Wednesday • April 24 • 2024
Vol.XVI • No.XVII
Manchester, N.H.
This is an attempt to “break out” memes, links, and my commentary about the situation in Israel / the Middle East so as to not overload the standard meme posts that I do. My last “normal” meme post. In these Israel-related posts I don’t just have memes such, but lots of informative links as well as hopefully-insightful commentary.
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Special announcement
From now until Purim (March 23), I will have this:
Connections Israel – mentioned every post at the bottom – is formally kicking off its drive to collect funds for Purim baskets for IDF soldiers. They are also doing barbecues and other morale events, as well as purchasing needed equipment and other items. I’ve contributed to them for about two decades now. Great group!
PURIM | connectionsisrael
If you can and are willing, please give at least one basket. If there’s a comment, tell them NITZAKHON sent you! If you can, please also let other people who might also be inclined know about this effort.
Note: I give to support at least one unit of 30 soldiers every year.
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Note that this is not meant to be a day-by-day update about what’s going on. Rather, to highlight uncomfortable truths about the actual nature of the conflict, deep-history background, and so on, as well as to show the at-present immutable nature of Islamic hatred of Jews and why that matters to today’s events.
Note that these posts do not repeat information – so there is a lot of stuff in prior posts. Please do check them out too if this is a topic of interest to you. In reverse chronological order:
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Still More Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Ongoing Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Even More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Memes and Commentary – Granite Grok
Israel: Memes and Commentary – Granite Grok
With some Israel-related materials here:
Meme Overflow – Granite Grok
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https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/shawarma-after-100-days.mp4
100 days in. The hospitals and enemedia and residents say there is no food. That sure likes like hardship-level starvation to me!
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TOP OF THE FOLD
Oct. 7 Was Worse Than a Terror Attack. It Was a Pogrom. – Tablet Magazine
Overall, they hate Jews. They hate Israel. And they view anyone who wants actual peace and actual coexistence as traitors. And no wonder – look at their kids shows: https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/child-wants-her-brother-to-be-a-martyr.mp4 —Not everyone, however, was surprised by the involvement of Gazan civilians. “I don’t differentiate between them and Hamas,” Nir Shani told me. “Let me know of one Palestinian in Gaza who tried to save a Jew and maybe I’ll change my mind.” Shani’s teenaged son Amit was taken hostage and later released as part of a prisoner exchange at the end of November. Shani is from Be’eri, also home to lifelong peace activists, including Vivian Silver, the founder of Women Wage Peace, and Yocheved and Oded Lifshitz. Silver was murdered and the Lifshitzes were taken hostage. Yocheved was later released but Oded remains in Gaza. “They are people of peace who were always supporting Palestine,” the couple’s grandson Daniel said of them. He recounted how bystanders in Gaza spat on his grandmother, who was thrown over the back of a motorcycle after being pummeled in the ribs by her captors.
Scenes from the Dier Al-Balah market, central Gaza Strip, today (Jan. 31.)
Some “genocide”. See the shawarma video, above, too.
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Watch Host’s Face as Thomas Sowell Exposes the Real Origin of Jew Hatred
Yes and no. Certainly I will not contradict Sowell’s depth of knowledge, but… as I’ve mentioned previously… a lot of Jews are very heavily involved in mass migration, which is winning us NO FRIENDS among many of the nations we’re “diversifying”. Of course it’s not just us… but we’re insufferably glad and noble-sounding about it.
An Open Letter to Pro-Migration / SJW Jews – Urban Scoop
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WAR & WHEN WILL IT END?
Children in Gaza beg Hamas to release Israeli hostages | World Israel News
Not that this will end the war – the leaders don’t care – but hopefully, in seeing their children ignored, it might continue to change some hearts.
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Hamas denies atrocities, claims October 7th massacre was ‘legitimate resistance’ | World Israel News
Hamas justified its targeting of civilians by claiming that Israelis who will, are or who have served in the IDF aren’t really civilians.
Remember – in Islamic jihad, if you aren’t a Muslim then by definition you are a soldier against them.
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US and Europe ‘calling for Israel to destroy itself,’ say military experts | World Israel News
Without any doubt many in the US and Europe would like to feed Israel to the Arabs for perceived peace.
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‘Innocent’ Gazans ARE Hamas | Frontpage Mag
Understand who we’re dealing with. Hamas is, in general, not an aberration but supported widely. How do you make peace with a population whose vast majority wants you dead? Related:
THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS: Virtually every school and mosque in Gaza has weapons around
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Israeli Arabs and Druze Fighting For Israel (jihadwatch.org)
Good.
ISLAM: PRACTICES, HISTORY, AND MENTALITY
Just like Mohammed himself who shared loot to incentivize his followers.
ATROCITIES
From here:
Hamas took this picture minutes after they killed his mother, Adi Kaplon. How can anyone defend this evil?
ON INTERSECTIONALITY / LEFTIST SUPPORT
WATCH: What Hamas’ arsenal looks like | World Israel News
I can imagine all the anti-gun people, who would have the vapors at seeing even a fraction of this in the US, cheering this.
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Why Does Islam Abuse Women? — It’s the Doctrine, Stupid! | Gates of Vienna
And yet women seek to support these abusers in droves. I simply do not get it.
PALLYWOOD & MEDIA IN GENERAL
WATCH: Pro-Palestinian protesters don’t know what they’re fighting for | World Israel News
They have no clue. It’s just the “new thing” for them. Look at this video with the bearded guy on the Left. I doubt he has any idea what he’s chanting or calling for.
https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/crowd-chanting-with-no-clue.mp4
Gazan propagandists rely on their leftist supporters’ ignorance – American Thinker
Another example.
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Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity | Frontpage Mag
Putting things into scale.
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NBC News Responds to FrontPage Story by Pushing ‘Anti-Palestinian’ Hate Crime Hoax Again | Frontpage Mag
And the media would rather push the lies, myths and smears than finally tell the truth.
—In English and Arabic, Two Versions of the Death of Tawfic Abdel-Jabbar (jihadwatch.org)
Gullible is not in the dictionary for the enemedia.
TERROR COMING HERE? TO THE WEST?
‘Long live the intifada,’ Columbia students chant in NYC | World Israel News
They’re here already.
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Sweden: Three Muslim Migrants Rape Underage Girl | Frontpage Mag
This is how a country commits suicide. The ruling political elite in Sweden, afraid to publicly recognize the menace within that it has helped create by allowing in large numbers of Muslim economic migrants, wants to put off the day of reckoning when the public finally is made aware of the scope of the Muslim problem. But despite their machinations, including attempts to punish such intrepid researchers as Khoshnood and Sundquist, that day is coming. It can’t come fast enough.
