Last Wednesday night(6/15) was a joint meeting of the Gilford and Gilmanton School Boards held in Gilmanton rather than in Gilford (happens a few times a year) but in two parts.  The first part was concerning the High School; Gilmanton tuitions its high schoolers to Gilford and that’s why this two-part meeting is held. It should be obvious that Gilmanton has a vested interest in the programs, the goings-on, and the actual, forecasted, or implied costs (that would affect tuition) present and future.

This video, however, is not that meeting. It is the second part of that joint meeting – Gilford School Board’s own meeting (Gilmanton still invited). And I have to say, for the first time, since Policy JBAB was discussed and then voted into approval, after years of haranguing (by me), and launching my lawsuit against the District for being anti-Free Speech (“preferred pronouns mandatory”) and lying to Parents about the transgender status of their children (by commission or by omission), the Board had a discussion on its Policy (under Agenda item “Other”).

Gilford School Board member Kyle Sanborn decided, having argued against the policy before coming on the Board, that it was time to revisit it. Why?

• The NH School Board Association, in its 2022 Spring Update, announced it was pulling Policy JBAB from its approved library of Policies. This was done because of the litigation that arose in NH (mine being one) over it as well as nationally.
• My lawsuit has cost the Gilford School District over $14,000 thus far.

I would like to think that if my lawsuit is not thrown out a second time for lack of standing, I would win on the merits as there is NO NH law that allows the Board (a mere subdivision of the State in this Dillon’s Rule State) such Powers as canceling Freedom of Speech and lying to Parents.  I also have informed the Board that, like Hillary (I know, I know; stay with me here), I shall Persist.

What good Dad would go the distance to keep his son from harm?

So listen to the discussions which were limited to the part of JBAB dedicated to the idea “Shall we continue to Lie to Parents?”.  LISTEN HARD, to those that are in favor of doing so and those that are in agreement with Kyle that lying to Parents should NEVER be tolerated in that it is a Moral Wrong.

This has taken quite some time to get to this point. Let’s see what transpires going forward.

The post Cracks in the Gilford School Board’s Continuing Support of Policy Jbab (Unfreedom of Speech, Lying to Parents)? appeared first on Granite Grok.

It was more than a year ago that a mob of frustrated American voters overran the U.S. Capitol, not because they disagreed with the outcome of the 2020 presidential election but because they believed it had been seriously compromised.

They distrusted the outcome of that election because of last-minute, unconstitutional changes to long-standing election laws made by Democrat politicians and judges. Many of them earnestly believed they had to reclaim the integrity of our election process and had no other recourse but to delay the certification of votes, allowing for an in-depth investigation of the election.

Whether or not their assumptions were right and their actions justified, they handed the Democrat Party a goldmine. With help from the news media, Democrats managed to brand the episode an “armed insurrection,” an organized attempt to overthrow the U.S. government, led by President Trump himself. This, despite the fact that an FBI investigation concluded there was no coordinated assault and the fact that the only person shot and killed that day was an unarmed protester. Virtually all Democrats and many independents now blindly accept the “insurrection” label, giving the Democrat Party a valuable commodity, something it values even more than integrity. It’s given them a cudgel, a club they could use against their political opponents for years to come.

Now, a year and a half later, just before the midterm elections, Democrats have decided it might be a good time to wield that club. The somber procession of committee members into the hearing room and the solemn atmosphere might have been appropriate for an investigation into a failed government coup. But without a coup, the hearings are nothing more than a circus, and millions of rational Americans see them as such.

Bennie Thompson, chairman of the committee, launched the hearings by harkening back to America’s racist past, comparing people who justified the actions of slavery, the Ku Klux Klan, and lynching to those who would justify the actions of the so-called insurrectionists. And why not? As long as Democrats are tarnishing American citizens with false accusations, the term, “racist traitor” sounds even more monstrous than “insurrectionist.”

But conservatives and most reasonable people understand that the occurrence on January 6th 2021 was no coup attempt, and they know it had absolutely nothing to do with racism. They also know that the hearings are nothing but elaborate performances with two primary goals – to disqualify Trump from ever again holding public office, and to distract attention from the catastrophes we’re experiencing under Democrat policies – soaring prices, rising crime, increasing drug use, and open borders.

They know that if the committee had been established to uncover the truth, it wouldn’t be composed entirely of fervent Trump critics. And it would be looking into other issues surrounding that event, including:

1. The disproportionate prosecution of those involved on January 6th the BLM rioters during the preceding summer.
2. Why some participants, clearly seen agitating the crowd on January 6th, were never prosecuted. And what role government undercover agents might have played in the event.
3. Why the Capitol Police were not better prepared, given the intelligence available to them.
4. Why only one police officer, out of the hundreds on the scene, decided it was appropriate to use lethal force against an unarmed woman.

Those who participated in that incident were not alone. Polls confirm that as many as 35 percent of Americans have questioned the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s election. That’s not just a miniscule number of Right-wing fanatics. But Democrats in power have never addressed, nor even acknowledged the concerns of those estimated 100 million Americans. Their response to allegations of election fraud is simple and defiant. Criticize and mock those who complain, weaponize the DOJ against them, and organize farcical investigations like those of the January 6th Committee.

Of course, Joe Biden has joined in the hype. He called the protest at the Capitol “…one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history — a brutal assault on our democracy, a brutal attack on law enforcement.”

Darkest chapters in our history? Does he really equate that incident with the Civil War, two world wars, the Kennedy assassination, and the 9/11 attacks?

A brutal attack on law enforcement? He must have forgotten that his party introduced the anti-police hysteria and the “defund the police” movement.

In fact, Biden and the Democrats are guilty of far more brutal assaults on our democracy.

When a U.S. President arbitrarily defies immigration and other laws that he swore to uphold – that’s an attack on our democracy and a breach of our national security.

When the party in power weaponizes the criminal justice system against political opponents – that’s an attack on our democracy.

And when the party in power obstinately refuses to listen to legitimate concerns voiced by one third of America’s citizens – that’s an egregious attack on our democracy, and a threat to future stability.

All Americans want to trust the people we elect to public office. But the sitting members of the January 6th Committee have betrayed that trust and turned the hearings into a three-ring circus.

It may not be the greatest show on earth, but after all, the midterm elections are fast approaching, and the performers are under a lot of stress.

The post The January 6th Hearings – A Pathetic Act of Desperation appeared first on Granite Grok.

The last poll about “who might be a good NH Governor was kinda all over the place with all those names, kinda amusing, I had fun with it, and a wee bit illustrative of how you, dear readers, are looking at people, politics, and positions.  We haven’t been doing a lot of polls lately but I think this series might be illustrative as well.

Hypothesis: will the ranking that you folks determine hold true, for each race, in late August, as it does now?  I’m going to be putting up polls for NH Governor, US Senate, Congressional District One, and Congressional District Two.  I already have a sense of my own and have asked a few people as well.  That asking already seems to be showing a coalescing around some names this early in the campaign; I’m desiring to know what you folks think.  SO!  Let’s start with the polling!

