Sunday • May 5 • 2024
Vol.XVI • No.XVIII
Manchester, N.H.
According to legend, the Greek philosopher Diogenes strolled about with a lamp, purportedly looking for an honest man. Were he in New Hampshire today looking for an honest Democrat he could find one in Bow in the person of former congressman and ambassador Dick Swett?
Swett recently showed his integrity by signing on to a letter along with 34 other prominent Democrats criticizing their party’s “unethical” practices of investing money in Republican primary candidates they perceive as easier to beat in general elections. Dems minimize such shenanigans as “mischief,” but a better word would be “fraud.”
Cast your minds back to 1996. GOP Governor Steve Merrill opted not to run for reelection—creating an opening in the State House corner office. State Senator Jeanne Shaheen immediately declared her candidacy and ran unopposed (of course) in the Democrat primary.
On the Republican side, popular three-term Congressman Bill Zeliff declared a gubernatorial candidacy and was the strong favorite. Conservative activist Ovide Lamontagne also ran a long-shot campaign for the GOP nomination. But on that September 10, Lamontagne stunned Zeliff, 47,556 votes to 43,393.
Shaheen received only 52,328 votes in getting the Dem nomination. But that November, Shaheen trounced Lamontagne to become governor. She’d go on to be the first woman to serve as both governor and senator, three terms as each.
What happened in 1996?
What happened was a concerted effort on the part of Democrats to declare as independents and control the outcome of the GOP Primary. The popular Zeliff had experience and name recognition and would be unbeatable in a general election. Despite passionate conservative support, Lamontagne had limited elective experience and could be portrayed as an ideologue.
So the Dems went all in for Lamontagne over Zeliff in that September GOP primary, as they were sure they could beat Ovide in the general election—which they did.
How do we know this? Because some Dems confessed.
The numbers bear this out. Shaheen’s primary vote total was only slightly ahead of that of both Zeliff’s and Lamontagne’s. See the above tallies. Zeliff/Lamontagne combined for almost 91,000 votes to Shaheen’s 53,328 as erstwhile Dem “Independents” voted for Lamontagne.
So why does this matter today?
It matters because, unlike Republicans, Democrats have few contested primaries. So by declaring as faux “independents”, they can vote in GOP primaries and influence outcomes, and select “weaker” candidates to run against in November.
This is keeping with a long tradition of Dem “mischief” going back to Tammany Hall and the beginning of Democrat “machines.” That’s not to say Republicans haven’t occasionally been guilty of their own mischief. But Dems have turned election mischief into an art form. This behavior is what honest Dems like Swett want stopped as they see it as eroding “our dedication to fair elections.”
Dems even laugh about buying or stealing elections, as when John F. Kennedy joked that his multimillionaire father cautioned him about purchasing too many votes.
“I’m not paying for a landslide,” JFK quoted his dad as saying.
Interestingly, JFK and Richard Nixon essentially tied in the 1960 election, each winning about 49% of the popular vote. Kennedy very narrowly took the key states of Illinois and Texas for an electoral triumph. There was significant evidence of voter fraud in both states (especially in Chicago), and Nixon’s supporters pleaded with him to ask for recounts and to challenge the results in disputed districts. Nixon quickly overrode them and conceded to Kennedy, explaining that he didn’t want to put the country through the turmoil of a disputed election.
Would that our 45th president, who lost by around 7 million votes in 2020, had been as considerate of the American people as Nixon was in 1960? There’s no shortage of GOP critics of President Trump. Why can’t more Democrats be similarly introspective regarding their people and policies? (Beyond Dick Swett and the other 34 folks with integrity.)
The numbers of declared Republicans and declared Democrats are virtually the same in New Hampshire. But check out the vote totals after the Sept. 13 primaries. The GOP numbers will far exceed the Democrat turnout. Folks can draw their own conclusions. It would be refreshing to hear Senator Hassan or Representatives Kuster and Pappas decry and discourage the fraud—a la Dick Swett—as opposed to winking, nodding, and averting their eyes.
Diogenes would likely be satisfied with finding one honest N.H. Democrat—i.e. Dick Swett. But shouldn’t Granite Staters expect more?
The post Diogenes, Democrats, and Dick Swett appeared first on Granite Grok.
Heh! Received this today:
—— Original Message ——
From: “Mrs. Michelle Obama.” <support@profaom.fr>
To: skip@granitegrok.com
Sent: 8/17/2022 12:14:23 AM
Subject: HelloHello and how are you? I am Mrs. Michelle Obama from United states of America and wife to the ex-president, I have business idea which I want to share with you. Please contact me on email address (michelleobama1951@gmail.com) for more information,
Sincerely,
Mrs. Michelle Obama.
Gosh, I didn’t know that we were best buddies. After all and such, I kinda pounded on her for her actions and words when she was the First Lady and decided that it was the Proper Role of Government to do a centralized takeover of local school districts’ food and cafeteria products to school children in which “one size fits all” policies were superior to that of local officials.
Heh! Seeing that THE Michelle Obama is reaching out to me, I have a question to you all: SHOULD I respond? If nothing else, just to have a little fun? I do this all the time with the “Medicare Department” callers, the “Microsoft Support team” (whom after being on the phone with them for 15 minutes of leading them, ask the the question “er, I’m confused – WHERE did you say that Windows icon should be on my LINUX machine?”).
What do you think? After all, it THE Michelle Obama, right? (snicker)
The post Palate Cleanser: Gee, and I thought Michelle’s scamming days were over? appeared first on Granite Grok.
Senator Maggie Hassan has a disabled child, so when I first saw her latest ad hyping the Better Care Better Jobs Act, it seemed like a good fit for her. Sure, it’s more money pumped into federal “care” programs, but it was in her wheelhouse. So, it appears, are misleading campaign ads, and this is no exception.
In the ad, a mom with a disabled kid (like Senator Hassan) has all sorts of nice things to say about all the good this legislation can do. Maggie presents it as why she’s in elected office. The sort of work she wants to do.
