Thursday • May 22 • 2025
Vol.XVII • No.XXI
Manchester, N.H.
Pivotal in remaining a strong and credible party, you need to have the trust of your constituents. Without that trust within the bounds of the law, both the individual and the collective will be stifled, resulting in an enterprise unworthy of the name.
The Republican Party needs to rejuvenate its support base and overall credibility. Republican Party is on life support as it is today. It is no longer a mystery; the Republican Party has lost touch with its constituents and the American people. They don’t connect and don’t care. For example, the US Senate is not serving the intended role of protecting the individual states’ autonomy and authority. Senators view themselves as part of the national government, not as a defender of the state’s interest and sovereignty.
What do you think can be done? First and foremost, we must have term limits. Vital to the effort’s success is abandoning old suspicions, parochial thinking, and scheming for special privileges for any individual or group. Goodwill and work for the common good are required of all. This new beginning is a paradigm shift from the destructive ways of the past. There is much to be gained by all when justice and equity are not exclusive to the few. Justice in all its forms, as is the case with freedom, must be the guiding principle of our Republican Party.
This Party can’t even agree on a single bill to pass. A lack of unity and leadership has weakened this Party. Despite many promises to the American people, Obamacare is still alive and well. “For American voters expecting their Republican-dominated House and Senate and the White House to honor their years of repeal promises and repeal Obamacare. In a move that’s no surprise to anyone, the late John McCain voted against the embarrassingly named ‘Skinny Repeal,’ voted against his Party (or is it his Party?), and voted to keep Obamacare going.
Many people can no longer differentiate between the Democrats and the Republicans. Not to mention, this Party ultimately betrayed the American people during the Obama administration. They just watched and did nothing.
According to Rasmussen Reports, Republican voters are far more likely than Democrats to say their party bosses are out of touch with the voter base. Seventy-three percent of Republicans think their party leaders are out of step with the rank-and-file, the survey shows.
Republican Party has become one of the rich, for the rich, and has lost touch with people. The Party has lost its ability to govern despite having the majority in the House, Senate, and Republican President.
Time is of the essence; either do your job for which you were elected or resign so that we can have new blood injected into that Party. You can no longer function.
The post Fellow Republicans, appeared first on Granite Grok.
And I’ve got ideas. Well, to be truthful, I know someone else who has many more than I do, and I was in stitches while listening to his descriptions of what he’d like to see. The only problem is that neither of us can do graphics to save our lives.
If you like the work we do with words, have the same satirical outlook on politics, and can create cartoons that say as much with design, lines, or colors.
We know our readers would love more political cartoons, so we are looking for folks who can draw them. We’ll help with the ideas and then feature your work on our rather well-trafficked pages. Our readers get a laugh or an inspired moment from your artistic effort, and you grow an audience for your work.
And trust me; we will be able to feed you with lots of ideas on a wide range of subjects.
If you’re interested, send us an email at Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
The post We Are Looking for Folks Who Can Draw … Cartoons appeared first on Granite Grok.
It is no secret that law enforcement officers throughout the united states are almost never held accountable for their heinous transgressions, even when they commit felonies. As I explained in my 2022 book ‘Presumed Guilty’, police officers have been granted increasingly powerful protections from both civil and criminal liability for their crimes, largely by the federal government.
The post Holding Cops Accountable By Collaborating! appeared first on The Liberty Block.
We are suffering a lack of love for this country that most of us recognize as the greatest on earth. We tend to emphasize the ills of America because most people look for the tragic headlines and gloss over the stories of good and hope.
The old line, “If it bleeds, it leads,” is still true today, even though our sources for news have changed dramatically. Unfortunately, this logic has permeated the teaching of our children. Instead of focusing on our great land’s blessings, freedoms, and opportunities, our children are inundated with tales of gloom and oppression. There is always the other side of the coin. If we could flip the side we dwell on, we could change the thinking of future generations. The negative outlook of America is a learned, not an experienced viewpoint.
An example is WNBA player Natasha Cloud. Here is a 31-year-old woman who was educated at the University of Maryland and Saint Joseph’s University thanks to basketball scholarships and makes her living playing professional basketball. She has a life many would love to enjoy, but Natasha still has the time to trash the country that has given her a good life. In a tweet Cloud posted on Monday, she wrote:
“Our country is trash in so many ways and instead of using our resources to make it better we continue to oppress Marginalized groups that we have targeted since the beginning of times. Black/brown communities& LGBTQ+ man we are too powerful to still be attacking issues separate.”
Cloud drew immediate attention and criticism, and my favorite response was from Enes Freedom. I stipulate that Enes is one of my most admired people because he has embraced what America has given him after growing up in Turkey. He enjoys the fruits of America and maybe its biggest cheerleader and spokesman. He responded on Twitter:
Just ask your colleague Brittney Griner how “trash” America is. Calling America trash huh? Let me know when your season is over, I’ll buy your ticket and we can go together to counties like China, Russia, IRAN, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, & Turkey. Forget about calling them trash, I would like to see if you can even criticize those regimes!! You and your family members would be thrown in jail, tortured to death, and raped. People have NO idea how lucky and blessed they are to be in a country like America. I’m not saying America is perfect, but trust me, you don’t wanna see the other side.
Enes Freedom gets it. He has lived in a country that has banned him from returning home. He cannot see his parents. He lost his job playing in the NBA because he spoke out about the evils of China, yet he still raves about the greatness of America. He has seen both sides of the coin, and he will take the American eagle. Natasha Cloud has only experienced the best the world has to offer, but she has been taught that America is oppressive and racist. Cloud needs to shed her ignorance and get beyond what she has been programmed to think.
Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas is an American success story. He is a direct descendant of a slave. His great-grandfather was a plantation cotton picker. Wesley Hunt credits his parents, who taught him and his siblings that race was not the factor to determine their lives but sacrifice and hard work were. Wesley and his brother and sister are all graduates of West Point. Can there be a more patriotic success story? I don’t think so. Hunt is working on a bill that would name July as National Pride Month. That is a Pride I can embrace, and I will send the first T-shirt to Natasha Cloud!
The post Time To Teach our Children To Love This Country appeared first on Granite Grok.
Mike Pence … you remember him, don’t you? The guy who gave Fauci and Birx the keys to the car and then did absolutely nothing as they drove the car off the cliff … is all about Ukraine. Check out his twitter feed. Pence has no doubt … NONE … that Hitler Putin intends to drive his Panzers T-90s all the way to the Atlantic!
Pence is as ignorant and wrong about Ukraine/Zelensky as he was about COVID/Fauci-Birx. But there is one thing we agree on. There is no place in the GOP for those who oppose forever-wars, if some Establishment hack like Pence or Haley wins the nomination. So I will write in RFK, Jr. if somehow Pence or Haley or some other oleaginous Establishment hack is the nominee.
I know the difference between a genius and a war criminal, and I know who needs to win this war in Ukraine, and it's the people fighting for their freedom and fighting to restore their national sovereignty. There is no room in our party for apologists for Putin. There is only… pic.twitter.com/VKyeM0exgU
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) June 29, 2023
The post Mike Pence Says … No Place In The GOP For Those Who Oppose Forever-Wars appeared first on Granite Grok.
Dear Patriot,
In these tumultuous times, it is essential to recognize the pivotal role that each of you plays in shaping the course of our nation. As Patriots, you are not mere spectators but active participants in the ever-evolving political climate surrounding us.
I want to talk to you today to emphasize the importance of resilience, unity, and the need to navigate challenges without succumbing to anger and frustration.
As Patriots, our journey is not without obstacles. The road ahead may be riddled with challenges, testing our resolve and commitment to our shared values. However, it is during these moments that our strength shines the brightest. Remember that previous generations of Patriots faced trials and tribulations, yet they persevered, leaving behind a legacy that inspires us today. We must remain resolute and steadfast in our pursuit of progress, refusing to be disheartened by temporary setbacks or the magnitude of the tasks before us.
In the face of adversity, we must guard against the destructive forces of anger and frustration. While it is natural to feel these emotions when our values are challenged, or progress seems slow, we must not allow them to consume us or dictate our actions. Instead, let us channel these emotions into productive avenues and constructive dialogue. By doing so, we maintain the integrity of our convictions and contribute positively to the collective efforts of Patriots across our country.
