The Manchester Free Press

Sunday • May 28 • 2023

Vol.XV • No.XXI

Manchester, N.H.

Quick Thought: So how does Critical Race Theorist “Dr. Ibram X Kendi square this circle?

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 19:00 +0000

Yeah, he doesn’t have the horsepower to do so. Yet, Kendi does prove P.T. Barnum admonition (““There’s a sucker born every minute.”) with his marketing and ability to sell his “philosophy” to a lot of people who THINK he’s brilliant

So he spins up a philosophy that makes HIM the arbiter of the binary meaning of the world and certainly the idea that anyone that doesn’t agree with him is a Racist. There can be no argument, discussion, or debate. Don’t agree and you are scum to be banished from Society. Just ask yourself: outside of the General Population of a jail, which would you want to be – a pedo or a Racist?

The answer is neither but this is the logic that Kendi (and all the other CRT / Racism hucksters aligned with him) is earning millions from.

P.T. Barnum, indeed.

But the important question is what level of IQ is needed to swallow this cod slop whole without immediately retching? It used to be that to hold a doctorate really required academic rigor, an excellence in one’s field.  Really, this is what Dr. Ibram Henry Rogers capability?

(H/T: Powerline)

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

How Much Longer Until Germany Invades Poland?

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 19:00 +0000

The tweet below explains the caption.

The Left would love to see the same thing happen here. And NeverTrump/Conservative-Inc. would have no problem with it … as long as it is a de facto lockdown by corporations.

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

STOP the Masturbation Club in the Nashua Schools

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 17:30 +0000

I have no problem calling out teachers who think they can use the classroom to push their political narrative or do not have the skill set to educate children. But I also know that the vast majority of teachers do not fall in this category.

That’s why my articles rarely focus on teachers as the “problem” in public education. They are normally forced to implement the failed fads and curriculum in their classrooms and do the best they can.

If you watch Nashua’s school board meeting and listen to the public comments, you are going to hear some serious problems the teachers are facing in the classroom. I’m not surprised by what they are reporting because administrators are assisting in the self-destruction of public schools, and teachers are sometimes caught in the middle.

There are so many issues facing teachers today, but if you listen to this teacher (28:40), she is pleading for someone to help her.

She reports:
1) Two students started the Masturbation club with a flyer that included the teacher as the advisor.
2) The flyer included the teacher’s name and email address.
3) The flyer was then posted in numerous boys bathrooms
4) The teacher was then notified by a colleague that some of their students had received snap-chats of the flyer.
5) After being horrified by this discovery, the teacher had to go into her class where she has had to endure continued harassment.
6) The students make animal and bodily noises while she writes on the board.
7) Students have told her to “F” off when told to put their cell phone on her desk after they were using it in her class.
8) Then she was called crazy and stupid for taking the phone.
9) When she was out, the sub who replaced her sent her a note of deepest sympathies for what she realized this teacher had to endure each day.
10) The teacher tried to use the emotional techniques she learned in workshops
(HINT TO TEACHER: SEL is pseudo-psychology so it won’t work)
11) She notes that teachers have been asked to take a pay cut
(HINT TO TEACHER: The Asst. Superintendent just asked the School Board to hire a consultant that will waste money preaching Critical Race Theory you are not the priority)

If you listen to the speaker before this teacher (26:00), you will hear him say something VERY important. He mentions how hard it is to suspend students now. One parent commented to me recently, the only thing kids are getting suspended for is when they don’t wear masks. No wonder they have lost respect for authority and rules.

The teacher who was humiliated by this “prank” begins her comments at (28:40). I’d suggest listening to all of the speakers. The employees are giving you some good insight into the lack of discipline and consequences within the district.

How did this happened? Let me give you a BIG HINT: Multi-Tiered System Of Support. Have you heard of it? I didn’t think so.

MTSS is in all of the schools across the country because money flowed into the state from the feds,  and then into the schools to set up this behavior support system. It’s more of a mental-health system carried out by school officials that are not educated or trained in the field of mental health. What can go wrong?

MTSS and Social-Emotional Learning apply to ALL children, not just the children who actually need mental health support. And just so you know, teachers are not educated or qualified to deal with mental health issues.

If you listen to the public comments, these teachers were FORCED to sit through six hours of SEL training. SIX hours and now they are mental health assessors and providers.

Is this a JOKE? ——Yes, and the joke is on YOUR child.

These teachers are valued and respected by me, BUT, they are not mental health professionals. They have no business being put in this position. But everyone wants public schools to fix the mental health problems of the students they are supposed to educate. Good luck with that.

So what do kids do who want to cause trouble like this? ANSWER: Cause trouble!! Why not, they have a mental health condition now, if they get caught. Listen to the public comments, you will see that it’s tougher for students to get suspended. Of course, it is, education reformers have determined that these kids have mental health issues now.

Do you want to put a teacher in charge of your child’s cancer after six hours of professional development on childhood cancer? Do you see the absurdity?

So what happens when students exhibit bad behavior because they want to cause trouble? They still need consequences for their behavior. MTSS offers them wrap-around services so we are seeing a lack of consequences for this kind of behavior.

Teachers will collect data on these kids. They will be forced to show “growth.” They will get no real support from administrators who go along with this nonsense. 

If a child has trauma, depression, anxiety, or any other serious mental health challenges, teachers cannot assess or treat that. Stop acting like they have this expertise. You are fooling yourself. And no vendor will fix this problem either.