Warm, emotional heartstrings, but even a cursory look leads you to a reality sandwich.
1. Hassan is not the prime sponsor of the Senate bill; she is just one of the thirty-nine co-sponsors of S.2210.
2. There is an identical bill introduced in the House HR.4131.
3. Both bills were “introduced” on June 24th, 2021.
4. Neither bill has moved an inch since then. They were announced and have been collecting dust.
For those keeping track, that’s 422 days of nothing.
On her Senate Webpage, there are four pieces of press on the legislation published between 6/25/21 (the day after introduction) up to 9/20/21, all shades of the same narrative. Hassan and Shaheen Introduce Key Legislation…join colleagues in introducing…support for direct care, etc. Four press releases over the first three months after the bill is introduced and nothing after that.
It’s been 329 days since Hassan’s last piece of press on the bill unless you count this campaign ad.
Again, it’s a thing that makes sense for Senator Hassan to support. Something she can understand, even if, in her own circumstances, she would never have needed public support.
But she is running ads on this like it’s a done deal.
“Maggie for NH today launched “Care” – a new TV ad that highlights Senator Maggie Hassan’s work to try to ensure that people like her son Ben, who experiences a severe disability, and all Americans, can be fully included in their communities.”
###
“Senator Hassan first entered public service in large part to help ensure that those who experience disabilities, like her son Ben, would have the same kinds of opportunities that all parents want for their children. That is why she is pushing Congress to pass the Better Care Better Jobs Act”
###
“Senator Hassan: Helping families like Lexi’s all over the Granite State, it’s why I do the work. I’m Maggie Hassan and I approve this message.”
What work?
You haven’t done a damn thing to help Audrey from Brentwood.
The Bill is 422 days old. You signed on as a co-sponsor and ran a few press pieces. The Bill is a name and a number and nothing but. If that’s your idea of helping New Hampshire families, you’re terrible at it, and “Care” is as much or more of an act of fraud as your previous ads.
The post Latest Hassan Ad Shows Us Who Maggie Really Is – All Hat and No Cattle appeared first on Granite Grok.
US Congressman “Flap Jack” Pappas (D-NH) wants us to know something about Liz Cheney.
Liz Cheney is a patriot, and it’s disappointing she has been defeated for speaking “truth to power”. We need more people in politics like her who will put country first.”
Hmm, our Democrat representative who praises the RINO Liz Cheney? What gives?
Townhall explains that the attempt to convey the honor of ideological martyrdom is a favorite of Trump-haters across party lines. Yup, Cheney spoke the truth and was crushed for it. Au contraire! She was crushed because the good people of Wyoming became tired of her vaudeville acts.
We want to thank John Burtis 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.
Townhall elaborates:
If Liz Cheney or anyone else has sharp criticism of Trump, bring it. Make the case. Invite debate. But that’s not how these people roll. Their lofty condemnations are never simply a point they wish to make or a contribution to an ongoing dialogue; they paint themselves as the sole examples of high character.
The accompanying supposition is that to oppose them is a dereliction of duty amounting to the abandonment of the Constitution.” ( ) This is the height of preening condescension and exhibits Cheney’s narcissism. Whoa, Chris Pappas digs this act. Must be the anti-Trump thang.
Then there’s the brave loner, John Wayne, style of Cheney. But she wasn’t brave, being protected by Pelosi and her anti-American minions and by, presumably, the Flap Jack. Liz Cheney was by no means a loner in her continual chastising of the right. Nope, she was just another voice singing soprano in the Democrat choir where our own Chris Pappas chortles a mediocre mezzo-soprano.
Then there’s the additional idea that Cheney et al, are working to make the Republican Party viable again. And nabobs like Cheney, Pelosi, Pappas, Hassan, and Chuck Schumer lament the sad fall of this once workable Republican political party.
They mean they miss the loss of a supine Republican Party, lying at their feet, bending backward to meet their every costly whim.
Then there’s the idea abroad in our fair land and fairer state that everyone who voted for Trump was somehow mesmerized by his theatrics and never meant to vote for him. That’s why Liz was chucked out on her ear. Nope, we recognized that although Trump has his baggage like everyone, and who hasn’t said or done something they regret, Trump worked for us. It is in direct contravention to those who actively work and vote for BS that is inimical to us, be it here or in Wyoming.
Cheney and Pappas, and Shaheen and Kuster, have said yes to every expensive porkpie in the sky crock cobbled together by Pelosi and Schumer, all of which is detrimental to our well-being, the pursuit of our happiness, and our ability to pursue economic stability and to add to our personal wealth. And I don’t mean to say we’re wealthy. Unlike Cheney, the Democrat largesse hasn’t brought us $36,000,000 like it did Cheney.
Pappas is fresh from voting for that Inflation Reduction Act, which will accelerate inflation, wipe out the old folk’s savings, cost America 900,000 jobs per economist Casy Mulligan, and reduce incomes by $1,200. The increased tax burden will cost every family in every income quartile at least $2,400. And the increasingly weaponized IRS, with 4500 new weapons and 5 million rounds of ammunition, will audit 4 of 5 individuals earning less than $200k.
To see and hear Pappas praising the freshly defeated Liz Cheney because of her clearly RINO outlook means that Chris “Flap Jack” Pappas quit working for us as soon as he hit DC.
Real political courage, which is not often found and hasn’t been seen from our NH federal representatives since all four became Democrat ciphers, requires the occasional principled stand on an issue. I’m not voting for this because it’s not in the best interests of those I represent. It would be a nice change. A change that’ll never happen until we rid ourselves of Pelosi’s and Schumer’s expensive tools.
And these two utterly unprincipled solons answer, not to their constituents when you view San Francisco and NY State, but to the billionaire cognoscenti like George Soros, John Kerry, our own St. Paul’s schoolboy, and Bill Gates. The latter three all hate America while worshipping at the altar of the UN and the other Davos One Worlders. Their membership requires a private Gulfstream jet.
