Such a pity Karoline Leavitt doesn’t share the life experience and sagacity of our leaders, say the flyers. Such as wise old Chuck Schumer, who gleefully called for violence against two supreme court judges, such a mature mensch! Or super “experienced” Alejandro Mayorkas, who thinks the border is “under control.”

He’s right, the border is under control –– the control of drug cartels, smugglers, human traffickers, and terrorists—just not his control. And then we have Janet Yellen, who’s actually had “experience” in financial issues but somehow believed that spending $1.9 trillion in a heated market would be “anti-inflationary.” And let’s not forget the dim bulb Jennifer Granholm who believes electricity originates from a wall socket and is, as we speak, searching for a magic wand to solve the energy crisis.

Meanwhile, deep down in the Pentagon, Old Mole Milley, with more fruit salad on his uniform than you’ll find in a Delmonte can, uses his “experience” to root out “white supremacists” in the military while recruitment dwindles along with our stockpile of weapons. And who can forget when Blinken-In-The-Headlights sat in stunned silence while Chinese officials ripped into him about racist America and our human rights record?

We want to thank Denis Lipman for this Op-Ed. If you have an Op-Ed or LTE
you would like us to consider, please submit it to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

And last but certainly not least, this winning team is led by the nasty Joe Biden, our Janitor-In-Chief, who is using his 50 years of political and foreign policy “experience” to flush our country down the toilet.

So yes, Karoline Leavitt lacks the “experience” of the aforementioned hacks and I say, thank God for it! Unlike them, she has courage, the refreshing honesty of a straight shooter, and the raw energy of a prize fighter. She’ll be in our corner, fighting for Granite Staters from day one. Vote for Karoline on September 13 and vote for someone who won’t be swayed by the “experience” of aged fools.

The post Karoline Leavitt Lacks the Wisdom of the Aged––I Say, “Thank God!” appeared first on Granite Grok.

At first glance, you might not see how focusing on your business’s culture can help your bottom line. Still, changing your focus can help your investments pay off. The trick is to spend time measuring the return on different investments to see which works best for you. There are several ways you can invest in your culture.

Focus on Benefits

Whether it’s big or small, focusing on benefits and perks can make employees feel more valued. You could offer care packages for remote workers, snacks in the office, opportunities for volunteer work, and meals paid for by the business. Even small investments can pay off when made on a regular basis. Still, don’t let them take the place of bigger benefits. Whether it’s insurance or retirement benefits, make sure you are offering a comprehensive package. Many employees consider that part of their salary, and they may look elsewhere if you only offer the required basics. You may consider offering additional benefits they wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere. It can be expensive to focus on employees in this manner, but it’s often less expensive than recruiting new talent. One way of getting funding is by taking out a small business loan. Taking advantage of Accion Opportunity Fund business loans make it easy to build up your company culture.

Make Connections

As remote work becomes the norm, employees have become more isolated and they may feel they lack connections. However, human connection is critical to survival. It’s important to look for ways for everyone to stay connected, even if the team lives in different parts of the world. Connections can build networks, allowing colleagues to bond with each other. When they have these bonds, they are more likely to stay at the organization.

Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

One of the best ways of investing in the culture is to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Make sure you are hiring people from a variety of backgrounds. When your team consists of people from many areas, innovative ideas will be created. You’ll need to assess your initiatives on a regular basis. Consider using internal surveys and artificial intelligence with your recruitment processes to remove bias and implement employee feedback. In terms of your brand and image create a solid advertising plan for your business that is driven from DEI so that you can show from the inside out, and this is an important initiative for you.

Add Value for Employees

It’s critical to help workers build relationships with each other outside the workplace. This can improve retention rates. Plus, when your employees enjoy working with each other, they will have greater overall satisfaction with work. Consider investing in activities to help build the team, even if it’s just engaging in small talk at the start of every team meeting. You don’t have to make a big investment here, but it requires consistency on your part. You should also make employees feel like they have a voice. It’s important to check in with them regularly, not just during the annual review. Consider following up on feedback on a regular basis so they know they are making a difference. It’s also important to focus on the initiatives you know are important to them.

The post Ways to Invest in Your Company Culture appeared first on Granite Grok.

My GOSH, what is WITH these people?  First, let’s start with David Hershey (yes, THIS one) who with his wife,  decided to make HB1397 a campaign issue against sitting NH State Rep and Belknap County Republican Chair Norm Silber. In doing so, he shows almost a complete lack of situational awareness of even the basics of Belknap County politics.  He shows about as much of a grasp of such things as well as what a Hershey chocolate bar laid down on the hot asphalt of a street would have.

Now, for a brief background, HB1397 was meant to neuter and sever the Belknap County Delegation’s primary role in the overwatch of the Gunstock Area Commission and you can read about it here. As it is rather long, I’m not going to abstract much.  I’ll just add that it would have taken the Belknap County Commissioners out at the political knees as well. The monied people behind the Citizens for Gunstock/Belknap, aligned with that Democrat PAC, wanted to keep Gunstock as their own private playtoy. I certainly wrote about and  I will add, in an “I was against it before I was for it” moment, even Doug Lambert (of DGF Industrial) before becoming a GAC Commissioner wrote about that here (his actions since would probably mean he’d be all for it now, but that’s just my educated guess).

Back to Hershey; here’s the email he and his wife sent to Debra Shacket (former Gilford Finance Director and now the current Belknap County Administrator) trying to bludgeon Silber just like the Citizens for Belknap have.  Did he think that he was the Second Coming of Lambert and [Jade] Wood and replicate their roles of being the hitmen as they have done with respect to Peter Ness and Dr. David Strang?

Just remember the WHEN and OUTCOME of HB1397 as you read this. Emphasis mine as I start in on this Fisking:

From: David Hershey <dhershey@axeljohnson.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 2:58 PM
To: Debra A. Shackett <dshackett@belknapcounty.org>
Subject: FW: Gunstock Mountain Resort – For the Taxpayers

For Distribution to entire Belknap County Delegation

What, he couldn’t be bothered to do it himself?  Homework failure; hey Hershey, are you that lazy that you can’t bother to try to find it?  Like here?  Strike One!

Dear Ms. Shackett:

I, along with the support of my spouse, most urgently seek your unbridled support and vote to PASS HB1397 amendment to transfer Gunstock Area Commissioner appointing authority from the Belknap County Delegation back to the true owners (by virtue of being residents and taxpayers), of Gunstock to the citizens of Belknap County.

Strike TWO!  WHY is he asking an appointed Government official to support and VOTE for HB1397?  She’s not a member of the NH House and certainly not a member of the NH Senate, either. Remember, HB1397 was an Act by NH State Rep Tim Lang and NH State Senator Bob Guida in support of the now official Democrat PAC Citizens for Belknap – both members of those respective chambers of the NH General Court (as our Legislature is formally known).

She has NO role and certainly, NO vote in this.  WHY, on what basis, does David Hershey believe she has such?

If you are not aware, the delegation has sadly violated and abused the 1959 enabling act by appointing political allies who have very little to no business or secondary educational experience to advance their personal and illogical agenda.