Rules for the Poll:

• We start right now
• The polling ends this Friday night (6/24) at 5 pm
• You get to vote for one (please!).

Then, as they say on Survivor, “I’ll go tally the votes”.

Here’s the Poll:

Your Vote for NH Governor?

• Julian Acciard
• Jay Lewis
• Richard McMenamon II
• Thad Riley
• Chris Sununu
• Karen Testerman

VoteBack to vote

 

The post Grok Straw Poll: Who is your pick for NH Governor? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Democrats are pissed. The US Supreme Court has broken out that constitution-thingy and rained on their education monopoly parade. How so? It has been a long-standing policy for states to exclude religious schools from their tuitioning programs, but this has been ruled unconstitutional.

And in the simplest of terms.

 

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that while “a state need not subsidize private education” that “once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious.”

“Maine’s ‘nonsectarian’ requirement for its otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment,” Roberts wrote. “Regardless of how the benefit and restriction are described, the program operates to identify and exclude otherwise eligible schools on the basis of their religious exercise.”

Roberts said that the program “effectively penalizes the free exercise” of religion by doling out benefits based upon whether a school is religious.

 

To be clear, the decision is 45 pages long, but that excerpt explains everything you need to know. It’s an all-or-nothing affair. And I’m sure the left would be OK with the nothing part of that equation given a chance, and in some jurisdictions, they will. But it’s a PR gamble to consign poor and low-income families to what are typically terrible public schools when they could – if given a chance – find a better fit to help children learn and grow.

Democrats could care less for all their blather about kids and schools. Public Education is little more than a laundromat for campaign contributions and union boots on the ground. Schools serve little purpose outside of that unless you want to add ensuring they remain soft targets to advance anti-gun legislation. There’s no limit to the number of dead children they’ll climb to disarm law-abiding Americans.

As for Carson v. Makin, it has some bearing on New Hampshire, which has a tuitioning law that, in theory, can no longer restrict any school regardless of faith – a constant burr of contention for the progs. And a problem for liberal justices, according to Sonia Sotomayor.

 

“What a difference five years makes. In 2017, I feared that the Court was ‘lead[ing] us . . . to a place where separation of church and state is a constitutional slogan, not a constitutional commitment.’ Today, the Court leads us to a place where separation of church and state becomes a constitutional violation. “

 

Notice how she never says it is in the Constitution, but it’s a commitment. Yes, wise Latina, the same way the Constitution obligates serving chips with tuna sandwiches and tomato soup with grilled cheese.

 

 

 

The post SCOTUS: “Maine Cannot Exclude Religious Schools from Tuition-Assistance Program” appeared first on Granite Grok.

There are a number of questions you’ll need to answer as you progress through your life. What kind of job do you want? Should you go to college? Where do you want to live as you get older? One of the most important choices you’ll need to make as you start on your professional journey is which field you’re going to major in.

A degree in virtually any niche will usually improve your chances of getting a higher-paying job with a better range of long-term opportunities. However, with literally thousands of majors to choose from, it can be notoriously difficult to determine where you should be focusing your attention. Here are some quick tips to help get you on the right path.

Consider Your Abilities

You’ll learn how to be a master of your chosen topic when you actually attend your college course and earn your degree. However, you’ll find the process is much easier, and a lot more fun if you focus on something you’re already well-versed in. For instance, if you’re great at mathematics, it makes sense to look into things like accounting, business, finance, and even engineering. If you’re skilled at cooking, you could train to become a professional chef. While you can develop other abilities over time, it can be difficult to excel in something you’re not naturally talented at.

Think About Your Passions

Once you’ve considered your abilities, the next, and perhaps most important area to consider, is your passions. What do you genuinely love doing, and how will you be able to convert that love into something which can earn you an income in the long-term? If you’re not particularly passionate about something specific, you can consider looking into the areas you’re interested in. For instance, you might not be particularly passionate about biology, but you might be interested in learning how the body works, and love experimenting with different scientific theories to see what turns out to be true.

Look into Employability

As much as you want to have fun in your career, it’s also important to remember it’s easier to get a job in some industries than others. While you might love the idea of becoming a professional influencer or YouTube content creator, you’ll also know it’s extremely difficult to gain a following and make a fortune in those spaces. On the other hand, if you earn a degree as a technology professional, you can lend your talent to a wide range of high-paying roles. More importantly, as the world becomes more tech-driven, you know for a fact you’re going to have lots of job opportunities for years to come.

Think About Finances

After you’ve looked into whether you can easily get a job in your chosen field, ask yourself how much you can reasonably earn with your degree. Getting a private student loan to get your graduate degree is a long-term investment in both time and money. You need to know the work you’re putting in now is going to benefit you in the long term. Consider looking into the careers you might be able to get with the major you’re interested in, to see what the average earning potential is. This will also help you to decide what level of education you need to unlock the best income. For instance, teaching at a college level could earn you a better income than teaching to nursery students.

Meet with Advisors

If you feel totally lost and confused about what your future should look like, it might be helpful to book a session with a career advisor, or someone from the university you’re thinking of applying with. They’ll be able to look at your current grades and suggest potential avenues for you to explore based on your academic ability and your interests. Additionally, they can suggest professional development opportunities that you might not even know exist.

Outside of talking to advisors, you can also discuss your options with people in your social circle too. Your friends and peers can be a great source of inspiration and ideas. Often, they see your skills more clearly than you do too. Your parents can even help you out with figuring out which direction you might want your education to go in.

Don’t Rush the Wrong Major

As exciting as it can be to start picking majors and looking into long-term career opportunities, the last thing you want to do is rush into making the wrong decision. Remember, start looking into your future ahead of time, and give yourself plenty of space to make a decision at the pace that’s right for you. This is your chance to decide what your future will look like. When you consider your abilities, passions, employability, finances, meeting with advisors, there are plenty of opportunities to help you decide the major that’s right for you.

 

The post How to Choose Your College Major: Top Tips appeared first on Granite Grok.

It was unclear if NITZAKHON would be able to craft another one of his highly popular Monday Meme posts yesterday, so I cobbled this together just in case. I don’t typically have the bandwidth to get from here to there, but I got a few together for your amusement, and now I get to use them.

And as it turns out, he managed to get one ready before “press time” on Monday but would not be able to do a Meme overflow for Tuesday, and I guess it all worked out.

As always, ridicule is the best thing ever so here we go.

And apologies for the formatting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And…

 

 

The post A Monday Meme Overflow … appeared first on Granite Grok.

Germany is over a barrel thanks to its dependence on green energy, and Russia neither being reliable nor capable of delivering without consequence. So, they’ve had to commit to burning more coal. Australia, another fool on a green hill covered with wind turbines, has announced they too need fossil fuels.

It needs them, and it has so damaged the industry it will have to proper them up with taxpayer money to “keep the lights on.”