One of our greatest strengths as Patriots lies in our numbers. With over 100 million MAGA individuals who share our dedication to the principles of liberty, justice, and the prosperity of America, we form a formidable force for positive change. The sheer magnitude of our collective presence is a testament to the enduring spirit of patriotism that runs deep within the fabric of our nation. Each Patriot adds their voice to the chorus of those seeking a better future for our country, and together, our combined efforts have the power to shape the course of America.
Unity is the bedrock upon which our strength rests. When we stand together, regardless of our backgrounds or political affiliations, we amplify our voices and mobilize our efforts. Through unity, we transcend divisions, foster understanding, and bridge seemingly impossible gaps. By embracing collective responsibility, we unlock the potential to accomplish great things for our nation.
The power of unity should not be underestimated. History bears witness to the remarkable achievements of united Patriots throughout the ages. From our nation’s founding to the civil rights movement and beyond, the collective determination of Patriots brought about transformative change. By harnessing the power of our unity, we can overcome any obstacle, challenge the status quo, and create a more inclusive, prosperous, and harmonious America.
In politics, it is disheartening to witness some politicians prioritizing their power and self-interests over the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. The allure of energy can be seductive, turning it into an aphrodisiac and a drug that blinds those who succumb to its influence. As Patriots, we must hold our elected officials accountable and demand that they prioritize the needs and aspirations of the American people above their ambitions.
Power has an intoxicating effect on those who wield it. It can cloud judgment, breed corruption, and lead to a detachment from the realities of everyday Americans. We have witnessed how some politicians become disconnected from the values and principles they promised to uphold once immersed in the corridors of power. This disconnection undermines the trust between the governed and their representatives, eroding the foundations of our democracy.
The United States Senate, often referred to as the most exclusive club in the history of the modern United States, presents a glaring example of the entrenchment of power. Some Senators have held their positions for decades, effectively creating a system where fresh perspectives and new voices struggle to emerge. This stagnation stifles progress and impedes the representation of the diverse interests and concerns of the American people. We must advocate for term limits to ensure a rotation of ideas and a more accountable system of governance.
Let us reflect upon the experience of Senator Ted Cruz, who entered the Senate determined to shake things up and challenge the status quo. However, his arrival was met with resistance from entrenched members of the “club” who were reluctant to embrace change. This resistance to new voices hampers innovation and stifles the will of the people who elected representatives to serve their interests.
Ted Cruz’s experience is not unique. Numerous Senators who dare to challenge the norms and bring fresh perspectives face hostility and pushback from those who have grown comfortable in their positions of power. This resistance stems from a fear of disruption and a desire to maintain the status quo.
However, we can precisely ensure a government serving the people’s interests by introducing new ideas and a rotation of representatives.
Term limits are essential to breathe new life into our political system. Limiting the number of terms an individual can serve enables fresh voices and ideas to emerge, fostering a more dynamic and responsive government. Term limits promote accountability, preventing the consolidation of power and encouraging representatives to remain connected to the needs and aspirations of their constituents. It is time to push for term limits and reshape the political landscape to reflect the will of the American people better.
Throughout history, the struggle for freedom has witnessed periodic setbacks and advances. Tyranny may occasionally gain ground, but free people have consistently risen to the challenge, willing to pay any price to safeguard the precious treasure of liberty. Our journey toward a perfect union is not without obstacles, but we have repeatedly proven that we possess the resilience and determination to overcome them.
As Patriots, we must renew our commitment to defending the principles enshrined in our Constitution. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, who risked their lives and fortunes to secure our freedom. Just as they faced adversity with unwavering determination, we must be prepared to meet any challenge and preserve the precious legacy of liberty for future generations.
Our Constitution serves as the bedrock of our nation, guaranteeing the fundamental rights and liberties that define us as a free people. Our duty as Patriots is to safeguard the integrity of this sacred document, ensuring its principles are upheld and protected. In a time of increasing polarization and threats to our democratic institutions, we must remain vigilant and resolute in defending the Constitution, for it is through its provisions that our freedom endures.
Dear Patriots, as we navigate the complex political landscape of our time, let us remain hopeful and engaged. We must continue to demand term limits for our elected officials, ensuring a system that welcomes fresh perspectives and remains accountable to the people’s will. We can shape a brighter future for America through unity, perseverance, and a steadfast commitment to our shared values.
In these challenging times, let us unite, transcending our differences and working toward a more inclusive, prosperous, and harmonious nation. We have the power to effect change, to build bridges, and to forge a path towards a better tomorrow.
With unwavering solidarity and a shared vision for a more vital America.
The post Patriots! Let’s Unite for a Stronger America! appeared first on Granite Grok.
Nearly 250 years ago, a group of incredible men with vision and wisdom far beyond their years crafted the Declaration of Independence. The colonists had tired of living under totalitarian rule and wanted their freedom and rights endowed upon them by God.
These early settlers came to this land to escape excessive government control, only to find themselves still under the thumb of the King of England. These folks were willing to sacrifice their blood and treasure to regain their independence and create a more perfect union for themselves and their families. Young men and boys banded together and defeated the superior British Army and Navy to give birth to the United States of America.
On the last day of the Constitutional Convention, September 18, 1787, a lady asked Benjamin Franklin what have we got a republic or a monarchy – A republic, replied Franklin, if you can keep it. Two centuries later, we realize just how astute the words of Benjamin Franklin were as we see our once great Republic drifting away toward Socialism. Maybe it is time for us to band together again and declare our independence from the government we have created and allowed to take control of our lives.
The change happened slowly but built up momentum over the last fifty years. We had survived two world wars where we joined with other nations to fight fascists who wanted to control the world, and we had the freedoms and energy to grow this nation at a speed never seen before. Unfortunately, as we looked to the future, we did not watch the present. Our education system and government were working in unison to morph our nation into a more socialistic model. The change happened so methodically that we did not detect it as we were caught up in our progress. The last few years of anarchy, protests, Pandemic, BLM, and the introduction of cancel and WOKE culture have opened our eyes to the new normal, and many of us do not want to live in that “normal” world.
From our independence has grown a new dependent culture that wants to be nurtured and cared for from crib to grave while still enjoying the benefits and fruits of those who still have the spirit of our forefather’s drive to make a better life. Equity has replaced equality, and the want of a handout has usurped the idea of lending a hand up. You can hear the chants of the USA fading as the drumbeat of ESG and CRT have become the rhythm of the new generations.
Our free nation has become the new society of free living where all the basic needs and more are supplied to the masses at the expense of those who worked hard and created their success and wealth. This society can only work until we have drained all the resources from the few at the top or until the top of the pyramid is no longer. The new generations, and even our government, fail to understand this concept and are creating a debt that we cannot sustain.
Before it is too late, those who still believe in our Republic and its original intent must unite and rise against this movement to tear us down. We must reject those who want to lead us down the path to Socialism and ensure that our government returns to a body created by and for the people. If we fail to answer this call, we will fulfill the prophecy of Benjamin Franklin, and we will lose our grip on our great Republic. We are still a young country but one that is destroying itself from within. We have to power to reverse the course, but only if we join together and declare our intent to be free again. We cannot delay, for the momentum is too great for procrastination. Existential is a terribly overused word, but this movement is precisely that. The leaders of this movement are hell-bent on the extinction of the United States of America, and I, for one, am not ready to lower the flag just yet.
The post We Need To Declare Independence, Again appeared first on Granite Grok.
No President in the history of the United States has achieved as much in his first three years in his first term in office as President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, no President in the history of America has been subjected to such incessant vile and unjustified attacks as President Trump.
We are making America stronger, prouder, and greater than ever before.” President Donald J. Trump
Why? Because he believes in American exceptionalism, not globalism.
“Make America Great Again.” Just a slogan, the people of failure shout back. The Obama/Biden team had failed us for eight years in every aspect of our lives. To the leftists, failure is not only typical; it is expected. Since Donald Trump announced his candidacy, the Democrats have launched one failed hoax after another in an attempt to end his political career.