Strike Three! Where do I even begin?  The “enabling act” is here; go ahead and read it for “political allies. And for jollies, Dr Strang had a medical degree and runs an ER doctor consultancy.  Credit is due – Doug Lambert built his business, DGF Industrial, from starting with just a “bucket of tools” to a multi-million dollar business with several lines of products. Peter Ness has a legal/accounting consultancy and at least one other business.  He also has a college degree (or more).

The leadership of the delegation that warrants they are the controlling group influences in closed session, delegation members to appoint to the GAC political associates to gain control of the GAC.

Strike Four! He’s conflating the leadership of a Delegation vs the legal term “controlling group” when it comes to the lawsuit that the GAC launched against the Delegation – a subset of the Delegation that worked with the lawyers defending the entire Delegation.  A normal course of action when lawyers deal with larger groups – WHO in their right mind would want to deal with a group of yakkety politicians?

And no, GAC appointees are NOT done in non-public sessions – has he BEEN at a Delegation meeting when GAC appointees are…appointed?

The tactic of “closed session” meetings and caucusing behind closed doors exercised by the delegation leadership suggests something to hide from the taxpayer and should be stopped in its entirety thus, allowing the taxpayers to return to work so they can pay their taxes without worrying their elected officials are utilizing the support obtained under false pretenses to redirect taxpayer assets in a manor [sic] that is not supported by the overall voting base in the County.

Public bodies go into non-public sessions all the time but those reasons are specifically proscribed by RSA 91A and must be stated before going into non-public – so what’s he railing against?

As a taxpayer in Belknap County, I have a right to be a part of every closed session (baring conflicts of interest of course), as does every other County taxpayer, and know what is being discussed.

Strike Five!  No, you don’t. You have NO right whatsoever.  Again, see RSA 91A.

I do not support the collection of my taxes as a means of financing secret meetings for the operation of County taxpayer asset by individuals lacking the required business acumen appropriate for a $15MM enterprise.

And he just keeps going...Strike Six!  Dude, this is not how our representative system works – the voters elect the people they believe to be the best that represents THEM.  And as I pointed out, Hershey can’t even bother to do his homework as to the backgrounds of those he is trying to diminish professionally and politically.

Vice Chair SILBER has publicly and in written letters advocated taking private and leasing the Gunstock Mountain asset from its rightful owner, the resident taxpayers of Belknap County.

Seven! Norm Silber is not a Vice Chair of anything.  Mike Sylvia (now Harry Bean) was the Chair of the Delegation. Ray Howard was the Vice Chair. If you are talking about the Belknap County Republican Committee, Norm is the Chair.  However, the BCRC has NO role in Gunstock (just like Debra Shackett).

Such a maneuver will result in the increase of ticket prices as the sole means of financing the additional expense associated with the cost of privatization, lease expense and the required Return on Investment expected by the shareholders of publicly traded enterprise the most likely suitor for such an endeavor.

Appointment of the GAC Commissioners must be taken out of the hands of the delegation and given to the citizens, most of whom have the business and educational experience to support and advocate in favor of Gunstock, a family member of the Belknap tax paying community.

Eight!  Really, most Belknap citizens are degreed and own/manage businesses?  Cite your source, sir!  And do you even KNOW what Gunstock pays in taxes???

The county delegation against the peoples will, has gained control of the GAC by proxy. This is very dangerous and not the will of the people. Thank you for your support of HB1397 Amendment.

Nine!  I always say that I’m just an ordinary schlub from central New Hampshire, but last I looked, the voters of Belknap ELECTED all of these NH State Reps.  Who then do the appointing in accordance with “the enabling Act” that he referenced.  EVERY Belknap Delegation, by statute, has control of the GAC – it’s the Law!  And because those Reps are elected, it IS the “will of the people” in being their representatives.

Really, I can’t believe that I have to actually state this for a dude that is running to oust two of the most thoughtful Reps (Paul Terry of Alton and Barbara Comtois of Barnstead)!?!?!?!?!

In summary, Gunstock has been a successful institution of Belknap County in the form of being a good neighbor, taxpayer, gratuitous donor in the form of the revenue contribution of 1.75% of gross revenues %, employer and attraction for locals and tourists that in turn generate revenues for local supporting businesses thereby ensuring the continuation of the economic taxable cycle.  Do not let the misguided few take advantage of those who are too busy working.  Please support HB 1397.

David S. Hershey,
Debra C. Hershey
Alton, NH Resident

And back to my question of “WHEN and OUTCOME of HB1397” at the top of his Letter. This was killed back in May.

Strike 10!  Lack of homework and lack of political situational political awareness.

But this saga isn’t over – opinion is one thing even as error-ridden as this is.

The next part breaks Laws.

 

The post First, Utter Stupidity (David & Debra Hershey) and Disobeying the Law (Belknap County Administrator Debra Shackett) in Electioneering? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Michael Moore is no darling of right-wing or conservative politics. In fact, he’s likely among the most despised for his persistent attacks on conservatives from his mostly far-Left stances. Which is why it was pleasantly surprising to see him as the executive producer of a documentary that takes a hard look at the illusion of green energy and calls it out for what it is – a deception that is promulgated by fear and greed.

Planet of the Humans is directed, narrated, and stars Jeff Gibbs. Gibbs teamed up with Moore in 2004 for the documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, a highly critical take on the Bush Administration’s equally deceptive pretext for starting a war in Iraq. Gibbs, a son of northern Michigan, is a self-described tree hugger and child of the 60s and 70s. He began his activism early boasting of putting sand into the gas tank of a bulldozer that was mowing down trees in his beloved neighborhood.

The film quickly arrives in Vermont where Gibbs attends a save the planet concert that claims to run 100% on sustainable solar energy. Only, Mother Earth decides to make it rain and a now disenchanted Gibbs discovers the event coordinators had to use a diesel backup generator to keep the party going.

Gibbs then sets out to investigate the efficacy of transitioning to green energy from fossil fuels, such as coal, gas, and nuclear. He solicits the input of several experts who, like Gibbs, have become suspicious of the green movement’s claims and ultimate hope of powering the earth through alternative energy sources. A short clip of Al Gore being interviewed with billionaire Richard Branson foreshadows the subtext of the film. When asked if Al Gore is a “prophet” Branson asks “it depends on how you spell profit” resulting in peals of laughter from all three. The moment implicitly begs the question – are we here to save the planet or is there another motivation for going green?

Gibbs’ journey includes environmentalist turned green skeptic Ozzie Zehner who explains some of his findings. Such as, solar is not made from sand, as many have been told, but from melting coal and nickel into silicon metal. It is also not efficient netting some 8% return while also having a short shelf life for its panels, unless you have a US military budget and can afford the high-end technology. One such anemic solar setup is in Gibbs’ home of Michigan where a crowd gathers to celebrate the new solar installation they learn will only support ten homes in the city despite taking up nearly a city block. Neither the math, the geography, the economics nor the immediacy for those wishing to stave off the existential threat is emerging as hopeful. However, since this is a faith movement with its faith ironically in the very cause of the problem also being its solution –humans – we press on.