 

Coal- and gas-fired power plants could be paid to stay in business to bolster the stability of the main electricity grid and attract enough investment to build the equivalent of 50 times the original Snowy Hydro scheme by 2050, according to a high-level design paper released by the Energy Security Board.

The fossil fuel generators would be required even as Australia continues to decarbonise the electricity sector, the paper released on Monday said.

 

If you’d forgotten, hydro is not one of the blessed renewables. The American climate cult’s Pharisees shun it and nuclear, and maybe some will finally understand why. The goal has never been about reducing emissions from energy generation. It is an economic scheme to shift “power” away from free-market capitalism.

Not that it was ever free, but the goal (like policing) appears to me to be the nationalization of private energy. If you control all the energy and how it is generated and used, you can control the people who rely on it. It is why they want to run health care so badly, which COVID has shown us is not something they will do well or in the interest of public health.

Australia went all-in on the green dream years ago and has suffered from brown and blackouts. The people respond by expecting the same government that created the problem to fix it, which means the actual problem has been solved. Not the energy problem, the people problem. And now that they’ve seen that dim light, the government will make them pay an even higher price.

They paid to subsidize green energy that can’t meet demand and never would, and now they will pay to prop up fossil fuel energy they need because the government kneecapped it. And so we are clear, these are payments to keep the plants operational. Citizens will also need to pay for their electricity use at ever higher rates because of all the incessant government meddling.

Once you start taking direct subsidies, you are accountable to the rules attached to them—the strings. And if or when the green mask falls, the government will “own” or have control over every path to modernity, either directly or by proxy.

It’s all they ever wanted; if you had paid more attention, you’d have seen it coming instead of calling us deniers.

 

 

 

The post Australia Joins Germany – Admits it Needs Fossil Fuels appeared first on Granite Grok.

Islam has expired, according to Muhammad himself. “How long your faith shall endure?” Muhammad was asked.

“En salahat ummati fa laha yom. Va en fasadat fa laha nesfe yom. Val yomo ende rabbeka alfe sanaton men ma taedoon”—if my Ummah becomes righteous, it shall last one day; if corrupted, it shall last half a day. “And a day of your lord is equivalent to a thousand years of your accounting,” he replied. [‘Abdu’l-Wahháb Sha‘rání’s “al-Yaváqít wa’l-Jawáhir”, volume 2 (Cairo: Mu=>afá al-Bábí al-?alabí and Sons, 1959), page 142]

This account is recorded by a contemporary chronicler of Muhammad. So, even if his Ummah had lived up to his standards of righteousness, one thousand years have come and gone. Yet, a greatly fractured system of belief called Islam is still around, as judged by over a billion who call themselves Muslim.

Muhammad’s allusion to “righteousness” and “corruption” deserves a close look. All things on earth are subject to a limited life span, be they bacteria, trees, mountains, humans, or ideas—including religions. Renewal seems to be a core principle of the planet earth and its inhabitants. And in order for renewal to take place, the old by necessity must give way.

The moment a new entity is formed, an array of forces work to end it. Death, in effect, is pre-birth. Without death, everything freezes in place. Death often provides the raw material for the new birth. The death and decay of a tree, for instance, supplies the needed nutrients for the seed to grow: Newtonian physics’ obsolescence provided the foundation for Einstein’s relativity theory.

Death and renewal are also fundamental to religion. It is for this reason that many religions promised renewal in the person of another savior or the return of the same person. The Jews, for instance, expect the Messiah; the Christians long for the second coming; and some Muslims pray for the appearance of the Mahdi, while other Muslims supplicate God for “Rejateh Hussein,”—the return of Hussein.

What Causes the Expiry of Religions?

The death of a biological entity is caused by trauma, viruses, or bacteria. Viruses and bacteria are major killers of humans and present great challenges to medicine. They can be deadly and have the uncanny ability to mutate. Yet, they are there for their mission of ending life.

Poorly understood and little appreciated are psychosocial viruses—PSVs. As is the case with their biological kin, psychosocial viruses also work to corrupt any idea, mental functions, or belief and help supplant them with new ones. Various forms of mental disorders are the result of interaction between the PSVs and the person’s predisposition for the condition. Not all mutations caused by PSVs are pathological. Many serve to advance the human enterprise. Without the contributions of the beneficial PSVs, humanity would still be stunted in its development at the level of day one.

In the case of Islam, a special group of PSVs set out to work the minute Muhammad launched his faith, and mutation rapidly followed. First, there was the Islam of Mecca or the Islam of Meekness. For thirteen years, Muhammad’s teachings, as recorded in the early Suras of the Quran, were about many good things. Very few people became attracted to what he preached. In fact, the people scorned the man, harassed him, and eventually made him flee his hometown of Mecca for Medina. Then a major mutation took place: the Islam of Medina or the Islam of Tyranny arrived on the scene. The Quran Suras of Medina are replete with exhortations of intolerance, exclusivity, and sanctioning of violence against non-Muslims. This mutation deeply appealed to the temperament of the Arab savages, and they flocked to Muhammad’s faith.

The PSV of the time of Muhammad continued to mutate as it reached other peoples and other lands. Each people’s own ideas and beliefs—their cognitive immune system—responded differently to the invader. Some completely resisted the assault and defeated it. Others were overwhelmed and forced into submission. Yet some of the vanquished, over time, managed to repel the invader while others incorporated it to various extents into their own system of belief. In due course, the mutation among the vanquished people has become so divergent that some of the variants can hardly be recognized as the progeny of the original.

Islam of today is composed of a dozen major sects and hundreds of sub-sects and schools. Just two examples should demonstrate the fact that Muhammad’s Islam has expired and decomposed.

One branch of Sunni Islam, the Wahhabi, for instance, has interbred with the Pashtun culture of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the result has been the Taliban version of Islam: a most reactionary, repressive, and savage “religion.”

On the Shiite side, for example, there is a sect of the Ghulat Alavi that holds only to one of the five pillars of Islam: the Shehada, an Islamic credo that says, “I testify that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger.” This sect does not subscribe to the remaining four pillars of praying five times a day, fasting one month a year, pilgrimaging Mecca at least once in a lifetime, and paying the religious tax of zakat. The Alavi women are allowed participation in all religious events and are not required to don the hijab—a stark contrast to the Taliban, who deny even rudimentary education to women and forbid them from leaving home without the accompaniment of a male relative.

The Ghulat Alavis deify Imam Ali and the other Imams. They particularly revere Imam Ali and worship him as a co-rank of God. They profess, “Ali khoda neest, valee as khoda joda neest”—Ali is not God, but he is not apart from God. This very same sect places Imam Ali above the Prophet Muhammad.

In conclusion: Muhammad’s dating of his faith notwithstanding, the facts conclusively show that Islam has expired. Over time, its component parts have undergone drastic mutations to the extent that the only thing that all Muslims have in common is the name of Islam and the Quran.

 

 

The post Islam Has Expired appeared first on Granite Grok.

New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella has indicted a man from Maine. Thirty-six-year-old Christopher Butler is accused of threatening a judge -not once but twice – to influence a pending court case.

