB Room 210-211	This bill directs the department of health and human services, in consultation with the board of nursing, to adopt rules governing the administration of medication by direct care staff in residential care facilities.
Support	HB1010	relative to expanding maternity options and midwifery access.	Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs	Wed 1/31	2:30 PM	LOB Room 210-211	This bill provides that the midwifery council shall not adopt rules limiting care by a midwife based on the patient being pregnant with multiple fetuses, malpresentation of the fetus, the number of prior cesarean sections, or distance from a hospital.
Support	CACR12	relating to the definition of the word “cherish.” Providing that the 1784 word “cherish” shall be replaced by the 2024 word “cherish.”	Judiciary	Wed 1/31	9:00 AM	LOB Room 206-208	This constitutional amendment concurrent resolution reinserts the word “cherish”.
Oppose	HB1169	creating a private cause of action for discrimination based on hairstyles relative to a person’s ethnicity.	Judiciary	Wed 1/31	9:45 AM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill creates a private cause of action for discrimination based on hairstyles relative to a person’s ethnicity. This bill also exempts such causes of action from the jurisdiction of the human rights commission.
Support	HB1220	relative to abolishing the collection of racial and ancestral data for use in a marital application worksheet.	Judiciary	Wed 1/31	10:30 AM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill abolishes the collection of racial and ancestral data for use in a marital application worksheet.
Support	HB1245	relative to release of confidential records of a person appointed a guardian.	Judiciary	Wed 1/31	11:15 AM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill provides that a person appointed a guardian shall retain the right to access and consent to the release of his or her confidential records unless the terms of the appointment provide otherwise.
Oppose	HB1432	relative to prohibiting certain uses of artificial intelligence and creating a private claim of action.	Judiciary	Wed 1/31	1:00 PM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill: 1. Establishes the crime of fraudulent use of artificial intelligence and sets penalties therefor; 2. Establishes a cause of action for fraudulent use of artificial intelligence; 3. Establishes registration of lobbyists who have been found to have fraudulently used artificial intelligence in certain cases; 4. Establishes a mechanism for the enforcement of a ban on the fraudulent use of artificial intelligence in elections.
Oppose	SB315	relative to law enforcement agency reporting on information concerning bias crimes.	Judiciary	Wed 1/31	1:00 PM	SH Room 100	This bill requires a law enforcement agency operating within New Hampshire to collect and report information concerning bias crimes as prescribed by the division of state police.
Support	SB507	extending the time to petition for a new trial in certain cases.	Judiciary	Wed 1/31	1:15 PM	SH Room 100	This bill extends the time to petition a court for a new trial in certain cases.
Support	HB1475	relative to preventing strategic lawsuits against public participation.	Judiciary	Wed 1/31	1:45 PM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill establishes legal process for preventing strategic lawsuits against public participation (anti-SLAPP) as qualified immunity from suit, prosecution, and from liability for any defendant or counter-defendant in any action, case, claim, administrative proceeding, arbitration, or any other legal process that impacts their First Amendment rights.
Oppose	HB1037	relative to repealing limited liability for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition.	Judiciary	Wed 1/31	3:15 PM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill repeals the statute that provides limited liability to manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition.
Support	HB1343	prohibiting the use by the governor of emergency orders concerning elections procedures without the written consent of the majority and minority leaders of the house of representatives and senate.	Legislative Administration	Wed 1/31	10:00 AM	LOB Room 203	This bill requires the governor to get prior written or electronic approval from legislative majority and minority leaders to issue an emergency order concerning elections procedures.
Oppose	HB1208	relative to permitting requirements before timber harvesting operations in a wetland.	Resources, Recreation and Development	Wed 1/31	11:00 AM	LOB Room 305	This bill requires that persons or entities conducting timber harvesting operations in wetlands verify compliance with and maintain in their records all permitting documents required for the work being done.
Support	HB1209	relative to observers in motorboats.	Resources, Recreation and Development	Wed 1/31	1:00 PM	LOB Room 305	This bill provides that an observer is not required in a motorboat towing water skiers, aquaplanes, or similar devices, or while engaged in wake surfing, when the motorboat is equipped with a mirror allowing the operator to view the water skiers.
Oppose	HB1229	relative to the purchase and sale of any interest in real property abutting public waters.	Resources, Recreation and Development	Wed 1/31	2:00 PM	LOB Room 305	This bill requires buyers, lessees and transferees of shoreland property to acknowledge minimum requirements for compliance with the shoreland water quality protection act.
Support	CACR15	relating to taxation. Providing that a 2/3 vote is required to pass legislation imposing new or increased taxes or license fees, or to authorize the issuance of state bonds and providing that the general court shall appropriate funds for payment of interest and installments of principle of all state bonds.	Ways and Means	Wed 1/31	9:30 AM	LOB Room 202-204	This constitutional amendment concurrent resolution provides that a 2/3 vote of the house of representatives and the senate shall be required to pass a new tax or license fee or to increase any tax or license fee that has been levied, or to authorize the issuance of state bonds.
Of Interest	SB475	relative to design of a climate-controlled storage facility for the New Hampshire state library.	Capital Budget	Thu 2/1	10:00 AM	SH Room 103	This bill makes a capital appropriation to the department of natural and cultural resources toward the design of a climate-controlled storage facility to properly preserve precious state materials stored within the New Hampshire state library.
Of Interest	SB476	making a capital appropriation to the department of corrections toward the replacement of the New Hampshire state prison for men.	Capital Budget	Thu 2/1	10:15 AM	SH Room 103	This bill makes a bonded appropriation of funds for architectural, engineering, programming, and design and construction documents for the New Hampshire state prison for men.
Oppose	SB533	relative to physical quorums at public meetings.	Judiciary	Thu 2/1	10:00 AM	SH Room 100	This bill enables public bodies to allow one or more members of the body to participate in a meeting by electronic means.
Oppose	SB563	relative to federal immigration enforcement.	Judiciary	Thu 2/1	1:00 PM	SH Room 100	This bill prohibits state and local government entities from adopting sanctuary policies to prohibit or impede the enforcement of federal immigration law.
Of Interest	HB1050	relative to establishing a voluntary waiver of the right to purchase a firearm.	Criminal Justice and Public Safety	Fri 2/2	9:30 AM	LOB Room 202-204	This bill establishes the New Hampshire voluntary do not sell firearms list and prohibits the commercial sale or transfer of firearms to any person who voluntarily waives that person’s right to purchase a firearm and registers to be enrolled onto the list and sets out penalties for violations thereof. This bill further protects from public disclosure any governmental documents relating to the list.
Oppose	HB1336	relative to employees’ firearms in locked vehicles.	Criminal Justice and Public Safety	Fri 2/2	10:30 AM	LOB Room 202-204	This bill prohibits employers from inquiring into, searching for, or banning employee’s storage of firearms or ammunition in their locked vehicles and provides civil immunity to employers for any economic loss, injury, or death that results from an employer’s adherence to this law.
Support	HB1337	relative to the return of weapons and ammunition upon expiration of protective orders.	Criminal Justice and Public Safety	Fri 2/2	11:00 AM	LOB Room 202-204	This bill changes the burden to the plaintiff to file a request for a hearing prior to the expiration of a protective order or else any and all firearms, ammunition, or specified deadly weapons will be returned to the defendant. This bill further removes the prohibition that law enforcement agencies shall not release firearms, ammunition, or specified deadly weapons without a court order, and removes the authorization for law enforcement agencies to charge the defendant a fee for the storage of the firearms, ammunition, and specified deadly weapons. This bill further removes the subsection providing law enforcement agencies release from liability for damage or deterioration to the firearms, ammunition, or specified deadly weapons stored.
Oppose	HB1711	authorizing the state to report mental health data for firearms background check purposes and providing for processes for confiscation of firearms following certain mental health-related court proceedings and for relief from mental health-related firearms disabilities.	Criminal Justice and Public Safety	Fri 2/2	11:30 AM	LOB Room 202-204	This bill authorizes the state to report mental health data for firearms background check purposes and provides for processes for the confiscation of firearms following certain mental health-related court proceedings and for relief from mental health-related firearms disabilities.
Support	HB1701	relative to annulments of records related to involuntary commitments.	Criminal Justice and Public Safety	Fri 2/2	12:00 PM	LOB Room 202-204	This bill creates a process to annul records related to involuntary commitments to the state hospital or secure psychiatric unit.
Of Interest	HB1156	relative to public health, safety, and state sovereignty.	State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs	Fri 2/2	9:15 AM	LOB Room 206-208	This bill provides that the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization shall have no jurisdiction in New Hampshire.