Back in Vermont, we meet purported green hero Bill McKibben who, like Gore, assumes the role of prophet preaching the end is near if we don’t figure out how to go green. Working with the help of Middlebury College, a galvanized McKibben emerges as the face of a new green energy source – biomass. Led to believe the sustainability of biomass will buffer if not replace the flagging solar and wind sectors Gibbs tags along to ask the pertinent questions. Big name faces from the left such as Obama appointee Van Jones, now of CNN fame, and environmental lawyer turned COVID critic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., emerge only to stumble over their words as they fail to answer Gibbs’ questions of how will this save us. They don’t know, and neither does the Sierra Club representative they refer Gibbs too. Rather than a solution biomass seems to only add to the collective confusion surrounding the source of our energy salvation.

Diving deeper into the players who purport to lead this green movement Gibbs finds the seemingly strange bedfellows from big business tossing their velvet-lined hats into the ring with public declarations of philanthropic offerings aimed at saving the world. Like Branson, other billionaires from Michael Bloomberg to the arch-evil Koch brothers to the trillion-dollar Black Rock group, invest in Gore’s suggested solutions while positioning themselves as co-champions for saving the planet. The “prophet” motive pun from Branson is easy to see.

In the age of tribalism and anti-heroes, Moore and Gibbs can’t seem to stomach playing defense for those seeking to rake in one type of green while selling a dying world on another. Even these humanistic hopefuls won’t tolerate a story built on illusions. Gibbs, jaded from exposing the Jade emperor has no clothes, opines about the fate of a species that kills itself as it attempts to do the opposite.

Earlier in the film he interviews social psychologist Sheldon Solomon who counsels Gibbs to realize the underpinning impetus for going green is a fear of death. Comparing his leftist clan to “the right” who has religion, Gibbs wrestles with the gravity of his desire to save the planet, however, his tribe and his politics preclude his ability to borrow any wisdom from his political adversary despite their shared dilemma.

Ironically Gibbs’s view shares nearly everything in common with the religious right in terms of the bigger picture. He agrees that the real problem with humans is humans. Our very nature is rapacious and greedy – low on self-control and high on self-destruction. This is exactly what religious people have been saying since the days of Moses. Furthermore, Gibbs has caught on film the deception, hypocrisy, and greed innate to mankind even when the stakes are the highest. Sadly, Gibbs fails to see that man is incapable of saving himself, even if the climate crisis is real, and that a higher savior is needed if we have any hope of surviving as a species. Perhaps his desperation will lead to a new type of open-mindedness that allows religion to reveal the only savior who can, and already has, overcome the world.

As for Vermont’s McKibben, the sad reality is he too sells himself out to big money along the way. Despite his role as Vermont’s chosen son, he cannot escape his own need to fund his cause and, like so many others, gives in to venality and accepts a deal with the devil.

Gibbs and Moore bravely put their own under the microscope and rather than sacrifice truth on the altar of politics they hold their own feet to the fire lest we all burn.

Luckily, biomass is still used to create a book that reveals how we can all escape such a fate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Planet of the Humans: The Greed New Deal appeared first on Granite Grok.

His new ad: Political Outsider

 



 

The post Reminder: GraniteGrok has endorsed General Don Bolduc (Ret, Green Beret) for US Senate appeared first on Granite Grok.

Who was the big loser in WMUR’s CD-1 debate?  Every Republican who participated.

WMUR is a Super-PAC for the NH Democrats. A WMUR debate hosted by Adam Trump-Voters-Are-White-Supremacists Sexton is the equivalent of the candidates running for President in a GOP primary debating on MSNBC with Rachel Maddow as the moderator. It’s just plain stupid.

A WMUR debate is NOT about helping GOP voters choose a candidate. Adam Trump-Voters-Are-White-Supremacists Sexton despises GOP voters. I am sure he was nodding in approval and perhaps even shed a tear during Herr Biden’s recent red-speech calling GOP voters enemies of the state.

A WMUR debate is ALWAYS about helping the Democrat win:

 

The post The Big Loser In The WMUR CD-1 Debate appeared first on Granite Grok.

The days of Hunter Biden walking around like a free man and costing us thousands every month to house and protect him may end soon. Hunter has been enjoying the pace and priority Biden’s FBI and Justice Department have placed on the investigation of Joe Biden’s remaining son.

The investigation is on hold, and only the media, like NY Post and Fox Nation, are keeping Hunter’s escapades on the front burner. When Hunter is mentioned, Joe has to be included. The three Bidens are connected to this shake-down scheme, and they should all have to answer for their role in the cartel. The time for that answer may be January of 2023.

All indicators point to the Republicans taking control of the House and possibly the Senate in the November midterms. What once looked like a Red Tsunami may be just a tropical storm. Though the Democrats say they are gaining in the polls, the President’s tone says otherwise. If you are ahead, you do not need to get personal and attack your opponents. Joe Biden is a bitter man on the attack. It is ugly. The power should shift. When this happens, the House Committees will change to Republican control, and the investigations will do a 180. Committee hearings and raids on Trump may turn to put the Biden men in the hot seat.

Hunter has a lot of money to account for, and this is not just a tax issue. He has taken millions of dollars from the Ukrainian government and businesses, the Russian government and former mayor’s wives, and the Chinese government. Recovered documents from the famous Hunter Biden laptops show that this money was split between Hunter, his uncle, and the Big Guy, Joe Biden. No services were rendered for these funds, for Hunter had no talents to sell. He did have his name and exposure to his VP and then President Dad, Joe Biden.

The Biden Cartel is not just a money scam and laundering scheme, but the Bidens have weakened our national security. By taking the money, Biden has put himself in a precarious position, and many of his decisions and non-decisions indicate he is in the tank for all three of these foreign powers and countries.

Whether his slow response to the Ukraine conflict, the relief of Russia from costly tariffs and sanctions, his refusal to condemn China for initiating the COVID virus, or their aggressive actions against Taiwan, Biden is a compromised leader, that position harms every American. It does not allow our President to act in the best interest of Americans. If millions of dollars have contorted or restrained his actions, he has to answer to every American.

This situation that has been evolving for years is not just a case of lewd behavior documented on Hunter’s laptop, a history of unusual relationships with various women; some are family members, but the selling of a Vice President and President. The actions of Hunter Biden are an abuse of his relationship with his father, and an affront to the American people. I hope that the investigation of Hunter and his father is the first action of a new Republican leadership. It has gone on for too long with no accountability. It is time that Hunter pays the Piper and his father answers for his role and how he has jeopardized America and every American.

 

 

The post Hey Hunter, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock appeared first on Granite Grok.

If there are Fascists in America these days, they are apt to be found among the tribes of the Left. They are Mr. Biden and his people (including the lion’s share of the media), whose opinions have, since Jan. 6, 2021, hardened into absolute faith that any party or political belief system except their own is illegitimate—impermissible, inhuman, monstrous and (a nice touch) a threat to democracy.

The evolution of their overprivileged emotions—their sentimentality gone fanatic—has led them, in 2022, to embrace Mussolini’s formula:

“All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.”

Or against the Party.

People forget, if they ever knew it, that both Hitler and Mussolini began as socialists. The state and the Democratic Party must speak and act as one, suppressing all dissent. America must conform to the orthodoxy—to the Chinese finger-traps of diversity-or-else and open borders—and rejoice in mandatory drag shows and all such theater of “gender.”

Meantime, their man in the White House invokes emergency powers to forgive student debt and their thinkers wonder whether the Constitution and the separation of powers are all they’re cracked up to be.