I wonder why he thought he could get away with that (cough-cough). Typos are in the original.

Count one alleges that Mr. Butler did threaten bodily injury on a phone call to the New Hampshire Judicial Branch Court Information Center, against Judge Philip Cross, a member of the judiciary, for the purpose of influencing an action by Judge Philip Cross, as part of his official duties.

Count two alleges that Mr. Butler threatened bodily injury on a phone call to the New Hampshire Judicial Branch Court Information Center, against Judge Philip Cross, a member of the judiciary, with the purpose of retaliating against Judge Philip Cross, for one of his order, which was part of his official government duties.

The obvious parallel here is the ongoing hate-fest of fearmongering and intimation that rose from the left after a draft decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson case was leaked to the press and the public. The draft would have changed the viability standard based on new science, but the party of change and evolution is notorious for preferring the “ancient ways” when the new information challenges their “belief system.”

Abortion from conception to live birth is the Hill to die on for the Dems. So much so that after two years of telling people they had no right to bodily integrity, they did a one-eighty and insisted they did. Well, women did. Sorry, some women.

It’s also clear that retooling Roe would have no immediate impact on existing abortion laws in the State. All the reliable baby-killing jurisdictions would retain their capricious definition of the word choice. See also; whatever more rapidly floats the party boat down the Karl Marx river that week. A journey whose final destination is no choice on anything for anyone (but a select few) forever.

And now I’m wondering about this indictment.

 

In addition, a complaint was previously filed charging Mr. Butler with misdemeanor criminal threatening, which is still pending. The complaint alleges that Mr. Butler threatened bodily injury on a phone call to the New Hampshire Judicial Branch Court Information Center against Judge Philip Cross with a purpose to terrorize any person.

Harm or threats to certain government officials is a class B felony, which is punishable by up to 7 years in State Prison and a $4,000 fine. Criminal threatening is a class A misdemeanor that is punishable by up to 12 months in the House of Corrections and a $2,000 fine.

 

And why we shouldn’t be asking whether state or local AGs under whose jurisdiction are people publicly threatening Supreme Court Justices are not charging them? Perp walk a few into a cell. Indict a few.

That will never stop the hard-core leftists. Getting arrested is a badge of honor. It burnishes their bona fides and fills out their resume. But the hangers-on who are just getting started with serial left-wing violence might have a second thought. Some of them have real jobs and live with or around ordinary people.

And we know that behavior violates federal law.

So here’s the question. Is the injustice the indifference of justice to protect justices, or is it charging Christopher Butler?

 

 

The post AG Indicts Maine Man Who Threatened a NH Judge to Influence a Ruling – So, It is Against the Law? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Dear Mr. I X Kendi,

I hope this email finds you well.

With regularity, I have read of your striking perspective on antiracist politics. I would like to address some points with you directly.

First, I do not typically engage in racist discourse. I follow the UN International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), which was put into force in the 1960s and 1970s. This is an excellent mechanism, and it seems that you are completely unaware of it. I recommend you read it. Antiracism should not include racist terminology if it is to be truly effective.

Secondly, you have indicated a distinct perspective that black Americans are somehow facing inequalities. Socioeconomic indicators can be interpreted to show certain trends. Piketty has recently written widely on the importance of generational capital. Rather than instigate for violently enforced equity policy, we could implement economic systems to catalyze wealth transfer to impoverished communities. This should be done on a non-racial basis.

Such an economic system already exists in the form of professional sports leagues— the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. You may say these follow the capitalist model, but you should bear in mind that any wealth-creating enterprise in the free market follows the capitalist model. Capitalism is the study of the creation and management of capital (i.e., wealth).

These sports leagues facilitate the transfer of wealth from citizens to athletes. In the NBA and NFL, the majority of the athletes are dark-skinned African Americans. The minimum salary in these leagues is over 50x the minimum wage in the USA. The money-making opportunity that has been developed in this sense is remarkable. It is one of the most peaceful, positive, and effective economic systems on the planet.

Perpetuating the idea that the USA is a racist country serves to weaken the country. It is also clownish and foolhardy to the extreme. It is a destructive idea, and many have decided to believe it. I suggest you about-face on that point as a step in the best direction.

All the best~

 

 

The post Dear Mr. Ibram X Kendi, I Hope This Email Finds You Well. appeared first on Granite Grok.

What’s in a name? Sometimes a name seems void of any meaning, and sometimes a name embodies profound meaning, mysterious and even prophetic. Your name, our beloved Neda, the martyr daughter of Iran, literally means Divine Call, or Divine Summons, in Persian.

Dear Neda, when on the blessed day of your birth, your parents hugged you joyously and named you Neda, they could hardly envision that you would be slaughtered in the prime of your life by a bullet of savage Islamists as you peacefully marched along with throngs of other Iranians seeking nothing more than what is your God-given right—the right to liberty and dignity.

Dear Neda, on the dreadful day that the bullet of a henchman of tyranny pierced your young heart, you collapsed on the pavement and gasped for air as your crimson blood painted the black asphalt. Your music teacher, along with a young doctor, tried desperately to revive you. They kept frantically telling you not to be afraid, not to be afraid. Your music teacher was witnessing the death of his young student and all he could do was to breathe encouragement in the vain hope of keeping you alive.

Our great Zoroaster, the luminous ancient prophet of Persia, spoke of the ongoing battle between the forces of good under Ahuramazda—God, and the forces of evil directed by Ahriman— Satan. Zoroaster warned us not to fall for the enticements or be disheartened by the atrocities of the forces of Ahriman. He further informed us that evil can be recognized by the deeds of its people; people who would oppose the precepts of Ahuramazda. The turbaned murderers cloaked in the robe of religion are wolves in sheep’s attire. They are indeed the agents of death (Ahriman).

But you, dear Neda, are a champion of the work of Ahuramazda. You have been destined for a great mission that required you to wing away from the loving bosom of your family into the eternal embrace of Mother Iran.

Dear Neda—O, Divine Call—O, Divine Summons—we mourn your death, yet we honor your call and summons:

A call and summons to follow in your footsteps with iron resolve.
A call and summons for the complete emancipation of millions of women, as well as men, who are suffering under the yoke of Islamic savagery.

Dear Neda, the meaning and mystery of your name was revealed to us on the dreadful day of your slaughter. You are to shine forever as a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration to all who struggle for justice, equality, and liberty.

Dear Neda, your departure broke our hearts. Yet, by your untimely tragic death, you steeled our resolve to carry on with your mission.

Dear Neda, this is our covenant with you. We will never give up. We will pay any price and make any sacrifice to achieve the mission you have entrusted into our hands.

Dear Neda, as you have joined the rarefied ranks of the immortals, I am moved to share with you a poem composed in the honor of another young Iranian heroine by the name of Mona.

Oh, you earthly angels!
You immigrating birds,
Whose only adornment
Is a bed of white feathers!
The innocent children of Iran,
Are wearing your white glowing robe,
And have left the memories of life,
To others!