The post Bill Hearings for Week of January 29, 2024 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Nearly eighty-thousand Granite Staters made time to get up and go out on a cold Tuesday morning – thankfully not bitter cold like Iowa – to scribble the name Joe Biden on a line at the end of a list of more than twenty actual candidates on the New Hampshire ballot. And what did they get for that?

They got this!

A VERY confused Joe Biden starts absolutely SCREAMING as he recounts the recycled “suckers and losers” hoax — slurring the entire way.

The man is NOT well. pic.twitter.com/4c7QRL5sr7

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 28, 2024

That’s their guy—happy, unifying Joe Biden. But not everyone who decided to write in on the Dem ballot wrote Biden. I took a look at all the write-ins reported by the Secretary of State, and keep in mind that this is the Democrat party ballot.

 

 

4,752 wrote in Nikki Haley, 2,071 for Donald Trump, 40 for Christie, 33 for Ron DeSantis, 2 for Vivek, 440 for RFK Jr., and 123 for Bernie. Cease Fire was an Andru Volinsky Gaza thing, and the scatter is illegible or otherwise uncountable marks. Much of that will be the undeclared pulling a blue ballot, but we’ve likely got our share of conscientious objectors.

None of which is as interesting to me as the 79,460 “folks” who voted to keep Biden in the Oval Office. And it’s not like they don’t have better candidates to choose from in their party; they do. They could have filled in the oval on the paper ballot for Dean Phillips (24,373 votes), Vermin Supreme, or Mark Greenstein. There were twenty-one other choices, with at least one or two viable nationally.

Nope. They want elder abuse and Alzheimer’s. So there he is, Dems. That’s your president. I hope you’re proud.

 

The post 79,460 NH Dems Wrote in Joe Biden And This is How He ‘Rewards’ Them appeared first on Granite Grok.

There are 276,262 registered Republicans in NH as of 12/28/23. The total number of Republican primary voters is reported to be 322,284, a 121% turnout. How was this possible? Assuming an 80% registered Republican turnout, I estimate that 109,000 non-Republicans crossed over on election day to tip the scales!

What would have happened if the primary was closed to only registered Republicans? Assuming a high turnout of about 80%, there would have been about 213,000 cast. (FYI, Democrat turnout was 120,851, approximately 46% of the 262,262 registered Democrats). Now, according to CNN’s exit poll (hardly a Trump-supporting organization), Trump received 70% of the votes of registered Republicans, while Haley won only 27% of the Republican vote, far less than her 43% official total. I am providing a link to a news story confirming these numbers.

It should be noted that not all of the undeclared who became Republicans for a day voted for Haley. If you assume that Trump received 70% of the votes from an 80% registered Republican turnout, his vote tally would be about 149,700. Trump’s actual final vote tally was 175,153. This means that Trump got about 25,400 of those crossover votes. The good news is that those votes will be there for Trump in November.

Using the same approach for Haley, 27% of 80% of 267,262, her vote tally would have been 57,700. Trump would have crushed her except for the 81,900 cross-overs that voted for her. The real difference being that next to none of those voters will be there for her in November.

Thanks to a great NH Republican turnout and with the help of patriotic Undeclareds, Trump won the primary and the Uniparty was defeated. The shame is that Trump had to spend more time, effort and money than he should have needed and he received less Republican delegates than he deserved. This primary result also allows the farce of a two-person race to continue keeping Trump from focusing all his energies on defeating the regime hell-bent on destroying America.

I have voiced my displeasure with the open primary system to the Republican Party and have been told they wish to maintain the status-quo in order to appear to be a welcoming party to potential recruits. I reject that reasoning. The Republican party has been around for a long time and our party platform is written for all to see. If a person can’t make the small effort to get on board, keeping an open primary in the hopes of recruiting a few new members isn’t worth the price we, and America, just paid.

NH Republicans, we’ve seen enough, close the damn primary!

The post NH Republicans: We’ve Seen Enough, Close the Primary! appeared first on Granite Grok.

President Biden and his Administration have left Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the Southern border. Instead of upholding the rule of law and securing the border, the Biden Administration attacked and sued Texas for stepping up to protect US citizens from historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists entering our country.

NH Republican Congressional Candidate, District 2, Lily Tang Williams, said:

“I stand with Governor Greg Abbott and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy to secure the border. Because the Biden Administration abdicated its constitutional compact duties to the states, Texas has the right to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation.”

“The southern border is a complete disaster, and my opponent Ann Kuster is supporting President Biden’s undemocratic subversion of the rule of law, which is condescending to the American people and the US Congress. It is just another example of Anne Kuster towing the Democratic party line instead of focusing on what’s good for New Hampshire and the nation.”

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

Lily Tang Williams is a Chinese-American who survived Mao’s Cultural Revolution. She came to the U.S. legally in 1988. She has offered her immigration policy on her website, www.lilytangwilliams.com. Moreover, considering that Texas has 28 legal ports of entry, her policy also includes a solution to illegal immigration:

“Border security is essential for our national security. We must enforce current laws, build necessary barriers to stop drug smuggling, human trafficking, and prevent people who want to harm us from entering our country. Without a border, we do not have a country.”

“To streamline the process and encourage people only to come here legally, those who insist on crossing the border illegally should be detained, identified, and sent back. Thus, the practice of crossing our borders illegally, then immediately claiming sanctuary to somehow sanitize coming here illegally, must end; no more catch and release.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Weare, New Hampshire
January 26, 2024
Contact: Richard Zang <Richard.Zang@unh.edu>

The post Lily Tang Williams Statement Supporting Texas Governor Greg Abbott appeared first on Granite Grok.

The radical Democrats wish to transform our State fundamentally. They have always dreamt of making the great State of Texas into another California. But we cannot let that happen.

Throughout history, Texas has been defined by a bold, tenacious spirit and brave, unabashed figures. However, recent years have seen a resurgence of Democratic influence, which could transform Texas into another California.