-Lance Morrow (Biden’s speech had it all backwards)

(H/T: Powerline)

The post Notable Quote – WHO Are the Ones Acting like the Fascists They Decry? appeared first on Granite Grok.

If I had to come up with a short list of highly effective freshman Republican legislators in the New Hampshire House, Melissa Blasek would be not just on the list but high on the list. She’s been so effective a Bedford-based pro-Sununu PAC is attacking her.

Granite PAC sent a glossy mailer attacking Blasek. It accuses her of failing to live up to NH ideals. It claims she does not represent New Hampshire values. Why? She supported an effort to impeach Governor Sununu.

It says Melissa kicked freedom and Liberty to the curb.

That’s an interesting and ironic point of focus I think needs fisking.

Related: NH – No Justification for Emergency Powers That Last For More Than a Year

There were Republicans who kicked Freedom and Liberty to the curb. The constitutionally enumerated right to Free speech, assembly, religious rights, and association were each infringed. The prohibition on searches without warrants was abrogated.  Infringing on those rights is neither a New Hampshire nor a Republican value.

Republican Governor Chris Sununu kicked those and more to the curb, which was why Melissa Blasek supported an effort to impeach Gov. Sununu. It was Sununu who failed to live up to NH ideals. He was the threat. He abused emergency powers.

And?

The Treasurer of Granite PAC is Alex Stanford. I could not find the registration for that PAC on the NH SoS website. That’s probably more my failing than the lack of details, and I expect the crowd will source that effectively for me (please). Alex Stanford has two campaign donation records I did find. One in 2020 and one in 2022, both for $250.00 to Chris Sununu.

Alex Stanford is the Sr. Vice President of New Wave Communications in Londonderry. The company is into Fiber Optics, but Alex is into more than that.

 

Skilled in Crisis Management, Public Affairs, Political Communication, Nonprofit Organizations, and Political Science. Strong professional with a BA – Cum Laude focused in Political Science from University of New Hampshire.

 

Alex was an intern for the NHGOP, a Regional Field Director for Sean Mahoney for Congress (RINO), Director of Operations for Executive Councilor Chris Sununu (RINO), Special Assistant to US Senator Kelly Ayotte (RINO), the Political Director of Friends for Kelly Ayotte, and those are the NH credits he shared.

In other words, Ale has been a full-time professional GOPe stooge who may be incapable of defending freedom or Liberty (or seeing it) when it interferes with swamp business.

That’s my opinion, you are entitled to your own, but the NH House Republican Alliance (NHHRA) measures legislators based on their Liberty and fidelity to the NH and US Constitutions. Actual bills actual rights.

Their scoring framework defines freedom and Liberty in New Hampshire. Melissa’s grade for 2022 was  100%. Her grade for 2021 was 100%.

Mr. Sununu was not graded but could not possibly compete.

According to the NHHRA, Melissa has been the best possible defender of the liberties and freedoms guaranteed by the Federal and US constitutions. She even defended them when under attack from our Governor, Chris Sununu.

Merrimack is lucky to have her, and so is New Hampshire.

But if you are looking for a Merrimack Rep to oust, you have choices. There is a nine-for-eight primary next Tuesday. Of the nine candidates running, six have NHHRA scores from 2022.

 

Jeanine Notter 100%
Melissa Blasek 100%
Maureen Mooney 86.4%
Bob Healy 84.8%
Mary Mayville 80.8%
Bill Boyd 69.8%

 

Maybe that matters to you and maybe not, but now you know, and it’s up to you to decide. But if you want my opinion, Melissa is doing more for NH than the Governor and most NH House reps, and she’s doing her “job” by standing up and challenging Sununu when he side-steps the State’s ideals and stomps on its values.

And…here is the mailer attacking Melissa while we wait on the donor list for Granite PAC, which informs those interested in giving that “State law requires us to report the name, address, occupation, and employer from individuals whose contribution exceed $100 in an election cycle.”

 

Attack Mailer M. Blasek (1)

 

The post State Rep. Melissa Blasek Must be Doing it Right – The GOPe is Attacking Her with Negative Mail appeared first on Granite Grok.

We support Michael Yakubovich in the race for State Senate District 16 (Goffstown, Manchester Ward 1, Hooksett, Candia, and Raymond).

Michael grew up in the Soviet Union and escaped communism after the fall of the iron curtain. He is a kind, honest and gentle man. He is a husband, dad, and friend to many.

He knows that in order to protect our state’s prosperity, we need smaller government, less spending, and fewer taxes and regulations. Michael is a champion for New Hampshire values. He is someone you will be proud to vote for in the upcoming State Senate primary election.

Meanwhile, his opponent is mailing false, misleading, and negative postcards. His opponent knows that Michael has a positive record of delivering results for our communities. Sadly, instead of telling the voters what her positions are, she has decided to send out misleading attack mailers.

We want to thank Clair Rouillard, Fred Plett, John Burt, and Mark McLean for this Op-Ed. If you have an Op-Ed or LTE
you would like us to consider, please submit it to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

His opponent sent negative postcards to hand-picked Republican voters, which said Michael voted in the Democratic primary for Hillary or Bernie. But Michael voted for neither one of them. The postcards were false! His opponent also did not tell the selected voters that she, the very person claiming Michael to be a registered Democrat, was a registered Democrat herself. Town and State records show her party affiliation as Democrat, for many, many years, including just before her registering as a candidate for Republican State Representative in 2014.

The truth had to be told.

Michael’s record as State Representative is simple: “promises made, and promises kept.” Michael Yakubovich will not send out negative postcards. He will plainly tell voters what he will do as your next State Senator.

We ask the voters of State Senate District 16 NOT to reward the many negative, misleading and false postcards. When you look at the real record of each candidate, we know that you will not be fooled. Please vote for Michael Yakubovich for NH State Senate on Tuesday, September 13, 2022.

Rep. Claire Rouillard, Assistant Majority Leader, Goffstown
Rep. Fred Plett, Goffstown
Rep. John Burt, Goffstown
Rep. Mark McLean, Vice-Chair Judiciary Committee, Manchester

NOTE: I am also endorsing  Mike in his run to become the NH State Senator from District 16. We’ve talked on a number of occasions and I believe he is the candidate for the job.  -Skip

The post We Know the Better appeared first on Granite Grok.

Our government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” is in critical danger. We are at a turning point in our nation’s history.  The actions we take and the choices we make from now to November 2024 will determine whether this Republic, “if you can keep it,” will stand.

Federal officials take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic….” We citizens have an obligation like that as well. I submit to you that we as a nation, federal officials and citizens, have failed to do this. Whether through intention or indifference, we have allowed the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to be modified, ignored, abused, and finally openly defied.

While crowds cheered the promise to “fundamentally transform the United States of America,” the 44th President set in motion an agenda to undermine our basic norms and institutions, utilizing unelected bureaucrats to achieve governmental control and enrolling the media to propagandize and reinforce the preferred narratives. The 45th President attempted to undo much of this transformation but was met with intense overwhelming resistance. Now, the 46th President has reversed his predecessor and set about continuing the transformation, taking us back on the road toward totalitarian rule openly and at full speed.