Teachers and good mentors in the school have always tried to support children emotionally. This is nothing new. Good teachers will encourage and offer emotional support to their students. When it goes beyond their basic support, experts need to be called in. Experts with Ph.D.’s in Child Psychology. Ones that are licensed and work with the parents to resolve serious mental health issues.

Instill a discipline policy for the kids who are causing trouble. Many of these kids are acting out because of the lack of consequences. They quickly learn they can get away with trouble so they push the boundaries.

Parents and school board members need to start questioning PBIS,  (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) MTSS, and every other one-size-fits all solution focused on behavior. If there is a lack of discipline in the school, like Nashua, start pointing your fingers at the administrators who bring in these fads instead of leading. The Superintendent and high-level administrators should know how to address these issues. If they don’t replace them.

I’m not surprised by what these teachers are reporting in Nashua.  It’s up to us to stand up for them if they are not able to do their job. This will negatively impact the quality of education your children are receiving.

Public schools are there to educate children first. There are no easy solutions to the problems facing children in crisis or who’ve experienced trauma. But as you can see, the one-size-fits-all approach never works. Our teachers are professionals doing their best. Let them do their job, give them the support they need and stop putting every issue on their backs.

 

ADDITIONAL Resource on MTSS: https://www.girardatlarge.com/blog/2020/06/17/danger-coming-to-your-children-enrolled-in-a-public-school-call-the-governor/

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

NH Is First in Freedom in the 50 States (Again!)

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 16:00 +0000

When most people think about the relative amount of freedom they are permitted in the different states, they will focus on one or two policy areas. Debates over which state is the “most free” devolve into an argument where one person is primarily considering sales tax, another might be relying on differences in gun laws, and a third is thinking only about victimless crimes.

As with most political discussions today, they will be talking past one another, their individual focuses on a few proxies that they think stand-in for what they are really concerned about — one’s overall ability to live as a free man in any particular state.

This week, the Cato Institute released its latest (“2021”) edition of its acclaimed “Freedom in the 50 States” [Footnote]. This extensive survey collects and compares over 230 policy variables that affect one’s ability to live your life as you choose, rather than as your rulers choose. They collected these 230+ policy variables for all 50 states across 20 years (2000-2019). That made their database 230,000 data points, which, you can imagine, gives us all a far richer insight into which states hold our freedoms dear.

The variables cover “from taxation to debt, from eminent domain to occupational licensing, and from drug policy to educational choice”. For ease of discussion, the researchers grouped the 230+ policy areas into multiple categories, and then again into three meta categories:

* Fiscal Policy
* Regulatory Policy
* Personal Freedom

Finally, they standardized, weighted, and combine all 230+ variables into a single overall Freedom index for each state, which allows us to rank all the states by overall freedom. In this way, we can better answer the age-old tavern question, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the freest of them all?”

The details about how the Granite State leads or falls behind other states across various aspects of human freedom are fascinating: I hope to share a few of them with you in future writeups. But let’s face it: you’re here for the bragging rights.

Which, of course, you already know!

The overall winner, the first in the nation for human freedom, the freest state of the 50 states, is yet again our beloved Granite State, New Hampshire!

Live Free or Die, baby!

 

1. New Hampshire
2. Florida
3. Nevada
4. Tennessee
5. South Dakota

 

​​

 

Through 2000-2010, New Hampshire ranked second in the nation on freedom. Nevada was #1 across 2000-2006, largely due to its higher Personal Freedom. South Dakota was #1 across 2007-2010, largely due to its higher Economic Freedom.

New Hampshire captured the #1 spot for the first time in 2011 and did not relinquish it until 2015 when we lost it to Florida due to Florida’s superior Fiscal Policy score. We regained our rightful #1 spot in 2016, and this week we have learned that our winning streak was extended through 2019!

Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, and South Dakota are closest to us, in that order. Our biggest advantage against these more oppressed states is in Personal Freedom — demonstrated especially by variables like incarceration rates, drug arrests, nondrug victimless crime arrests, asset forfeiture reform, educational freedom, and gun rights. Our lead in this Personal Freedom area allowed us to beat all but Nevada. It was our showing on the Fiscal Policy grouping — including our state taxes, government debt, government consumption, and government employment — that helped us beat Nevada.

On the cautionary side, our freedom in New Hampshire is most imperiled by the Regulatory Policy grouping. The study highlighted our costs and retardation from NH policies like exclusionary zoning, regulatory takings, absence of a right-to-work law, workers’ compensation mandate, health mandates, and cable monopolies.

Cato emphasized our “New Hampshire Advantage — our stark contrast with the other states in New England whose citizens are far more oppressed.

It concluded on a promising note, “It could be a challenge for rivals to catch New Hampshire next time because of [pro-freedom] policy changes in 2021, including tax cuts and the passage of the education freedom accounts program.”

The bottom line is that, while there are still plenty of policy areas where we can significantly reduce increase our freedoms by reducing state oppression, we are quite safe bragging about the overall freedom we enjoy in the Granite State.

You may download the 100+ page PDF explaining the method and results of the study for free.

You may also download the actual spreadsheets that contain the variables and their weights, reweighting the variables to better match your policy preferences.

Footnote: The large amount of data and analyses requires a long lead time. Thus, the just-released “2021 Edition” includes data only through 2019. Policy changes that have taken place in 2020 or 2021 are not reflected in this 2021 edition. (For example, many states have imposed quite a wide range of violations of human rights to mitigate (arguably ineffectively) the spread of CoVid19. Those policies, because they took place in 2020 and 2021, were not collected nor analyzed in time for this 2021 edition.)