Historically, the state has witnessed significant transitions over the years. It was a Democratic stronghold but gradually aligned with the Republican Party in the mid-twentieth century. Various factors influenced the shift from Democratic to Republican dominance in Texas. The Texas Democratic Party was divided into liberal and conservative factions over race, civil rights, New Deal economic policies, and anti-communism. As many Texans became alienated from a national Democratic Party that was shifting to the left, the long-dormant state Republican Party began to revive in the 1960s.

Today, Texas is considered an essential Republican state. Still, with deliberate changes in demography coupled with frauds perpetuated as and when necessary, this is, at least by the book, going to change Blue. This is not a resurgence of a Democrat influence in Texas as it is made out to be. This is not a transformation, and the change has to be seen as undesirable by the original Texan populace, who fear the potential for increased taxes, labor regulations, and environmental policies that are perceived to stifle economic growth.

It is in our unity and shared understanding of the unfolding events that Texas is likely to retain its distinct identity. The battle between conservative and liberal ideologies in Texas is not just about party politics but reflects deeper societal values and beliefs. It is a contestation over the state’s future direction – whether Texas will hold onto its conservative roots or embrace a liberal path. This is, indeed, a political tug-of-war but not one that should be a testament to the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of democracy.

Undeniably, we are in the most critical fight of our lives. We can only stop this social cataclysm from eradicating our way of life with our activism. The fact of the matter is that we are living in precarious times. Our society stands at a crossroads, and our actions, or lack thereof, will determine our path.

Activism, in this context, is not merely about protesting against unfavorable conditions but about striving to create meaningful change. It involves recognizing and challenging the instruments of governance that perpetuate precarity. It is about refusing to allow ourselves to be divided and exploited to protect some against the threatening others.

The post Night Cap: State Transformations and the Role of Activism appeared first on Granite Grok.

The situation in Augusta has gone from ridiculous to bizarre. The Liberals who have the power at the moment are grasping their minute in the spotlight and trying to jam as much “garbage legislation” through the system as they can before they get booted out of office.

They are hitting all of the hot-button topics like immigration, guns, trans, and marijuana, but with Democrats, you can always count on them circling back to abortion. Nothing stirs up the Liberal base like abortion. You can disguise it and call it Reproductive Rights, but it is abortion; the killing of an unwanted fetus because it is not convenient to your lifestyle.

The Democrats passed the most Liberal abortion law this past fall, but they are not satisfied that the law will hold up. So, in this legislative session, the Democrats will work to codify abortion by putting the right to abortion in the Maine Constitution. That way, when Maine comes to its senses and boots these Democrats out of office, abortion rights will survive.

Democrat Aaron Frey proposed the amendment to Maine’s state constitution on Monday, claiming it would enshrine the right to abortion and apply to ‘persons who have uteruses.’ ‘The ability to carry a child belongs to that person who has a womb. I understand that there are others who believe they know better than the person who has the womb as to how they should use it,’ Frey said.

Brilliant, Mr. Frey. Don’t narrow the conversation about pregnancy and abortion to women. You move to the front of the WOKE class by making sure you include trans men who have a uterus because God gave it to them when he created them as a woman. It is simply amazing how Democrats have a problem with the term woman. This goes back to the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson, who could not answer the question, “What is a woman.”

Social Media exploded with criticism of Frey’s comments. Some of the reactions:

One comment reads: ‘We are women. You are NOT allowed to take that from us!’
Another says: ‘Living here is becoming more and more like Funny Farm every day. Actually, it’s moving toward One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest territory.’
A third added: ‘Why is Maine trying to be a joke?’

Maine is a dichotomy between the liberal-filled cities and legislature and the conservative rural regions. The Liberals have clawed their way to power, but they realize it is tenuous. They can feel the pendulum moving in the other direction, and they may be only one election cycle from the minority.

PACS like The Dinner Table is growing exponentially, and every time there is a bizarre play by the Democrats in Augusta, their membership grows. It is a similar scenario with Trump, who had a very poignant comment a few weeks ago that he was one indictment away from the White House. One thing the Democrats have yet to grasp is the Republicans rally around their own when attacked. The Dems are in attack mode and may pay the price for that play.

The post Bear Pond Conservative Chronicle: Come On Maine, Where Are These People From appeared first on Granite Grok.

Over the past few weeks, the situation has escalated far beyond any level we've seen in our lifetimes. The Biden administration has allowed the southern border to remain very open, a policy that the people of Texas and their government do not support. After Texas put razor wire along areas of its southern border to deter illegal immigration, DC politicians were infuriated by the act of defiance. 

The post Texas Border Crisis – Civil War Or Peaceful Secession; There May Be No Third Option appeared first on The Liberty Block.

Remember how fun it was in grade school playing the game of musical chairs? You’d circle around the chairs to music and when the music stopped everyone had to grab a chair.  But, they were one short. Out went the kid who didn’t get the seat. It was a frantic, fun game that honed kids’ listening, social and problem-solving skills.

The Nashua Board of Aldermen engaged in that game in their chamber recently. The Board of Alderman gallery had a press table in the back.  We all remember the time when press was attending governmental meetings and then, once COVID hit, the press was gone. Nashua’s press table, which had two seats, was sadly empty.

As often a lone attendee at Board of Alderman meetings, typically, I’d bring my computer to sit at the unoccupied press table, work, capture my thoughts, and sometimes contribute to public comment. I’m not a popular person with my city government, so they became irritated.

Initially, I was asked not to sit there. When I questioned the Board President on why that would be a problem, she explained it was a press table and I was not press. The idea that nobody was sitting there did not resonate with her. She was having none of that!

Ignoring the silly comment, I came to the next meeting and sat at the unoccupied press table. I received glaring looks of disapproval and frustration from the Board.

At the next meeting, the two chairs were removed, and only the “press” table remained. The game of musical chairs had begun.

As a woman who knows how to fix a problem, I inquired about the chairs and unsurprisingly learned that the Board President requested the chairs be taken away.

As a creative problem-solver, likely honed from my elementary school musical chairs days, I took a chair from the hallway right outside the chamber and carried it into the gallery, quietly placed it at the table and took my seat. Whoa, I had crossed the line! The President and others moved beyond glares and verbalized their disapproval of my boldness.

All of this was giving me a chuckle. How silly! How childish! But musical chairs is a child’s game.

Well, at the next meeting, the Board of Aldermen upped their game. Not only would the chairs remain missing at the ‘press’ table but the chairs at the public table in the hallway were mysteriously missing as well. The President harshly verbalized that if you’re not a member of the press, you cannot sit at the press table. Mind you, it was never labeled a press table. 

In a brief history, Nashua had a senior woman in her 80s who came to meetings for years and sat at that table when the press wasn’t there. She was a terrific participant in her local government. Would the Board President object if the Mayor had wanted to sit at the table?

As a creative problem-solver, at the next meeting, I carried my own chair to the chamber, quietly unfolded it at the back “press” table, took a seat with my computer, and began my listening and working. That earned me a harsh tongue-lashing for my bold and brazen move and “lack of decorum” in the chamber. They hollered, “you’re not ‘the press’. YOU can’t sit at that table”.

Again, as a creative problem-solver, I reached out to Granite Grok to request a press pass as I’ve written articles for the paper. Alas, I would have those essential and critical press credentials necessary to entitle me to a seat at the “press table”. I sent a letter to the Board of Alderman, I was official, I had a press pass. The table’s official use had been restored!

Excited, I appeared at the next meeting with my press badge prominently displayed. But the Board President and Alderman one-upped me. This time, they removed the table! And the space in the back was now an empty hole.