I don’t dislike Pappas, Cheney, or any of the rest of this far-left liberal crowd. But I sincerely question what the hell they’re doing as our Representatives. Has anything the Biden cabal passed or written through executive fiat bettered our lives? Not an iota.
According to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, this willy-nilly spending will result in a drop in output of $3.7 trillion from our gross domestic product (GDP). How is this a boon for our way of life? Our Representatives and their votes have us becoming Europe and their lowered economic expectations.
It’s time for many changes, and Maggie “the Magster” Hassan, Kuster, and Pappas need to be sent to the political wilderness like Cheney was for the same reason – her constituents were at the end of their ropes and could no longer afford her. Just as we in NH are, we simply can’t afford to have these Democrats representing us.
Let us, each and every NH voter, do just like Pappas said, speak to power and break it!
The post NH Dem Chris Pappas: Liz Chaney is a Patriot … Speaking Truth to Power. appeared first on Granite Grok.
In 2021, in the city of Chicago, there were 792 shooting homicides and 3,561 shooting victims. By far, the deadliest year for homicides in Chicago’s history. You would think this would infuriate the Mayor and the District Attorney. You would be wrong.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is much more concerned with cutting funding for the Police, her security detail, and security for the film crews of TV shows and movies being shot in Chicago than the safety and well-being of her people of the Windy City. There is no sense of urgency to solve the daily shooting spree existing within her city. For this reason, I see Mayor Lori Lightfoot as a disgusting human being.
District Attorney Kim Foxx is considered soft on crime. Foxx has been the Cook County DA since 2016. During her tenure, she has dropped over 25,000 felony cases.
In comparing Foxx versus her predecessor, Anita Alvarez, for the three years analyzed, Foxx’s office dropped 8.1% of homicide cases, compared with 5.3% under Alvarez. Under Foxx, the office dropped 9.5% of felony sex crime cases; the rate was 6.5% for Alvarez.
Foxx garnered headlines in 2019 after she dropped charges against Jussie Smollett, who purportedly staged an assault against himself and claimed supporters of President Donald Trump were the perpetrators, using homophobic slurs and placing a noose around his neck.
Foxx is a member of the soft-on-crime DAs destroying big cities like New York, SanFrancisco, and Los Angeles. These cities have all defunded much of their Police Department, are dropping cases quicker than it takes for the arresting officer to get back to his post, and are advocates of no-cash bail. It is these lax policies that are pushing crime rates to record-high levels.
Chicago was once a gem of big cities in America. Now, it is a crime-ridden area where people don’t even want to fly into O’Hare to catch a connecting flight. Chicago is not alone in its demise. San Francisco and Los Angeles are now homeless meccas with sidewalk cafes replaced with tent cities. Along with these tent encampments come drugs, filth, and crime. Many of these homeless areas are close to schools, with kids avoiding used needles on the street as they navigate their way to school.
People are fighting back. District Attorney Chesa Boudin was overwhelmingly recalled in San Francisco. In Los Angeles, DA Gascon survived the recall attempt to remove him when the petition campaign came up short of signatures. Gascon took a victory lap when the petition was rejected as if that was a call of support. The voters of LA County are not done and will continue to oust Gascon.
As for Chicago, the folks of this city in decline can look to themselves for the source of their problems. They continue to go to the polls and support the likes of Lori Lightfoot. They need to break this horrific cycle and pull a red lever. Doing so will turn the tide by refunding the Police, ending no cash bail, reclaiming the streets, and putting people first. As long as these corrupt, inept public officials are allowed tenure, then you will keep your cities in the headlines.
The post The Leaders of Chicago Are Disgusting Human Beings appeared first on Granite Grok.
At the Board Of Aldermen meeting last week, it appears that the Board pushed through two ordinances that are grossly unjust to the Nashua taxpayers. It is perfectly fine for the Board of Aldermen and other officials to go after a Nashua resident, but GOD forbid those residents to fight back.
This Board and other officials stated in a public meeting that a resident of Nashua represented herself as an employee of the City, and that was a criminal act, and they were turning it over to the Police. However, this was a blatant lie, and city leadership knew it and still stated it anyway. To date, not one official has ever apologized.
One of the ordinances will add language that states that excessive repetition and irrelevant remarks are discouraged. However, will that rule be applied to the board members like Patricia Klee and Tom Lopez, who love to hear themselves talk or cheer for Mayor Jim Donchess? What about Attorney Steve Bolton’s public meltdowns? I am waiting for Bolton to take off his shoe and pound it on the desk. So much for professionalism.
Another part of the ordinance is the presiding officer has the authority to terminate the remarks and any speaker when such remarks do not adhere to this ordinance. This is the same person who shut it down in the middle of a zoom meeting because she did not want to hear from residents but never seemed to enforce the Code of Conduct to the Board Members.
The Mayor personally requested another change only to allow citizens to address issues covered on the agenda. The bottom line is that if a resident wants to talk about something that is not on the agenda, go pound sand because this Board does not want to hear it.
Does any other resident remember when King O’Brien said he would get a committee of residents and businesses together to discuss the barriers? Instead, O’Brien and Economic Development Director Cummings ran illegal meetings on the downtown barrier matter and broke the law when complying with public record requests.
Residents have seen this Board be disrespectful to the Nashua residents. This Board does not want to hear from anyone that disagrees with them; like-minded people are always welcome. I expect the next ordinance will be that residents will be required to address board members as “their Holiness,” and before speaking, citizens will be required to kiss the Mayor’s ring.
Nashua is primarily a single-party system representing the elected government. It is not working for the City’s greater good. Nashua residents need to vote and bring balanced representation to our City government. State seats are up for election in November. Please vote to bring balance to what is now a nearly 100% Democratic majority.
The post Tightening the Reins on Free Speech and Public Input appeared first on Granite Grok.