Cease Verbal Violence Against Us Say Italy’s Jews
And abuse in Washington DC – two Jewish mourners are harassed as they leave a service:
https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/gaza-supporters-harass-funeral-attendees.mp4
TREADING ON THE POLITICAL
49 of 51 Senate Democrats sign bill for Palestinian state | World Israel News
Completely ignoring the multiple times they’ve been offered a state. Related:
Biden leveraging weapons sales to force Israel to scale down Gaza war – report | World Israel News
Yet another reason why, after this is done, Israel needs to voluntarily wean itself from American support.
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Biden to Israel: Forget your existential concerns; I’ve got an election to win! – American Thinker
With the 2024 election heating up, and younger people plus the growing Muslim “D” demographic, The Potato is going to be under enormous pressure… and will pressure Israel in turn.
‘I Am an Antisemite’ | Frontpage Mag
In France too – pandering to the rising demographic.
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The U.S. Campaign to Oust Netanyahu – CarolineGlick.com
As far as my appreciation of Bibi has fallen, I’ll give him this: he’s not kissing the US’ ring. And overall, long-term, confirms my thought that Israel needs to be weaned from US support.
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Did Biden’s State Department really freeze funding to UNRWA? The answer is a big NOPE and here’s why… – The Right Scoop
The article points out that Trump suspended all funding to UNRWA in 2018 but Biden reversed that decision and has given the terrorists 1 billion since 2021. Now it appears we’re going to continue funding current projects and who knows how much of our tax dollars are still going to be given to these terrorists.
Wordplay can hide a lot of misdeeds.
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American women swoon for Houthi hot-boy (rumble.com)
LEFTIST American women… swooning over a dreamboat guy.
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Palestinians are obfuscating history – American Thinker
Which party is doing this again? AOC is a… what now? Related:
AOC, Bernie Sanders call US decision to halt UNRWA funding ‘unacceptable’ | World Israel News
Squad Members Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush Are Only Congressmen to Vote Against Bill Banning Hamas Terrorists Who Took Part in October 7 Terror Attack From U.S. | The Gateway Pundit | by Kristinn Taylor
What party are these two in again?
MISCELLANEOUS
Hamas TERRORISTS dressed as civilians are firing RPG on Israeli army.
Hamas terrorist in civilian clothes carrying an RPG (rumble.com)
And if the guy is killed they claim he was a civilian because of his clothes. Another example (a little graphic but IMHO not too gory):
RPG holder gets splatted by IDF sniper
Note the civilian clothes again.
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Just memes / images:
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GIVING SUPPORT TO ISRAEL
You can’t go wrong with a donation here:
Connections Israel
And please share this post far and wide. There’s a lot of info here that many people don’t know. Post it, email it, share widely.
Also, if you’re willing:
Buy Me a Coffee
A CONCLUDING THOUGHT FOR THIS POST
Elie Wiesel, the noted Holocaust survivor, once noted “When someone says they want to kill you, believe them”.
Yet for too many in the West, they are simply unable to take people who match word with deed at their word. Hamas, specifically, and Islam, generally, openly call for the genocide of Jews and the conquest of the whole planet. This is ignored, as other events and calamities have been pre-announced and ignored.
If we learn one thing from history, it’s that we fail to learn from it.
The post Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary appeared first on Granite Grok.
If you missed it, we are opposed to HB1002, which would charge citizens for access to public records and, in some instances, charge them a lot for information that is theirs. We find it offensive and an invitation for abuse by the municipalities whose indifference and inefficacy resulted in the bill.
HB1002’s roots are tangled up with towns like Londonderry and Nashua. Places that go out of their way to waste mounds of time and money to make records request something people will no longer be bothered. They make it unpleasant because they don’t want government transparency. They don’t believe you have a right to see what they are doing. They will happily wait for you to sue them, which most won’t do because it is expensive, but the towns are not wasting their money.
And that works. People stop trying to hold municipalities accountable. Adding a fee to the process exacerbates the problem while turning the process into a revenue stream.
I understand that some requests will result in a legitimate commitment of time or resources, but under no circumstance should you encourage any public body to further dissuade transparency with a fine, fee, or – as I like to call it – a public records tax.
Towns most in need of scrutiny will become less accountable and profit from the practice.
The NH House has passed this bill with significant Republican support, without which it would have failed. I cannot speak to the motivations or understanding of each legislator or the reason for their yea vote.
There are more than a few excellent reps on this list, some of them friends of mine, and if any of them belong to you, feel free to ask as politely as you can why they support this. Or, better yet, why would they risk what this represents to transparent government and local accountability?
Full Roll Call here.
Abare, Kimberly(R) Hills. 1Yea
Ankarberg, Aidan(R) Straf. 7Yea
Aylward, Deborah(R) Merr. 5Yea
Ball, Lorie(R) Rock. 25Yea
Bean, Harry(R) Belk. 6Yea
Bogert, Steven(R) Belk. 5Yea
Bordes, Mike(R) Belk. 5Yea
Boyd, Bill(R) Hills. 12Yea
Crawford, Karel(R) Carr. 3Yea
Creighton, Jim(R) Hills. 30Yea
Davis, Arnold(R) Coos 2Yea
DeSimone, Debra(R) Rock. 18Yea
Dolan, Tom(R) Rock. 16Yea
Dumais, Russell(R) Belk. 6Yea
Dunn, Ron(R) Rock. 16Yea
Edwards, Jess(R) Rock. 31Yea
Emerick, Tracy(R) Rock. 29Yea
Foote, Charles(R) Rock. 13Yea
Ford, Oliver(R) Rock. 3Yea
Guthrie, Joseph(R) Rock. 15Yea
Harb, Robert(R) Rock. 20Yea
Harley, Tina(R) Rock. 30Yea
Healey, Robert(R) Hills. 12Yea
Hunt, John(R) Ches. 14Yea
Janigian, John(R) Rock. 25Yea
Katsakiores, Phyllis(R) Rock. 13Yea
Kuttab, Katelyn(R) Rock. 17Yea
Ladd, Rick(R) Graf. 5Yea
Lascelles, Richard(R) Hills. 14Yea
Leavitt, John(R) Merr. 10Yea
Lundgren, David(R) Rock. 16Yea
Lynn, Bob(R) Rock. 17Yea
MacDonald, John(R) Carr. 6Yea
MacDonald, Wayne(R) Rock. 16Yea
Mason, James(R) Merr. 3Yea
McConkey, Mark(R) Carr. 8Yea
Melvin, Charles(R) Rock. 20Yea
Milz, David(R) Rock. 13Yea
Mooney, Maureen(R) Hills. 12Yea
Nelson, Jodi(R) Rock. 13Yea
O’Hara, Travis(R) Belk. 4Yea
Ouellet, Mike(R) Coos 3Yea
Pearson, Mark(R) Rock. 34Yea
Pearson, Stephen(R) Rock. 13Yea
Plett, Fred(R) Hills. 29Yea
Pratt, Kevin(R) Rock. 4Yea
Proulx, Mark(R) Hills. 15Yea
Rhodes, Jennifer(R) Ches. 17Yea
Rollins, Skip(R) Sull. 3Yea
Smart, Lisa(R) Belk. 2Yea
Smith, Steven(R) Sull. 3Yea
Spilsbury, Walter(R) Sull. 3Yea
Stapleton, Walter(R) Sull. 6Yea
Stone, Jonathan(R) Sull. 8Yea
Summers, James(R) Rock. 20Yea
Sytek, John(R) Rock. 25Yea
Thackston, Dick(R) Ches. 12Yea
Thomas, Douglas(R) Rock. 16Yea
Tierney, James(R) Coos 1Yea
Tripp, Richard(R) Rock. 13Yea
Ulery, Jordan(R) Hills. 13Yea
Walsh, Lilli(R) Rock. 15Yea
Wolf, Dan(R) Merr. 7Yea
HB1002 moves to the NH State Senate, where we must stop it.