The list of their failures for the previous administration is so long and glaring that I hardly need to repeat all of them here. Under the previous administration, once well-paid manufacturing jobs had disappeared and were relocated to other countries. President Trump managed to reverse this trend and brought back many manufacturing jobs. Before President Trump was at the helm, vast swaths of this nation, from northern New York to the great states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and many others, previously vibrant manufacturing regions, looked like ghost towns but now have come back and people are optimistic about the future of this country.
“During a PBS town hall, Obama referenced Trump’s promise to bring back jobs to the United States when talking about manufacturing.
“Well, how exactly are you going to do that? What exactly are you going to do? There’s no answer to it,” Obama said.
“He just said, ‘Well, I’m going to negotiate a better deal.’ Well, what, how exactly are you going to negotiate that? What magic wand do you have?”
If I may, on President Trump’s behalf, allow me to respond to the former President:
“Mr. Obama, I wake up every morning and see a winner. Every day of my life, a winner has looked back at me from the mirror with a smile, encouraging me to go out there and have another winning day.
“And I do that. And I am doing the same thing for our country. My wand is made of people. I can lead people to do miraculous feats. I’ve done it all my life, and after three years in office, I have done it again, and that’s just the beginning. Before America hired me, I had built some of the most magnificent buildings in the world through the combined efforts of tens of thousands of talented people. These men and women each brought their skill and energy to their jobs. They worked for living wages, that’s for sure. But they didn’t go through the motions only to get a paycheck. They worked their best and hardest because they contributed to building something beautiful. These men and women felt the priceless joy of working for something that no money can buy, the pride of being in a team of winners accomplishing greatly challenging tasks.”
“Now, the winner who looked at me in the mirror and asked me to do the same exact thing for our country. This time with a team of millions of competent men and women lining up to build a better America while seeking a better life for themselves and their children. This is how I have accomplished and brought back so many businesses and manufacturing jobs to our country. Something you failed to do.”
President Trump won against them. Why? Because the American people want a leader who believes in them and believes in America. A leader who is willing and able to end the corrupt decay of Washington, D. C. The American people are sick and tired of letting a band of losers give away the store and what’s left of it.
Although the Obama/Biden and Biden/ Kamala Harris team made a wreck of our country, they have done very well for themselves personally, and I mean hugely well.
Strange as it may seem, the above paragraphs may tell us something important about the motivation of Donald Trump to “Make America Great Again.” His monumental egotism should be viewed with the above ideas in mind. This would have been readily understood by Alexander Hamilton, whose founding of the First National Bank and his famous “Report on Manufactures” established him as the father of American capitalism.
Despite the fact that Trump’s White House and government were stacked with progressive liberals/Obama holdovers/Muslim apologists, and Muslim brotherhood career workers, President Trump still managed to reverse the disastrous course of Obama/ Biden and has made America great for every man, woman, and child of every race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, and all other variations.
Unfortunately, in a shocking turn of events that had left the nation reeling, the American people were robbed of their rightful choice for leadership. Trump’s impressive victory was a reward for his tireless commitment to serving the American people. It was also the crowning achievement of an unprecedented campaign whose brilliance and high tone demonstrated the vitality of our Constitutional Republic to the entire world while keeping them spellbound.
Our responsibility as Americans to Keep America Great is to reelect President Trump, who selflessly has sacrificed his comfortable life for the sake of America and the American people.
The post Donald Trump’s America appeared first on Granite Grok.
I’ve been pondering a foray into the Green Mountain State for a few years but was burdened by the same issues with other expansions. People promising to write about local stuff and it happening regularly are very different things. They mean well, but I get it.
Writing comes easily for some, while most folks have other skill sets. They want to write, but sitting down to do it is torture. It’s a waste of their time and resources. They can participate in the fight for liberty in other ways. Adding a digital presence in Vermont was on the bucket list but until this past week untenable.
At the end of last week, True North Reports (TNR) announced that it would no longer add new content. That would leave several capable writers without that page to land on, so I started reaching out. We can count on a few of TNR’s regular contributors to provide content to VermontGrok.
It’s TimeI’ve been throwing down my fair share of words about Vermont. We’ve got a ‘Grok author who lives there. We’ve got a pair of TNR writers ready to pitch in, but will anyone else in Vermont volunteer to write state and local stories for its pages? I think we can attract a few more, add local op-eds published as we do here on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River, and with the added reach GraniteGrok, boom!
We’re doing this!
Not long from now, a New Grok will appear as a link in the header of every page. It will be part of GraniteGrok as we do our best to fill some of the void left by TNR.
And …
At some point, much as we have in New Hampshire, we intend to Dominate the Political Bandwidth in Vermont.
This is not the final proof, but I was fooling around with it and liked where it was going. We’ll unveil the real thing on opening day.
A Thing Worth DoingWe ask our readers to support independent media, and we practice what we preach – and my trying to go full-time with your help makes this leap tenable.
While not the only option, TNR was an important part of the other side of Vermont’s media landscape. Vermonters lose a step without alternative content or opinion on the day’s issues, culture, and news. We’re not going to allow that to happen. And what better day than Independence Day to announce it?
We’d also like to welcome all of TNR’s readers and commenters. Yes, we allow comments. You will need to sign up for DISQUS (sorry), but that’s what we’ve been using for more years than I can count. We don’t brook trolls, foul language, implied threats, or violent language against anyone, but everything else is on the table—debate matters.
I hope you will join us as readers, commenters, and op-ed writers when the urge strikes you.
A formal announcement will follow when the page is live.
One more Question. Do you like Green MountainGrok Better?
The post Coming Soon: GraniteGrok in Vermont … Should We Call it VermontGrok? Green MountainGrok? appeared first on Granite Grok.
We’re not dealing with a government that exists to serve its people, protect their liberties and ensure their happiness. Rather, we are the unfortunate victims of the diabolical machinations of a make-works program carried out on an epic scale whose only purpose is to keep the powers-that-be permanently (and profitably) employed.
Case in point: the FBI.
The government’s henchmen have become the embodiment of how power, once acquired, can be so easily corrupted and abused. Indeed, far from being tough on crime, FBI agents are also among the nation’s most notorious lawbreakers.
Whether the FBI is planting undercover agents in churches, synagogues, and mosques; issuing fake emergency letters to gain access to Americans’ phone records; using intimidation tactics to silence Americans who are critical of the government, or persuading impressionable individuals to plot acts of terror and then entrapping them, the overall impression of the nation’s secret police force is that of a well-dressed thug, flexing its muscles and doing the boss’ dirty work.
Clearly, this is not a government agency that appears to understand, let alone respect, the limits of the Constitution.
Indeed, this same government agency has a pattern and practice of entrapment that involves targeting vulnerable individuals, feeding them with the propaganda, know-how, and weapons intended to turn them into terrorists, and then arresting them as part of an elaborately orchestrated counterterrorism sting.
Basically, it works like this: in order to justify their crime-fighting superpowers, the FBI manufactures criminals by targeting vulnerable individuals and feeding them anti-government propaganda; then, undercover agents and informants equip the targeted individuals with the training and resources to challenge what they’ve been indoctrinated into believing is government corruption; and finally, the FBI arrests the targeted individuals for engaging in anti-government, terrorist activities.
This is what passes for the government’s perverse idea of being tough on crime.
For example, undercover FBI agents pretending to be associated with ISIS have been accused of seeking out online and befriending a 16-year-old with brain development issues, persuading him to secretly send them small cash donations in the form of gift cards, and then the moment Mateo Ventura, turned 18, arresting him for providing financial support to an Islamic terrorist group.
If convicted, the teenager could spend up to 10 years in prison.
Yet as The Intercept explains, “the only ‘terrorist’ he is accused of ever being in contact with was an undercover FBI agent who befriended him online as a 16-year-old… This law enforcement tactic has been criticized by national security researchers who have scrutinized the FBI’s role in manufacturing terrorism cases using vulnerable people who would have been unable to commit crimes without prolonged government assistance and encouragement… the Ventura case may indicate that authorities are still open to conjuring terrorists where none existed.”
In another incident, the FBI used an undercover agent/informant to seek out and groom an impressionable young man, cultivating his friendship, gaining his sympathy, stoking his outrage over injustices perpetrated by the U.S. government, then enlisting his help to blow up the Herald Square subway station. Despite the fact that Shahawar Matin Siraj ultimately refused to plant a bomb at the train station, he was arrested for conspiring to do so at the urging of his FBI informant and used to bolster the government’s track record in foiling terrorist plots. Of course, no mention was made of the part the government played in fabricating the plot, recruiting a would-be bomber, and setting him up to take the fall.