So Mike Pence came to New Hampshire yesterday, and gave a speech to the NHGOP’s RINO elite. While the part about mindlessly supporting a lawless and rotten FBI that is intent on preventing Donald Trump from running for President in 2024 may have been what New Hampshire’s RINOs wanted to hear, it did NOT play so well outside of New Hampshire:
Tucker Carlson Joins @IngrahamAngle To React To Mike Pence Whining About People Criticizing The FBI
Tucker: "He should fire anyone who is telling him to go to New Hampshire and run for President and give dumb speeches about the FBI when he has no idea what he is talking about." pic.twitter.com/p2MxdGUMzu
— The Columbia Bugle (@ColumbiaBugle) August 18, 2022
The post Mike Pence Comes to New Hampshire … And Makes A Complete Fool Of Himself appeared first on Granite Grok.
I’ve had this hanging around sine June but given everything going on, I finally stumbled back on it in my “stack of stuff”. It is a WONDERFUL rendition given that it was done over the ‘Net. Great arrangement as well.
Take the two minute – just spectacular!
(H/T: True North Reports)
The post Palate Cleanser – University of Washington Commencement 2020: Star Spangled Banner. appeared first on Granite Grok.
I would propose that everyone begin requesting that the school administration conduct exit interviews with teachers that include a set of questions to help school board members and the public understand why teachers are resigning.
A few simple answers could be:
1) Retired
2) Moving
3) Inadequate Pay
etc.
But what if there are internal problems?
What if there are problems that are not being addressed? How would anyone ever know?
In Brookline, parents are concerned about the teacher turnover. Fortunately, they are hearing from some of the teachers, but what if parents are not informed?
We seeing large numbers of teachers leave the profession this year. Some reports say that the number isn’t as high as being reported, but in Keene, NH, teachers did let the public know that they were leaving because of problems that were not being addressed by administrators.
Exit interviews shared with the school board and the public, with the names redacted, could be a way to hold administrators responsible.
One disgruntled employee wouldn’t raise alarms, but several teachers who resigned over internal problems need to be addressed. If no one knows that there is a problem, how do you fix it?
It doesn’t have to be extensive either. A few questions about why they are leaving, with a section to add their comments, would suffice.
If we truly support teachers in New Hampshire, we have to look at all of the reasons they are resigning. If that needs to be addressed in an effort to support a good working environment, this is one way to do that.
Contact your local School Board Chair and ask that an exit interview be included after a resignation and that all of those be made transparent.
The post Public Schools Should Conduct Exit Interviews with Teachers and then Post that info on the Website appeared first on Granite Grok.
I have been attending the Nashua Public Library trustees’ meetings and talking to them about my serious concerns about picture books the library has made available to young children which try to convince them that how well they fit a gender stereotype is what makes them a boy or girl. You can read about two of those books here.
Related: Picture Books at Nashua Library Promote Dangerous Gender Ideology to Young Children
I requested that the library staff purchase the picture book “My Body is Me!” to push back on this dangerous propaganda. “My Body is Me!” encourages kids to be comfortable in their bodies and challenges gender stereotypes. However, it was rejected because the book does not meet the library’s materials selection policy.
I was delighted to recently discover that the library had acquired the picture book “Dolls and Trucks Are for Everyone” which celebrates that boys and girls both can play with trucks and dolls and be comfortable with themselves. It shows kids being kids and indulging in all their interests and ignoring gender stereotypes.
This charmingly illustrated book features a boy sewing on a sewing machine and a girl riding a skateboard, a girl playing hockey and a boy figure skating, and a boy baking and a girl writing computer code.
“Dolls and Trucks Are for Everyone” goes against the destructive gender ideology that schools, medical professionals, therapists, social media influencers, and politicians are pushing on our children.
The Nashua Public Library has also recently purchased gender-critical books for adults including “Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different” by Lisa Selin Davis, “The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society” by Dr. Debra Soh, and “Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality” by Helen Joyce which a librarian kindly took the initiative to order for me after another gender-critical book I requested didn’t meet their material selection policy.
At my request, the library carries “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters” by Abigail Shrier and “Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity – and Why This Harms Everybody” by James Lindsay and Helen Pluckrose. At my husband’s request, the library has a copy of “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement” by Ryan T. Anderson which Amazon has virtually banned by removing it from their store.
After the multiple pieces I have written critical of the Nashua Public Library, I wanted to give credit where credit is due. Thanks to the library director Jen McCormack and her staff for carrying materials that represent the diverse interests of the Nashua community.
The post The Truth Leaks Out: Dolls and Trucks Are for Everyone appeared first on Granite Grok.
Karoline Leavitt – The Only America First Grassroots Candidate in NH-01
Endorsed by The Resolve, Endorsed by GraniteGrok, Winner of 603 Alliance Straw Poll
Learn more about Karoline on her website – karolineforcongress.com and VOTE for her in the Republican Primary on September 13th!
And here is her first TV add:
The post Karoline Leavitt – NH Grassroots Endorsements and a Reminder That the September 13TH Republican Primary Election Is Coming Fast! appeared first on Granite Grok.
Months ago I was asked, “What do you think about the future of America?”. I responded, “That is what we are deciding right now in 2022”.
The 2022 mid-term primaries are about one ‘thing’: The People. The question before us is: “Do we want to be free and prosperous?”
I implore you to vote for the American people and for their empowerment through Individual Rights, State Sovereignty, and the continued Unity and Independence of the United States of America.
We are in a highly dynamic and even volatile situation, but nothing will happen in America unless The People give authorization. Our future is in our hands. Take a full deep diaphragmatic breath, smile, and tell yourself, “We choose Freedom and Prosperity.”
We want to thank Tejasinha Sivalingam for this Op-Ed. Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
The 2022 Republican Primary is not about how good any candidate looks, it is not about which party is less evil, it is not about all the left and right fear porn and propaganda, nor the feel-good echo chambers. It is simply about what positive direction you, The People, want to take and what objectives you want to achieve. However, remember the positive direction is not always the easiest because it may require we get out of a rut!