 

Dennis Pratt is a liberty lover living in Dover. In a previous life, he was a research scientist and thus loves exploring big databases.

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Top 4 Ways You Can Help Aging Parents Grow Old at Home

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 15:36 +0000

As people get older, the relationship between parents and their children shifts. Kids who were once nurtured by their parents grow into functioning adults, and in turn, they repay the love and care to their aging parents. The process of aging is unstoppable, and so you want to make sure your loved ones are able to maintain a high quality of life as they grow old. Many older people choose to spend their golden years in the comfort of their own homes. Here are a few ways you can help your parents to achieve this comfortably.

Visit Often
As people get older, they may lose touch with people they were once close to. Whether it’s family or old friends, over the years, your parents may find that they are outliving the people who were once dear to them. Social isolation and loneliness can be incredibly damaging to an older person’s health. In fact, studies show that loneliness can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Visiting your parents often gives them a chance to speak to someone regularly, and it helps break up a monotonous day. Not only can a social visit put a smile on an older person’s face, but it also allows you to check in on your parents’ living conditions.

Safeguard the Property
Studies show that falls are the leading cause of injury in the United States, and it is the primary reason for accidental death in individuals older than 65. Furthermore, after a fall, an older person could experience declining function and generally poor health. As people get older, their physical condition naturally worsens. An older person may have less strength in their body, and their balance may not be what it once was. In addition, their cognitive functions may deteriorate too. To help reduce the risk of your parents visiting the emergency room, check their property for trip hazards and safeguard their home. This can include decluttering their hallway, adding lamps in dark rooms, and replacing broken floorboards. By making a few simple alterations, you could significantly decrease their chance of tripping and falling.

Discuss the Future
Your parents may be fit and healthy now, but at some point, they may need a little more assistance with their daily activities. If your parents haven’t done so already, discuss their plans with them and encourage them to make important decisions about their future. Perhaps they would like an in-home carer if their health deteriorates, or maybe they would prefer to age in place at a senior living facility in the distant future. For the best senior living Louisville KY has to offer, look no further than Belmont Village St. Matthews. Their community provides personal care and memory care for older people who want to age comfortably.

Encourage a Healthy Lifestyle
Older people can enjoy life to the fullest by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This consists of a balanced diet filled with nutritious food and regular exercise. Healthy food is much better for the system than processed mulch, and it will help keep the body in tip-top condition. Encourage your parents to cook wholesome meals using ingredients with a high nutritional value.

*****

From time to time, GraniteGrok accepts content from third parties (posts, or additional links after initial publication) from which we may or may not receive compensation.

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Democrats Won’t Make Anyone Pay Their Fair Share

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 14:30 +0000

Exchanging facts and opinions are constructive. However, a person publicly making essentially slanderous allegations should publicly provide evidence, not just opinions. Sean Kavanagh’s letter of Nov. 15 provides no evidence to refute my Nov. 8 letter.


Americans need, as Joe Biden said in 2008, a good job. Good jobs provide dignity and living wages.

Democrats’ excessive taxes and regulations helped drive millions of good, mostly blue-collar, jobs overseas. President Biden continues advocating the 28% corporate tax rate (versus 25% in China) that he advocated during the primary/

Donald Trump’s traditional Republican policies (opposed by almost all Democrats) showed that lower taxes and low, but appropriate, regulations inspire business and wage growth, record-high employment, and record low unemployment for all worker skill levels.

The laws of supply and demand influence wages. Democrat open border, sanctuary, excessive immigration (now proposing 10 years of unlimited green cards tinyurl.com/b6arcfer), and amnesty policies will flood U.S. labor pools with cheap immigrant workers taking jobs from and depressing wages of American workers.

Biden’s energy actions destroyed our energy independence, harmed our national security, enriched our enemies, destroyed good jobs, and raised our energy costs hurting poor and middle-income Americans.

Kavanagh’s own actions (as did Trump’s) suggest that “trickle-down” does work. Kavanagh’s business rewarded investors and employees and provided affordable goods and/or services that benefitted people. His taxes and charitable contributions paid for things that benefitted many others, e.g. schools, libraries, roads, welfare, unemployment, Medicare/Medicaid, and perhaps charities, churches, medical facilities, youth sports, etc. Whether rich people spend or invest their money, others benefit.

The “carried interest” tax treatment still exists allowing hedge fund and private equity managers to essentially treat current income as long-term capital gains, reducing their collective tax burden by billions annually.

People serious about “fixing” climate change wouldn’t fly 400 private jets to a conference they could do on Zoom, and tell us to lower our expectations.
Wind and solar energy won’t fix a CO2 problem; they are costly, unreliable, short-lived, and very environmentally destructive. (See Michael Moore’s “Planet of the Humans.”)

No attempt to reduce CO2 without including nuclear energy (now safe, reliable, cheap, and clean) is serious, but Democrats don’t seem interested. Perhaps Democrats only want things that enable them to raise taxes to spend buying political support.

Today, the Democratic Party is the party of the rich, ultra-rich, and the people they keep dependent on welfare. Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, George Soros, most of Wall Street, many corporate executives, wealthy attorneys, and many other rich people are Democrats. Some have fought their taxes for years. Do rich people support Democrats because they think Democrats will make them pay their “fair share” or because they know they won’t?