I see the poor black swallows,
Flying over the ruins of our city!
I see overflowing pain,
Intertwined,
With the hearts of every human being!

My heart stops palpitating!
My breath starts to dry up!
And my bed falls silent.

Fly, little angel! Fly!
The wake of your wings

Beats the drum of freedom for our people!

The post Born January 23, 1983–Tehran, Iran -Died June 20, 2009 (aged 26) appeared first on Granite Grok.

When I first announced the return of GrokTALK! a few weeks ago, in pursuit of likely guests, the very first response I got on my status update from a Republican Facebook page was, “Great, just what we need, more anti-Republican crap.” – Steve

Go ahead, change my mind. Or rather, Steve’s and mine. Again, researching some stuff in GraniteGrok’s archives (try it, you may like it!), I came across Steve’s defense of both ourselves and former NH State Rep Stella Trombley (R).  I’ve always maintained that GraniteGrok opines and reports based on both the NH and US Constitutions virtues, the Conservative planks of the NH GOP, and what used to be our American heritage of Judeo-Christian philosophy.

Sidenote: I often think that in the Left’s race to more and more, “Multiculturalism” is just a means to run away from our own history and philosophies so as to implement THEIR new history and chains.

And because we have been consistent over the 16 years we’ve had the GraniteGrok doors open, we get a LOT of flack from “Republican Republicans for the sake of the Republican Party” (or “RRftsoTRP'” meme #1, sarcasm towards the idea that anyone that has an R after their name is goodness incarnate).

Why?

Because they refuse to acknowledge the truth of “Consistency breeds Trust which yields Votes” (meme #2, HAVING to point out that more than a fair number of Republicans lack “Platform discipline,” which means a Purple State is the result).

Republicans that (generally) only observe the first clause of “Winning is just the precursor; it’s what you do afterward which is most important” (meme #3, which SHOULD mean doing what aligns with the Constitutions, the Platform, and what your true Republican base put you into those seats want).

And just like Back Row Baptists that show up in the last pew in church on Sunday morning after a bacchanalian Saturday night of carousing, they hate having their “political sins” pointed out to and at them.

Some abstracts from Steve’s post “Great, Just What We Need, More Anti-Republican Crap.” The RRftsoTRP’s back in May, 2013 didn’t like it then, and they still don’t like us being the fire and brimstone preachers foretelling their futures by being “not Republicans” (reformatted, emphasis mine):

When I first announced the return of GrokTALK! a few weeks ago, in pursuit of likely guests, the very first response I got on my status update from a Republican Facebook page was, “Great, just what we need, more anti-Republican crap.”

In some respects yes, but not because the objects of our remarks happen to “claim” to be Republicans.  It would be a result of their behaving as something other than a Republican.  (And yes, I probably am a better arbiter of who is or is not behaving like a Republican, as we shall see shortly.)

…My first thought upon hearing that was, what support? The NH Republican state party doesn’t do crap to help “Republicans” in their House races, is notorious for ignoring Republicans who do not kiss the right rings, and has been known to even work against them if they pose a threat to local or state party leadership’s internal goals. So, on the one hand, we are told to be tolerant of all Republicans because we need R’s in the seats while with the other they are making it as difficult as possible for solid Republicans to get their butts in those seats. And that’s been going on for years.

Who is it that is bashing Republicans again?

At least I am trying to stand on a consistent set of principles, the state constitution, the US constitution, the New Hampshire Republican party platform’s principles even, while the GOP experts are running away like scared children from dependable elected representatives.

Yes, Stella Trombley, who Leadership ran away from, is in there. Go read it as Steve rightly tells the sordid tale. And he also lays out this:

Conveniently enough, we are not here to seek your praise.  Nor are we here to toe the anti-GOP libertarian line, the pro-GOP libertarian line,  the Neo-con line, nor the Republican party line, local, national or other.  We are here in defense of First principles,  conservative principles, and even NH-GOP platform principles, where and when they align. This isn’t a popularity contest.  We’re not looking to climb any ladders. This is about the future of the Republic, and if you intend to put that at risk, I don’t much care who you think you are or for where you claim to stand.

…Does the NH-GOP step up and say they will not support legislators who advance the power of the progressive democrats?

And recently, that would have been voting against (or too cowardly to even vote) the Parental Bill of Rights like Belknap County’s own Mike Bordes and Travis O’Hara, part of the Kiedaisch/Tim Lang Gang that wants to throw out Conservative Republicans because “they get in the way because of their Principles.” They hate NH State Reps Paul Terry and Norm Silber because the latter two actually implemented the Party Platform in a bill.

No.  But they are more than happy to bail on a woman who is a more reliable Republican platform vote than most of the other Republicans we currently have in elected office.  If you were of a mind, it might occur to you that the NH-GOP is bashing people who consistently vote their own platform and defending those who do not.

Tell me again how the NH-GOP is not broken? Tell me again how GraniteGrok and by extension GrokTALK! will just spew more anti-Republican crap?

Steve has the Right of it.  And I will defy any Republican that can actually prove him wrong. In fact, I challenge these no-Principles/no-Honor Republicans to debate me – if they think they can!

 

 

The post To Repeat, Granitegrok Is Often More Republican than the NH GOP appeared first on Granite Grok.

Freedom just is – having to ask permission means it doesn’t exist

(H/T: Skip, September 12, 2014)

We are closing in on 47,000 published posts at GraniteGrok; we’ve covered a lot of issues, concerns, questions, and trouble.  A lot of times, by several of us, and often, the same thing comes back up in different guises.

Thus, we can, if we want, be self-referential – having already covered something to which we’ve generally given solutions as well.

A soon-to-be-Free Stater emailed me from the State of Rhode Island, which INSTANTLY reminded me of another RI transplant but from the Socialist/Progressive end of the political spectrum, former NH State Rep Cynthia Chase and her infamous anti-freedom outburst when she heard about the Free State Project:

What we can do is make the environment here so unwelcoming that some will choose not to come, and some may actually leave.  One way is to pass measures that will restrict freedoms that they think they will find here.”

Steve was the first Grokster to start in on that unAmerican attitude here.  Like I said, self-referential on a whole bunch of things.

We’re a good research site on things “Political NH.”  In finding that, I ran into the above. Unfortunately, we on the Right don’t talk about that message enough. The Progressive/Socialists are ALL about saying, “You don’t NEED <insert whatever here> as if we should be ashamed of whatever <insert whatever here> happens to be. Like Bernie with his “millionaires and billionaires” and “23 different kinds of deodorants”, Obama saying “you don’t need to have your homes at 72 degrees”, and almost ALL of the Democrats saying “you don’t need an AR-15”. There are WAY too many examples to list here – and none of them should exist in the first place if one truly believes that Freedom is derived from God. Problem is, we know who the godless are amongst us.

And they expect to get away with it. They will unless we continuously punch back at them.  As I wrote here:

What we seem to have forgotten is that Freedom just “is”.  It does not have to be explained.  It does not have to be justified.  It does not have to be litigated.  It does not have to be legislated.