I am running for United States Senate because I love you, and I want you to be free and prosperous. I will hold the door of freedom and prosperity open for you, but we must walk through it together. Godspeed!
Reminder: Content about candidates or by candidates is not an endorsement by GraniteGrok.com or its authors.
The post The Question before Us Is: “Do We Want to Be Free and Prosperous?” appeared first on Granite Grok.
I had taken the Grandson to Water Country in Portsmouth, NH on Monday. On the way back, coming up through the center of Alton (but not quite to Alton Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee), I saw the above sign. According to the NH Secretary of State Republican Cumulative Filing document (Election Division), he is a resident of Alton. Cutsie, perhaps, but certainly the “Dr. Obvious” play on his last name in trying to attract attention by the use of The Hershey Company’s famous chocolate bar.
Sidenote: For reference, the Hershey logo on their website is this:
The second Dr. Obvious question is, as the post title states, an actual member of THE Hershey Company and has permission to use such a likeness of their candy bar (of which I am known to imbibe from time to time but prefer the dark chocolate version instead of the milk chocolate one). So I decided to ask Hershey’s Anna Lingeris who is the Media Contact for “Brands, Products, and Marketing:
—– Original Message ——
From: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
To: alingeris@hersheys.com
Sent: 8/17/2022 11:39:57 AM
Subject: Possible Copyright infringement?
Good morning,
My name is Skip Murphy and I own and run NH’s largest and most influential political blogsite. Thus, I am always on the watch for all things political especially during this “silly season” of candidates trying to get themselves noticed as the September Primary election is approaching rapidly. Candidate road signs are a staple of the “retail politics” environment at the local level and I came across this one in Alton, NH (also attached):
While it may be a “clever” play on his name, using a likeness of your most famous confectionery product.
He is running in Belknap County District 7 (Alton and Barnstead) as a Republican. For the record, I am also a registered Republican but not happy to see someone violating a commercial copyright (possibly) simply for personal (political) gain.
Thank you for your time.
Kindest regards,
-Skip
Skip Murphy
Co-Founder, co-owner
GraniteGrok.com | Skip@GraniteGrok.com
Dominating the political Bandwidth in New Hampshire
So we shall see what we shall see, won’t we?
The post Is David Hershey, Running for NH House from Barnstead/Alton (Belknap 7), a Scion of THE Hershey Candy Family? appeared first on Granite Grok.
Yesterday I was at a very nice picnic at Elks Lodge, sponsored by the Republican Party of Dover. Several candidates spoke: three gubernatorial hopefuls, Testerman, Riley, and Acciard; two senatorial hopefuls, Vikram and Bolduc; and three Congressional hopefuls, Prescott, Huff Brown, and myself.
The following is a summary of my presentation:
When will we get martial law? As you saw during the Canadian truckers’ convoy, Mr. Trudeau imposed whatever “law” he wanted, including ways to freeze the donations properly sent by citizens. Can it happen here?
New Hampshire’s state Constitution emphatically states, in Article 34: “No, ain’t gonna have martial law in this state. Forget it.” [not exact quote]. But New Hampshire’s stance won’t hold back the feds from doing it.
We want to thank Mary Maxwell for this Op-Ed. Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
What feds? Can Biden impose martial law? What does the parchment say? The parchment never uses the word “martial law.” But it does give Congress — and only Congress — the power to suspend habeas corpus. That would have the effect of taking away your legal rights, there would be no court to listen to you.
Have we already seen martial law in the US?
In 1786, before the Constitutional Convention was called, there was a rebellion in Springfield, Massachusetts, led by Shay, a veteran of the Revolutionary war. It had to do with debts. He set out to seize the armory but was defeated by a militia. This influenced the Framers. Their final wording in Article I, Section 9 of the parchment is: ” the Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.”
(Note: the fact that it appears in Article I, which is the Legislature’s article and not in the President’s job description in Article II, tells us that the suspension of habeas corpus would need to be made by Congress.)
James Madison’s notes show two objectors. Mr. Pinckney of South Carolina moved that habeas should not be suspended but on the most urgent occasions, & then only for a limited time not exceeding twelve months.” Mr. Rutledge, also of South Carolina, “was for declaring the Habeas Corpus inviolable— He did (not) conceive that a suspension could ever be necessary at the same time through all the States.”
In 1814 there was a declaration of martial law in New Orleans by General Jackson during the War of 1812 against the British. It was a complicated situation for which Jackson eventually paid a contempt of court fee. But that was in a separate action, so does not furnish jurisprudence on the legality of martial law.
The main case, luckily, has to do with internment, that is, herding people into camps. I have heard that FEMA camps have been built secretly on American soil, and I can tell you that camps exist in Australia, where I used to live. They are not secret; they were openly used during Covid as a sort of quarantine thing. Can you be interned here in the US?
In 1942, President FDR wanted to intern Japanese Americans, including about 100,000 who had US citizenship. Families in the three west coast states were herded into these camps.
It’s important to note that FDR was not a sloppy, kinda guy. He did write to Congress and get their permission to suspend habeas, per Article I, sec 9. He then added more: his Executive Order 9066 says, “I hereby further authorize and direct the Secretary of War and the said Military Commanders to take such other steps as [they] may deem advisable to enforce compliance.” Wow. It’s blank check city, Man.
One Japanese man arrested for breaking FDR’s curfew was Fred Korematsu. In 1984, his case was re-opened, and Judge Marilyn Patel in California acquitted him. But NOT because there was anything wrong with the martial law, just something wrong in Korematsu’s personal case. She even said that “the original precedent still holds.”
Just so’s you’ll know, if we get in trouble today, THERE IS NOTHING IN WRITING TO PROTECT US against martial law — no Supreme Court refutation and no Congressional fussing. Granted, in 1948, Congress saw the wrongness of the US seizing the property of the Japanese Americans and gave them compensation, and in 1990 paid $20,000 to each of the sufferers.