(Update)
On February 1, 2024 at 5:45 p.m., Representative Lisa Smart, having voted with the prevailing side, served notice of reconsideration on the motion of Ought to Pass with Amendment on HB 1002, which the House passed on a roll call vote of 193-179.
— NH House Clerk (@nhhouseclerk) February 1, 2024
HB1002 will be reconsidered next week. Reach out and touch someone (figuratively) if you think they voted the wrong way.
Julie Smith contributed to this piece.
The post HB1002 Passes The House: These Republicans Voted for a New “Tax” on Public Records Access (Update) appeared first on Granite Grok.
At 85, he’s only beaten by Ruth Ward, who turned 87 last fall. But “Captain,” as Jeb often calls him, has been in office since the late 90s. And before that, he’s had multiple other offices, including the executive council. And he shouts into his mic like a toddler having a tantrum.
Now that I got that disclaimer out of the way, I’ll say something nice, starting with yesterday’s NH Journal article on him defying his teammates.
I’ll use the word “teammates” because we’re talking about sports. He supports SB 375. As to not regurgitate all that was said, I direct you to open the link to read it yourself and pay particular attention to the comparison to an “other side of the wall” counterpart, Rep Jonah Wheeler.
We want to thank Julie Smith for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.
While I really don’t have an opinion about pot bills in general, D’Allesandro is Senator Murphy’s flip-side counterpart. Senator Murphy is regularly viciously attacked for voting for pot, and there’s unconfirmed word out there that his recent legal ordeal and attack on his reputation can be tied to the Manchester police chief. A quick internet search shows Chief Aldenberg to be a Senator Murphy constituent, but I digress. Let’s get back to Manchester’s swampiest senator, D’Allesandro. Is “Senator D” to use another Jeb-ism, subject to the same harsh treatment by his own clan? My research comes up with a big nothingburger. Be that as it may, anyone in the enemy camp who breaks rank with their ilk deserves praise.
I’ll offer two more items of interest, one being that he spoke out against last year’s anti-Christopher Columbus sentiment, as I noted in a previous article.
Also in that article is the other item. D’Allesandro was the frontman in nominating Scanlan to keep his job on Organization Day. While that event might be a distant memory for some, his fellow Manchester swampster, Donna Soucy, nominated Scanlan’s formidable opponent, Ms. Melanie Levesque. More on her another time. She needs to be watched like a hawk because even though Ming is taking her place BEFORE the election, she will likely try again for Scanlan’s job AFTER the election. Melanie should not yet be written off as irrelevant.
And I’ll finish with this nightcap; while I would expect D’Allesandro to vote for his crappy former mayor to be our next governor, he did approach me in the state house hallway to offer his (presumably sincere) praise for Chuck Morse when he saw me sitting on a bench outside the gift shop and wearing a shirt that says “Chuck Morse’s voting record matters.”
The post Call D’Allesandro the “Granite State Manchin.” appeared first on Granite Grok.
Blue State Governors have been scrambling to pad their resumes with whale-killing offshore wind projects on ocean-area “leased” by the Biden administration. But no amount of subsidies has made them even appear profitable, and caps on rates in at least one state have become a deal breaker.
Ørsted, a key corporate player in the Biden administration’s offshore wind agenda, has backed out of the Maryland Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) orders approving the company’s Skipjack 1 and 2 projects off the Maryland coast, the company announced Thursday. The company said that inflationary pressure, high borrowing costs and supply chain problems have combined to make the state’s subsidies economically unviable, but that it is not yet abandoning the projects and will continue to pursue permits, according to a regulatory filing with the MPSC. …[AND!]
“The statutorily-mandated caps on the residential ratepayer impacts have very little room left,” an MPSC spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The state cannot raise those caps in the absence of legislative action, the spokesperson added.
What sort of impacts? Ørsted canceled projects on the coast of New Jersey last fall, but Governor Murphy isn’t giving up. He’ll have windfarms on his resume, or else! The ‘or else’ is the taxpayer-backed subsidies followed by those electric rate increases they need in Maryland.
The newly-contracted projects are also expected to increase utility rates in the state. Residential electricity rates are expected to jump by $6.84 per month, commercial rates would increase by $58.73 per month and monthly industrial rates would rise by $513.22, according to E&E News.
As a longtime observer of government schemes, I can say with some authority that some zeroes are missing from these numbers. The subsidies, handouts, and incentives will increase, as will the rates. Niggling details in the pursuit of any boondoggle with which the peasants need not show concern about how politicians waste their money.
And don’t overthink it with ideas like, what if we take away the fake free money? Will investors and manufacturers find something else to do with their time and resources? Build a natural gas pipeline or invest in fracking infrastructure?
That’s not what we are faced with, and despite wind advocates making wind even less affordable and viable, they want what they want, and it’s not their money they are wasting (on both sides of the equation. It belonged to you, your children, and your grandchildren.
I’d look for Maryland to find a way to make Offshore Wind happen without regard to cost (to wallets or wildlife), just like in New Jersey.
Bonus: Unrelated to wind but related to the debate: The Fossil Fuel Hoax.
The post Legislators Will Need to Screw Ratepayers a Bit Harder if They Want Offshore Wind appeared first on Granite Grok.
We really should stipulate as to whether the millions of migrants that have crossed our Southern Border are a national crisis or the result of Joe Biden’s plan to destroy our sovereignty. The answer depends on which side of the political fence you live. The Left does not believe in borders or sovereignty, so to them, this wave of humanity is the new normal.
To those of us on the Right, we have to decide where to begin to list the problems with Biden’s border policies. Our country is being invaded. Joe Biden will not stop the assault. Biden is preventing the states from protecting their borders and residents. The people have had enough, and a convoy of citizen truckers left Virginia yesterday and are on their way to the Southern Border to draw attention to the crisis the Media is keeping from the people.