On Nov. 23, CNBC reported that two-thirds of people earning over $1 million will get a tax cut in 2022 under Biden’s Build Back Better proposal. Democrats talk about making the rich pay their “fair share” to fool gullible people.

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Greece Set to Fine Unvaccinated While Austria Plans to Imprison Them

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 13:00 +0000

When you give COVID-Karens power, they abuse it. Sure, you can argue that many of them were in these offices before COVID. How were we to know? You can’t, but everything is a test, and when they fail, YOU need to replace them. Take Greece.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis needs to go.

Beginning Jan 16, 2022, anyone in Greece over the age of 60 must be vaccinated, or they will have to pay a €100 per/month fine. Mitsotakis says, “It is not a punishment. I would say it is a health fee.”

If you can’t afford it, this is a punishment. If you can, it’s at best a fine or a tax. But one you can afford.

If you can’t, you are being drained of your limited resources because you have concerns, one of which is most certainly what your government is willing to do. If they can so easily force you to let them inject you with an experimental drug, of what else might they be capable?

How about prison?

 

[Vienna] Various details have been leaked about the planned mandatory vaccination in the Alpine country. On Tuesday the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Constitution and the opposition will meet for a round table on the issue. …

Health workers are only the first victims of coercion. The draft law threatens nursing staff and doctors with jail if they do not get vaccinated. The draft in the National Council could already be resolved by Friday announcing a general Corona vaccination obligation or the risk of imprisonment.

 

We’re not in either of those places, but it’s essential to keep track of the tyranny because there are political elements on our shores who would happily embrace such tactics, and this we must resist. And not just working to protect liberties before they are stolen or pushing back against policies as they develop but beforehand.

Every election turns on a myriad of issues, but a candidate’s willingness to step up and protect their constituents from public Health despotism has risen to the top of the list. If they do not see you as an individual with rights that they are sworn to protect and defend from all foes, foreign and domestic, then you don’t want them.

When tested, they will fail, and we will pay the price and might not just be a tax, fine, or fee. It might be your freedom.

 

 

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Cornerstone: The Real Battle for the Unborn

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 11:30 +0000

As a mother and the Executive Director of Cornerstone, I have been amazed at the accusations being leveled against the Governor, lawmakers, and pro-life groups in the wake of the recently-passed and modest anti-abortion law known as the Fetal Life Protection Act.

Many of the attacks on the new law have come from well-funded opposition groups, including the over $1 million media buy from Amplify NH, a new organization with a program manager based in Seattle, WA.

By comparison, grassroots organizations in NH such as Cornerstone and New Hampshire Right to Life are armed with little more than minimal budgets and our passion to protect these viable late-term preborn.

But, there is an even more sinister weapon in the opposition’s arsenal that has proven extremely difficult to counter — misleading propaganda and untruths. Magnified and repeated on multiple platforms and outlets, our effort to share the simple truth about the law and its provisions is often drowned out by these strident voices.

The ban is “extreme.” This statement implies NH has somehow imposed a draconian policy without precedent or context. That is false. At 24 weeks, the last trimester of pregnancy, most developing children are considered medically viable with an excellent chance of survival outside the womb. And many states have balanced this fact against a woman’s right to have an abortion to strike a workable compromise.

In fact, up until December 2020, Massachusetts imposed felony penalties on most abortions at or after 24 weeks. And the wide-open abortion industry we’re creating in the U.S. is far more permissive than in European countries. Of 42 European countries that allow elective abortion, 39 limits abortion to fetuses at 14 weeks or less.

The ban is the “most restrictive” in modern NH history. This statement is misleading. No laws restricting abortion have been passed in New Hampshire since Roe. Instead, New Hampshire has allowed abortion to remain legal up to the moment of birth.

New Hampshire does have a so-called “partial-birth abortion ban,” but it is an essentially meaningless law banning only one specific abortion procedure. It does not bar abortionists from taking the lives of unborn children at any time during development using other life-termination options.

By introducing any restriction, it can be called the “most restrictive” when compared to no restrictions.

There are no exceptions for rape or incest. Again, misleading in its implication. A 24-week ban does not preclude abortions for any reason, including rape and incest, in the first six months.

The ultrasound requirement is invasive. The ultrasound requirement is key to enforcement of the law and only kicks in if an abortion provider knows there is a “substantial risk” the child is at least 24 weeks old, so ultrasounds are not required in most instances.

Even though the law does not require it, external ultrasounds are routinely performed before abortion procedures. The widely-perpetuated myth of a transvaginal ultrasound requirement is meant to inflame opposition and is not true.

We’ll be sending doctors to jail. The bill does contain felony penalties consistent with current NH law, just as other states have imposed serious penalties in their abortion laws. A provider will only be guilty of violating the act if he/she knows the fetus is 24 weeks old or consciously disregards a “substantial risk” that the fetus is 24 weeks old.

Will we win this battle to keep these hard-won protections for late-term preborn? The money and mistruths being poured into the state are betting we won’t. My money is on the people of New Hampshire and their ability to distinguish the truth above the noise of deception. Precious lives are hanging in the balance.

By Shannon McGinley – Executive Director, Cornerstone Action

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Brentwood Selectmen: Rsa 91:a Demand – Handbook Copy and Signatures for the Code of Conduct Section.

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 04:00 +0000

As I mentioned here, I put in two Right To Know (RSA91:A) to the Brentwood Selectmen.  The easier one was concerning the Code of Conduct issue that Brentwood Selectman Jon “Goober for Gobnor” used against fellow Selectman Bob Mantegori.