The adrenaline-fun-filled game of musical chairs in Nashua had ended. I lost—a fitting ending illustrating the Board’s welcoming of the public. Corporation Counsel for Nashua announced he might like to put a legal library in that back area. This never came to fruition. Perhaps a few books on 1st Amendment Rights and the Right to Know Law might be helpful in the gallery of the Board of Aldermen chamber.

Pay attention to your local governments. Sometimes, they’re really a hoot.

The post Musical Chairs appeared first on Granite Grok.

I’ve been telling stories to my grandkids since they were born.  They’re always the main characters in the stories.

In one story, they captured a ghost, which they were exploiting for money (e.g., by putting it on television shows). They kept the ghost in a Ziplock bag.

The group PETS (People for the Ethical Treatment of Spirits) responded to this by obtaining a court order to ‘release the ghost from the bag.’

Hoping to teach them something about the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law, I had planned to surprise them by saying that they let the ghost out of the bag… inside a larger bag.

But the older one beat me to it.  She literally said:  ‘I know — we open it inside a bigger bag!’

She was four years old at the time.

I was reminded of this recently because — as many of you know — Texas has been putting razor wire in the Rio Grande to stop the influx of illegal immigrants across its border.

And SCOTUS has said that the US Border Patrol can cut the wire.

But what SCOTUS didn’t say was that Texas can’t keep replacing the wire that gets cut!

So, as far as I know, that’s the plan:  let the Border Patrol cut the wire (so the state is not ‘defying the Supreme Court’, as many have claimed), then replace it with new wire.  Repeat as necessary.

So this is the state of things in our country:  We have seventy-year-old judges ‘interpreting’ the law by issuing orders that even four-year-old children could see how to get around.

I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

The post Texas: The Art of the Loophole appeared first on Granite Grok.

Jeff Chidester, Mike Rogers, and I had our share of time to fill on radio row – with opinion, commentary, speculation, and observation. Events like the First in the Nation Primary are opportunities to leverage those debates, hopefully with people aspiring to run the country, but do they even know what the nation needs?

A recent Rasmussen poll suggests that what Angelo Codevilla documented in 2014 was no better and perhaps worse today than ten years prior. Codevilla called it the Ruling Class and the Country Class. Pundits referencing the Rasmussen poll are more succinct, but there is no difference between the two. It’s US vs Them.

Among the 1,000 elites surveyed, 73% of the elites were Democrats, and 14% were Republicans. The study also examined adults who attended either Ivy League colleges or “elite private schools, including Northwestern, Duke, Stanford, and the University of Chicago.”

Jeff, Mike, and I discuss this below, but first, a few more snippets.

• Financial Well-being: Nearly three-quarters of the elites surveyed believe they are better off now financially than they were when Joe Biden entered the White House. Less than 20% of ordinary Americans feel the same way.
• Individual Freedom: Elites are three times more likely than all Americans to say there is too much individual freedom in the country. Astonishingly, almost half of the elites and almost 6 of 10 ivy leaguers say there is too much freedom.
• Climate Change: An astonishing 72% of the elites — including 81% of the elites who graduated from the top universities — favor banning gas cars. The majority of elites would ban gas stoves, nonessential air travel, SUVs, and private air conditioning. That means no air travel with the kids to Disney World.
• Education: Most elites think that teachers unions and school administrators should control the agenda of schools. Most mainstream Americans think that parents should make these decisions.

The people who would rule us have no clue what it is like for those I’ve often referred to as the peasants, and based on this poll, I’d say from the perspective of the elites, I’ve got their interpretation correct. Here are a few minutes of that conversation (recorded Jan 21st – Manchester, New Hampshire).

Please subscribe to our Rumble Channel.

 

!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/u359331"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");

Rumble("play", {"video":"v46tx60","div":"rumble_v46tx60"});

The post US vs Them and the 2024 Presidential Primary appeared first on Granite Grok.

Austin’s border militarization is wrong; so is U.S. interference. NH should divorce both governments.

(Above) New Hampshire independence advocates rally before a hearing on secession legislation (Photo by Joa Orga).

In a memorable sci-fi moment, elderly politician Chrisjen Avasarala warns interstellar envoy James Holden of danger. She expects a murderous local faction will try and get him on their side. “Do not,” she says, “put your dick in it.”

Those of us in America who advocate a “national divorce” should consider her advice – and historical precedent – before we “jump to the side…of Austin’s aPARtheid.” Every state and empire involved with this ugly confrontation will lie, steal, cheat and at least occasionally kill. That’s what states and empires do, even when they’re not trying to build the next Berlin Wall or accrue millions of destitute migrants at taxpayer expense. So how should Concord react? How should secession advocates react? It, and we, should let the non-aggression principle be the guide.

Within the limits of practicality, we should:

– Support the human rights, of every member, of every party, to this conflict.
– Oppose every act of aggression committed by every member of every party to this conflict.

Ignore the faction; focus on the action.

So what aggressive misdeeds have been committed? Well, walking to Texas from Mexico without papers…is not an act of aggression. Making taxpayers help or harm migrants *is* an act aggression. Both D.C. and Austin have committed both acts.

1) Washington made this showdown possible by using income taxation to seize the earnings of Texans. It then redistributed some of the stolen property to so-called “illegals,” artificially increasing the number of migrants and creating more resentment toward them. It has actively fostered immigration problems. Where in the U.S. Constitution is such a redistribution of wealth to immigrants authorized? Even if authorized, would it be right?
2) Where, in its constitution, is D.C. empowered to prevent Texans – even Texas goons – from restricting immigration themselves? To restrict Texas citizens from owning or acquiring certain firearms they may deem useful for self defense in a time of crisis? How many hundreds of pages of gun laws does D.C. impose on Texas?
3) Where is D.C. empowered to make New Hampshire taxpayers underwrite its actions against Austin? To tax New Hampshirites and give their money to random immigrants?
4) Has everyone forgotten the extent to which D.C. has destabilized Latin American countries over the years, including the 2009 coup in Honduras?
5) Should D.C. be allowed to get away with its pause on Texas natgas permits? Do these constitute economic sanctions which would raise prices in New Hampshire?
6) If D.C. doesn’t follow its constitution, why does Austin have to follow it? Why does New Hampshire?

Having raised these concerns:

A) The Texas government’s attempt to militarize part of its border with Mexico is an act of aggression against the many Texas taxpayers who disagree with such measures. It is also an abuse of migrants who wish to exercise the inalienable (if not yet recognized) human right to travel on public roads without government permission.
B) Austin imposes some gun control of its own on Texas. This limits the ability of Texans – and migrants – to exercise legit self defense against violent criminals. Like Kiev, Austin has experienced a rush of brains to the head on this matter and gun laws there have generally been loosening.
C) Austin, at least on occasion or by accident…does direct some welfare payments to undocumented migrants.
D) State sovereignty is desirable as a hedge against Washington, its over-taxation, its no-win wars. But Texas’ rulers have picked a dirty issue upon which to make their stand for such sovereignty. This issue likely won’t stand the test of time. If the trends of the last 500 years continue, by 2100 it will be widely understood that no human being – or sentient being – is “illegal.” It will become obvious that no peaceable person or person-equivalent should be told which region of the earth they may visit…that none should be forced to get permission from an earthly nation-state before they can travel. Those alive today who hold the popular view favoring guarded borders and travel papers….will likely be regarded like slavers or Jim Crow enforcers. In 1860 it was a commonly-held belief in the United States…that one human being should be able to enslave another based on ethnicity. Now it is a commonly-held belief that one human being should be able to severely restrict the movements of another based on nationality and “papers.” The two beliefs are not wildly different. Someday those who hold the second belief will probably be almost as disgraced as the slavers of 1860.
E) Since 1865, Austin has tamely acquiesced in nearly every Unionist genocide and torture chamber spree, from Wounded Knee to Bagram Air base. But it’s going to make a stand over..not being able to build its own border police state at taxpayer expense? Is there some reason Austin can’t just get out of the way, letting private citizens defend property or aid immigrants as they see fit in accordance with common rules of decency?
F) Arguably, constitutionally…Austin was correct in the 1860s when it claimed Washington had little authority to keep Texas in the union. Other states supported Austin’s position. But the stain of slavery blotted out all.
G) Arguably, constitutionally, Austin was correct in the 1960s when it claimed that D.C. had little authority to enforce the Civil Rights Act. Other states supported Austin’s position. But the stain of segregation blotted out all.
H) And arguably, constitutionally, Austin is correct in the 2020s when it claims D.C. has little authority to prevent local immigration control. Other states are supporting Austin’s position.. But the stain of border militarism may, in its turn, blot out all.

The most regrettable misdeed hasn’t been committed yet. That would be the use of deadly force by Austin against D.C.’s enforcers…even in “self defense.” Any such act of political violence by Texans during this standoff…would be an inexcusable breach of everything Dr. King – and to some extent Texit leader Daniel Miller – have taught the world in the last century: An autonomy-minded region’s chances of political success against established central government…drops by 3x if the autonomists start using deadly force. Washington understands this, and there is probably some risk of a false flag event where D.C. attacks itself and makes it look like the Texans did it.  Maybe now is a chance for Texit folks to play some constructive or mediative role reducing tensions between Austin and Washington…so that their peaceable secession drive can continue in an orderly way.

During the 19th century, New Hampshire had a nonviolent independence movement which opposed both the expansionist wars of the Union…and slaver cruelty of the South. This movement was mostly forgotten, because the secession “success” of Southern slavers damaged all subsequent efforts at full independence for the states. But what if New Hampshire had declared independence in 1850 to protest slavery? Or the invasion of Mexico? Or all the Federal abuses at once? What if it at least had put secession to a vote? Setting that example might have kept independence alive through the decades as an active possibility for the states, disconnected from the taint of Fort Sumter and Confederacy.

NH has the ability to set such an example, and we have done it. In 2022, NHexit put legislation in front of the whole State House which would have let all New Hampshirites vote in a referendum on independence. In 2024, we brought almost exactly the same legislation forward and it made it into a Newsweek cover story. We do these things to show how plays for autonomy can be orderly, clean and even friendly. We do them to mainstream secession as Quebec and Scotland have done. But mainstream or not, New Hampshire independence is the root-striking answer to all grievances outlined above. We don’t belong in the same empire with D.C. and its on-again-off-again manipulation of migrants as political cannon fodder. We don’t belong in the same empire with Texas and its razor wire.

When India left the British Empire, no one imagined the two would part peaceably and that over 70 years of happy relations would follow. But that is what occurred. So it can be with New Hampshire and the increasingly troubled states of this continent. Change is coming fast. Once we are disentangled from our unhappy marriage with Austin and D.C., we can finally have a shot at normal friendly relations with both.

Michelle Obama once said, “If They go low, we’ll go high.” So what does the Democrat’s favorite First Lady have to say about the Biden/Harris Administration putting their reelection campaign on a one-horse pony: abortion? Silence. The Obamas are sending mixed signals on the 2024 election.

They are making suggestions to the Bidens and all Democrats on what needs to be done for reelection, while Michelle is signaling that she is ready to take the baton from Joe. They know that Joe is too old to finish the race and are waiting for him to gasp for air. The Democrats are a dysfunctional, confused group with no unifying goal except abortion.

The Democrats have also signaled that they cannot win on the accomplishments of Biden’s first term. Bidenomics is a non-starter as inflation is outpacing wages, and credit is beating the hell out of savings. Education is failing our children, which leaves only one option: make it free. Don’t worry that the students from 10 years ago or those to come will pay for their education. We’ll forgive the loans of those who will vote for us now. On the day of the New Hampshire Primary, which Joe Biden rendered irrelevant, Biden was nowhere to be seen in the Granite State. He has not been to New Hampshire in over two years. The President, who claimed to be the great unifier, said that New Hampshire was too white to give it relevance. On Tuesday, Biden joined his even less popular Vice President Kamala Harris in Virginia, hosting a Reproductive Rights support group. Biden and Harris recognize that the only subject they can connect with the voters today is abortion.

If you cannot talk about safety and security at home with a porous Southern Border, the Middle East is on fire on multiple fronts, and Zelenskyy comes to Washington monthly to refill his piggy bank. That bank is one-of-a-kind with the tagline: 10% of your tax dollars that go to Ukraine is sent to “The Big Guy.” They cannot talk about Bidenomics because everyone knows it is not working. They cannot speak about Fentanyl as we are still losing 100,000 lives per year to drug poisoning. They cannot claim an improved infrastructure as commercial passenger jets are catching fire and losing doors in mid-flight. No, there is nothing about Biden’s policy that this Administration can point to as a success, so they will fall back on a proven winner to get votes: abortion. Until every state offers free abortions to every person with a uterus up until the time of delivery, they will keep using abortion as a campaign slogan and blame the Republicans for putting every woman’s life in jeopardy. It is a horrid purpose and a gross hyperbole, but it works for Democrats.

So this is how the Democrats go high. Let’s not work on the issue of unwanted pregnancies, but let’s disregard the life of the unborn as if it is simply human tissue, kill it, and set the woman free of any responsibility. To Democrats, abortion has nothing to do with reproductive freedom but freedom from responsibility. But if you do not care about human trafficking across the Border, Fentanyl deaths, or millions of homeless Americans, then what is a few thousand dead fetuses?

The post Forget Prosperity, We Have Abortion For All appeared first on Granite Grok.

Dear Ms. Stanley,

I came to the State House to testify at the hearing on SB573 which is an act relative to parental consent for medical care. SB573 would add a new RSA by adding a new Chapter, Parental Consent to Medical and Mental Health Care.

Within SB573 there is the following language on consent for mental healthcare:

IV. Soliciting to perform arranging for the performance of, or performing mental health practice, as defined in RSA 330-A-2, VI, on a child.
170-1:1 Parental Consent to medical and Mental Health Care Required.

Unfortunately, I could not stay for the hearing since it ran late. I did go back to listen to your testimony (23:00) and decided to reach out to you based on what you presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Since you are the Executive Director of National Association of Social Workers NH, I was concerned by some of the statements you made regarding school social workers who are servicing students in our public schools.

In your testimony, you mentioned that students in our public schools who are receiving mental health services from social workers have consent from their parents through their IEPs, 504 plans, etc. That was good to hear. But then you said that this Bill would have a chilling effect on the Social Workers in our schools. You went on to explain that a child may come to a social worker wanting to talk to them. That the social worker may want to conduct an assessment on that child or make a referral as part of their job.