We want to thank Ted Lloyd for this Op-Ed. If you have an Op-Ed or LTE
you would like us to consider, please submit it to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

It is now, not 2024, that must mark the beginning of our fight for the survival of “the American way.” The Biden-Pelosi-Schumer autocrats must be stopped by returning to a Republican majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. That would permit Congress to formally investigate the many failures of the current administration: the knee-capping of our energy independence, the trillions in wasteful inflationary spending on Green New Deal priorities, the reckless and humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, allowing the resurgence of the Taliban, the unjust treatment of innocent citizens peacefully petitioning for redress of grievances, the kangaroo court at the J6 committee, the attempts to legislate by executive decree, and the increasing corruption of the Justice Department and FBI. These investigations would set up the defeat of a Democratic presidential candidate in 2024

The New Hampshire primary elections are in less than a week on Tuesday, September 13. Many people consider the primaries to be of minor importance and skip their participation. Primary elections are extremely important — unless you participate, you will only have other people’s choices to vote for in November. Don’t give up your vote to others!

As you make your choices for whom to vote in the primary, consider the following “accomplishments” of the Obama/Biden administration:

A key duty of the federal government is to protect its citizens. Our borders are not being defended, our senior military and homeland security leaders are more interested in their next promotions, in “woke”-ifying and vaccinating the armed forces and civilian departments, and in increasing their budgets and power. Meanwhile, our military strength has been allowed to decline until today we are arguably not up to the task of defending against foreign enemies. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea see our weakness and are executing their long-range plans for world domination.

On the domestic front, our society and our institutions are being systematically and persistently attacked by the “enemy within” — leftist woke big government socialism. The result? The military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned against is here and operating well. Virtually every institution in our country has been infected: from our federal government to blue state leaders and legislators to big-city mayors and city councils; from our congress to our courts; from our universities to our K-12 schools; from our libraries to our churches; from our news and entertainment media, to our high-tech and social network platforms, and from our unions to our big corporations  — the ‘“swamp” rules us all.

Enemies “foreign and domestic” are on the attack and they are winning. We must begin to turn this around, and we must start now. A vote for Democrats would finalize their takeover. A vote for the right Republicans will begin the turnaround.

Who are the right Republicans? I urge you to vote for General Don Bolduc for U.S. Senate and to vote for Karoline Leavitt for U.S. Representative. Don and Karoline will be “part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

Don Bolduc believes in “God, Family, Community, and Country,” in that order. I believe he’s got his priorities straight. Yes, Don Bolduc has a service dog. Don suffered from severe PTSD — 33 years and 10 tours of Afghanistan will do that to an Army vet. Today, “Victor” serves as a symbol of Don’s support for our armed services and the veterans that have returned home.

If you’ve met Don, you’ve seen him display a wooden box that contains the “dog tags” of the 73 soldiers under his command who never came home, a symbol of his commitment to his people. Don’s military career goes beyond combat roles, however. He has a Master of Science degree in security technologies from the Army War College. He served as Commander, Special Forces Africa with diplomatic responsibilities in the countries of that continent.

General Bolduc served on the Joint Staff in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Aide to the Secretary of the Army, routinely briefing high-level government officials including members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the President of the United States. Don has been endorsed by a wide variety of New Hampshire community leaders and by the GraniteGrok. A constitutional conservative with experience in the ways of Washington, DC, experience in foreign relations and experience in military command, General Don Bolduc is the man to defeat Maggie Hassan and represent New Hampshire in the US Senate.

Karoline Leavitt is a bright, enthusiastic and energetic young woman whose knowledge and experience belie her 25 years of age. A New Hampshire native, graduate of St. Anselm’s College, and former Assistant Press Secretary under Kayleigh McEnany in the Trump administration, and former Communications Director for Congresswoman and House Republican Conference Chair, Elise Stefanik, Karoline has actual experience in the workings of Congress and in the fight against “the Swamp.” Karoline is the ideal candidate to defeat Chris Pappas in November. She is endorsed by strong conservative leaders such as Ted Cruz, Elise Stefanik, Jim Jordan, Madison Cawthorn, Kash Patel and many state and local conservative politicians and business leaders, and by the GraniteGrok.

Both Don and Karoline are “grassroots” supported, not taking money from PAC’s or out-of-state interests. They deserve your support and your vote next Tuesday.

 

The post Vote On Septemeber 13TH! appeared first on Granite Grok.

SAMPLE ballots are now available at the NH Secretary of State’s website (Elections Department). Thus, if you want to see who is running in your town, go there and pick which ballot (Republican or Democrat) and then you’ll be asked for your town.

My choices are below, and some explanations below the ballot:

Explanations:

• Governor: while GraniteGrok did not give out an endorsement in this race, I will be voting for Karen Testerman.
• US Senate: Don Bolduc, hands down, as we at GraniteGrok DID endorse in this race and Groksters made him our choice.  Certainly a great improvement on the patter, the knowledge of issue and NH politics, and organization since the last election cycle.  There’s a reason why he’s at the top in polling – and why the GOP Establishment is throwing a massive amount of money against him and boosting Chuck Morse.

No, Morse is NOT my choice – he’s a “taxes and spending” guy (thankfully, less of both) but that’s it from what I’ve seen. The problem is, at least this election cycle and a couple more, grassroot Republicans are concerned with the Class (Elites vs us) and Culture Wars (must I explain?).  The expectation is that taxes and spending are a given and no longer the be-all-end all – it is NEEDFUL to do more. I don’t think he’s there on the why and what to do.

We also interviewed Bruce Fenton and Vikram Mansharamani.  While Bruce was knowledgeable about issues and the politics, there were a couple of issues that his positions on were just bridges too far. Vikram, on the other hand, is knowledgeable about his problem domains (MIT trained in business) but needs, like Bolduc did last cycle, to work on his homework.

• US Congress: Karoline Leavitt was the Grokster choice in this race and I’ll be voting for her as well.  If she’s not quite your cup of tea, I’d suggest Tim Baxter.  Has a voting record, can speak and defend it well, solid on foundational conservative philosophy;  a very close second, IMHO.
• NH State Senate: John Plumer.  This was more a politically driven one.

While Tim Lang has a conservative background, he went all in with trying to keep the Gunstock Area Commission in the hands of the monied interests to the point of introducing legislation that would take the GAC (which controls the ski area) out of the hands Belknap Delegation and the Belknap County Commissioners. Who watches the watchers?  He didn’t want anyone! And he “has” an “elsewhere” PAC, the Granite PAC, putting out hit pieces against the real conservatives here in the county that have opposed him and the rest of his “gang”.

Unfortunately, while I had high expectations for Dave DeVoy when he ran for Belknap Commissioner (hey, he had Rand Paul come in to campaign for him!), his record did not meet those expectations.  Better than Lang, however, given the current political situation on the ground.

• Belknap County Commissioner: Hal Shurtleff. He’s the guy that beat City Hall (Boston’s) at the US Supreme Court in a First Amendment issue (they refused to fly the Christian flag on the flagpole they set aside for people to bring issues / groups to the attention of others) of religious bigotry.  That dedication to the Constitution needs rewarding. My part is giving him my vote.
• State Rep: Norm Silber and Greg Aldrich and I heartily endorse both.  Their House Republican Alliance scores (fidelity to the NH GOP Platform) and NH Liberty Alliance (fidelity to our foundational values of Individual Liberty and Freedom) are superb. The problem is that they are part of the Reps that were intent in running down the rumors of malfeasance, the monied people intent on keeping the GAC for themselves ran into their massive hit PR effort in calling them extremists and haters – a Democrat projection.  They both not just deserve re-election but have earned it!