Many of us are frustrated seeing the videos run daily on FOXNews showing people, mostly military-age males, wading across the Rio Grande, climbing under the concertina wire, and surrendering to the Border Patrol. The Border Patrol is no longer defending our Border as they did under the Trump Administration. Under Biden, the Border Patrol is tasked with processing the migrants and setting them on their way to every state in the country. The Mainstream Media has been suppressing the reporting of the crisis at the Border and the impact of this mass migration on every state in the country.
The big rig truckers are drawing on the success of the Canadian trucker convoy during the pandemic, and they are on their way to the Border with separate events planned in Texas, Arizona, and California. They hope the magnitude of the convoy will be too much for the Media to ignore. They are called the “Take our border back convoy” or “God’s Army.” It is a volunteer group that is looking for truckers who want to save our country to join the convoy. The bigger, the better. This convoy is a peaceful demonstration with the sole purpose of forcing the Mainstream Media to come to the Border and turn on the mics, lights, and cameras. There is no interest in an altercation, and the convoy will have its own security team to ensure the safety of the truckers, their families, and their rigs.
Truckers, especially independent drivers, have been hurt badly by Biden’s energy policies and the threat of having to convert to an EV rig in the next ten years. The cost of fuel has cut into the profitability of the job, but the thought of having their rig rendered obsolete and the cost of EV conversion is too much to absorb. They have been pushed too far, and their frustration is turning into action.
We will soon know how effective God’s Army will be as they plan to hit Eagle Pass, Texas, this weekend. Eagle Pass is the epicenter of the battle between Texas Governor Abbott and Joe Biden. It is the perfect location for the convoy to make a maximum impact. Biden may think he has the upper hand in this Border chess match, but there is no way he foresaw God’s Army riding into town. My money is on the Army, and here’s to them for having the spine to take on the President. God Bless and Godspeed.
The post The People Are Responding To The Border Crisis appeared first on Granite Grok.
Gmail users and others who have similar issues might have a surprise in their inboxes by Monday. After a few misstarts, an issue with the process on the server side, and some clarification in a procedure (how it should really get done), updated instructions have been embedded in the system.
What does that mean? No idea, but the result could mean that email providers who have blocked the Grok Newsletter will allow it to pass.
Those who were not could start getting the Daily ‘Grok by the beginning of next week – but possibly sooner. If you happen to be one of those, and many have written to tell me as much (thank you), keep an eye open and let me know if you do begin seeing it again.
There were some DNS issues as well as some needed .txt file updates to DKIM and DMARC.
In other newsThe scaffolding is slowly rising around the current ‘Grok so that the new look and feel can get underway. I’ve no exact schedule and our date of rebirth, but there are slow signs of progress as we work out the changes that should improve the experience. Yes, the ad-free subscription version is still in the plans.
The ever-present need to beg for donations slides out of January and into the February fundraiser. This is still a reader-supported project, which means raising money to pay for everything, including that which will allow me to make ends meet. It’s a challenging situation in an economy like this to have to ask for money at every turn, but it can’t be helped. We need your support. Subscriptions work best, and if you had one on the old PayPal, please move it to the new one.
One-time donations are (of course) always welcome; they fund most of what happens here, and I am forever grateful for every dime. Thank you.
MaineGrok?You will see a tag for MaineGrok at the bottom of posts in the existing environment, and that will be the best way to find Maine-related content until we put the new page up (as part of the site refresh). I’m also looking for grassroots content creators in Maine with a conservatarian filter. If you are aware of any brave souls in Vacationland doing the reporting the machine media will not, please point me in their direction.
The post A “Gmail-Blocking-Our-Newsletter” Update, and Other Minor Housekeeping … appeared first on Granite Grok.
Yesterday, I placed a mid-size donation into a fund that seeks to reimburse US Border agents and soldiers who choose to continue their work in an alliance with the Texas Guard or the volunteer groups now establishing themselves to protect Americans’ lives and property.
The post The RIGHT Mode For Guardsmen – Stewart Secures Funding appeared first on The Liberty Block.
The ongoing opposition of Texas to the feds on the border issue and where is Trump, why is he not capitalizing on this issue? Does POTUS have authority to stop States’ National Guards from going to another State to enforce the border; the proposed deal in the senate to allow more immigrants in; should Trump do more to raise the enthusiasm of the republican voters? How important is the upcoming special congressional election on February 13th in Nassau County, NY? Severe prison sentences for pro-lifers vs light or no sentences for BLM peaceful protesters? Should Trump more publicly protect and stand up for Peter Navarro?
The post The Conservatarian Exchange Podcast #191 appeared first on The Liberty Block.
The reality is that We, the People, live in a fantasy world and are under the assumption that everything will be all right. But it won’t be. Individual Americans are often outmanned and outgunned by the powerful globalists who are in charge. Lone Rangers win only in make-believe movies.
In real life, governments, institutions, and organizations are the ones that prevail. They have the funds to buy the services of the media and employ lawyers, politicians, and mercenaries of all stripes.
Let us keep in mind that there are not many differences among the D.C. Beltway elitist class politicians of either party. The elitists have crafted their own version of the universe and want you to see our world through their lenses, political deception, and tactics that they have prescribed for you to see. Political elitists despise patriotic Americans as they did the Tea Party activists. They have carefully manufactured smoke and mirrors for their subjects where citizens think and act as though they have political choices, thus perpetuating the myth of democratic participation. Commentator Walter Lippmann, on numerous occasions, spoke of this type of control over the masses.
You may ask yourself, how do we know that? Well, it is obvious. Just ask yourself, why have the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates like the Council on Islamic American Relations (CAIR) not been placed on the list of terrorist organizations? Most of us know that Islamic law is practiced in some parts of the U.S., and we know that Sharia law is incompatible with our laws and the U.S. Constitution.
Again, nothing has been done to stop it in its tracks! Islam, like Communism, Nazism, and other isms, is ideological to its core. It still retains its poisonous ideological connection with Nazism and the Arabic version of Hitler’s Mein Kampf and its fictitious propaganda.
The reality is that We, the People, live in a fantasy world and are under the assumption that everything will be all right. But it won’t be if left unattended, like this.
The post Night Cap: The Reality is, ‘We the People’ Live in a Fantasy World appeared first on Granite Grok.
Voter anger over the VT Democrats 2023 bill to double their own pay and give themselves a generous benefits package on top has led to some backpedaling here in 2024. The latest version of the new pay raise bill would only give lawmakers a 42% pay raise (about $6000).
Watch a whining, sarcastic, entitled Sen. Becca White (D-Windsor) meltdown and, among other things, call such a piddling windfall a “tough pill to swallow.”
This from a person who voted for every tax she could on her constituents – the carbon tax on home heating fuels, she’s the lead sponsor of gas and diesel carbon tax bill, she voted for the payroll tax that will hit us this July, she voted for the education spending bills resulting in the estimated 17% property tax increase, she voted for the 20% rise in DMV fees…. But complains that her getting only an additional $6000 per year from those same taxpayers will cause her “financial stress.”
Cry me a river, you entitled brat.