You may be laughing at me for suggesting that a piece of paper could help. Well, I do feel that way. So I propose two ways to inhibit the use of martial law, short of a constitutional amendment. The first would be to pin down a legal definition of the words that Sec 9 says can justify a suspension of habeas corpus.
Recall the wording: “the Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.” We should pin down three words: rebellion, invasion, and public safety.
My other suggestion is that Congress get busy real quick on modifying the legislation it passed in 1976, called The National Emergencies Act. Stunningly it allows a president to declare an emergency and promises that Congress won’t intervene for 6 months.
This is unsupported by the Constitution. Why in the world, after seeing the opening salvo of a wrongful national emergency declaration, should Congress not intervene? After all, it wrote that law in the first place. [I think it’s a treasonous abdication by Congress of the People’s authority. I see a lot of treason on Capitol Hill, as described in my book Prosecution for Treason.]
I don’t mean to mix up the National Emergencies Act with martial law, they are not quite the same. In regard to emergencies, we are lucky this time to have the needed piece of paper — it’s called the Blaisdell case. In 1931, the US Supreme Court ruled in Home Building v Blaisdell, that emergency does not add any new power. And it does not — I quote — “remove or diminish the restrictions imposed upon power granted or reserved.”
Ah, back in the days when justices were justices.
Ah, back in the days when the words “Don’t remove constitutional restrictions on power” meant — wait for it — “Don’t remove constitutional restrictions on power.”
The post When Will We Get Martial Law? appeared first on Granite Grok.
Well, back on August 8th, I submitted an RSA 91-A Right To Know demand for any and all documents concerning the use of drones/UAVs at Gunstock Mountain Resort.
Such documents may include (but not limited to):
- Request for Proposals to vendors
- Purchase Orders to vendors
- Statement of Work/Contracts between GMR and vendors
- Acceptance of Services provided by GMR to a vendor
- Invoices from vendors
- Payments/remittances to vendors from GMR
Yesterday, I realized that I had lost track of the 5 day window in which I was to receive a response – the 17th of August and 7 business days had passed. So, I sent the Gunstock Area Commissioners a gentle reminder:
—— Original Message ——
From: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
To: “Douglas Lambert” <dlambert@gunstockcommissioners.org>; “Jade L. Wood” <JWood@gunstockcommissioners.org>; “dstrang@gunstockcommissioners.org” <dstrang@gunstockcommissioners.org>
Sent: 8/17/2022 1:30:48 PM
Subject: Re[2]: RSA 91:A demand – UAV/Drone Services
Good Afternoon,
On August 8, I sent the below RSA-91A demand for certain documents concerning the use of UAV/drones usage by Gunstock Mountain Resort. It has now been 7 business days since placing that with you three AND your official notification, Mr. Lambert, that it was successfully received.
As you well know, Commissioner Lambert, RSA91-A:4 IV mandates a specific time schedule for a response from the Governmental body:
IV. (a) Each public body or agency shall, upon request for any governmental record reasonably described, make available for inspection and copying any such governmental record within its files when such records are immediately available for such release.
(b) If a public body or agency is unable to make a governmental record available for immediate inspection and copying the public body or agency shall, within 5 business days of a request:
(1) Make such record available;
(2) Deny the request; or
(3) Provide a written statement of the time reasonably necessary to determine whether the request shall be granted or denied and the reason for the delay.
(c) A public body or agency denying, in whole or part, inspection or copying of any record shall provide a written statement of the specific exemption authorizing the withholding of the record and a brief explanation of how the exemption applies to the record withheld.
The Gunstock Area Commission is now two days overdue according to the Law. Please advise when the Gunstock Area Commission will bring itself back into compliance with RSA91-A by either:
I’m quite sure that this is just a gentle reminder for you, Commissioner Lambert, with your still precedent setting actions in Tardiff-Lambert vs. Belknap County Delegation in defending the Public’s Right To Know what their Government is doing.
Have a GREAT day!
-Skip
The post Gunstock – My Right To Know Demand Concerning GMR’s use of UAV/drones is Now out of Compliance with RSA91-A appeared first on Granite Grok.
Minneapolis used to be a beautiful, proud city. That was yesterday, no longer true today. One-half of the Twin City region, Minneapolis is a business hub in the middle of the country, easy to access, and nestled in a beautiful area of Minnesota.
The climate has changed dramatically since the unfortunate death of George Floyd. That event created a destructive storm of riots, looting, and burning of businesses downtown. Over 1500 buildings and businesses were destroyed, and many will never return. The story told by the mainstream media at the time never told the whole story because of fear of being canceled as racist. BLM took over the downtown and contributed to why businesses opted to relocate elsewhere rather than return to Minneapolis. An unfortunate chapter in the city’s history.
Related: Minneapolis School District Will Fire Teachers Based on Skin Color
A rarely published fact about Floyd was that his autopsy showed he had enough Fentanyl in his system that he would have died of drug poisoning even if not under restraint by the Minneapolis police officer who was later convicted of Floyd’s death.
Another chapter prior was the influx of Somali refugees to Central Minnesota by Non-government organizations. The 2017 census for Minnesota shows nearly 70,000 Somalis that had relocated to the state. This influx of immigrants not only put a burden on public schools and local resources but also changed the region’s culture. This pilgrimage to Minnesota gave them Representative Ilhan Omar and her husband/brother. Omar barely won her primary for reelection last week and is almost assured of reelection.
The ongoing shame of the recent happenings is the folks of Minnesota that are giving up and fleeing the state. They no longer feel safe as the Left successfully defunded police, and crime is rising. It is unfair to these natives of Minnesota who are saying goodbye to the state they grew up loving and enjoying.
The latest event today shows how far this state has dipped. According to the NY Post:
Minneapolis public school teachers of color will have additional job protections this upcoming school year under a new contract that would allow them to keep their jobs rather than white instructors with more seniority.
The labor agreement’s intent was to protect “underrepresented populations” and keep the district’s predominantly white staff from becoming more homogenous, a report said Monday.