I will NOT be voting for anyone else – especially Harry Bean and Gregg Hough.  Both of them broke Trust with me by breaking the Law (just read my previous posts about their deliberate actions and failings); their HRA and NHLA scores became irrelevant the second they decided to go against the plain reading of the Law (RSA 91A and RSA 24:9-d) that I gave them in NOT having the legal latitude to do a mashup of trying to piece together the bits that allowed them to “get something done!!” that should have been done the right way.

Tell me – would you vote for people that would be Lawmakers if they can’t even outright refuse to follow the Laws that regulate their procedures?  If they show you that their outlook is “Fine for thee but not for me”, isn’t it a disgusting display of holier-than-thou?  That they consider themselves above the Law that they are going to jam down YOUR throats?

I have standards – they decided to no longer meet them. And they fell for a manmade hoax into which they weren’t bright enough to see what that manipulation was doing – even after I warned them.

• Register of Probate: Marc Abear. A former Grokster, he easily outweighs the former Belknap County Republican Committee Chair, Alan Glassman.

Who (if I hadn’t caused a row by stopping him) was all willing to have Alida Milham put up to be an official member of the NH GOP Committee even though she had broken an unbreakable ByLaw that says NO ONE can be on the Committee that has deliberately endorsed a Democrat over a Republican in an election race.

She didn’t do it once – she did so TWICE endorsed TWO Democrats.  In the race over the Republican candidate.  And Glassman was all too willing to excuse that and send her onward.

Sidenote – and his wife, Jan Face-Glassman, had a LtE to the Daily Sun pleading to put his  kind of Republicans back in charge in Belknap? Endorsing Gail Huff-Brown was a signal that I didn’t want to be near voting for her as a moderate, squishy Republican isn’t generally going to endorse a hard core conservative.

• Delegate to the NH GOP State Committee:  Kinda wonky but these people vote for the local Committee offices AND for the NH GOP Platform. They matter.  So Priscilla Bean (who is as conservative as they come and has never given me cause to doubt her positions) and David Strang who I came to know in fighting the Gilford School Board, and then this other guy:

David Murphy. Which is me. They should have used “Skip” which is what most people know me by but hey, I had to sign the paperwork and they decided to ignore my nickname.

The post NH Primary Day is September13. Who Are You Going To Vote For? My Choices: appeared first on Granite Grok.

Of the 1000+ students that I taught during my twelve-year career as an adjunct English instructor, Karoline Leavitt was one of the most memorable.

When I learned about her Congressional candidacy over a year ago, I recalled the image of an energetic young woman confidently claiming a front-row-center seat on the first day of class.  Weeks later, she respectfully asked my permission to miss class in order to attend a Trump campaign event.  Throughout the semester, she helped to set a positive tone in my classroom with her insightful participation.

During her campaign, I have been impressed by her eloquence, maturity, and authenticity.  Her motives for seeking this Congressional seat are pure and simple: she wants to prevent our country from becoming a socialist dystopia.  Unlike most “Gen Z-ers,” she understands that the woke ideals which have brainwashed most of her peers will lead to a dark and tyrannical future.  Her impressive experience in Washington DC, including her work as Assistant White House Press Secretary, has enabled her to clearly see the threats facing our country.

We want to thank Arlene Quaratiello for this Op-Ed.  Submit yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

Karoline’s campaign has been overwhelmingly funded by Granite Staters, not by the Washington DC swamp that has supported her carpet-bagging opponent Matt Mowers and paid for a desperate attack ad that has brought negative campaign advertising to a new low.

I look forward to Karoline taking her seat in Congress.  I am confident that she will bring the same energy and enthusiasm to that hallowed chamber as she did to my classroom years ago.

 

Note: GraniteGrok.com has endorsed Karoline Leavitt in the NH CD-1 Republican Primary.

The post A Teacher’s Endorsement of Karoline Leavitt for US House appeared first on Granite Grok.

“There were 948 subjects (94% of the total sample) whose blood showed aggregation of erythrocytes and the presence of particles of various shapes and sizes of unclear origin one month after the mRNA inoculation.”

That’s a direct quote from the abstract of a peer-reviewed paper titled “Dark-Field MicroscopicAnalysis on the Blood of 1,006 Symptomatic PersonsAfter Anti-COVIDmRNA Injections from Pfizer/BioNtech or Moderna.” Surgeons Riccardo Benzi Cipelli, Franco Giovannini, and Giampaolo Pisano used dark-field optical microscopes to examine the “peripheral blood drop from 1,006 symptomatic subjects after inoculation” with the mRNA vaccines.

Ninety-four percent of the samples “showed aggregation of erythrocytes and the presence of particles of various shapes and sizes of unclear origin one month after the mRNA inoculation.”

This research, published Aug 12th, 2022, follows an earlier report we shared by a group of international experts led by 60 professionals who also examined the blood of mRNA vaccinated individuals. Their report determined that, “the COVID-19 vaccines can effect long-term changes in the composition of the blood of the person vaccinated without that person being aware of these changes.”

 

We have found crystalline formations in the blood of all the vaccinated people whose blood we examined. We are continuing to analyse these formations. In every case that we have examined, we have observed a rouleaux formation of the erythrocytes (the red blood cells) and we frequently observe an unusually rapid disintegration of the different types of cells in the vaccinated blood that we examine.

We are exploring the hypothesis that arteriosclerosis could be just one of many long-term effects that those vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccines will have to face.

 

Meanwhile, the Italian study.  “In 12 subjects, blood was examined with the same method before vaccination, showing a perfectly normal hematological distribution. The alterations found after the inoculation of the mRNA injections further reinforce the suspicion that the modifications were due to the so-called “vaccines” themselves.”

It’s not been a good few weeks for the Vaccine Denier-deniers. This is the second report to break in recent months and in Israel, a new scandal has risen. The government and public health apparatus is accused of knowing the vccines were harmful and suppressing that information.

• In December 2021, (Israel) tasked an outside expert panel led by Prof. Mati Berkowitz, a leading Israeli expert on pharmacology and toxicology from Asaf Harofe hospital, to examine the safety data they collected over the next 6 months (from early December to the end of May, 2022).
• The panel presented their findings to MoH personnel on or about Jun 6, 2022 in a Zoom call that was secretly recorded. They found that the COVID vaccines were much more dangerous to people than the world authorities admitted. They found serious adverse events that were never disclosed by Pfizer or any world government. …
• They also determined causality, something no other world health authority has ever been willing to do (because other governments never looked at the data either). …
• In short, the panel determined that the government was misleading the people of Israel. …
• Both the Israeli authorities and scientists analyzing the Ministry of Health (MoH) data acted to cover up the harms by releasing a fabricated report to the public to make the vaccine look perfectly safe and claim that there was nothing wrong.

The recorded zoom call has been leaked (Steve Kirsch) so this isn’t here-say. And it is likely a pattern repeated all over the world. One compounded by news like this.