Pursuant to the Right to Know Law (RSA. 91-A), I am demanding access, within 5 business days, to the following governmental records: Selectmen Handbook / signed Code of Conduct / Ethics documents. Otherwise, in not within the mandated 5 business day window per RSA 91-A, please advise when the enumerated Responsive Records will be made available.

  • An electronic copy (e.g., WORD, PDF) of the Brentwood Selectmen Handbook (or similarly named and themed document that was mentioned during a recent Selectmen’s Meeting by selectman Jon Morgan.
  • Electronic copies of the signed Code of Conduct (e.g, commonly called “ethics” declarations and restrictions) that each of the current Selectmen have signed.

The existence of these two sets of documents was verbally disclosed during a recent Selectmen’s meeting by Selectmen Jon Morgan as he was berating Selectmen Robert Mantegari over a picture.

Per RSA 91-A:4 IV(c) If you deny any portion of this request, please cite the specific exemption used to justify the denial to make each record, or part thereof, available for inspection along with a brief explanation of how the exemption applies to the information withheld.

As you are aware, in 2016, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that a governmental body in possession of records is required to produce them in electronic media using standard of common file formats: Green v. SAU #55, 168 N.H. 796, 801 (2016). Unless there is some reason that it is not reasonably practicable for you to produce these records in the requested format, I ask that you either do so or explain why it is not practicable for you to comply.

Please let me know when these records will be sent so me for inspection.

You may email the responsive records to me at Skip@GraniteGrok.com. If the volume is turns out to be substantial, I have already set up a Dropbox folder for all of your responsive records to which they can be uploaded

Thank you for your lawful attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Skip Murphy
GraniteGrok.com

While the entire Handbook is below, here is the Code of Conduct part (pages 11-12):

IV. SELECTMEN’S CODE OF CONDUCT

A. Selectmen’s Meetings
The following guidelines are presented as a list of suggestions for Selectmen to consider in order to facilitate the management of the Town:

(1) Be prepared for all meetings by reading the materials in advance of the meeting.

(2) Actively participate in all deliberations.

(3) Be respectful of differences of opinion. Treat others with dignity and attentiveness.

(4) Be fair and open-minded.

(5) Attend all meetings to the greatest extent possible; otherwise notify the Town Administrator of an impending absence prior to t he meeting.

(6) Demonstrate the characteristics of honesty, integrity, and positive role-model leadership.

(7) There should be no hesitation to express a viewpoint or present the opinions of concerned citizens.

(8) Research and requests for additional information are strongly encouraged, but it is suggested that the Town Administrator be utilized to process all inquiries from staff.

(9) Be attentive to the remarks of others during a meeting, including input received from members of the public, staff, and other Town Officials.

I’m not going to put up all of the parts but let me highlight a couple of things:

  • a list of suggestions

When Jon Morgan was assailing Bob Mantegari about simply taking a picture during a Selectmen meeting and trying to strictly hold him to something as if it were a real stricture.  What a putz he is!

  • A. (3) Be respectful of differences of opinion. Treat others with dignity and attentiveness.

It was clear that MORGAN was not treating Mantegari with “dignity and attentiveness”. Instead, he was anything BUT showing “dignity” towards another Selectmen.

  • B. (5) Do not cast blame for problems without having all the facts. In most instances it is better to steer conversations towards identification of problems and possible solutions rather than pointing fingers at individua ls who may have made mistakes.

The fact that I had to travel all the way down to Brentwood to correct the record SHOWS that Goober had his facts wrong.  Or worse, didn’t care because he has a political agenda.

  • B. (9) Keep in mind that the eyes of Brentwood are upon you. The things you say and do and the people you associate with are a reflection on your character as an official who is elected to represent the Brentwood community.

This was thrown at Montegari with impunity – Morgan and the other Democrats should have been looking into mirrors before opening their mouths.

  • B. (10) Try to avoid being a player on either end of the rumor mill. Work towards earning (and keeping) a reputation for having integrity.

Indeed – Because I “brought the receipts” last night, it is Truth that Morgan was playing the rumor mill”. With both glee and abandon.

  • C. (2) Communications between Selectmen during meetings or public events should always take into account a level of decorum that is commensurate with the position of elected leaders of the Town. Accordingly, it is expected that Selectmen will conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times; and that members of the Board can ultimately agree to disagree in the event of differences of opinion regardless of the circumstances or the intensity of feelings.

Decorum?  Morgan, I’m betting, can hardly spell it much less practice it. Like many Democrats who can’t “argue” to save their lives, him accusing Mantegari of malfeasance has just shown himself to be the guilty one.  There was NOTHING in the CoC above that precludes sharing a picture taken at a public meeting where this is NO expectation of privacy for ANYONE. Yet, that’s the very dubious angle, given the CoC that Morgan voluntarily signed, Goober tried to use.

We on the Right call this “Projection” – the deliberate action to call your enemy all of the things that you are doing yourself.  Again, it was a “list of suggestions” but Morgan was trying to use it as a means to beat Mantgari into either getting on his knees to plead for forgiveness (for something that was perfectly fine) or quit in shame.

Up Yours, Goober!  Consider yourself under a higher standard of watching.  Seriously, Governor?