It merely has to be lived.

Once permission is asked, you have given your freedom away – forever now being in the control of another.  Sure, we do give up some amount of Liberty to exist in an ordered society.  The problem is that there are those, instead of assuming Freedom is innate, believe it IS something that they can ignore – they do not respect YOUR Freedom.  Often, we call these folks “Legislators” and some are quite open about their disdain for it.

Freedom – as President Reagan once famously said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”  Even with that, I don’t hear that “Freedom just is…it doesn’t have to be justified”. Lived, yes, but we have to defend it. Imagine that, in the country that labels itself the “Land of the Free,” we have to defend it? We must, as the Progressives/Socialists, along with some Republicans, are turning our Society from being freedom-oriented to one in which we have to constantly ask permission.

Tell you what, let’s get Legislators elected this November that will understand that transforming us into a permission-based society IS the tyranny that our Founding Fathers were scared of.  Yes, laws are needed, but hundreds of thousands are now on the books?

Too many times, Legislators and regulation-making bureaucrats assume that only Government should set “the rules of the road” for the rest of us – instead of us setting them for ourselves.

 

 

The post Blogline of the Day – We Should Be Saying This More Often – MUCH More Often appeared first on Granite Grok.

For far too long, Democrats keep saying that their ideas are solid but their messaging is off.  When they encounter pushback on both their ideas AND messaging, they start yammering “you need to get educated!”. I heard that a LOT during the Public Comment sessions at the Gilford School Board meetings as they listened to the two opposing sides over their Policy JBAB (which I have written TONS about) for Transgender and Non-conforming students. Often, even when I talked about violating Free Speech and lying to Parents, I was told to “get educated” as if I was one of those uneducated rednecks needing, not EDucation but RE-education.  Because I held long-term views of what our Founding Fathers held, I needed to get “with new thinking”.

And my beliefs needed to be changed (a la Hillary Clinton: “Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.” and hit the DELETE key on MY beliefs.  There is no choice. And yes, when I was told “You need to educate yourself“, it wasn’t meant kindly.  So, how does that pertain to the above title?

This past Thursday, June 16, the Coos County Republicans had Bob Burns (running for Congress in NH’s CD-2), Chuck Morse (US Senate), and Bruce Fenton (US Senate) come in to give their stump speeches and see how they answered questions after those stumpers.  And it did seem, from now three sources, some of those questions turned out to be truly stumpers. Almost all of them zeroed in on Chuck Morse.  Not that he’s a bad person or seen as a bad politician, mind – just how he handled (or NOT handled himself) during the Q&A afterward. And it was his last passing epithet on the way out that solidified his answers in their minds.

As I listened to them, all that could track through the last of my mind that I still retained was the above – Reeducation. Here are the questions that were asked (and no, no one had a problem with the stump speech itself). It also had a bit on what “we” (the NH State Senate Republicans) got done under his leadership as Senate President. Budget, low taxes, but little else than that. No mention of WHY he would be going to be doing once he hit the DC Swamp: no “hill to die on” stances, what is base foundational political philosophy, and what he was going to do.

1. You’ve been appearing with both Sununu and Mike Pence in a lot of photo-ops – what are your thoughts about them?
2. Should Mitch McConnell return as Senate President if the Red Wave happens and the Republicans take back the majority?
3. Upon hearing the answer to #2, the same attendee asked the same question again: will Cocaine Mitch (er, MY words, not the questioner’s) get your vote?

 

 

For the first two questions, the answer was remarkably similar – and off point (paraphrased a bit, according to one source):

“With me as Senate President, we passed the best Republican budget in New Hampshire’s history. We lowered taxes and kept our promise to eliminate the dividends tax.”

Eh?  I know about “staying on message” and blowing off a question, but to do it twice?  In a row? Isn’t that….rude? Or hapless in not simply stating “I don’t wish to talk about them/him”? Certainly not “quick thinking” – or did his staff not wargame such questions and help prepare their candidate?  Authenticity and a hunger for an office demands openness and transparency – even and ESPECIALLY if you know that some might not like your answers.  It’s called honesty. The Good Lord above KNOWS I’ve oft said and written stuff that has made a lot of people angry along ALL of the political spectrum – but I never pandered even as a lowly BudComm meeting (except once when I, in almost 10 years, couldn’t really decide how to vote).

The second questioner bluntly said, “you aren’t answering my question“. Morse merely restated the answer above but also added:

Morse replied in a very confusing and long-winded way that he would vote for a senate president that would let Morse bring federal money to New Hampshire and work with Morse on what New Hampshire needed from the fed.

That answer didn’t go over well, from what I was told, and Morse got called out for it.  Good for the questioner for holding his ground and demanding accountability. And then what was related was a bit surprising:

How can he be trusted to be our US senator if he can’t answer questions from republicans, that Morse is a fraud?

Is that really the role of a US Senator? To be merely a “bag boy” hustling for Federal money?  A better answer would have been that the money shouldn’t be leaving NH in the first place. But then again, stances and goals.

Oh, and then the political spectrum question did come up – just not in a way I would have thought. And it’s clear that the Coos Republicans were still a mite peeved as the first question to Bruce Fenton (also running for Senate) was fromed in making it clear that while Fenton did fine but there’s one candidate that fits the “not so much” and eyeballs swiveled. I’m thinking in my head that MUST have been rather uncomfortable.  Well, decisions have consequences and a lack of transparency does as well.

The topic THEN switched to the Resolution (“Coos County Republican Committee Votes to Censure NH Governor Chris Sununu“) after all of the candidates had their time for stumping and answering. It was recounted that once topic shift sunk in, Morse and his entourage got up in a huff and even refused to shake hands with those that might have been supporters.

Instead of “goodbye” or even the lame (at times) “gotta ‘nother meeting to get to”, the final salutation was:

just a bunch of uneducated rednecks

Full circle, from the post top to the post bottom. I heard loud and clear that this played EVAH so well up north…seems to be the answer when certain people don’t like hearing what other say and believe.

I do wonder if anyone has any video?

The post Chuck Morse: “Uneducated Rednecks”. Seems to be the L’idée Du Jour for the Republican Primary Election appeared first on Granite Grok.

One of the side effects of the COVID19 vaccines is increased menstrual irregularities, including excessive bleeding. More bleeding. Extra bleeding. Reports of miscarriages also rose, and maybe it makes sense that they are connected but what to do.

How do we deal with all this extra bleeding caused by Pfizer’s vaccine?

I was watching television, and an ad came on for some new medicine. It is purported to help women suffering from increased or excessive menstrual bleeding. Myfembree is “a proven treatment to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding due to uterine fibroids in premenopausal women.”

I looked at my wife and announced as if I’d never mentioned it before that this seemed timely given that the COVID19 vaccines were said to have caused excessive bleeding in women. Wouldn’t it be interesting if this drug was manufactured by Pfizer?