RobRoper is a freelance writer with 20 years of experience in Vermont politics, including three years of service as chair of the Vermont Republican Party and nine years as President of the Ethan Allen Institute, Vermont’s free-market think tank. He is also a regular contributor to VermontGrok.
The post State Senator Melts Down After Learning She Can Only Vote Herself a 42% Pay Raise. appeared first on Granite Grok.
From the “pay no attention to the transman behind the curtain” file, we have this massive self-own from an individual who was concerned about a law in Florida that would allow the death penalty for those who sexually abuse children.
You, me, and almost everyone else agree. Leave the kids alone. But that’s not the direction in which the progs have dragged the culture. Groomers and predators have more rights than parents or child victims. Daring to stand up for kids gets you labeled as a hater. But they happened to be 5×5 in Florida and moved on the issue. The legislature and governor were willing to take a stand.
If molesting kids is your hill to die on, then we’ll consider killing you.
Such a hot topic begets a not-so-hot take.
pic.twitter.com/lKmH4faXGZ
— I,Hypocrite (@lporiginalg) January 28, 2024
@prshirtz, alleged to be an LGBTQ apologist, had since gone dark for obvious reasons. It is an admission that queer and trans people will sexually molest children, and Penny is probably pre-suicidal over getting caught with their … “narrative” down. If it makes you feel any better (Penny), plenty of people who claim to be trans and queer are not but use the relatively wide landing field provided by creeping progressive culture and the non-stop princess parades to sexually abuse adult women in places where politicos know what Penny at least suspects and allow it anyway.
And no, this is not a new self-own, by the way. It’s nearly a year old.
The bipartisan proposal — which passed by a vote of 34-5 late Tuesday — will also allow juries to hand down death sentences by votes of at least 8-4, after previously requiring unanimity.
The bill — which passed the Florida House of Representatives 95-14 last week and which DeSantis is expected to sign — would apply those convicted of abusing a child under the age of 12.
It is, however, instructive and not the only example, and it fits nicely with another LGBT community family secret. That gay men, not all, but some, prefer them young. Now and then, someone lets loose and gets it out for some sunlight, so in Florida, it would be Trans, Queer, and Gay people will end up dead.
And Florida is right. It would be best to have a stronger deterrent, though I question whether this will do the trick. Pedo bear is angry for tot-tail and was never inclined to pay much attention to the other laws.
And will there be (or has there been) an exodus of public school employees from the Sunshine State? I’m sure we’d have heard if there was a rise in death row sentencing for child molestation.
The post So, You Were Saying That Trans and Queer People Sexually Assault Children? appeared first on Granite Grok.
Given my background in Criminal Justice, I have over 20 years of experience as a trained observer. A background that trained me always to be suspicious of so-called coincidences and be willing to investigate wherever the evidence leads.
A background where I observed motivated bad actors almost always lie or manipulate the truth and will almost always abuse systems, especially if there are little to no repercussions to their bad acts. In short, let us just say I have “trust issues” and almost always verify or investigate regardless of the so-called “truths” I am being told.
So, when I broke down the 2022 Midterm Election results, and I saw a very consistent deviation and unusual nature of voters flipping their vote from Republican to Democrat back to Republican up and down the ballot, I began to investigate. That total investigation is for another day, but that investigation led me to have a conversation with several town clerks throughout the county—one of the towns and conversations with the town clerk of Durham.
Now, for the record, the Town Clerk was very polite, professional, respectful, and forthright in answering all my questions that day.
One of the inquiries or lines of questions I had was about “same-day registration.” I was astonished by the number of same-day registrations they had and were allowed to vote. The 2022 midterms Durham had 5,934 ballots cast with 1,446 same-day registration. Almost a quarter of their votes were voters who did not appear in the voting roles but were allowed to cast a ballot in our elections. I, of course, questioned the verification process with the Clerk, and I gave any number of ways the system could be manipulated.
We want to thank MJ Abascia for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.
Her only defense was, “Well, they sign a paper swearing it is them, and the information that they provided is true.” I retorted by asking but what stops the motivated bad actors from taking advantage of the system I presented any number of scenarios, such as:
“Given places like Pennsylvania now have months-long early voting, what stops a student from voting in Pennsylvania (their home record and permanent residence) in September and then showing up on election day in NH, filling out a same-day registration form, and then voting again in NH.”
Essentially, she said sometime after the election (allegedly), they will notify Pennsylvania, and it is incumbent on that state to scrub their roles.
Well, given my wife just received her absentee ballot application to our home here in NH from Massachusetts after living and voting here for three years, that just tells you how well these states are doing at “scrubbing their roles.” Another clerk told me the only state that does an immediate check and cross reference is Florida. (Gee, a “purple” state with voting integrity that has been trending more and more red. But I digress.)
This system of “same-day registration” baffled me. I mean, do not get me wrong. Massachusetts has almost no voting integrity, and their system is a nightmare. But the one thing they do right in comparison is they segregate same-day registration ballots and only count them after true verification and or if it is necessary in a close election.
So, when I had an opportunity to observe Durham and how they process so many same-day registration ballots, I had to go and observe. Frankly, after breaking down the numbers in 2022, I planned to be shocked, but what I saw when I walked through the door was beyond shocking.
First was the share size of the venue and the number of poll workers facilitating the vote manufacturing that I observed. It was an absolute machine. Industrialized processes all centered around processing these same-day “voters.”
There were nine tables with two poll workers at each table with the only responsibility of helping college students register to vote. It was amazing to see. I have never seen Government Workers work so fast and “efficiently” in anything in my entire life.
I arrived at 5:30 PM, and until the very end, those tables were full, and these workers were turning over new registrations, I would say, every 5 minutes. By my estimate, I observed about 100 new “voters” in about an hour. This explains how they can register, on average, 1500 voters every election.
The “verification” process was nonexistent.
First off, I doubt if any of these poll workers were trained in identifying fake IDs and or if they were trained in identifying facial features to make sure the ID they are using is actually the person presenting said ID. (You know, the same training bouncers and bartenders have to go through to serve alcohol.) Which, even with the best training in the world or even facial recognition software can be thrown off when the person presenting an ID is wearing a surgical mask. And I know it has been many moons since I was not of age and went to a State University, but I seem to remember a lot of fake IDs being used and passed around, and the risk and reward of getting caught was worth it every weekend to most motivated college students.
Now imagine if your college professor or social media influencer told you Donald Trump is Hitler and the Republican Party are Nazis. I would think the risk of getting caught (which to date is 0% chance) and the reward of “stopping MAGA” is worth the risk in a lot of 20-year-old minds. In law enforcement, this is called Motive.
Secondly, let us look at what this state allows for in regard to same-day registration in the verification process. Clearly, if you have a New Hampshire State ID/Driver’s License, then you are allowed to register. But from the public viewing, it was not clear which state IDs were being presented, given so many states’ licenses look the same these days. In other words, I could tell from my training and experience they were State IDs, but I could not tell which state. But what I didn’t see was any diligent scrutiny of the ID and or if the ID matched the person presenting said ID.