The contract was one of the first of its kind in the nation and a “huge move forward for the retention of teachers of color,” union leaders told the Star Tribune.
This provision is in the new Minnesota teacher’s contract approved by the teacher’s union and Minnesota school districts. It is designed to make up for past discriminatory hiring of predominantly white teachers while the population of color was rising.
This contract may be unconstitutional and is challenged by white Minnesota teachers. We have lost our way, and this contract shows how far Minnesota has drifted Left and is more interested in minorities and not the overall good of the state. Hopefully, sanity will take hold, and maybe the state can be salvaged. If not, it may become just a shadow of its former greatness. A sad footnote in our history.
The post Minneapolis is No Longer Part of America appeared first on Granite Grok.
Germany has gone “full Germany” on the subject of mask mandates. The new Infection Protection Act requires indoor masking for the unvaccinated beginning this fall. Those who have been jabbed three or more times but not in the past three months will also need to wear masks indoors.
To aid with enforcement, there is a color-coded Corona Warning App (CWA), so the jabbed and unjabbed can be promptly sorted for loading on bix cars… at public venues like stores and restaurants. Like they do in China!
Depending on the color, the users then have different rights. A green code allows free movement, orange and red mean quarantine for up to two weeks. This is reported by the public broadcaster ORF.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health is on the mend after his corona infection. According to Lauterbach, things are “slowly improving”. Nevertheless, Covid-19 is “no small thing. Despite four vaccinations and Paxlovid, I had more severe symptoms than expected.”
When you let political science supersede medical (or climate) science, things don’t appear to make sense anymore. But on the bright side, you can also silence dissenters (or change the color code on their device to lock them down).
And again, as predicted, you can’t get jabbed enough to please these people even when everyone knows the vaccines don’t do what advocates have long claimed. But if you’ve been jabbed by the ineffective thing, you won’t have to wear the other thing that doesn’t stop the spread but might make it worse.
In Dr. Colleen Huber’s “The Defeat of COVID,” she cites numerous peer-reviewed literature on various COVID-related subjects, including masks. After which, she comments on the doctor’s first requirement to do no harm (reformatted – several direct links added to footnotes).
The instruction not to inflict harm is so essential that it is basic to major religions. It is the central operating principle of civil societies, and harmonious institutions, alliances, friendships and households. The Golden Rule is the only common precept among all the world’s religions. So it is well-established that I am not ( as a physician ) allowed to cause harm to you.
It is worth repeating: I may not hurt you. As a physician, I work under, as the central principle of my philosophy and my practice, the Golden Rule as Hillel’s corollary, otherwise known as the Hippocratic Oath: First Do No Harm. But aren’t we all under the same oath? Aren’t we all obligated to not cause harm?
I do not ask others to wear a mask. Why? I have no right to obstruct anyone’s breathing. I have no right to cause widely demonstrated and clinically confirmed hypoxic injuries to the lungs, brain, heart and musculoskeletal system known in the peer-reviewed research to be caused by masking. Yes, I am sorry that you have been told over the last year that masks don’t reduce oxygen, by emphatic and dogmatic people, but the fact remains that oxygen deficit during mask-wearing is very thoroughly established in peer-reviewed clinical data.
Here[596], here[597] and here[598], for example. And yes, surgeons also suffer from deoxygenation.[599] Excess of carbon dioxide, as it accumulates inside a mask, also is a mild poisoning of the entire body, and this is also established in clinical data. [600] [601] So if you demand that a child, a worker, a traveler, a consumer or anyone else wear a mask, you have been demanding that they mildly poison themselves. I know this is vexing for some to read, but you cannot inflict harm with any moral authority, and you need to stop that, now that you know it’s an assault, if you want to be able to live with yourself, or to exist peacefully with a good conscience.
…
Why do I have no right to demand that another person wear a mask? Even inside my home? Even when people are only a few feet away from me? Even when we hug or shake hands? Because I have no right to raise their blood pressure by an average of 12 points systolic.[608] I have no right to force anyone to incubate an average of 100,000 bacterial colonies in their airways or on their skin, which were cultured from the used masks of European train commuters.[609] I have no right to immobilize the cilia of people’s airways, which they need to help escalate inhaled viruses, bacteria and fungi up the trachea, away from the lungs.[610] I have no right to put asbestos fiber size particles deep into their lungs, where those are unlikely to be exhaled, and where those particles can begin the process of pulmonary fibrosis (the most frightening and hopeless disease I have seen as a physician).[611] I have no right to interfere with the function of a person’s immune system to perform its usual functions.[612] [613] [614]
Before COVID, there was no practical use for medical or cloth masks to slow the spread of flu because, at best, they help spread it (there’s plenty of peer-reviewed data on that as well). But now, Germany is defining freedoms based on a vaccine and a mask that are ineffective, could poison or kill you and may make matters worse, and they are passing this off as public health policy.
More of what didn’t work in 2020 and 2021.
A program that will continue if Germans don’t say the same thing to their leaders as Wyoming just did to Liz Cheney.
HT | Reclaim the Net
The post Germany to Mandate Masking for Anyone Who Has Not Been Re-Vaxxed Every Three Months appeared first on Granite Grok.
Derry has a 16 for 10 primary, the largest in the state. Its candidates run the gamut from extreme RINO, mediocre, excellent, to unknown. The latter may or may not be well known in the community, but they are unknown in the sense of not having voting records. And the RINO Report is based on voting records.
The three with excellent records are Erica Layon, David Love, and John Potucek.
The three with good records are Richard Tripp, Katherine Prudhomme-O’Brien, and Jodi Nelson.
The three with mediocre records are Stephen Pearson, Wayne MacDonald, and David Milz.
The last, David Milz, is near RINO. He was particularly bad in 2015-16, poor in 2021-22, and mediocre in 2017-2020.
We want to thank Spec Bowers for this Op-Ed. Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
The two worst by far are Tom Cardon and Brenda Willis. They are former one-term Reps who should stay that way, never to be elected again.