And here is one that I’m going to explore even more deeply:

  • C. (3) All written communications between Selectmen may be considered public documents under the law. This includes emails and handwritten notes. Selectmen can be held personally (and financially) liable by a court for destruction of any such documents or willful violations of the Right to Know Law.
Karen Clement BOS Handbook

So, as far as the handbook is concerned, I had thought that there would be individual pages for each of the Selectmen. Instead, it seems that there was one Handbook that was signed by all of the Selectmen:

However, all of this satisfied my RTK. I have to say Thank You to Karen Clement, the Town Administrator, who turned this around in less than an afternoon.  She will be starting in on the second RTK tomorrow (she said during last night’s meeting, so that will be today.

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

How Conservatives Can End Coronafascism In One Day

The Liberty Block - Thu, 2021-12-02 02:54 +0000

Why would you send your children to a prison-like institution that brainwashes your children to hate freedom, conservatism, and their own parents? And why would you pay for this institution to operate? 

The post How Conservatives Can End Coronafascism In One Day appeared first on The Liberty Block.

“One Day” Sale on All Grok Gear – December 2nd – Get an Extra 15% off Everything!

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 02:30 +0000

If you missed the Grok Store Sale in November, there’s a one-Day sale happening on December 2nd. You can get an extra 15% off anything in the Grok Store.

Find something for a friend, family member, yourself, or a Democrat you know, and then enter the code HOLIDAY15 at checkout.

 

  • The sale will take place on Thursday (December 2nd) from 1:00 am PT to 11:59 pm PT
  • That’s 4 am ET on 12/2 until 2:59 am ET on 12/3 ( we don’t have control over the hours for this one, sorry).
  • Enter the code HOLIDAY15 at checkout to get 15% off everything in the store

 

Visit the Grok Store here, do some shopping and help us keep “the lights” on!

 

 

The post “One Day” Sale on All Grok Gear – December 2nd – Get an Extra 15% off Everything! appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Civics Education: Turning Kids into Radical Community Organizers

Granite Grok - Thu, 2021-12-02 01:00 +0000

Here is a video clip of Superintendent David Ryan who currently works in SAU16. Prior to becoming Superintendent in SAU16, he worked in the Manchester schools.

During a presentation before the school board in Manchester, he explained what civics education will look like in the classroom. As you can see from the video, he shows how students will be groomed to become community activists and organizers.

 

 

But what does a good quality civics education look like? This is an important question if you care about children receiving a quality public education, versus a political indoctrination.

Here is some of what Core Knowledge offers students who study Civics using their scope and sequence.

 

 

Can you see the difference?

What David Ryan proposed for the students in Manchester was a lesson in grooming children to become community organizers for political activists, not an education in Civics.

This is called action civics and has become more prominent in public education, to the dismay of prominent individuals and organizations.

There is certainly nothing wrong with students learning how to address elected officials, but as you can see from the video, turning children into community organizers and activists leaves out the importance of actual Civics content knowledge.  The academic content knowledge is included in what Core Knowledge offers.

This past year, New Hampshire’s legislators passed a new Civics law that requires high school students to attain a grade of 70 percent or better on the civics naturalization examination developed by the United States Citizen and Immigration Service.

In other words, New Hampshire legislators who supported HB 320 wanted to make sure that students needed to have some basis of knowledge in Civics.

There is so much more that schools should be doing for children, but they are focused on civic action instead.

Parents need to make sure they are looking closely at what their public school is providing in terms of Civics academic content. Compare it to what Core Knowledge expects students to know. Then take all of that information to your school board and let them know if the district is not focused on knowledge, literacy, and academic content.

There is nothing good about illiteracy in any core academic subject, Civics included.

 

The post Civics Education: Turning Kids into Radical Community Organizers appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Senator Jeannie Calls For Political Violence If Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade

Granite Grok - Wed, 2021-12-01 23:30 +0000

Imagine if a GOP Executive Councilor or State Senator implied political violence … “a revolution” … would be appropriate if the New Hampshire Supreme Court did not overturn its obviously erroneous education funding decisions. Imagine if a GOP candidate for CD-1 said exactly what Jeannie says below…

… with the sole exception of adding NOT to overturning Roe v. Wade.

WMUR and the rest of the Communist lapdog media would be losing their minds. NH-NeverTrump/Conservative-Inc. as well. This is quintessential Communism – the Party … in this case Jeannie … can say and do things that the rest of us can’t.

 

The post Senator Jeannie Calls For Political Violence If Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Brentwood Democrats: “They Wanted Him to Lie to Himself.” Setting the Record Straight.

Granite Grok - Wed, 2021-12-01 22:00 +0000

Dang!  Henry the Scarecrow is no longer in residence in the Brentwood City Hall meeting room.  Seriously, I looked for it (see image, above).

The whole reason why former NH State Senator Jon Morgon (and now present Brentwood Selectman), former NH State Rep Liz McConnell (and current Chair, Brentwood Library Trustees), Brentwood Democrat Chair (former?) Eric Turer, and School Board member Letty Bedard went after present Brentwood Selectmen Bob Mantegari was that he had taken that picture, with the intent to embarrass Bedard with a contrast of her stating “everyone wear your mask!” and then showing up to that Selectmen’s meeting (“Whereupon I Am Still Living Rent Free in Brentwood Democrats Heads – The “Scarecrow” Edition“) without a mask.

A pile on that Selectmen Mantegari didn’t deserve.

So, I traveled down to Brentwood last night to attend the Selectmen’s meeting to “set the record straight.” They tried to tear Bob apart for stuff he didn’t do – what seems to be the Democrat way and those Democrats showed it on full display that night.