But when I saw someone use a passport, which has no address, to register to vote, I asked the moderator, “How do you verify that person lived in Durham?” He explained that if one of the over 200 poll workers (Yes! You read that right. According to the clerk, they have over 200 poll workers just in Durham alone.) “vouches” for that person, then they are allowed to register and vote. This led to a follow-up, of course, “So if a politically ideologically driven poll worker/volunteer who is likely not vetted themselves “vouches” for a person, they can vote. I said that cannot be true.” Then I was presented a piece of paper from the Secretary of State’s Office saying, “Those are the rules according to his office.”
Then I saw another woman with what was clearly not a government-issued ID be allowed to register. When I asked about that person, I was told, “Well, she had a student ID, so that works.” In my head, and politely out loud, I said, “Are you kidding me…student IDs are an acceptable form of identification to register to vote!?” I mean, you cannot use a student ID to get a driver’s license at the State Registry, buy alcohol in a State-run Liquor store, get into a tavern, and pretty much anywhere else save the University Library or Dorm. But walk right into Oyster River HS on election day and you can register and vote for the leader of the free world.
The bottom line is there is no true verification process, and almost anyone can walk in with or without any real identification, register to vote, and drop their ballots into the (dreaded) machines with absolutely no risk of challenge or getting caught. Now we have “Motive and Opportunity,” which makes this system tailored for abuse, which made me extremely suspicious and concerned.
And almost immediately, my suspicions and concerns were confirmed…
Durham, historically, is about an 80/20 town Democrat to Republican. We know Democrat Megadonor, Epstein Associate, and World Economic Forum member Reid Hoffman was donating to Nikki Haley’s campaign. He, along with Governor Sununu, were encouraging Democrat Voters to vote in the Republican Primary to “stop Trump.” Knowing full well, as Reid Hoffman admitted, the plan was to Stop Trump but to vote for Biden in November.
Well, I watched as more than half (about 50 or 60) of the 100 voters I observed took a Republican Ballot. Which played out in the final tallies, which went as follows:
3,329 Total votes
1,749 GOP ballots cast.
1,101 Haley
476 Trump
172 Other Candidates (Which included 13 write-ins for Joe Biden, tied with Chris Christie for 3rd highest)
This means this election manufacturing center went from seeing, on average, 20% Republican to almost 53% on a night when Governor Sununu, Candidate Haley, and a complicit GOP Party Chairman Chris Ager joined forces with Democrat Mega Donor Reid Hoffman to encourage this type of election interference played out exactly how they wanted.
Exit polls show over 70% and upwards of 80% of Nikki Haley’s votes were from Biden Supporting Democrats, and I am willing to bet if we went to the 4 or 5 college towns in the state, most of those manipulated votes came from those vote manufacturing centers like I saw in Durham.
The only good, if not great, news is what I saw after the polls closed. I watched 15 poll workers successfully hand count over 1,500 write-in ballots on the Dem side in less than an hour. President Biden, The NH Democrats, and GOP “leaders” proved without a doubt the machines are not necessary, and there is absolutely no reason why we cannot hand count every ballot forever more.
But first thing is first and I say this without hesitation. We will never have fair and free elections in NH if we continue to allow anyone and everyone to walk through the door with or without a proper identification process and be allowed to register and vote.
And I know what I am about to say is blasphemy here in NH, but what Sununu, Ager, Haley, Scanlan, and the donors proved is we in NH can no longer be trusted as stewards of the “First in the Nation” primary. If I were a Republican in a state like Florida, which has closed primaries, and watched the unmitigated disaster this past Tuesday, I would be livid and would rightfully be demanding NH lose it is First in the Nation because our system is so easily corrupted and Durham would be Exhibit “A.”
I, for one, want to maintain the First in the Nation, but only if we earn that honor with free, fair, and secure elections without manipulation. But unfortunately, GOP Party Chairman Ager has blocked all attempts to secure the primary process and our elections.
The post An Observers Account of The Election Process in Durham NH – You Can’t Trust The Results appeared first on Granite Grok.
If you missed it, Granite State Matters, the latest of many incarnations of online activism by former State Senator Jeanne Dietsch, has a list of anti-democracy extremists. You can check that out here, and when you find yourself missing, we have found a way that you can turn yourself in.
A reader sent me the list, and another reader sent me the form that drives the list.
It is an online form, and it occurs to me that it could be used to add actual extremists (like Jeanne Dietsch). There is, after all, no Democracy at the end of the Political Left’s agenda unless by that you mean dog and pony show elections where Dear Leader gets 97.8% of the vote and any actual opponents are charged with crimes, dragged through courts, or just happen to have unfortunate accidents.
I’m sure someone with lots of free time checks it before making the main list, but that’s no reason not to try.
Here’s a link to the form (there is a partial screengrab above). Be warned. Google will grab your Gmail, or you’ll be asked to provide email, which means you’ll be added to the mailing list, which Jeanne can then pretend makes this most recent diversion popular or successful. I’m sure you can unsubscribe just as easily.
But you will have the opportunity to provide the name of an extremist and a link to something that leads you to believe whichever individual(s) you name are extremist. I’m sure it’s not partisan. That wouldn’t be equitable. And you can probably enter as many as you’d like.
The post Bonus: How YOU Can Help Democrat Jeanne Dietsch Find Extremists in New Hampshire appeared first on Granite Grok.
A curious thing has happened in Stamford, Connecticut. The school board has voted 5-3 to make teachers who hate Columbus Day and Veterans Day but were getting paid to sit on their asses – work both days. The school will be open, and regular classes will commence.
This, of course, creates several problems, with all the other public servants getting paid to do nothing. It hardly seems fair. Making teachers and staff toil over hiding the kiddie porn, telling white children they are racists, and convincing six-year-olds they were born in the wrong body. The devil’s work is exhausting, and it might benefit from a few extra days, but the critical point here is that they were getting paid, and now they have to emit loads of carbon to show up.
I mean, how many then were even celebrating the age of discovery as a catalyst that led to the founding of a nation that ended slavery or the sacrifice of our service members in wars that weren’t for Ukraine? They might as well show up for work.
I know, but, but, but what about all the other details? You can be angry, discouraged, lament the decline of the culture, or just outraged, but if you happen to live in Stamford or anywhere else, this has or might become a thing, it need not be an intractable conflict. Yes, you should vote for different school board members, but while you’re waiting to do that – or if that won’t likely make any difference if you’ve got the Day off already, honor both holidays and keep your kids home.
Teach your kids that there are a lot of things more deserving of our time and honor than what the government did to K-12 education.
Or is that too simple a solution?
The post A Different Take on a School Board That Voted to Hold Classes on Veterans Day and Columbus Day appeared first on Granite Grok.