These are Machiavellian tactics with far-reaching consequences for every segment of the population, no matter what one’s political leanings, but it is especially dangerous for anyone whose views could in any way be characterized as anti-government.
As Rozina Ali writes for The New York Times Magazine, “The government’s approach to counterterrorism erodes constitutional protections for everyone by blurring the lines between speech and action and by broadening the scope of who is classified as a threat.”
For instance, it was reported that the FBI had been secretly carrying out an entrapment scheme in which it used a front company, ANOM, to sell purportedly hack-proof phones to organized crime syndicates and then used those phones to spy on them as they planned illegal drug shipments, plotted robberies and put out contracts for killings using those boobytrapped phones.
All told the FBI intercepted 27 million messages over the course of 18 months.
What this means is that the FBI was also illegally spying on individuals using those encrypted phones who may not have been involved in any criminal activity whatsoever.
Even reading a newspaper article is now enough to get you flagged for surveillance by the FBI. The agency served a subpoena on USA Today / Gannett to provide the internet addresses and mobile phone information for everyone who read a news story online on a particular day and time about the deadly shooting of FBI agents.
This is the danger of allowing the government to carry out widespread surveillance, sting, and entrapment operations using dubious tactics that sidestep the rule of law: “we the people” become suspects and potential criminals, while government agents, empowered to fight crime using all means at their disposal, become indistinguishable from the corrupt forces they seek to vanquish.
To go after terrorists, they become terrorists.
To go after drug smugglers, they become drug smugglers.
To go after thieves, they become thieves.
For instance, when the FBI raided a California business that was suspected of letting drug dealers anonymously stash guns, drugs and cash in its private vaults, agents seized the contents of all the safety deposit boxes and filed forfeiture motions to keep the contents, which include millions of dollars’ worth of valuables owned by individuals not accused of any crime whatsoever.
It’s hard to say whether we’re dealing with a kleptocracy (a government ruled by thieves), a kakistocracy (a government run by unprincipled career politicians, corporations, and thieves that panders to the worst vices in our nature and has little regard for the rights of American citizens), or if we’ve gone straight to an idiocracy.
This certainly isn’t a constitutional democracy, however.
Some days, it feels like the FBI is running its own crime syndicate, complete with mob rule and mafia-style justice.
In addition to creating certain crimes in order to then “solve” them, the FBI also gives certain informants permission to break the law, “including everything from buying and selling illegal drugs to bribing government officials and plotting robberies,” in exchange for their cooperation on other fronts.
USA Today estimates that agents have authorized criminals to engage in as many as 15 crimes a day (5600 crimes a year). Some of these informants are getting paid astronomical sums: one particularly unsavory fellow, later arrested for attempting to run over a police officer, was actually paid $85,000 for his help laying the trap for an entrapment scheme.
In a stunning development reported by The Washington Post, a probe into misconduct by an FBI agent resulted in the release of at least a dozen convicted drug dealers from prison.
In addition to procedural misconduct, trespassing, enabling criminal activity, and damaging private property, the FBI’s laundry list of crimes against the American people includes surveillance, disinformation, blackmail, entrapment, intimidation tactics, and harassment.
For example, the Associated Press lodged a complaint with the Dept. of Justice after learning that FBI agents created a fake AP news story and emailed it, along with a clickable link, to a bomb threat suspect in order to implant tracking technology onto his computer and identify his location. Lambasting the agency, AP attorney Karen Kaiser railed, “The FBI may have intended this false story as a trap for only one person. However, the individual could easily have reposted this story to social networks, distributing to thousands of people, under our name, what was essentially a piece of government disinformation.”
Then again, to those familiar with COINTELPRO, an FBI program created to “disrupt, misdirect, discredit, and neutralize” groups and individuals the government considers politically objectionable, it should come as no surprise that the agency has mastered the art of government disinformation.
The FBI has been particularly criticized in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks for targeting vulnerable individuals and not only luring them into fake terror plots but actually equipping them with the organization, money, weapons, and motivation to carry out the plots—entrapment—and then jailing them for their so-called terrorist plotting. This is what the FBI characterizes as “forward leaning—preventative—prosecutions.”
The FBI has also repeatedly sought to expand its invasive hacking powers to allow agents to hack into any computer, anywhere in the world.
Suffice it to say that when and if a true history of the FBI is ever written, it will not only track the rise of the American police state, but it will also chart the decline of freedom in America: how a nation that once abided by the rule of law and held the government accountable for its actions has steadily devolved into a police state where justice is one-sided, a corporate elite runs the show, representative government is a mockery, police are extensions of the military, surveillance is rampant, privacy is extinct, and the law is little more than a tool for the government to browbeat the people into compliance.
This is how tyranny rises, and freedom falls.
The powers-that-be are not acting in our best interests.
Almost every tyranny being perpetrated by the U.S. government against the citizenry—purportedly to keep us safe and the nation secure—has come about as a result of some threat manufactured in one way or another by our own government.
Think about it.
Cyberwarfare. Terrorism. Bio-chemical attacks. The nuclear arms race. Surveillance. The drug wars. Domestic extremism. The COVID-19 pandemic.
In almost every instance, the U.S. government (often spearheaded by the FBI) has, in its typical Machiavellian fashion, sown the seeds of terror domestically and internationally in order to expand its own totalitarian powers.
Consider that this very same government has taken every bit of technology sold to us as being in our best interests—GPS devices, surveillance, nonlethal weapons, etc.—and used it against us to track, control and trap us.
Are you getting the picture yet?
The U.S. government isn’t protecting us from threats to our freedoms.
The U.S. government is creating the threats to our freedoms. It is, as I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart, The Erik Blair Diaries, the source of the threats to our freedoms.
John Whitehead | The Tenth Amendment Center
The post FBI Make-Work Entrapment Schemes: Creating Criminals in Order to Arrest Them appeared first on Granite Grok.
My story begins in Chengdu, China, at the dawn of the Cultural Revolution, an insanity that gripped millions of my countrymen. We were destitute, as were most Chinese during this period.
We want to thank Lily Tng Williams for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.
We lived in a primitive worker’s row house by a river sharing one tarp-covered outhouse and one water faucet with eight families. We had a mud floor that, after occasional flooding, would sprout mushrooms.
My parents were illiterate workers, so their positions in the state factory were too low to be rationed much food. A full belly was a luxury. My uncle even taught me how to trap rats for food. All we knew was a life of arduous labor and chaos. Little time was spent thinking of philosophical fantasies concerning “oppression” and “rights,” so we labored to survive, hoping only that we would endure.
Despite the socialist rhetoric, school and childcare were not free. I even missed school for a year to babysit my infant brother. Yet despite the few resources available to Chinese students, I committed all of my energy to excel in school when I could go. But in Communist China, even fleeting joy is crushed in the young by ideological rigidity, for I was denied entry into Mao’s “Young Pioneers.” The pain was not in the denial but in learning that my friend reported me for showing “too much pride in my grades.”
From that moment forward, I was a model communist citizen. I wrote ideologically validating diaries. I memorized Mao’s words. I recited his political slogans as prayer and made sure that every word I uttered was politically correct. Mao was our god, and I was his faithful disciple.
This mindset served me well for a time, for when Mao shut down all churches and temples, I mourned not. In 1976, when I was 12 years old, Mao died, and the Cultural Revolution came to an end. When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) admitted that Mao was only a man and the Cultural Revolution was just a mistake, my faith in the CCP began to crack.
China’s renaissance began, colleges reopened, and after years of hard work and preparation, I was able to pass the national entrance exam. I was accepted into a top tiered university to study law. I had hopes that China should not be ruled by men but by law. Yet even the law was but an extension of the wills of men, modeled after the Soviet Union legal code. It was the antithesis of justice.
I learned an important lesson from Mao’s regime: to become a slave, the “true horrors” are not the shackles placed around one’s wrists but the ones that are self-imposed. No longer secured by the shackles of cognitive slavery but not able to find solace in a just code of laws, I became cynical and rebellious, even befriending foreign students on campus to learn if there was more to life.