Under federal law, Every Student Succeeds Act ESSA, Sec. 4002 General Provisions:

“(a) Parental Consent.–

“(1) In general.–

“(A) Informed written consent.—A State, local educational agency, or other entity receiving funds under this title shall obtain prior written, informed consent from the parent of each child who is under 18 years of age to participate in any mental-health assessment or service that is funded under this title and conducted in connection with an elementary school or secondary school under this title.

(ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015, with bi-partisan support from Senator Shaheen and Congresswoman Annie Kuster.

I’m confused by your testimony. Are you saying that social workers in our schools are assessing and providing mental health services without parental consent? And if SB573 were to pass, only then would school social workers have to seek parental consent under the conditions you listed.

If that is the case, it sounds like our school social workers are violating federal law.  I am copying New Hampshire Senators and Commissioner Edelblut on this email to alert them to the possibility that social workers in our public schools are currently violating federal law.

I support SB573 for the very reason that you seem to have admitted during the hearing. The mental health counselors working in our schools are either not aware of this federal statute or they are ignoring it. Maybe if SB573 were signed into law, this would clear up any confusion that currently exists.

SB573 would essentially require parental consent for mental care, which is currently required under federal law. Based on your testimony, I’m now very concerned that school social workers around the state are violating federal law. This tells me that the passage of SB573 is even more important to pass.

If you were not aware of the parental consent provision in ESSA, I hope that you will make sure that school social workers are better informed.

The post Parental Consent to Medical and Mental Health Care in Schools appeared first on Granite Grok.

Electric Vehicles have an opportunity to replace the Edsel as the historic reference for transportation marketing failure. The Edsel was “overhyped, unattractive (distinguished by a vertical grille said to resemble a horse collar[2]), and low quality.” It was also introduced during a crappy economy.

The EV is an overweight pack of lies whose “popularity” was compelled into being by progressive politicians and bureaucrats, and the Ford Motor Company has lost billions in 2022 equivalent dollars. A problem repeated in recent years as the government incentivized automakers to invest heavily in Electric Vehicles. Forced might be a better word. Between public statements about ending combustion-driven transportation and stricter fuel economy mandates, carmakers were not given much choice.

Car buyers, however, still have one.

Several years into the push to replace gas-powered engines with EVs has met an impenetrable wall named reality. EVs are not any of the things promised. Production has been scaled back as inventory piles up, dealers refuse to take more of it, and billions in losses are written off. Ford has taken a beating, and its latest mea culpa comes in production cuts for its EV truck line.

Ford planned to produce around 3,200 F-150 Lightnings per week in 2024 at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, which assembles all of the electric pickup trucks produced by Ford. Ford announced last month that it was cutting its production of the trucks in half, all the way down to 1,600 per week.

Ford has slashed $12 billion in EV investments as it struggles to sell its all-electric vehicles to consumers who have numerous concerns about transitioning from gas to electric, especially as retail prices for most EVs remain high.

Ford is shuffling employees to gas-powered production lines and hiring workers to build cars people want and can almost afford, as opposed to the impossible-to-afford EVs, which have only gotten more expensive. And the demand for rare earth metals has done little more than jack up costs and transfer wealth to China.

Given the Biden family’s cozy relationship with the CCP, you’d be right to wonder if this wasn’t just another way to make protection-money payments or extortion money, but it’s not just Biden. The left is obsessed with crushing the fossil fuel industry. Biden ran for office on it. The Dems are nearly all-in on the lie—the rich ones, at least. But you can only put so many lawn ornaments in your driveway (it’s not safe to park them in the garage), and the nation is running out of people who can afford impractical virtue-signal mobiles.

Without further interference from the government – and even it can’t backstop these turds with enough of someone else’s money to make them appealing – the industry is destined to collapse under the excessive weight of its own lithium battery limitations.

That won’t be the end of it. The apocalypse cult won’t let it go, but that’s not the biggest issue. Much like wind and solar waste, no one went in having end-of-life solutions for toxic components, and there is a lot of that out there – some of it aging in dealer lots.

No worries. I’m sure the EPA will make some rules to address another mess the government has made, and we’ll get to pay for that too.

 

 

 

The post Ford Forced to Cut EV Production As America Runs Low On People Who Can Afford Virtue Signal Mobiles appeared first on Granite Grok.

In one of my previous articles, I told the story of how my request for Michael Knowles’ Amazon #1 bestseller Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds was denied by my local public library.

While I used this anecdote as an example of the double standard that libraries use when referring to “banned” books, I am bringing it up again here to highlight the dysfunctional process by which librarians select books.  Speechless is about the weaponization of political correctness and is written by a well-known conservative writer, so it was not surprising that my request was denied. In fact, I had used this request as a test, and my public library acted as I predicted it would.  While the library justified its denial by claiming that there were no positive reviews of this book, I was easily able to find a lot of complimentary feedback online about this title and the fact that it was the number one book on Amazon for a substantial period of time also attested to its worthiness to be added to my library’s collection.

Librarians, however, look for reviews in a small number of “professional” publications like Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and ALA’s own Booklist, and all of these sources, as you would expect, inordinately promote woke material and overlook worthy but conservatively themed items.  Additionally, librarians are motivated to buy material that has won annual book awards, many given by the ALA.  Unfortunately, most awards in general these days, from the Oscars on down, are not based on merit but on how well nominees align with an organization’s political agenda.

When librarians decide which books they will purchase for their collections using taxpayer dollars, you’d think that they would consider which books their users actually want or need to read. Sadly, this is not what happens in most publicly funded libraries.  Instead, these librarians are influenced by woke review sources and annual book awards to buy those books that they, along with the organizations they look to for guidance, think their patrons should read.

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

When I recently visited the home page of Kirkus Reviews, a popular source among collection development librarians, the featured story was a glowing review of the newly released film Origins.  This documentary is based on the book Caste: The Origin of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson, a book which Kirkus describes as “a sweeping survey of how ingrained systems of social categorization. . . have led to horrific crimes and injustices throughout history . . . and how such systems have been used to oppress a wide range of people.”  The woke point of view conveyed by this review is echoed throughout the publication and is also reflected by the books that are awarded the annual Kirkus Prize.

The 2023 fiction winner was The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, a novel that portrays the “solidarity” of Jews and Blacks against “the many local White Christians” who “frown upon the easygoing relationship between” these two groups.   The non-fiction prize went to Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino,” which Kirkus described as a “powerful look at what it means to be a member of a community that, though large, remains marginalized.” Finally, the “young readers” award was given to American Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History, in which the historical “contributions of women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people are featured prominently.”

Kirkus Reviews also offers a “curation service” featuring “diversity collections,” which was “developed to help librarians find diverse books that meet modern standards of sensitivity and respect.”  Books highlighted here include Metaracism: How Systemic Racism Devastates Black Lives and The Pink Line: Journeys across the World’s Queer Frontiers.  My purpose in pointing out all of these specific books is not to object to their being published and read because that would violate the tenets of free speech; what we must take issue with is the clear promotion and celebration of books that convey racial and sexual themes while practically ignoring any other type of book.

This obvious promotion is also seen in Library Journal, another influential book review source for collection development librarians. Among the books it celebrates in its “Best of 2023” list is Lucky Red, in which author Claudia Cravens “skillfully blends Western tropes…into her queer coming-of-age story” set in “the town’s woman-run brothel.”  Of the ten “best” books recommended in the “Romance” category, two are described as “gay romances,” while the lesbian romance Mrs. Nash’s Ashes features the “delightfully quirky grumpy/sunshine romance” between the titular female character and a woman named Elsie.  Chef’s Choice is “a charming queer romance” featuring two transgender characters, one identifying as a woman and another as a man.   With such a large percentage of recommended books on LJ’s “Best of 2023” list featuring LGBT characters, it is hard to deny the clear over-representation of such books in this particular sample.