As promised in Monday Memes, I have an overflow. And yes there will be a Friday edition too.
Let the mayhem, mockery, and ridicule resume:
*** Warning, a few possibly off-color ones, in case tender eyes are about ***
>>>>>=====<<<<<
What was it Mark Twain said? A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can pull its boots on.
Totally on the up and up.
Foghorn always did have very… colorful and amusing phrases.
But… but… but there’s no evidence.
>>>>>=====<<<<<
PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA
That’s exactly what they are. Psychopaths. Until you appreciate these people have a psychopathic view of humanity, with us actually not even being human in their eyes, you will continually be surprised and shocked. At this point very little they do truly shocks or surprises me any more.
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Come on, sweetie – just LEARN TO CODE. I’m having waaaay too much schadenfreude over this.
Washington State – official. How does anyone actually believe this?
Karma is… entertaining sometimes.
Like Michael Savage has said, Borders, language, and culture. And all three are under dire attack.
Every single “study” result is aimed at making you dependent on the food The System creates.
Me too. The last few years have witnessed multiple illusions of mine being shattered. Including my belief in vaccines.
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Links with comments:
(Apologies for the after the fact insertion)
Bayou Renaissance Man: Ammo warning – updated
Buy more. If you think you have enough… you don’t.
—
If You Want War, Prepare for Peace – PJ Media
Great concept. We’re in serious trouble, people…
—
Child Protective Services ‘kidnaps’ girl for gender care, revokes parental custody (wnd.com)
Parents say Montana CPS seized their daughter for opposing her “gender transition.” Not California. MONTANA. | Not the Bee
So you live in a “Red” state and think you’re safe from this lunacy? Think again. And understand that while I do not ADVOCATE for violence, I will opine that if I was on the jury should people in this conspiracy develop high velocity lead poisoning, I’d accept the They needed a little killing! defense.
—
Report: Dress E. Jean Carroll Claims She Wore During Alleged Trump Assault Did Not Exist at the Time (breitbart.com)
Well, this is interesting!
—
Trump Official Hospitalized After Being Shot by Soros Activist – The People’s Voice (thepeoplesvoice.tv)
Holy carp! This is not a good turn of events.
—
Twelve states sound the alarm: Globalist banks are conspiring with the UN to WIPE OUT U.S. farms and food production – NaturalNews.com
Dependent. That’s what they want us.
—
Illinois City Councilman Challenges Constituents To Open Their Homes To Illegal Migrants (tampafp.com)
Like Massachusetts. And at some point it will be threats. And then force.
*** CONCLUDING ***
How I know the 2020 presidential election was stolen (substack.com)
I defer to Surak’s knowledge of data analysis and statistical anomalies; this is a fantastic bit of work. Also, here:
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Pick of the Post:
So the guy who discovered the medication, developed it, and launched it… doesn’t understand it. Uh huh.
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Palate cleansers:
—
—
>>>>>=====<<<<<
Come back on Friday for more memes. Same meme time. Same meme channel.
>>>>>=====<<<<<
The post Meme Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.
Mr. President, with all due respect, is that the message you gave to the families of the three service people killed over the weekend? Or were you too busy resting in Delaware, and you might get to it this week? By the way, there were over thirty injured in the drone attacks, with what are called severe head injuries.
If all you have for those grieving families is we had a rough day, don’t make the call. They do not need to hear your drivel in their time of loss.
The attacks this weekend bring the total of attacks by Iranian proxy groups, primarily from Yemen, to 160 since October 7. These attacks have been against American military installations in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. With each attack, Biden pledges retaliation, but his response has been minimal and feeble at best. And please do not forget that during this time of conflict and attacks on American assets, Biden did not know his Secretary of Defense was AWOL in intensive care. The October date is important as the attacks against American troops in the Middle East started the day Hamas invaded Israel, butchering innocents and taking an untold number of hostages. We do not know the number, location, or status of the hostages, but we do know Americans were taken into Gaza by the Hamas terrorists.
Lloyd Austin, our Defense Secretary, addressed Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, and stated emphatically that he and President Biden are committed to retaliating in kind to any attack by Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi, or any other proxy group of Iran. What we have done to this point is bomb empty or deserted facilities so that we can check the box that we have struck back. The drone that did the damage and killed three of our brave service people while they slept was mistaken for one of our drones that was scheduled to return to Syria. It is possible that Iran knew the schedule of our drone and used that info for cover. That move now means flag-draped coffins will be returned soon to America.
Republicans and some Democrats are growing impatient waiting for Biden to punch back. Proponents of strong retaliation don’t want these proxy groups targeted. They want Iran punished for what they are doing, and 160 attacks on Americans is 159 too many.
My observation of Biden being asked over the weekend about the attack and dead Americans was of a man disenfranchised with the situation. His lack of passion was palpable, and he needed to have virtually every question repeated because he could not hear or understand the questions. It was not a powerful look, and the scene with Austin was not much better. Austin explained his performance as a man still recovering. There was no excuse for Biden, just excuses. Those excuses come daily from KJP and John Kirby, but this weekend, they even came from Gavin Newsom, who is taking a more active role in supporting the President. Only the devout followers are buying the empty comments.
What we do understand and will buy is definitive action, but we are not holding our breath. Since the Hamas attack on Israel, Biden has been very careful to be strong and critical of Israel’s defense while hedging to the same treatment of Iran or Lebanon. That is why we believe that Biden is the wrong person at this time to be our leader. We need and deserve better, and that is not Kamala. And a final note. When those three heroes are returned to their homeland, you best be there to salute them and leave your watch in Delaware, this time.
The post Biden Says “We Had A Rough Day” appeared first on Granite Grok.
This will probably go over well, but not in the intended manner. NH Democrat Jeanne Dietsch recently shared a link to a working list of what is called anti-democracy extremists in the Granite State. I see a lot of errors in the list, not the least of which will be the people who are not on it but would like to be.
There are over 500 names and some other details, and it is a whos-who of limited government, individual rights-type liberty supporters (with a few exceptions). People who think that you – common citizen – know better than, say, Jeanne Dietsch. Those who want the government to be small and local and to leave you and your family alone to do your thing, which, to a Marxist like Dietsch, is extreme. I won’t deny that.
There is a read-only Google Doc version here, or you can look below – sorted by town, the town in which they believe the “extremist” lives. And as with the Extreme 16 (back in the day), I expect a few folks will want to know why they are not on the list. No worries, just send her the details, and I’m sure she’ll add you to her list of anti-democracy radicals.
By the way, Jeanne, I live in Merrimack. And Jeff Chidester MC’d Groktoberfest. I was just a speaker at my own fundraiser.
[update] Granite State Matters (Dietsch’s website) has apparently locked down the list (tee hee), but fear not: we grabbed it and saved it in a spreadsheet you can view here. Note: The original was stored in a publicly accessible read-only Google doc.