Methinks somebody with FAR better political skills told them to knock it off as last night they remained silent. Nada. Nary a scurrilous phrase or question. Even when I stood up during the Public Comment to make my address to straighten the record out which they had tried to use for their own political agenda:

 



 

I was really curious (actually, rather hopeful) whether these Democrat Loudmouths, who were so willing to “gang jump” a single Independent will be willing to try the same thing. Perhaps they misunderstand that the “gun-toting” on our About page is really about being able to rapid-fire our ideas outward in discombobulating them instead of how they “take” that phrase.

Anyways, I did get to FULLY read it as Liz McConnell had only read 1/2 of it while trying to “paint us” as the extremists they believe us to be.

I have to admit – it was a good feeling to point out that ANYONE truly believing that we meant it was nuts. It was written (by me) as HUMOR and SATIRE – for Liz to take it for reality truly proved, once again, the Democrats have little sense of humor and that she couldn’t perceive Satire if it literally bit her in the butt.

She fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

Oh yeah, I do have to explain the RSA 91:A demands I put in earlier in the day.  I’ve been told that Jon “Goober for Gubnor” Morgan was visibly upset (even under his mask) about the second one: an RTK demanding ALL selectmen emails, both outbound FROM them and inbound TO them. I was too busy speaking to notice so I, too, will be watching the recording as well and if there is anything in there, I’ll slice it out for another post.

Note/Update: I just watched it. Other than when Goober for Gubnor came into the room and IMMEDIATELY asked that my cameras be moved (which the Chair made it clear that they were not going to be), nothing else was said except Goober, when I had ended, curtly said “Let’s get back to work.”

I guess he was “displeased” at being told he was a bad boy and it really was clear that he didn’t think that I would ever show up to confront him.

That’s not how GraniteGrok rolls, Goober.

I also had my other MEVO turned toward the audience for reactions – Liz and Letty were in attendance so let’s see what we can spot there.

To Be Continued

The post Brentwood Democrats: “They Wanted Him to Lie to Himself.” Setting the Record Straight. appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Graffiti Seen in Derby VT – “Let’s Go Brandon”

Granite Grok - Wed, 2021-12-01 20:30 +0000

Somone “amended” a Derby Public Works garage facing US Rt 5 with the words Let’s go, Brandon. We appreciate the sentiment but maybe not as vandalism on public buildings?

We’re not advocating that, but I bet there’s more of this out there. In fact, feel free to send us sightings of “Let’s Go Brandon” as you wander about the world.

And while you are at it, support the ‘Grok, and buy some Let’s Go Brandon Gear from us. Proceeds support our operating costs and tomorrow, from 4 am ET on 12/2 until 2:59 am ET on 12/3 ( we don’t have control over the hours for this one, sorry) take an extra 15% off if you use the promo code: HOLIDAY15

 

Click the image to go to the store or item page.

 

 

The post Graffiti Seen in Derby VT – “Let’s Go Brandon” appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Math Problem: Where are ALL These COVID “Vaccines” Coming From – The Numbers Don’t Add UP …

Granite Grok - Wed, 2021-12-01 19:00 +0000

Form the keep sending us stuff pile; someone sent me this observation by some rando on the internet (who worked in the chemical and pharmaceuticals industry) wondering about the logistics to manufacturing so many vaccines in so little time.

The math, they say, does not make any sense.

 

 

According to Our World in Data, 8.02 BILLION DOSES have been administered so far, with more on the way.

Where did it all come from, how did they make it, where, and what’s the answer? It’s not logistically feasible, according to this guy, yet here we are.

I suspect the “solution” lay within the mythology of warp speed and what, according to this commenter, is the impossible made possible beyond all probability.

Given all the other BS that’s been thrown at us, I don’t expect a clear or honest answer or, actually, any answer at all but it’s still a great observation.

 

The post Math Problem: Where are ALL These COVID “Vaccines” Coming From – The Numbers Don’t Add UP … appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Nashua Performing Arts Center – Cost overruns?

Granite Grok - Wed, 2021-12-01 17:30 +0000

Nashua residents did not realize how they were going to be taken to the cleaners on this Performing Arts Center. Aldermen Dowd stated in 2017 that he did not care how much it cost but that he wanted the PAC no matter what.  Well, this administration has really given it to the Nashua taxpayers.

First, it was the extra $1.8 million in contingency money that padded the construction money that was taken out by the Nashua taxpayers.  That meant that if Harvey Construction did not go over budget the money would go back to the Nashua taxpayers. However, that is not happening in this case.  The mayor and Board of Aldermen are going to give the $1.8 million back to the new owner of the Performing Arts Center, NPAC.

Then the Nashua taxpayers just paid a bill to the NPAC for $23,274.74.  When looking into this payment a resident would find out that the Nashua taxpayers will be paying the property taxes on the Performing Arts Center forever.

Then there was the question of how much rent the City of Nashua taxpayers would be paying to rent back the building from the new owner, NPAC. Well, the first year’s rent will be $500,000. As a resident I did not expect to pay rent on a building that the taxpayers already paid $21 million for.

Bottom line is that our mayor and Board of Aldermen really did not care what it took to get the Performing Arts Center and to make sure of that, this administration has taken the Nashua taxpayers to the cleaners.  How many more bills for the Performing Arts Center will be the responsibility of the Nashua taxpayers.

The post Nashua Performing Arts Center – Cost overruns? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Has Car Kill Switch Provision

Granite Grok - Wed, 2021-12-01 16:00 +0000

If you have Democrats in your congressional delegation, get one thing straight. They are not representing you in DC. They are representing DC. The Swamp comes before constituents. So, garbage like this will appear magically from dumpster dives like the infrastructure bill, which has a car kill switch provision.