The American Library Association has its own review publication called Booklist.  Its October 2023 issue featured the article “Essentials: Here Be Drag Queens,” which provides a “celebration of modern drag” by recommending fourteen titles, including the picture books Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero and If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It.  For older children, Booklist recommends Martin Mclean: Middle School Queen, which tells the story of a boy who wants to compete in an all-ages drag contest. In Kings, Queens and In-Betweens, recommended for high school students, “17-year-old lesbian Nima, just rejected by her longtime crush and best friend, stumbles into a drag show at a local fair” where “she finds a fascinating and accepting community, as well new confidence and a potential new romance.”

In addition to the reviews provided by Booklist to promote its woke agenda, the ALA also gives out a number of awards that celebrate books that reinforce this agenda and strongly influence purchasing decisions.  One of this organization’s most coveted accolades is the Stonewall Book Award for “LGBTQIA+” literature, which the Rainbow Roundtable sponsors.  In addition to the awards given for adult fiction and non-fiction, prizes have also been given for “young adult” books and even children’s books for over a decade. In fact, in 2021, a board book, We Are Little Feminists Families, was given Stonewall’s Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award. Last year, this award was given to “Love, Violet,” a book that suggests that an innocent friendship between two girls is homosexual, and also to When the Angels Left the Old Country, a “young adult” novel in which, according to Kirkus Reviews, “Queerness and gender fluidity thread through both the human and supernatural characters.”

As I pointed out in my previous article about the misnamed category of “young adult” literature, When the Angels Left the Old Country was also a runner-up for the Printz Award given to a book that the ALA believes “exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.”  The other four books that the ALA considered “excellent” were:

• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, the overall winner, which Kirkus Reviews praised for confronting “head on the complicated realities of life in a world that is not designed for the oppressed to thrive in.”
• Scout’s Honor, by Lily Anderson, in which “the cast displays an effervescent mix of racial and ethnic identities” (from Kirkus Reviews)
• Icebreaker, features a gay romance between two hockey players and
• Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality, a book that “offers nature-based analogs for many types of human sexual orientation and gender identity,” according to a BookPage review.

With the Printz Award winner and its four runners-up all having racial and sexual themes, there is no denying the inordinate attention given to books focused on gender or race, suggesting that these are the only themes worthy of merit in our society.

The American Library Association has not cornered the market on book awards.  The National Book Awards are presented each year by the National Book Foundation.  This year’s fiction winner was Blackouts by Juston Torres, which addresses “the distortions and erasures of queer history” (NPR). Three of the four honorable mention winners are on racial themes, including:

• Chain Gang All-Stars: “a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system’s unholy alli­ance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration,”
• Temple Folk: “The ten stories in this collection contribute to the bounty of diverse narratives about Black life,” and
• This Other Eden: “an enduring testament to the struggle to preserve human dignity in the face of intolerance and injustice.”

As I have already mentioned, my purpose in writing this article has not been to bash individual books.  I have simply tried to provide anecdotal evidence to expose the woke agenda of most book review sources and award programs, an agenda that would likely be supported, if I had the time, by a more objective statistical analysis.  What concerns me is the clear promotion of these books, which dominate every review source and are inordinately given awards, drowning out books on a multitude of other topics.  As a result, the impressionable and predominantly left-leaning staff members of most publicly funded libraries end up purchasing a disproportionate number of these titles, and these books often just sit on the shelves, rarely getting checked out because patrons are simply not interested in reading them, nor should they feel that they should read them.

Meanwhile, review sources and awards are often cited as justification for their purchase in town and school district budget reports.  Those who are hired to run our publicly funded libraries need to realize that the real justification for buying any book in a public or school library is how well it serves the needs of its users, not how well it reflects a woke organization’s questionable agenda, nor what awards it has been given by these organizations or what their glowing reviews have to say.

| Substack

The post “And the Winner Is…” (How Librarians Decide What We Should Read) appeared first on Granite Grok.

This is from a Substack article by Chris Bray, writing about progressives who are upset that Texas is defending its border.  It has my irony meter pegged at 10:

The people who run formally declared sanctuary states and sanctuary cities are very very upset that state and local officials are refusing to acknowledge the federal government’s supremacy in matters of immigration and border security.

The post Quote of the Day appeared first on Granite Grok.

Every other Tuesday evening in Hartford/White River Junction, the town holds its Select Board meeting, with the first few minutes open to public comments.  This week’s meeting saw several members of the town chiding Board Member Lannie Collins for his statement made regarding the controversial event sweeping the nation – Drag Queen Story Hour.

Pride Center Vermont and the Vermont Chapter Drag Queen Story Hour recently attempted to hold the event at the Northern Stage theatre in downtown White River, however it was disrupted due to a bomb threat which turned out to be a hoax.  The threat was issued via email and was said to have come from an encrypted Russian server which leaves the question – who perpetrated the hoax?  (For more on the rise of hate crime hoaxes read this book)

The comment controversy began with board member Ally Tufenkjian referring to a recent drag event as “a positive experience” to which Collins replied ““I take deference to it being labeled a positive experience because some people in our community would not view those events at Northern Stage as a positive experience,” Collins said during Selectboard comments earlier this month. “That is a personal expression and is not shared by all members of the board or all residents within the town. And I don’t think it’s appropriate (for Selectboard members) to make personal statements about whether it is positive or negative.”

Though rarely attended by townsfolk, and rarely viewed online due to their pedantic and bureaucratic nature, this meeting saw a relatively packed house by Hartford standards.  It seems word got out Mr. Collins exercised his right to voice his concern on behalf of those in town who share his apprehension given the event is not only categorical grooming of children but has been riddled with child sex offenders around the country.  Collins detractors either are unaware or simply aren’t concerned the children’s safety may be compromised in the name of diversity and inclusion.

A look at the performers that evening finds Drag Queens *Emoji Nightmare and *Katniss Everqueer. (*WARNING: One look at their social media and it’s obvious they promote highly sexualized behavior.)

Emoji Nightmare is a man from tiny Cambridge, Vermont, whose real name is Justin Marsh.  Marsh grew up in Cambridge on a dairy farm where he lives to this day.  His day job is as a financial advisor, while his evening and hobbyist passion seems to be all things drag.

Katniss’ bio mentions her work with autistic and disabled children, among other interests, but another concerning statement tells us she likes to portray Silence of the Lambs and Lot’s O Huggin’ Bear.  Who is Lot’s O Huggin’ Bear? The Disney Fandom page describes the character as:

“…the main antagonist of the animated film Toy Story 3.  He is a large, magenta-pink strawberry-scented teddy bear who ruled Sunnyside Daycare with the iron fist of a prison warden, despite his advertised sweet nature.”

Furthermore, I don’t think anyone takes issue with older people, be they teens or adults, helping children learn to read.  However, improving literacy is not what Drag Queen Story Hour is about.  They even say as much:

“DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models,” RADAR Productions writes about the program on its website. “In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress-up is real.”

In other words, having a stable identity is “rigid,” and looking to those who defy societal norms as “role models” is to be lauded as good for children.  This is only one aspect of the event adults who object take issue with.