Here is our slightly edited PDF version formatted for the blog space. You can get the entire spreadsheet here.
Dietsch List of Extremists in NH
The post Are You On the List of Right Wing Extremists in New Hampshire (I Am! – And I’m in Excellent Company) [Updated] appeared first on Granite Grok.
Forget the American dream – try the Irish dream. It’s not exactly the most exotic place to visit, and you can be promised rain more than the sun. But the atmosphere, historical beauty, and iconic Irish charm will keep you going back for more.
Ireland is where you need to be in 2024. There are some cheap travel deals on and, as always, plenty of things to do.
Ireland’s Must-Visit CitiesIreland is a pin drop in the ocean compared to the US, but its cities pack a punch:
Ireland’s landscapes are usually the reason people visit (and the alcohol).
The Cliffs of Moher will take your breath away. They’re always a stop-off point for international travellers. Not much scenery can compete with it.
For a serene experience, the Ring of Kerry offers miles of quaint villages and stunning vistas. It’s something you won’t be able to find in the US.
If you’re feeling adventurous, the Wild Atlantic Way is a road trip you won’t forget. The stretch along the west coast has rugged coastlines, hidden beaches, and the chance to say you’ve stood at the edge of the world.
But it’s 1600 miles in total, so you’ll have to pick your favourite route on the trip and go for it. Unless you want to do 1600 miles – you could rent a motorhome.
The Warmth of Irish CultureGoogle why people go to Ireland, and the culture is the reason. They have to be some of the most welcoming people on the planet. And they know how to hold a good conversation. There are cosy pubs with lively music in every town, incredible places to eat, and just people smiling everywhere.
In Dublin, experience the literary legacy of James Joyce with a pint at the historic Davy Byrnes. In Dingle, Dick Mack’s pub is a must-visit for its whiskey selection and vibrant atmosphere. And that’s just two examples. Google Irish pubs with the best atmosphere, and you’ll find more. You have to spend most of your time in Ireland in a pub, of course.
Irish music is the country’s soul, and the pubs are where it’s at.
Ireland is more than a destination. It’s an experience that stays with you forever. Whether it’s the lively streets of its cities, the breathtaking beauty of its landscapes, or the unforgettable charm of its people, it’s just incredible. We promise you’ll fall in love with everything about it. And as they say, they’re waiting with a “Céad míle fáilte” (a hundred thousand welcomes)!
The post Ireland: What Makes It The Best European Destination For Americans appeared first on Granite Grok.
Why Elon Musk allowed Walter Isaacson 2 years of unfettered access and to write a biography that Musk did not in any way change is a mystery. It could be that Steve Jobs did the same and Musk felt a need to share his story similarly, but it does not matter.
His personal life, thought process, work strategies, accomplishments, and flaws were laid bare.
Born into an extremely dysfunctional family and brought up in a violent South African environment Musk learned from an early age to work hard and fight to achieve success. Gifted with a genius aptitude in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math {STEM}, he made his way to college in Canada, transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated with an engineering degree. Musk existed on a different intellectual plane and his interpersonal skills can be summed up as he did not care what others thought and suffered no fools. Society would ordinarily crush such an obnoxious person, but Musk brought to the table unique skills. Skills that a capitalist society could leverage and make investors rich. The unifying theme throughout Musk’s biography is that Musk is a shining star, a renaissance man with a vision to preserve humanity from destructive forces. But what sets Musk apart is the way he turns his visions into reality. He gets venture capitalists to see the potential profits and they put up the funds needed to get the companies off the ground. Musk then drives worker productivity and delivers on-time product success.We want to thank James Betti for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
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Contrary to several detractors, our “Live Free; Die Free” act (House Bill 1283) does not “legalize physician-assisted suicide”: it, in effect, simply removes a current law that prevents the dying from buying medicine that they want.
If the dying further chooses, it would be the dying – and no one else – who would self-administer that medicine. It is more accurately thought of as “Right to Buy” – but only for the almost dead, and only if we just can’t stand the pain any longer.
The state currently cruelly prevents us who are suffering horrible deaths from obtaining medicine that could help us die peacefully, in our sleep, quietly, and (my personal preference) amongst friends & family. Instead, the state, righteously wielding its violence of law, forces us to continue to be tortured by our disease, to stretch out our pain, indignity, desperation, and loneliness for days or weeks, even though the end for which we may be long past ready is inevitable.
Oh, its apologists will offer to us (with a whisper and a wink) “other ways” to end our misery – ways that are less successful, less peaceful, more scary, and/or more painful. You see the state graciously countenances us, the desperately dying, to starve ourselves to death, or to refuse water until we dehydrate to death, or (the most commonly suggested alternative) to “accidentally clean” our guns. The state’s benevolence certainly accepts our suffering and our screams. (“But not too loudly, dear! After all, there are other patients on this floor.”) Or it will tolerate drug-comas to quiet our cries (until we wake up, panicked, pressing our call button).
We want to thank Dennis Pratt for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
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What would we do without its compassionate over-lording? Surely, we, the dying, are too feeble-minded, too unaware of the disease consuming our bodies! Should we not be thankful to be so selflessly served by such wise and courageous white knights?!
You see, the righteously ruling ultimately don’t see us, the dying, as equal to them. During the last days of our lives, when we are most vulnerable, they steal our bodies from us, patronizing us that they know better than we (who are actually suffering inside those very same disease-wracked bodies). They even have the audacity to argue that this hard-hearted violation of our most basic self-ownership is not evil but an actual kindness to us!
But here’s their error: granite staters are no one’s slaves, not even when we’re dying.
Even we, the dying, have the right of self-ownership. You see, no matter how much busy-bodies busy their bodies, our bodies never magically become theirs. The state has no right to torture us – not for sadistic ritual or political posturing. The decision over my body, especially at my life’s end, is mine, not theirs. (And over your body? At your life’s end? It’s yours, and still not theirs.)
Whether we, the dying, decide to buy the medicine or not (most of us will not), whether we, the dying, decide to ingest our purchased medicine or not (at least 15% of us will not), is not the human rights issue at the center of House Bill 1283.
Its central human rights issue is: “Who decides for this human being’s body right here?” Is it the person trapped inside that anguished body, or is it some outside master? May I – now that I am dying for sure – buy something I desperately need? Or does that pitiless master own my body more than I do, remote-controlling my suffering from his bureaucracy?
In New Hampshire, the freest state in the world, we should be free to not only live free, but also to die free, not on our knees begging a master for relief.
Dennis Pratt lives in Dover with his wife Carol of 43 years, and their two dogs. He is head of “Die Free,” a liberty-based group for recognizing end-of-life sovereignty, and has worked for the last two years with the grass-roots organization NH Options on House Bill 1283. He has written over 1800 essays on libertarian ethics and is the Chair of the Judicial Committee for the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire. Sure, he’s sparring with cancer, but don’t think that makes him a wuss.
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