 

Buried deep within the massive infrastructure legislation recently signed by President Joe Biden is a little-noticed “safety” measure that will take effect in five years. Marketed to Congress as a benign tool to help prevent drunk driving, the measure will mandate that automobile manufacturers build into every car what amounts to a “vehicle kill switch.”

 

This has been talked about for years. The core principle is to embed a device in every vehicle that allows law enforcement (or some other authority) the ability to kill it, shut it down, so they can then question, detain, or arrest the driver. The version in the Infrastructure dumpster dive is not so clear. It says the device will “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.”

Congress will equip your new vehicle with an always-on monitor that will sense when it needs to stop your vehicle.

Should we expect this to ride side-saddle (or is shotgun a better description) with self-driving technology? Will the passively surveilling transportation monitor at some point be able to lock you in and drive you wherever the authorities want you?

Can we imagine that being the case?

We can also imagine that it can be hacked, and some third party could do the same thing.

We have until 2024 to replace the Democrats with Republicans that will unwind and unbind all the garbage in this and other legislation. Notice I said, “Republicans that will.”

If I read the reporting correctly, this will become standard in all new vehicles starting in 2026.

The post Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Has Car Kill Switch Provision appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

How Do I Lower My Credit Card Processing Fees?

Granite Grok - Wed, 2021-12-01 14:59 +0000

Being able to collect debit and credit card payments is such an essential step in the success of your business.

Unfortunately, you can’t collect the payments by yourself—you have to involve a payment processor such as Payment Cloud Inc that charges a fee for every transaction you undertake.

While the fees might look small and negligible, they quickly add up, especially when handling hundreds or even thousands of transactions.

As a business owner, your aim should be to maximize every penny, so you should strive to keep the credit card processing fees as low as possible.

How do I lower my credit card processing fees? If you are asking this, you should know that there are plenty of ways to go about it. Some of these ways include:

Choose the suitable processor for your business
Everything begins here. If you choose the wrong processor, you end up paying higher fees than you should.

There are two main types of processors you can go with: flat rate and standard payment processors.

If you have a small business processing less than $3000 a month, you are better off with a flat rate processor as you won’t incur any additional charges.

Even if the flat rate processors will be a little higher than the standard payment processor charges, your overall cost will be lower as you won’t pay the monthly and annual fees.

If your business is larger and you process more than $3000 a month, you will save money with a standard credit card processor.

Negotiate with the credit card processor
It might be a surprise to many, but the prices you see on the credit processor’s website aren’t set in stone—they are negotiable.

If your business is processing large volumes of credit card transactions, you can leverage this and negotiate the fees down.

To get the best deal, take stock of your customers paying using their credit cards, then begin shopping around for the best rates.

Speak to different companies, show your numbers and ask them about the best deal they can give you.

While scouting for the best deal, remember that rock bottom rates aren’t enough—the payment processor should also provide you with value.

It’s always wise to pay a little more for a credit card processor that provides more integrations and better customer service.

Reduce the risk of credit card fraud
The higher the security risk you pose as a merchant, the higher your credit card processing fees will be. So, to keep your processing fees low, you should reduce the risk.

One way to do it is to swipe the credit cards as the customer is making the payments.

You can also lower the risk by entering the customer’s security information whenever they purchase. The security information such as the billing Zip code and CVV (card verification value or security code) protects the cardholder, validates a purchase, and keeps your processing fees low.

Keying in the details might be a little nuisance, but it saves you over 1% of each sale, which might be a small figure, but if you are processing many transactions, the figure quickly adds up.

*****

From time to time, GraniteGrok accepts content from third parties (posts, or additional links after initial publication) from which we may or may not receive compensation.

The post How Do I Lower My Credit Card Processing Fees? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Federal Judge Blocks Nationwide Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers (At least One Local Hospital Does Not Care)

Granite Grok - Wed, 2021-12-01 14:30 +0000

A few days ago, a Federal Judge blocked the Biden Vaccine mandate for health care workers in ten states. Yesterday a different judge did that one better.

 

Louisiana Western District U.S. Judge Terry Doughty’s decision follows an identical ruling Monday from Missouri U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp, but Schelp’s decision only covered 10 states.

Doughty ruled on the lawsuit led by Republican Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and joined by 13 other states, but Doughty added a nationwide injunction in his ruling. …

“During a pandemic such as this one, it is even more important to safeguard the separation of powers set forth in our Constitution to avoid erosion of our liberties.”

 

That sounds great, but what does it mean? Not much at Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. From a reader.

 

“Unvaccinated employees were told to either get vaccinated by Dec 4th or be suspended without pay, and our jobs will be posted immediately. We have sent info showing the mandates have been stoped by federal judges, the CEO doesn’t care.

 

The Hospital, Insurance, Big Pharma triad appears ready to continue business as usual. Their meat-puppet Fauci is saying you all need to get the booster. Skipping out on the approved chemical indoctrination will not be tolerated.

No Jab, no Job.

If your legislature can’t or won’t step up, and your governor is unwilling, the pandemic fearmongering about overwhelming health care facilities will come true. Not because of COVID but because people who said Public Health trump everything didn’t really mean it.

 

Exit Question: Are your local hospitals “staying the course” on terminating unvaccinated health professionals? Let us know.

The post Federal Judge Blocks Nationwide Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers (At least One Local Hospital Does Not Care) appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

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