The more concerning issue, especially for those who understand predatory behavior, is the same setting allows grown men to be disguised as women to unwitting children.  Men have long been the predatory class when it comes to sex crimes against children.  The Stop It Now site reports that “males made up almost 88% of perpetrators.”  There is not a more perfect scenario for a predator than to be able to access children in disguise as something innocent, especially if the disguise includes convincing parents they are there to help the child.

This is not to say Justin or Kat are predators, but their chosen method for “queering children” also happens to be ideal for those who would sexually abuse them.  Grooming requires time and a necessary drawing down of one’s guardedness, both the child’s and parents’. This is why predators gravitate toward positions like coaching, daycare, clergy, and school jobs because they need to have the appearance of wanting to help children.

A counterargument I heard is, “But what about priests”?   Or, for that matter, what about coaches and teachers?  Should we prevent them from being around children? No, but they also aren’t posing as something they aren’t nor specifically targeting children in a sexualized manner, while drag queens are – deliberately.  Those other vocations also require background checks – DQSH does not.

Not all drag queens support these story hours, nor do all members of the LGBTQ+ community.  Those outspoken against it agree with their hetero-normative peers it’s inappropriate for children and clearly a method of grooming.  The group Gays Against Groomers grew out of this concern.  There statement:

Gays Against Groomers is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization of gay people and others within the community who oppose the recent trend of indoctrinating, sexualizing and medicalizing children under the guise of “LGBTQIA+”

 

Still, what proof is there that predators would use such an innocent and fun event to target children? Here are just four instances out of many:

· Judge who headed ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ sponsor arrested on child porn charges

• Houston Public Library admits registered child sex offender read to kids in Drag Queen Storytime
• Oregon school teacher who mentored 11-year-old drag queen sentenced for child sex crimes
• One is Houston man William Travis Dees, a.k.a. Lisa Lott, who was incarcerated and listed as a high-risk sex offender in 2004 after he abused multiple children ages 4, 5, 6 and 8.

 

Other concerning factors as it relates to the potential targeting of children with this type of event in Vermont:

• The US accounts for 800,000 missing child cases each year.
  • Alaska is the state with the highest number of missing people, including both adults and children. The state of Arizona takes second place, followed by Oregon, Washington, and VERMONT.
• The average age for a minor to enter the sex trade is 12 – 14.
• Children with disabilities are 2.9 times more likely than children without disabilities to be sexually abused.
• Children with intellectual and mental health disabilities appear to be the most at risk, with 4.6 times the risk of sexual abuse as their peers without disabilities.
• In as many as 93 percent of child sexual cases, the child knows the person who commits the abuse.
• 60% of children who are sexually abused do not disclose

(source: Stop It Now)

Lastly, and perhaps most shocking, the popularity of DQSH extends overseas, especially in the UK, where the incidence of sex crimes against children is now most commonly perpetrated by other children.

 

The post Night Cap: Hartford, VT Board Meeting – Hot Views Exchanged Over Drag Story Hour appeared first on Granite Grok.

First, I would be remiss if I didn’t note that I became aware of this latest assault on liberty in New Hampshire from the NeverTrump, RINO website NH-Journal, a/k/a NH-NeverTrump-Journal. So what happened is a January 19th decision by the New Hampshire Supreme Court that essentially said you have no right to expressive speech in New Hampshire (here’s the link):

New Hampshire v. Bossi.

In a nutshell, Chris Sun-King Sununu’s Supremos upheld the criminal trespass conviction of a woman who protested a school board’s mask mandate by entering the school board’s PUBLIC meeting without a mask. While Sun-King’s Supremos never address the freedom of speech implications of their ukase, the decision is all about freedom of speech.

There is NO, and there never was any, medical justification for mask mandates. A mask mandate, therefore, requires the attendees of the meeting to engage in expressive political speech that the attendee may disagree with: e.g., obedience to authority, support for the Sununu-Regime, etc., etc., etc.. Not wearing a mask is also political speech …e.g., opposition to COVID-tyranny, disapproval of the Sununu-Regime, etc.

Criminalizing the refusal to wear a mask is criminalizing political speech. Moreover, under the same ignore-freedom-of-speech analysis used by Sun-King Sununu’s Supremos, the school-board could forbid people from wearing MAGA hats to school board meetings or anti-DEI hats or shirts, etc., etc., etc..

But I know … I know … it’s okay that Sununu’s Supremos have ruled that incorrect political speech in New Hampshire can be criminalized because Sun-King Sununu is really, really, really good on the Second Amendment, and he cut business taxes!!!!

The post The New Hampshire Supreme Court Rules … NO Free Speech In New Hampshire appeared first on Granite Grok.

It’s one thing to support a candidate, but New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu is just embarrassing himself. He’s drunk on the attention and has lost control of himself. Haley seriously underperformed in Iowa and lost by more than ten points in New Hampshire. And now she’s shedding donors.

Rich Democrat funder Reid Hoffman has derailed his money train to Haley, and he’s not alone. With no path to the nomination anywhere in sight, Sununu’s Haley fan club is going to have to do more than yap about how great he thinks she is. There’s no path. It’s Haley or Trump, and Trump’s base won’t vote for her. Neither will a bunch of primary-meddling Democrats who’d never vote for her in general (yes, we heard a few more stories about NH Dems trying to vote for Haley), and even on his worst day, Biden beats a Republican nominee elected by Democrats.

But wait, there’s more.

A Republican fundraiser told CNBC on Wednesday that three clients who each helped Haley raise up to $100,000 for her campaign are now opting out of assisting the former U.N. ambassador.

Others explained that while they plan to speak out publicly in support of Haley, they aren’t convinced they’ll be able to raise much money for her campaign since she’s winless so far in the primary season. -CNBC

Winless and unlikely to win anytime soon. She isn’t on the ballot in the Nevada Caucus, and South Carolina loves Trump. Nationally, Haley is down by as many as 63 points, which means at least 20 points and probably 40, even if Democrats meddle in other states. That’s a “yuge” gap, and on those terms, the calls for her to get out now so the party can focus on November seem justified.

So what value is left, other than to spend a pile of cash against Trump that could be directed at Dem opponents?

There are – I eyeballed it, so this might not be exact – just over twenty mixed or open Republican primaries, of which New Hampshire is one. I’ve heard from insiders and outsiders alike who were not all that keen on the recent effort to close the primary in New Hampshire. The zeal to encourage Democrats to meddle in their election has helped them turn a corner.  They are willing to talk about and support a closed Republican primary.

In a state that is 40% registered independent, it will force fence-sitters to pick a side to have a voice in those contests. Some will continue to argue that closing the primary is not fair, but if that’s true, then no private organization should be allowed to decide who votes on their leadership, priorities, principles, or direction. That’s what the primary is, and a small number of Republicans have gone too far to undermine it in their quest to slow Trump’s train.

That’s politics, and it’s part of the process, but so are the side effects.

Regardless of your thoughts about him or her, Chris Sununu has been a great advocate for Haley. But as he serves his last year as governor and transitions to whatever comes after that, it may have cost him the respect of many in his own political party. I should say more, he’d already lost much from many. And for what?

A candidate that can’t beat an opponent for whom he has said he would vote.

 

The post Did Haley-Homer Chris Sununu Just Help Us Close the NH Republican Primary? appeared first on Granite Grok.