 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) passed misinformation to Facebook as the partners worked to combat misinformation, according to newly released emails, in the most recent example of CDC officials making false or misleading claims.

 

The CDC, hoping to avoid ‘vaccine hesitancy, “misled” Facebook (they lied), who then censored the truth (never one to question any narrative they agree with) to protect the vaccines instead of their users. And yes, there is a lot more Facebook at fault to be found than this on the subject, but this strikes me as groundwork.  A cover story for all the crimes they perpetrated against humanity by censoring anyone who deviated from the approved narratives.

Google and others are in the same leaky boat.

The result is the largest conspiracy to commit fraud at the expense of both quality of life and human life in human history. One around whose neck we many never entirely get our hands.

We count ourselves among the few who questioned the Public Health Industrial Complex early and often and continue to do so. The watchdog press (especially here in NH) remains under the porch waiting to do another trick for their political masters.

Like hiding this peer-reviewed corroborating report from three Italian surgeons that found the blood of vaccine recipients is both changed by the vaccine and includes foreign particles.

 

 

The post Italian Surgeons Confirm “Particles of Unclear Origin” in Blood of mRNA Vaccine Recipients appeared first on Granite Grok.

COVID policy did a number on the elderly populations of most countries. Instead of early treatment or any prophylaxis (masks and isolation were neither), the default was to wait until they got sick and then blame other people if they died. It looks like a deliberate cull, and this adds meat to those bones.

 

Manitoba has set up a Medical Assistance in Dying team (MAID). More than 100 patients have contacted MAID, with 24 receiving medically assisted deaths as of Jan. 6.

“In a resource-limited health care system, anytime we roll out a large intervention there has to be a certain amount of planning and preparation and cost has to be a part of that discussion,” Trachtenberg said, adding the provinces’ differing plans could impact the cost structure of implementation.

 

Government-regulated or managed assisted suicide is probably one of the worst authorities you could give to people with an authoritarian impulse. They promulgated a pandemic that didn’t need to be with policies and mandates that resulted in millions of deaths worldwide. People who could have been saved if the government had stayed out of the way.

And now we hear a talk from progressive world leader Canada about the State encouraging people to end their lives to help the balance sheet.

You do realize these are the people who’ve mismanaged your dollars and overspent. In other words, they created a pandemic, created a “cure” that kills people, and now they are creating a reason for you to volunteer to die as if that’s where the use of the power would end.

It’s not a notion limited to Canada. Parts of Europe embraced it as a choice for those chronically ill years ago, but younger, able-bodied people use it to end their lives all the time, and the State doesn’t stop them.

Locally, the State of Vermont has assisted suicide tourism without traveling. You can get death drugs mail-ordered under the assumption you won’t use them on someone else. Just in time for a rise in state-induced vaccine harm, drug addiction, bodily mutilation, and mental health issues, all byproducts or side-effects of policy by progressive depopulation fanatics.

But we’re to believe none of that’s connected. It’s just a coincidence that the party that wants fewer people keeps coming up with ways to end us or for us to end ourselves.

But we’ve been warning about this since the push for ObamaCare. If you think private insurance companies are mean little bitches for refusing to cover your procedure, what would a government that keeps trying to establish speech policing, mandates injections with experimental pharmaceuticals, or has an armed IRS have to say?

Arming DHHS no longer sounds like much of a stretch. Add a list of donors to people or things with which they disagree. Names of those who suddenly find themselves in need of euthanizing, and not all of them old, chronically, or terminally ill until they need to be, so your government can kill them.

That’ll never happen, the Left’s bootlicking sycophants chant, vaccine passports in one hand and social credit score in the other, as they prepare to take their DEI certification to ensure they are qualified to work or get a loan. And if you get too uppity, what’s to stop a government doctor from diagnosing you with an inoperable brain tumor with a referral to the Medical Assitance Dying Team to save taxpayers valuable dollars?

Assisted suicide was never a good idea, not because we should deny those in pain an easy out but because the government will never leave it at that.

And here we are.

 

 

The post If Old People Who Survived Progressive Public Health and Vaccine Policy Were Euthanized We’d Save Money appeared first on Granite Grok.

Check out Herr Biden shaking and screaming about “beat[ing] Pharma” at a recent rally. If Herr Biden really believed that, then the 25th Amendment should be invoked immediately. No administration in history has been a bigger tool for Big Pharma than the Biden-Regime.

They wanted anyone who refused to take the useless and risky Covid-jab FIRED from their jobs. Of course, what actually was behind Herr Biden’s Hitler-act was dementia-related anger, amplified by the drugs they shoot him up with to make him able to stand and read … or try to read … from a teleprompter.

Angry old man. pic.twitter.com/74YU1vMrWP

— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) September 5, 2022

The post Joe Biden Looking More And More Like Hitler By The Day appeared first on Granite Grok.

Yes, DIE – the proper way to “acronym” the deceptive DEI of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – the shift from “teaching to think” to “demanding emoting”. Shifting from “reading, writing, ‘rithmatic, logic, reason, history, science knowledgebase building” to “Oppressors vs Oppressed,  Social Justice, Sexuality indoctrination, and Equity (forced outcomes by groups) vs Equality (emphasis on the Individual instead of that group). DIE is more proper as it means the death of what the public schools are doing to educate our youngsters.

Think I’m kidding?  Ask your school district what their NEAP (standardized testing) is both before they went DIE and afterward. Typically, scores fall because the attention moves from academics to social behavior indoctrination. There are only so many hours in a teaching day and only so much that kids are going to absorb so much info (or stabilizing it) in that day. I already know the answer (we’ve blogged about this here on GraniteGrok).

Like most other States, NH has this same education problem and some want to make it worse (Exeter is one of the worst and is being sued over it – I’m trying to keep it from happening in my town by also suing).  That’s the Culture War vs Academic Rigor battle happening in your child’s classroom or school every day.  Some of it is driven by teachers, some by Administrations (think Superintendents), and some by school boards).  Often, it’s a case, for concerned parents, where to start first?  Or which area is the first area to get fixed (e.g., the worst first? Or start with the least Woke virus first?)?

Help is on the way, thanks to the Oregon Association of Scholars. They have come up with a measurement system that helps to objectify what is the rot in your system. While ostensibly set up for colleges and universities, it can be helpful at the school district/school level as well. Reformatted, emphasis mine:

New tool helps parents, students assess DEI ‘sickness level’ at schools

‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t fix it’ 

Center-right scholars have developed a measurement tool “scorecard” that allows students, parents, taxpayers and legislators to determine how embedded diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and practices are at a given institution. It will “allow stakeholders to assess the damage already done and identify areas for action,” said Portland State University Professor Bruce Gilley in a news release that called the tool a way to measure DEI “sickness” levels at colleges and universities.

The tool consists of a list of 36 items that colleges typically engage in, such as: requiring DEI statements for new hires; mandatory DEI trainings and orientations; equity grading mandates; land acknowledgements in university documents; DEI directors among top leadership; campus police trained in DEI; and optional pass/no pass allowances or other “de-grading” methods.

Observers mark a “scorecard,” with one point given for each DEI practice identified.

(Click to embiggen – and you should!)

Not only is this causing academics to drop, these DIE employees are prioritized – they get higher pay (the result of this new “fad” in education).