It was during this time I met an American student. What he showed me would forever change my life — the Declaration of Independence. When I read the lines, “We hold these truths to be self-evident… (that all men) are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” they shattered what remained of my mental shackles. What ideas! Rights come not from the benevolence of the state but from God. All I had ever known were “collective rights,” the workers’ rights, the rights of peasants, etc. Never had I imagined that I, an individual, had rights. Those words only served to embolden me and my dreams. Knowing where they came from, I began to look to that “City upon a Hill.”
I eventually made it to America in 1988. In the decades since I have thrived in this great country. I earned my graduate degree, married, raised three children, started my own business, searched for deeper truths, learned much about liberty and the free market, rid myself of CCP indoctrination, naturalized as a U.S. citizen, and volunteered in my local community.
Lately, in my spare time, I have traveled around the country to share my personal stories and educate our youth about the horrors of Communism. I always defend the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, the documents with the words that freed me from my enslavement and helped me choose America as my home. I have always wanted to thank our founding fathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence, the most beautiful.
Note: This Originally Published in the Concord Monitor in NH on July 4, 2021.
The post America’s Forefathers Shattered my Communist Chains appeared first on Granite Grok.
Ever since the massive arrival of Muslims to the Western hemisphere, our culture and world have been forever altered, thanks to the ceaseless attempts of the left to jam a failing Utopian Multiculturalism paradise down the throats of its unsuspecting citizens.
As every recent election has shown, multiculturalism in Europe is dead in the water. Even the politicians are admitting it now. Then why are they still insisting that we must coexist and keep importing more Muslims who will NEVER assimilate? Let me be clear; multiculturalism spells the demise of our Western culture. Is that what we want?
The controversy is ongoing: whether in Europe or the US, the leftist intelligentsia and elitists continue to demand that they have seen the truth, that all people can live peaceably together so long as we are tolerant and have the right laws in place.
The West has been tolerant, but “tolerance in the face of evil is not tolerance. It is a crime.” We were defending ourselves at the Gates of Vienna from a Muslim invasion not long ago. Now, we welcome Muslims with open arms and generous welfare policies. Any pushback to these open immigration practices is labeled Islamophobia, racism, bigotry, etc. But what cost do these changes bring?
The battle with these barbarians has been proven to be arduous and lengthy. It is the duty of every enlightened individual to work their hardest to fumigate these leeches from the body of humanity.
Billboards have been popping out and sneakily reminding the viewers about their kinship with Muslims: “Islam: The message of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad.” Well folks—Christians and Jews—the overwhelming majority of the people in the United States, you need to relax about Islam. Muslims are family. They are your kindred through your shared progenitor, Abraham, so they claim. Having Abraham as an ancestor would demand that the “children” be loving siblings. That’s the message the American Muslims try to convey. And that’s how they aim to keep us in the deadly slumber of complacency and the delusion of multiculturalism. For one, multiculturalism and multi-religionism are not interchangeable or one and the same.
Muslims and their frequently well-paid apologists use the multiculturalist umbrella only in non-Islamic lands to shield themselves from the torrent of legitimate criticisms that those who know Islam better shower on this cult of violence peddled as the religion of peace. You don’t need to listen to me, and don’t listen to these conniving dissimulators. Please search for it for yourself. See if the euphemism of multiculturalism is ever even mentioned by any Islamic leader, ever printed in the Islamic press, or ever appears in any form anywhere in Muslim countries.
This multiculturalism gambit is Islam-manufactured wool to pull over the eyes of the non-Muslims. At the same time, Muslims carry on with their unrelenting campaign of eradicating anything or anyone non-Islamic anywhere and everywhere in the world.
Trust me, people like us, through reason and a tremendous act of will, who have freed ourselves from the enslaving yoke of Islam placed around our necks from birth, know about all the heinous inside dirt of this plague of humanity. We have experienced Islam first-hand and up close from the inside. We have studied the Quran, the Hadith, and the Sunna. We have seen Islam in action where it wields sway. Yet, the more we studied and experienced Islam, the more our efforts to remain in the fold became untenable. We broke away from Islamic slavery and found it our solemn duty to expose this fraud of a religion, help other Muslims free themselves from it, and warn the good-hearted and gullible non-Muslims of the world against falling prey to it.
The Muslim organizations in America, generously financed by the oil-rich Muslim governments and Sheikhs, are directed to sell Islam Lite long enough until this ideology runs deep roots and real Islam is introduced. One can see how the scheme played out in Europe. Much of Europe is already past the stage of Islam Lite and knee-deep into the quagmire of real Islam. And that’s precisely where things are headed in America.
Some non-Muslims, good-hearted tolerant people tend to overlook all the terrible things Islam perpetrates by pointing to some of its good teachings. These folks contend that the world should direct its effort not at combating Islam but at those individuals and groups that commit heinous acts in the name of Islam.
There are others who disagree with this gentle approach. This latter group sees all the so-called aberrations as an inherent part and parcel of Islam. They believe Islam actively promotes and is terribly out of sync with the best interests of the 21st-century world.
I say humanity must remain strong and resolute; they must stop deluding themselves. Islam will never ever coexist with infidels. We must move on. Move away from an exclusionary, primitive, and tribal mentality to a vision of all humanity being one, with justice and liberty for all.
While we frivolously waste our precious time talking about it without any drastic action taken, Islam and Sharia continue to creep into every aspect of our American culture furtively. But only too few dedicated freedom-loving people are sounding the alarm. That’s not enough. Why most of our fellow citizens don’t get it? Because the liberal elites have conditioned Americans to be tolerant and compassionate, embrace multiculturalism and respect each other’s beliefs, ideals, and values.
That’s wonderful in a utopian world, but the fact is, Islam, doesn’t embrace any aspect of Western civilization—much less American culture. We are rapidly and methodically being dismantled as a nation, and our freedom and liberty are more fragile than ever since WWII. And while we fight the enemy abroad with combat troops, intelligence, and drone strikes, we’re doing nothing to combat the same exact enemy that resides on our own soil in broad daylight.
In short: I cannot emphasize enough the urgency of this threat. We must confront Islamic ideology and its expansionism, close down all of its chapters across America, and declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. All of us must pressure our government, at all levels, to abandon the practice of ‘political correctness’ and protect the American people and act to safeguard liberty against the truly deadly assault that is reprehensive of Islamic ideology.
It is long past time for our elected officials to wake up.
The post Islam-Manufactured “Wool” Pulled Over the Eyes of the Non-Muslims appeared first on Granite Grok.
This is not good. For all the talk of “on-shoring” by the Biden Administration, its actual policies belie their talk, and now it is starting to show up. A chart and prose (and more at the link but essentially saying the same thing):
US Manufacturing “Took Sharp Turn For The Worse” In June
Despite the recent resurgence in upside surprises for US macro data, the US Manufacturing sector remains deep in contraction (sub-50) based on the ISM and PMI surveys driven by a sharp fall in new orders.
(click to embiggen)
And growth is gone – this 50 line means no growth at all:
We’ve been listening to scares talk of recession or deep recession for quite some time – is this a foretelling? The SMAHT PEOPLE that seem to want to rule us have created policies (financial, taxation, environmental, regulatory) that all have made making stuff here in the US harder to start, more difficult to do, and taking profit out of the effort ending up with off-shoring that profit (and the jobs needed to create it).
That seems to be a bit of cognitive dissonance with the Eco-Enviros, hard Socialists, and the drizzling of Communists embedded in the Biden Administration, right?
(H/T: Zero Hedge)
The post Is US Manufacturing Tanking? appeared first on Granite Grok.
I have crunched the numbers – i.e., the voting records of 2023 – to determine objectively which ‘Republican” members of the New Hampshire House are RINOs – Republicans In Name Only.
We want to thank Spec Bowers for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.
I looked at every vote where Republicans voted opposite Democrats. More specifically, I looked at all votes where a super-majority (two-thirds) of Republicans voted opposite a majority of Democrats. I ignored votes where both sides voted the same. A RINO vote is when a Republican votes with Democrats against a super-majority of Republicans.
Almost every Rep at one time or another casts a vote the same as the Democrats. One example is when a Republican votes against the budget because it is too large, while the Democrats vote against it because they think it is too small. Thankfully, such votes are not common.