A moment later, Pfizer’s logo shows up in the ad, and I was like – Who Called it!

The drug claims to reduce bleeding by half in 7 out of 10 women and by up to 84% by week twenty-four. Or maybe not. You may need to take it longer than that.

 

Side-effects include,

Heavy non-menstrual vaginal bleeding
longer or heavier menstrual periods
normal menstrual bleeding occurring earlier, possibly lasting longer than expected
unusually heavy or unexpected menstrual bleeding
vaginal bleeding or spotting

 

That sounds about right; the drug that might address the increased bleeding you may have experienced after The Jab could do nothing or make matters worse.

Less Common Side Effects

Anxiety
discouragement
feeling sad or empty
hair loss, thinning of hair
irritability
lack of appetite
loss of interest or pleasure
mood swings
tiredness
trouble concentrating
trouble sleeping

 

And then there’s this awesome warning.

Estrogen and progestin combination products, including relugolix/estradiol/norethindrone acetate, increase the risk of thrombotic or thromboembolic disorders, including pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), stroke and myocardial infarction (MI), especially in women at increased risk for these events.

If you didn’t suffer from pulmonary disorders from The Jab, here’s your chance to try again!

Pfizer to the rescue!

Sorry about the extra bleeding, but hey, we’ve got a drug for that too! So, they’re just like the Democrat party. Break something and then tell everyone you’ve got just the thing to fix it.

More of them making matters worse.

 

 

The post Heavy Menstrual Bleeding After the COVID Vaccine – Guess Who Has a Drug To “Treat” That? appeared first on Granite Grok.

The long-awaited January 6 Committee Hearings have been a bust. If this were a made-for-TV mini-series, it would be canceled. In a way, it was when NBC affiliates cut away from the hearing to air a PGA event. The quiet of golf on TV was far more palatable than Liz Cheney committing political suicide to satisfy her angst for Trump.

Cheney could have simply crossed the aisle and declared herself a Democrat if she wanted to send a message. At least she would still have a career, albeit sitting next to Adam Schiff. Maybe then she can find all the damning evidence Schiff claimed he had on Trump and the Russians. He made a career with that false claim.

No, the January 6 hearings will not sway anyone come November. This version of the Titanic, called the SS Democrat, is heading for a massive iceberg, and nobody knows how to steer the boat. The collision will occur at about 9 PM EST on November 8.

All 435 House and 35 Senate seats are on the ballot, and most pundits feel that a swing of 65 in favor of the GOP is likely. Nancy and Chuck Schumer will be replaced as respective majority leaders, and the next two years will be a stand-off between Congress and Joe Biden’s White House. Biden will still have the power of the Executive Order, but anything addressed in that manner is temporary until the next EO supplants it.

A stalemate is good for the country by stopping the progress of whatever Biden is pushing. It will not, unfortunately, correct the adverse decisions and policy blunders from the first half of Biden’s term.

Since we had a contraction of the economy in the first quarter and the second is worse, we will officially be in a recession as soon as Q2 results are announced. That announcement will devastate people, especially the low to middle class and those nearing retirement.

These groups will be hit the hardest because inflation, declining 401k accounts, and rising interest rates have a more significant burden on the less wealthy than on the rich, who can absorb them. The reality will strike fear in people, especially those who do not understand the term. Most people already feel we are in a recession, but feeling it and knowing it are two very different things.

Biden and the Radical Left think the solution is the government dumping more money into the system. Nothing could be more incorrect. The influx of big-spending bills and the breakdown of our supply chain got us here. What we do not need is gas thrown on the fire by Biden.

For the good of the country and National Security, Biden must take a tsunami in November, as well as historically low approval numbers, as a mandate that we are heading in the wrong direction. He needs to shed this Woke and Diverse staff for a more qualified group. He needs to tighten the purse strings and work with Republicans to get us out of a recession as quickly and painlessly as possible. That is what he should do, but this is Joe Biden. Instead, he will head off to his beach house and keep everything status quo.

 

 

The post January 6th? How About November 8th? appeared first on Granite Grok.

When Donald Trump declared before the UN Assembly that Germany would be at the mercy of Russia because of its green policies, the elites scoffed. Germany laughed. Four years later, Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced that Germany must burn coal because they can’t get enough gas from Russia.

 

Germany must limit its use of gas for electricity production and prioritize the filling of storage facilities to compensate for a drop in supply from Russia, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Sunday.

In a move that goes against the principles of his environmentally-friendly Green Party, the country will also have to increase the burning of coal, Habeck said.

 

Who’s laughing now? The Russians, for one. Green-obsessed Germany knows it can’t heat homes with wind or solar, so it has to ramp up coal burning because winter is coming.

Curb its usage of natural gas, the Vice-Chancellor says. Things could get tight. It’s a familiar problem.

Northern New England has that problem. Not enough capacity or infrastructure to meet growing demand with a class of elites all its own who think we’d be better off like Germany. More wind and solar.

It’s not getting warmer.

And now, thanks to boobs like Biden, US supply has tightened. He made us dependent on Russian oil, and we’re paying for that mistake every time we hit the pumps. And electric rates are set to double because the US diminished sacrificed natural gas production and infrastructure on the altar of the Left’s green gods.

In Germany, a Vice-Chancellor and member of the Green party is talking about curbing usage and burning more coal. Why? They chose to rely on Russia to prop them up.

Here, in America, Joe Biden has us relying on Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela (and Russia, until eh Ukraine Invasion), but unlike Germany, we have vast natural resources. There’s no reason for us to be paying this much.

Our elites laugh at us like Germany’s UN delegation laughed at Trump.

Our plight is no different but will progressives on this side of the pond accept that or let people freeze to death because that could happen.

And do they want that to happen?

 

 

HT | WUWT

The post Green Party Vice Chancellor – Germany is Going to have to Burn More Coal appeared first on Granite Grok.

Here you go, gentle readers.  Because of ongoing sickness at the house – my younger progeny having generously donated their flu to me – there will probably not be an overflow tomorrow.

Remember, ridicule and mockery are effective weapons:

1. Ridicule cannot easily be fought
2. Ridicule makes the enemy angry, and angry people make mistakes
3. For those in the “squishy middle” a Thought Splinter(and Part IIand Part III) can often be hidden inside humor.  Stand by for Thought Splinters IV, probably Thursday or Friday.. if I can muster the energy.

Now, let the mockery and mayhem begin.

*** Warning, a few possibly off-color ones, in case tender eyes are about ***

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

 

 

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

Lots of good ones.  For example, I am reading this excellent piece by Dr. Pierre:

Nursing Reports From The Front Lines Of The COVID Vaccine Crisis (substack.com)

And I feel like I’m in a Kafka movie, or Twilight Zone episode.  I keep asking myself what could possibly have so compelling and complete hold on someone that, No, jail time is not harsh enough for those who inflicted this on humanity.  On those who covered up the election theft of 2020.  Of those who hide the Potato’s incompetence and dementia.  Of those who are grooming our children and making them Communists.  And so on.