According to a Fox News review, at the universities of Michigan, Maryland, Virginia and Illinois, along with Virginia Tech, top diversity employees earn salaries ranging from $329,000 to $430,000, immensely surpassing the average pay for the schools’ full-time tenured professors, who earn between $100,000 and $250,000 on average.

A report published by the Martin Center, a nonprofit institute dedicated to improving higher education in North Carolina, reviewed the amount of money the UNC college system allocated to DEI initiatives.

“DEI, more than a simple way of thinking or a mere teaching material, has become a budget line item, as most UNC-System schools now have DEI-specific staff as well as departments. In total, 14 of the 16 schools have staff who specifically promote DEI, resulting in over $11 million going towards DEI staff salaries within the UNC System,” according to the analysis.

After all, brainwashing and indoctrination is a “skill” – turned into a racket for not just “true believers” but those wanting in on the graft and grift.

And you are paying for it – and not just financially.

(H/T: The College Fix)

The post So how bad has DIE infested your local school system? Here’s an objective measure appeared first on Granite Grok.

We have low test scores for SAU34. Are your public school’s test scores taking a nose dive for the same reason? EXCELLENCE EXODUS???

Now that I have experienced it for myself as a parent, I can share what I see. I see a public school system beholden to its union and the CDC before the students or the wishes of the parents. The CDC put in more funds to many school programs than local taxpayers did last year, giving a private company more power over our children than parents.

If you were an able parent, a parent that COULD take your child out of that system, you would. That leaves the highest testing students out of the scoring, leaving many choiceless students with expensive needs and lower test scores.

We want to thank Betsy Harrington for this Op-Ed Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.

The high-testing students still exist. They still live in town. They just don’t participate in the school system for which their parents are paying taxes. And most importantly, their test scores are no longer counted because those parents want better and every student that leaves our public system for the better is a loss.

The highest testing kids are the ones leaving. For standards. Leaving to get away from an agenda they see well enough to act upon.

I think the usual things can still help the big picture, like hiring great teachers, using the best curriculum, and providing the best extracurricular activities. But the real reason our school system has such low test scores is that we have driven out all of our best students. They study somewhere else. And get tested somewhere else.

My children receive all A’s and test very well compared to their peers. My son won the highest academic achievement award for his school this year. If he chooses to study elsewhere, who loses? If you drive away the top students each year, the top keeps going down a little until your school system IS at the bottom.

You drive it there by leading your best students to the door with your policies and curriculum. We stand at that door.

My father was a public school teacher. MY teacher. I’m ashamed, but my hard-working sons deserve better. It’s not the same system. I see very inappropriate content and CRT in their school library now. They get this “inappropriate” education taught to them during the morning announcements via the intercom. Confusion is taught over logic. The agenda is unavoidable and can’t be denied.

Keeping the highest testing students should be a priority.

What if you lured back EVERY student that lives in your district, even the private school kids and homeschoolers? What would your test scores be like if you could count them?

Homeschoolers are known to be some of the top testers in the state, and we have some pretty good private schools around here. If all of those students were studying at SAU 34, we would have some of the top scores in the state. But instead of appealing to top student participation in school, we do the opposite. We drive away those students because their parents expect standards.

It’s easier to let them leave, and I’m sure there is a sense of relief once they are gone, but the testing consequences are real. Losing students who test well will drive down the school ratings faster.

New residents with potentially high testing students should be lured to our system to increase scores. To do this, there needs to be a system to maintain the top students and bring in these new students. High immigration means more opportunities for new students.

The parents of the top students (and of new students) should be asked what is most important to them.

Finding out why parents remove their students (or enroll them) and then acting on those issues will improve the situation.

The school will be able to use these improvements to argue that our school is “better,” especially to others considering our school.

And our school will have made these improvements, unlike some others.

I can see that we are already trying to make a culture change at SAU34. I think that is the first step, but we need to go much further to get our best students back and keep the great ones we have. We need to ask and then act.

I’m wondering what the other parents will say is important to them.

 

 

The post The Excellence Exodus Explains Low Scores in Public Schools appeared first on Granite Grok.

A very interesting bar chart showing how dynamic the top countries keep changing positions – except for one:

Top 10 Biggest Economies by GDP from 1960 – 2021

pic.twitter.com/KF4GMHaWC5

— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) September 4, 2022

(H/T: Wall Street Silver)

The post Data Point – Top 10 Countries by GDP (1960-2021) appeared first on Granite Grok.

To borrow from Forrest Gump, stupid is as stupid does, but that’s not all there is to say about California’s Vehicle emissions standards or why Vermont and Massachusetts (along with 15 other states) are poised to adopt them and an Electric Vehicle mandate.

Seventeen states with vehicle emission standards tied to rules established in California face weighty decisions on whether to follow that state’s strictest-in-the nation new rules that require all new cars, pickups and SUVs to be electric or hydrogen powered by 2035.

Powered by what?

California’s green energy dreams have forced them to tell the owners of the vehicles they’ve mandated not to charge them because there’s not enough electricity. In those parts of the state where it rarely gets cold, that’s less of a problem, but there aren’t enough electrons to run the Air Conditioning either. Not all of them. Not all at once.

Related: Winter is Coming: Is It Time for New England to “Pay” the Green Energy Piper?

The wealthy and politically connected will be able to heat, cool, and charge their vehicles because they are responsible for setting policies that fracture access and comfort by class—an intriguing contradiction from the party that loathes the privilege of the rich.

And not for nothing but the New England grid is sorely wanting for infrastructure and output to handle the load now. When Massachusetts and Vermont mandate electric vehicles by 2035, it impacts New Hampshire because we share the grid. And not for nothing (again) but electric cars are even less reliable in the cold, and it gets frigid in New England. So cold that the Climate Cult had to add extreme cold and more snow to the list of things caused by warming.

And isn’t that a hoot and a half?

We can’t use fossil fuels, but we are to convert to electric vehicles we can’t charge that don’t work as well in the cold because warming causes cooling. And there is an entire political party with baggage train (of RINOs and “Moderates”) compelled to go along.

Related: Democrat Solution to Democrat Created Problem – Charge $1000.00/ Year to Register Electric Vehicles

These are the people who yell drought every April and May but scream “extreme weather” if it rains in August and September.

Stupid is as stupid does is not just the people in office promoting these policies. It is the voters who keep electing them into office or, more recently, citizens not doing enough to protect the integrity of the vote.

And no, I’ve not forgotten that EVs are not green, CO2 is not our enemy, and suffering their solutions won’t make any difference, even if you believe it should. But Vermont and Massachusetts tied themselves to the California standard, which will impact New Hampshire. We’ve done next-to-nothing to ensure GraniteStaters have heat in the winter and “fuel” for vehicles, no matter what that means.

Is the plan to wait? To add useless and unreliable wind and solar? To force ratepayers to swallow more price increases (as if 110% were not enough). To become more dependent on foreign suppliers.

Democrats in the New England States are hungry for the EV mandate, and if we do not find a way to respond, they will take the New Hampshire Advantage down with them because you can’t run much of anything without energy, and we are tied to them at the hip.

 

 

The post Massachusetts and Vermont Poised to Adopt California’s EV Only Mandate and That’s Bad for New Hampshire appeared first on Granite Grok.