Most Republicans rarely vote with Democrats against other Republicans.
There were 28 Reps that scored a perfect 0%. Not a RINO among them. Looking at all Republicans, the median score was 1.5%, meaning that, on average, they voted with the Democrats only 1.5% of the time.
80% of Republicans voted with Democrats (against Republicans) 4% of the time; 90% scored less than 8%.
There were 15 Republicans who voted more than 10% of the time against fellow Republicans. Clearly, they are out of mainstream Republicanism.
Even more outside of the mainstream were 5 Republicans who voted more than 20% of the time with Democrats against Republicans. The worst, as usual, was Dan Wolf.
| Wolf, Dan | 65.3% |
| Bordes, Mike | 32.8% |
| Bickford, David | 31.2% |
| Guthrie, Joseph | 29.5% |
| Ankarberg, Aidan | 24.5% |
| Wolf, Dan | 65.3% |
| Bordes, Mike | 32.8% |
| Bickford, David | 31.2% |
| Guthrie, Joseph | 29.5% |
| Ankarberg, Aidan | 24.5% |
| Hynes, Dan | 15.5% |
| Thackston, Dick | 15.5% |
| Nagel, David | 13.9% |
| Trottier, Douglas | 13.7% |
| MacDonald, John | 11.7% |
| O’Hara, Travis | 11.1% |
| Boyd, Bill | 10.7% |
| Phinney, Brandon | 10.6% |
| Mason, James | 10.3% |
| Proulx, Mark | 10.3% |
| Sytek, John | 9.5% |
| Pearson, Mark | 8.4% |
| Pratt, Kevin | 8.0% |
| Donnelly, Tanya | 7.3% |
| Pearson, Stephen | 7.3% |
| Yokela, Josh | 7.3% |
| Bogert, Steven | 6.8% |
| Cahill, Tim | 6.3% |
| Brown, Carroll | 6.0% |
| Stapleton, Walter | 6.0% |
| Davis, Arnold | 5.7% |
| Crawford, Karel | 5.5% |
| Harb, Robert | 5.4% |
| Cordelli, Glenn | 5.2% |
| Fedolfi, Jim | 4.7% |
| Kuttab, Katelyn | 4.7% |
| Ladd, Rick | 4.7% |
| McDonnell, Valerie | 4.7% |
| Rhodes, Jennifer | 4.7% |
| Vandecasteele, Susan | 4.1% |
| Walsh, Lilli | 4.1% |
| Drye, Margaret | 4.0% |
| Renzullo, Andrew | 4.0% |
| Harley, Tina | 3.8% |
| Beaudoin, Richard | 3.7% |
| Plett, Fred | 3.6% |
| Alexander, Joe | 3.4% |
| Gerhard, Jason | 3.4% |
| Abare, Kimberly | 3.3% |
| Griffin, Gerald | 3.3% |
| Tierney, James | 3.3% |
| Khan, Aboul | 3.0% |
| Milz, David | 3.0% |
| Nelson, Jodi | 2.9% |
| Granger, Michael | 2.8% |
| Merner, Troy | 2.8% |
| Prudhomme-O’Brien, Katherine | 2.8% |
| Seaworth, Brian | 2.8% |
| Bailey, Glenn | 2.7% |
| Creighton, Jim | 2.7% |
| Ford, Oliver | 2.7% |
| Harvey-Bolia, Juliet | 2.7% |
| Healey, Robert | 2.7% |
| Horgan, James | 2.7% |
| Katsakiores, Phyllis | 2.7% |
| King, Bill | 2.7% |
| Lekas, Alicia | 2.7% |
| Lekas, Tony | 2.7% |
| Mannion, Dennis | 2.7% |
| Popovici-Muller, Daniel | 2.7% |
| Porcelli, Susan | 2.7% |
| Santonastaso, Matthew | 2.7% |
| Foote, Charles | 2.6% |
| Cole, Brian | 2.5% |
| Lewicke, John | 2.4% |
| Prout, Andrew | 2.4% |
| Harrington, Michael | 2.3% |
| McCarter, Nikki | 2.3% |
| McMahon, Charles | 2.3% |
| Edwards, Jess | 2.2% |
| Gould, Linda | 2.2% |
| Pitre, Joseph | 2.2% |
| Gorski, Ted | 2.1% |
| Hoell, J.R. | 2.1% |
| Ouellet, Mike | 2.1% |
| Roy, Terry | 2.1% |
| Sanborn, Laurie | 2.1% |
| Tripp, Richard | 2.1% |
| Aron, Judy | 2.0% |
| Berezhny, Lex | 2.0% |
| Kofalt, Jim | 2.0% |
| McGuire, Carol | 2.0% |
| Melvin, Charles | 2.0% |
| Moffett, Michael | 2.0% |
| Nutting, Zachary | 2.0% |
| Osborne, Jason | 2.0% |
| Pauer, Diane | 2.0% |
| Thomas, Douglas | 2.0% |
| Vose, Michael | 2.0% |
| Connor, James | 1.9% |
| MacDonald, Wayne | 1.7% |
| Emerick, Tracy | 1.6% |
| Lundgren, David | 1.6% |
| Varney, Peter | 1.6% |
| Potenza, Kelley | 1.5% |
| Berry, Ross | 1.4% |
| Brown, Richard | 1.4% |
| Corcoran, Travis | 1.4% |
| Dolan, Tom | 1.4% |
| Hobson, Deb | 1.4% |
| Janvrin, Jason | 1.4% |
| Panek, Sandra | 1.4% |
| Sellers, John | 1.4% |
| Spilsbury, Walter | 1.4% |
| Testerman, Dave | 1.4% |
| Ulery, Jordan | 1.4% |
| Andrus, Louise | 1.3% |
| Ball, Lorie | 1.3% |
| Burnham, Claudine | 1.3% |
| Cambrils, Jose | 1.3% |
| Colcombe, Riché | 1.3% |
| Costable, Michael | 1.3% |
| Cushman, Leah | 1.3% |
| DeSimone, Debra | 1.3% |
| Drago, Mike | 1.3% |
| Greeson, Jeffrey | 1.3% |
| Lascelles, Richard | 1.3% |
| Leavitt, John | 1.3% |
| Lynn, Bob | 1.3% |
| Mannion, Tom | 1.3% |
| McGuire, Dan | 1.3% |
| Notter, Jeanine | 1.3% |
| Perez, Kristine | 1.3% |
| Phillips, Emily | 1.3% |
| Potucek, John | 1.3% |
| Qualey, James | 1.3% |
| Quaratiello, Arlene | 1.3% |
| Seidel, Sheila | 1.3% |
| Sweeney, Joe | 1.3% |
| Verville, Kevin | 1.1% |
| Janigian, John | 0.9% |
| Summers, James | 0.9% |
| Dumais, Russell | 0.8% |
| Hunt, John | 0.8% |
| McLean, Mark | 0.8% |
| Mooney, Maureen | 0.8% |
| Newton, Clifford | 0.8% |
| Ammon, Keith | 0.7% |
| Aylward, Deborah | 0.7% |
| Coulon, Matthew | 0.7% |
| Doucette, Fred | 0.7% |
| Dunn, Ron | 0.7% |
| Gagne, Larry | 0.7% |
| Kennedy, Stephen | 0.7% |
| Kenny, Catherine | 0.7% |
| King, Seth | 0.7% |
| Love, David | 0.7% |
| McConkey, Mark | 0.7% |
| McGough, Tim | 0.7% |
| Noble, Kristin | 0.7% |
| Peternel, Katy | 0.7% |
| Polozov, Yury | 0.7% |
| Post, Lisa | 0.7% |
| Rollins, Skip | 0.7% |
| See, Alvin | 0.7% |
| Sheehan, Vanessa | 0.7% |
| Simon, Matthew | 0.7% |
| Smith, Jonathan | 0.7% |
| Stone, Jonathan | 0.7% |
| Tenczar, Jeffrey | 0.7% |
| Terry, Paul | 0.7% |
| Tudor, Paul | 0.7% |
| Wallace, Scott | 0.7% |
| Weyler, Kenneth | 0.7% |
| Wherry, Robert | 0.7% |
| Wood, Clayton | 0.7% |
| Aures, Cyril | 0.0% |
| Avellani, Lino | 0.0% |
| Bean, Harry | 0.0% |
| Belcher, Mike | 0.0% |
| Bernardy, JD | 0.0% |
| Boehm, Ralph | 0.0% |
| Boyd, Stephen | 0.0% |
| Brouillard, Jacob | 0.0% |
| Comtois, Barbara | 0.0% |
| Erf, Keith | 0.0% |
| Hill, Gregory | 0.0% |
| Infantine, William | 0.0% |
| Kaczynski, Thomas | 0.0% |
| Kelley, Diane | 0.0% |
| Layon, Erica | 0.0% |
| Mazur, Lisa | 0.0% |
| Piemonte, Tony | 0.0% |
| Ploszaj, Tom | 0.0% |
| Reid, Karen | 0.0% |
| Rochefort, David | 0.0% |
| Sirois, Shane | 0.0% |
| Smart, Lisa | 0.0% |
| Smith, Steven | 0.0% |
| Soti, Julius | 0.0% |
| Spillane, James | 0.0% |
| True, Chris | 0.0% |
| Turcotte, Len | 0.0% |
| Walsh, Thomas | 0.0% |
Three Reps were omitted because they cast too few votes to calculate a score.