 

>>>>>=====<<<<<

 

Palate Cleanser:

 

The post MONDAY MEMES appeared first on Granite Grok.

The US is currently enjoying the highest gas prices in its history. Many reasons for this condition have been given. The Brandon administration’s termination of the Keystone pipeline, denying drilling permits on Federal lands, corporate greed of oil companies, and even the current war in Ukraine have all been cited.

What, though, is the real cause?

The supply of raw material

Gasoline production begins with crude oil. This is oil that has been extracted from the earth before any processing has taken place. Obviously, if the price of crude oil is high, then the price of products made from that crude oil will be high. The administration has tried to attribute high prices to reduced supplies of crude oil, and it is true that crude prices have risen recently. Our fearless leader has even been negotiating with Saudi Arabia to have them increase their production, as well as with Venezuela, which we can hardly consider a friend.

Actually, though, domestic production is about where it was before prices began to rise. Without drilling more wells, we can provide for our own crude needs for the reasonable future without having to resort to foreign oil. We will need new drilling at some point, but the need is not immediate. Why would the administration claim that we needed foreign oil if domestic production is sufficient?

Biden has even gone so far as to release oil from the strategic petroleum reserve – a reserve set aside to meet our needs should other sources be cut off. Aside from the effect on national security, the amounts released cover only a tiny fraction of our needs and are thus more symbolic rather than a real help. In fact, since the release, the administration has been quietly replenishing the reserve at the currently elevated prices.

In reality, while the price of crude oil, the raw material of gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, and other petroleum products has risen, it has not risen enough to account for the increased fuel prices. Even allowing for a small global increase in crude prices due to the disruption of oil supplies from Russia during the current Ukraine situation, the increase in the cost of crude doesn’t explain gas prices.

Refining the story

Realizing that the increased cost of crude cannot explain the pain at the pump, Biden has taken a new tack to blame oil company greed. Pointing out that oil refineries are making record profits, Biden is now pointing at refineries as the source of the problem. He claims they are taking advantage of the current situation and restricting production to ensure high prices to feed their greed. Is this what is really happening, though?

During the government-imposed lockdowns of the last two years, demand for gasoline and other petroleum products fell off as travel, both personal and commercial, was restricted. Due to this reduction in demand, as well as to a shortage of staff, many refineries were closed. When the lockdowns were lifted, demand for gasoline surged, but the refinery capacity no longer existed.

Presently, the remaining refineries are operating very close to capacity. There is little margin available to increase capacity, while pushing refining limits can have serious safety consequences. Some of the closed facilities could be brought back online, but that takes time and is not simply like turning on a light switch. Some of the refineries have been converted to other uses such as biofuel production and would be difficult to convert back.

It appears that the real bottleneck is in refinery capacity and not in the supply of raw material. But if those greedy oil companies are making such high profits in refining, why don’t they turn some of those refineries back on and make even more profits? To answer that will require a bit of discussion.

Supply, demand, and economics 101

Most of us have heard of the law of supply and demand, where prices will adjust so that the price people are willing to pay (demand) will rise or fall to reflect the available supply. That is the situation we have today. Because of the Covid cutbacks in refinery capacity, we have reduced supply. As the economy recovers from the artificially induced lockdown recession, demand has increased faster than supply can be ramped up. Consequently, prices have risen, reducing demand, until supply and demand are again in balance.

Yes, oil companies could sell gas at lower prices, but for most people, that would mean there would be no gas available. Unless demand was reduced, the available supply would be quickly acquired at lower prices, leaving a shortage for other needs. The higher prices prompt reduced consumption, leaving some for other buyers. Unfortunately, the high prices cause many other problems even though they ensure a supply of gas for most essential uses.

The blame game

Joe “The Buck Stops There” Biden has taken the bold step of blaming the corporate greed of the oil companies for high gas prices and has threatened them with government action unless they increase refinery output immediately. As mentioned earlier, though, there is little or no excess capacity in current refineries, and trying to push beyond normal capacity limits greatly increases the risk of large-scale accidents. Having a major refinery catch fire would not help refinery capacity.

So far, oil company executives have been slow to respond to Biden’s demands. In large measure, probably because there isn’t much of a response they can make. What are they going to say? “You caused the problem, idiot. Now you fix it! You promised to eliminate fossil fuels, and your actions are working to that end with no consideration given to the harm your policies are doing to the nation, the economy, and to the people of this country. Quit trying to appease your delusional far-left base and do something right for a change. Let’s Go, Brandon.”

Much as many executives might wish to send such a response, most of them are much more restrained than I am. I, on the other hand, do not have their constraints. LGB.

Promises kept

During his campaign, the current pretender to the office of President promised to completely eliminate fossil fuel use in the US. Acting on the thoroughly debunked theory that CO2 from fossil fuel use was causing the climate to change in catastrophic ways, this pretender to the office has issued several Executive Orders that have taken large steps toward fulfilling his promise. Most of his actions are probably unconstitutional, but that has not been a deterrent so far. After all, the Constitution is obsolete and should therefore be ignored whenever it gets in the way of “getting things done.” And yes, the anthropogenic climate catastrophe theory has been debunked, but that is a topic for a future article.

The real reason for high gas prices

So now we see where the real problem lies. Our current administration has established policies that actively discourage increases in oil production, have reduced the refining capacity for the oil available, and are taking actions globally to drive up crude prices by bidding for global supplies. All of this rests squarely on the actions of an illegitimate administration. It is not crude supplies, corporate greed, a foreign war, or any other factors the administration has tried to blame.

It is all your fault, Joe. Own it.

 

 

David Robb Write at The Blue State Conservative

The post High Gas Prices: It Is All Your Fault, Joe.  Own It appeared first on Granite Grok.

US Senator Margret “Wood” Hassan, Maggie, Mags, the Magster, also known locally as Maggie the Red, has ads on television. She always has ads. This one is about how she’s putting the screws to the healthcare triad and Big Pharma. Any chance that might not be entirely true?

I didn’t try to count it, but how much money did Mags approve for the COVID response? How much of that was spent on ads trying to convince people to get a vaccine most of them didn’t need. How much taxpayer money did she allow to finance those billions of injections – most of which will be paid for by taxpayers who haven’t even been born yet.

Talk about a voting rights issue.

Massive sums of money whose interest alone will take lifetimes to pay.

But there she is, approving that message. Fighting for the people – just not the ones who had their livelihoods sold out before they took their first breath or earned their first dime on debt accumulated while Maggie was fighting for the little guy.

Crushing debt and fiscal policy responsible for record-setting prices and inflation through which the little people living now have to suffer.

So, Maggie ‘Dark Money‘ Hassan is, after a fashion, putting the screws to somebody. You, your family, your children, and their children but not insurance companies of Big Pharma unless you happen to have a work-a-day job in the pharmaceutical industry. In that case, yeah, you’re screwed.

 

 

The post Maggie Hassan’s Fighting Against Big Pharma? appeared first on Granite Grok.