The post The 2023 RINO Report Card appeared first on Granite Grok.
The Ministry of the Perpetual State of Fear, still doing business as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wants you to know that XBB1.16 (COVID variant code name Arcturus) has migrated from India to the US.
We reported on the rise of Arcturus back in April.
Just in time for summer flu season, remember when we didn’t have those – It’s Arcturus. Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.16 is “causing havoc” across India, with a small number of cases appearing in other counties. OMG! Lets … do nothing, please.
How dare you, the wing-nut Karens might say. What about the community?
There is a moderate amount of propaganda media coverage on the recent immigration of Arcturus to our shores, but none of it seems to include this nugget.
If you read far enough down in either or any article that attempts to inform the public about BB.1.5 or 1.16, you will learn that “We haven’t seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations,” or that “hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths have not yet risen due to the variant.”
According to the Ministry of the Perpetual State of Fear (MPSF), Arcturus now accounts for 20% of all new “COVID” cases, as if that means anything.
In response, the Ministry’s hunchbacked mutant assistant (stooped over from carrying all those bags of Pfizer “ad” cash) from the soon-to-be-renamed FDA (The Food as Drugs Administration) has,
“…directed vaccine manufacturers to update their vaccines to target XBB.1.5.
“Based on the totality of the evidence, FDA has advised manufacturers who will be updating their COVID-19 vaccines, that they should develop vaccines with a monovalent XBB.1.5 composition,” the agency said in a statement.”
This now means XBB.1.16, which is why you misspelled “Quick, change the insert and marketing material on the same useless crap you’ve been pushing” because “by ‘variant,’ you mean another revenue silo at Pfizer as people get wise to their sh!tty “cure.'”
It’s also evidence of why flu vaccines are a waste of time and money, and sometimes lives – the virus mutates far too quickly for even the best guess to be of much use as anything but a revenue stream. They are effectively selling you the Brooklyn Bridge. You can pay for it, but it doesn’t mean anything.
It is also not as popular as once it was, the fear or the jabs, as millions of experimental vaccine enthusiasts have embraced hesitancy as the number of necessary injections increases.
No reason not to try because, as the old saying goes, a needle in the arm is a pocket full of cash. It’s increasingly useless cash, printed to line the pockets of the mandates to pharma to Democrat campaigns triad. But they’ve got so much of it that the inflation it causes (an actual state of emergency) will ensure they all get good seats to watch the end of America and Western Civilization.
For those wondering if there’s a cure for that, it is clean elections.
Let me know if you spot one. They are about as common as Unicorns.
The post We Interrupt Your Peace and Prosperity™ For a Message from The Ministry of the Perpetual State of Fear appeared first on Granite Grok.
As of Sunday, July 2, 2023 (approximately 10 am), which is when I am typing this, the West is still being told that France is dealing with riots. It has been reported that 45,000 police have been deployed across the country in response to the “rioting.”
Following the latest night of violence, France’s Interior Ministry announced there were 719 arrests around the country on Saturday night, where a total of 45,000 police fanned out in a so-far unsuccessful bid to quell violence.
It sounds more like an “insurrection” than a riot … especially when you say the part out loud that you are not supposed to say out loud:
Allahu Akbar: France's Child Soldiers…
At just 8 years old, this child soldier is already prepped to wage Jihad on the French police, bred to harbor a deep hatred for France. Are these the hopeful faces of France's future? Islamic groups view children as potential 'soldiers'… pic.twitter.com/nCQStUX7Op
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) July 2, 2023
Perhaps France will be successful in quelling this insurrection … oops, I mean “riot,” but how long until the next one?
And how long until all the “migrants” the Biden regime, with the full support of the Uni-Party-Republicans, is flooding America decide to “riot.”
The post Dien Bien Phu … Take Two? appeared first on Granite Grok.
Attorney General Merrick Garland was right when he said that an attack on the Department of Justice is an attack on the people charged with ensuring that the legal system is administered fairly for all Americans. When we refer to the weaponizing of the Justice Department, we are not pointing our fingers at those on the front line. We are pointing them at you, Merrick Garland, the most corrupt Attorney General in modern times.
You are the person who targeted parents concerned with the curriculum at their children’s schools as domestic terrorists. You are the person who allowed protestors to torment the homes of our Supreme Court justices. You are the person who let a deranged individual attempt the assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
You are the evil we want to eradicate. Not the men and women honoring their pledge to their assigned jobs. We want to remove you from the position of power that you have perverted to enhance your own agenda. Your job was to protect the American people. You created a position to protect the President and yourself. You have to go.
Your performance is very similar to what we have seen from the FBI. From Comey to McCabe and Wray, the leadership of our FBI has embarrassed the FBI and our Country. You all have worked diligently to ensure the Democrat control of our Country and to thwart any attempt by Republicans to change course.
You have deceived and taken advantage of the American people. Americans always understood the lack of credibility in the executive branch, where every decision is based on politics and polling. You corrupted the neutrality of the Justice and Investigative departments of our government. You wanted us to fail, but the times have changed, and we are making headway on the cards we were dealt.
This arrangement cannot continue. The press is rearing up out of a feeling of self-preservation. Why have we been waiting five years for the investigation into Hunter Biden to continue and bear fruit, only to be deceived and stonewalled? Why, after all that time, does the American media still turn their backs and do the bidding of these corrupt politicians who only have themselves to serve?
It actually would behoove us to shut down these two factions of our Government, come to a common ground for those across the political aisle, and replace the entire upper level of management. These were once admirable groups that operated without a Right or Left-leaning. Things changed, and those in charge sought power over protection. Those in charge picked a horse in the race, and if it was Republican, they rode it home with pride. If that horse chose to veer Right, the Left found a reason to override and get us all facing the same description.
We do not need a supermajority. We can get by with a simple vote count, and the Democrats will ensure that count never happens. We, the people, need to make sure it does.
The post No Mr. Garland, It Is You We Impugn appeared first on Granite Grok.
I’m back doing my darndest to fill in for Nitzakhon and his incredibly popular meme posts. Our readers love them, and while he is away on a “special assignment,” I’ll do what I can to keep the meme alive.
Your memes are served hot and fresh with a few not-meme-inspired images (because the world is an amazing place) and some general a-political tomfoolery. I mixed them in this time.
And, as always, when viewing, consider the possibility that some material may not be age-appropriate. Feel free to decide what age or how appropriate for yourselves.
The post Monday Memes appeared first on Granite Grok.
The Associated Press reports 34% of us support his handling of the economy. Voters’ assessment of the economy is dismal. Yet, Biden continues to say and do the same things. An NBC poll says 74% of us think America is on the wrong track. So, what’s going on?
The strategy is familiar. Biden is using rhetoric as a substitute for performance; it is the Leftist way. If voters dislike what you are selling, don’t change the product. Market it differently. Call it Bidenomics and the battle of the “trickle-down” straw man.
His economic message isn’t new. His arguments have been around for years. The words have no effect. You see, the cleverest slogan doesn’t disguise reality. Mr. Biden’s claim is: Wages have been growing at a rapid clip on my watch. That is true but completely wrong… Here’s why.
Mr. Biden is presiding over a decline in real average hourly earnings. What that means is, yes, wages are going up. The problem is inflation is up more. The result is: His policies are responsible for the loss of purchasing power. He made us all poorer. We can buy less with our higher wages; 3.6% less on his watch.
The worst inflation in 40 years came from gross overspending. It is compounded by Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act which flooded a recovering economy with $2 trillion of additional stimulus. It came in addition to trillions spent the previous year. The spending splurge, combined with ending energy independence plus restrictive trade policies, generated inflation.
Mr. Biden claims American billionaires are not paying their fair share. To be clear, he does not describe what share exactly is a fair share. So let’s ask a couple of questions: Would that mean we all pay the same amount? Isn’t that what equity demands; equality of outcome? Would it mean we pay the same percentage? Does the responsibility to pay depend only on the ability to pay? If that’s true, where does it lead?
The average billionaire’s tax rate is 8%, according to Mr. Biden. How would he have acquired that information? Do you want your tax return information shared with your neighbors? Mr. Biden says no billionaire should pay a lower rate than a school teacher, fireman or policeman. Why are all his examples, public employees?
The implication of Mr. Biden’s statement is the average American is paying far more than 8%. But is that true? No, no, it is not.
According to IRS data the top 1% of taxpayers pay an average effective income tax rate of 25%. Those people earning more than $60 million/year pay an average tax rate of about 22.9% in federal taxes. Again that’s according to the IRS. You can check the numbers at Politifact.
Now looking at teachers, firemen, and police, let’s assume this is a proxy for those making less than $100 thousand/year. There, we find those people pay an effective federal tax rate between zero and 15%. Mr. Biden is simply wrong in his claim, and he’s hoping he can lie and you will not have done your homework.
Mr. Biden cherry-picks positive data points to brag about instead of recognizing policy failure and changing policy. There are some positive indicators; there always are. For example, the unemployment rate stands at 3.7%. Also, there is an uptick in factory construction. The flip side of the coin is: Government subsidy is almost 100% responsible for that activity. It is not actual innate growth from the demand in the private sector.
He just keeps hoping the Federal Reserve will fix inflation. He seems like a deer in the headlights. He’s frozen in place as oblivion hurtles toward America.
Mr. Biden also speaks about the deficit. He says the deficit went up every year under Trump, and it has gone down under him. Again Mr. Biden is correct but completely wrong. Here’s why. America has not balanced its budget in more than 20 years, since 2001, actually. During the pandemic, we did some big-time bipartisan spending. Since the Plandemic years, we have spent too much but less successively.
We are still engaging in a serious and unnecessary amount of deficit spending. The difference in the rate of deficit spending is what Mr. Biden would claim credit for. The CBO has released a report saying the deficit reduction claims are not material. Over the next 25 year, our national debt is going to climb from 91% of GDP to 181% of GDP.
Bloomberg News reports such high and rising debt will slow economic growth, push up interest rates and payments to foreign debt holders, and pose significant economic risks to the fiscal and economic outlook of America.
Nobody in the District of Columbia should get credit for much of anything except irresponsible behavior. We are nationally behaving like Hunter Biden. A lot must go right for Bidenomics to succeed. The Fed must avoid the long-predicted recession. Higher interest rates might continue to trigger bank failures. The Fed’s track record is not encouraging. Inflation has been persistent.
Assuming economic success, other issues will step forward. Biden’s fitness for office is in doubt. There are reasonable concerns over the 80-year-old president’s physical and mental capacity. People his age only move in only one direction.
If you worry about Biden’s health and capacity, then you are likely terrified at the prospect of Kamala Harris. She inherits the office of president should something happen to Biden. She’s the most unpopular vice president in history. Nothing makes people feel good about Harris.
Then there’s the issue of corruption. IRS whistleblowers have revealed the schemes of the Biden family. There are Hunter’s escapades. There is Joe’s entanglement in Hunter’s scandals. There is the House of Representatives seeking to uncover the details of the Biden family operations.
The precariousness of Biden’s political position comes from the decline in the American standard of living. It is not helped by his obvious health and diminished capacity issues. It is magnified by the inept and obvious corruption. The once generally accepted genial grandpa issuing reassuring platitudes from his Delaware basement is gone. That myth has been replaced by the cranky demented octogenarian with a troubled relationship with the truth.
The nation is on autopilot. We are moving toward a general election. Will the result again be determined by narrow outcomes in three or four states? The election may depend on the MAGA/anti-MAGA struggle. How are the parties approaching the election? Which side are you on?
The post Mr. Biden Knows He’s Vulnerable appeared first on Granite Grok.
Recap: I had put in a Right To Know to DCYF Specialist Amy Fortin for their Investigative Manual that is supposed to outline how DCYF Field Workers are to handle their cases. She at first blew me off by not responding within the first five business days after receipt of the Right To Know that demanding a copy for inspection.
When I reminded her that she was overdue, she responded that her lawyer’s advice to was to tell me it was a public document and that it could be found on the Internet.
In other words, go pound sand. Silly person. I responded with, “RSA 91-A has Clauses 7 & 8 has penalties – would you like to find out how?” and that’s when DHHS Chief Legal John Martin showed up and delivered the Responsive Record demanded of Fortin.
But that got me thinking – what was that path from me to her through to him? So I put in a Right To Know to find out (as you can tell, an RTK is the most powerful tool a citizen can employ in keeping our Government in check and to account) to him as he had said, in effect, “ask me anything.” I made it clear that I was NOT asking to see any “privileged client/lawyer communications” as outlined in the Right To Know law as I knew and specified in my RTK that such were unwanted and are exempt from RTKs. Just the communication pathway. What I received from him didn’t make the grade (reformatted, emphasis mine):
—— Original Message ——
From “Martin, John” <John.B.Martin@dhhs.nh.gov>
To “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
Date 6/30/2023 1:31:08 PM
Subject RSA 91-A Right to Know RequestGood afternoon Mr. Murphy. I am responding to your Right to Know request pursuant to which you requested any internal e-mails relative to your initial Right to know request seeking a DCYF protocol. At this point I have reviewed all of the e-mails beginning with your initial request for the protocol leading up to my e-mail to you on June 9, 2023, when I provided you with two DCYF protocols.
Every internal E-Mail was either sent to a State attorney or by a State attorney for the purposes of legal consultation. As a consequence, these e-mails fall under the attorney/client privilege and are exempt from disclosure under RSA 91-A:5,IV. For this reason, there are no public records that are responsive to your request. That being said, I hope you have a good weekend and a nice 4 th of July.
John B. Martin, Deputy Chief Legal Counsel
Department of Health and Human ServicesOffice of Legal and Regulatory Services
Bureau of General Counsel
129 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301
His response specifically leaned in on what I specifically DIDN’T want to see, attorney/client privilege, as the reason not to send me anything. I decided to correct his logic because, from my standpoint, he was pulling a curtain I had already rent across to shield those Responsive Records for whatever purpose):
—— Original Message ——
From “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
To “Martin, John” <John.B.Martin@dhhs.nh.gov>
Date 6/30/2023 3:04:21 PM
Subject Re: RSA 91-A Right to Know RequestSo far it has been! Hope yours has been as enjoyable as mine has been thus far!
Relative to the attorney/client privilege, I wasn’t asking WHAT was said, only who was involved. Redacting any and all email bodies of such Responsive Records, would be fine – that erases any client/privilege communications that are subject to RSA 91-A:5, XII.
Providing names/email addresses and those connections, however, is not explicitly enumerated in that clause of the statute. The resulting digraph, which is of interest to me and the reason for the RTK, would be void of ANY such prohibited privileged legal advice. Therefore, those records should be released and available for my inspection.
And yes, good wishes are returned back to you as we celebrate what our Founding Fathers, in their political genius, bequeathed to us – a governance model that first and foremost that was the first one that put citizens first and over a Government that should be totally and wholly responsive to them…
…And not the other way around. It is unfortunate that their aspirations have not yet been met in many ways.
-Skip
Let’s see what happens
The post Still Digging in: Which DCYF Personnel Were Included In On My Initially Botched RTK? appeared first on Granite Grok.