Cardon and Willis are among the worst RINOs of the last decade.
In the 2015-16 session, Cardon voted with Democrats against Republicans 139 times, which placed him third worst RINO in the entire house. He voted nearly as often (48%) with Democrats as with Republicans.
In 2017-18, Willis was first, i.e. worst, among all RINOs, voting 114 times with Democrats against Republicans. Her RINO score was 46%.
Here are some highlights (lowlights?) of their short careers.
Bad votes by Cardon, G. Thomas (R, Derry) Parental Control voted AGAINST declaring that parents have the natural right to control the well being of their children ( 2016 CACR16, 2016 HB1471 ) voted AGAINST giving parents the right to remove their child from taking the state annual assessment ( 2016 HB1338 ) voted AGAINST requiring parental notification prior to the teaching of human sexuality ( 2015 HB332 ) Constitutional Rights voted AGAINST repealing a never-used and unconstitutional infringement on free speech ( 2016 HB1570, 2015 HB403 ) Right to Life voted AGAINST banning abortion after viability ( 2016 HB1625 ) voted AGAINST prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortions ( 2016 HB1684<
On all of these votes at least 80% – in many cases more than 90% – of Republicans voted the other way.
Bad votes by Willis, Brenda (R, Derry)
Education
The post RINO Report: Tom Cardon and Brenda Willis appeared first on Granite Grok.
The FBI has now confirmed what everyone familiar with guns knew anyway: The only way that the gun used by Alec Baldwin to kill Halyna Hutchins could have fired was for him to cock the gun and pull the trigger.
Baldwin, however, continues to insist that the gun ‘just went off,’ although his story has changed slightly.
Baldwin now claims that ‘fanning’ the gun could make it go off, and that’s what he was doing. And that does work with single-action revolvers like the one he used. But fanning requires holding the trigger down, i.e., pulling the trigger and then not releasing it.
If you don’t hold the trigger down, fanning is the same as cocking.
So to claim that you fanned a gun but didn’t pull the trigger is a little like claiming that you read a book but didn’t turn the pages. It’s an inherent part of the process.
Anyway, if he gets away with this, attorneys everywhere should start presenting this as a defense for any client involved in a shooting: The gun just went off by itself! My client didn’t pull the trigger!
And it seems fitting that this defense be named after Baldwin, as in: My client’s husband was fatally shot while in bed with another woman, but I got my client off using the Baldwin defense.
The post The Baldwin Defense appeared first on Granite Grok.
On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden took the oath of office as President of the United States. He then lied to the American people for the first time. Joe promised to heal the country from the most divisive four years in American history.
Biden assured the people that his Presidency would return civility and transparency to the White House, and most importantly, he would bring the country back together again. He did unify the country like never before, as nearly 60% of Americans feel the country under Joe Biden is heading in the wrong direction. Getting 60% to agree on the day of the week is not easy.
Joe Biden may not be tweeting daily, but his polarizing policies have created a chasm between Americans never seen before. Biden is using many of the arms of the United States government to attack specific segments of the population, primarily those with ties to the right. It is an ugly assault on the people, but some will say he is also stomping on our Constitution.
His first volley was at the wealthy and successful, who he claims have not paid their fair share of taxes. Nobody ever defines the fair share, and they forget that over 50% of Americans pay no taxes at all. With a provision in the wrongly named Inflation Reduction Act, $300 Billion will be used to expand the IRS by 87,000 new agents. Most of these agents will be tasked with investigating and auditing the middle and upper-class Americans. The CBO has determined that this provision will raise $20 Billion over the next decade. A poor return for our tax dollars.
The Justice Department and FBI are teaming up on Donald Trump. The Biden Justice Department has turned on mothers and fathers in this country by labeling anyone who challenges the education system and local school boards as Domestic terrorists. The FBI is used to investigate anyone reported by school departments as potential threats. The stream of investigations and laws suits culminated last week with the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago, the Florida home of the former President. These proceedings solely aim to destroy and possibly run in 2024 by Trump. It does not appear to be working as the approval ratings for Donald Trump are skyrocketing, and it seems inevitable that he will run.
The Border is a two-pronged attack as the number of illegals crossing increases every month, and the amount of Fentanyl discovered is mind-boggling. July saw over 200,000 encounters at the Border. That number is twice the number of Americans killed yearly by Chinese-made Fentanyl. The border crisis impacts every state as the influx of non-English speaking students burdens schools. Social service budgets are inadequate to handle the new demand for benefits. Employee wages are driven down by increased available workers, especially for entry-level positions.
Biden has alienated every sector of the American population. Even blacks and brown people hurt by the increase in urban crime due to the destructive policies of local justice departments are turning away from the Democrat party. By weaponizing the government, Biden has successfully unified America, but definitely not how he hoped. He has turned most of America against him, and his party and Democrats will feel that pain in just a couple of months as the midterms approach.
By Ray Cardello for August 16, 2022 Season 12 / Post 31
On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden took the oath of office as President of the United States. He then lied to the American people for the first time. Joe promised to heal the country from the most divisive four years in American history. Biden assured the people that his Presidency would return civility and transparency to the White House, and most importantly, he would bring the country back together again. He did unify the country like never before, as nearly 60% of Americans feel the country under Joe Biden is heading in the wrong direction. Getting 60% to agree on the day of the week is not easy.
Joe Biden may not be tweeting daily, but his polarizing policies have created a chasm between Americans never seen before. Biden is using many of the arms of the United States government to attack specific segments of the population, primarily those with ties to the right. It is an ugly assault on the people, but some will say he is also stomping on our Constitution.
His first volley was at the wealthy and successful, who he claims have not paid their fair share of taxes. Nobody ever defines the fair share, and they forget that over 50% of Americans pay no taxes at all. With a provision in the wrongly named Inflation Reduction Act, $300 Billion will be used to expand the IRS by 87,000 new agents. Most of these agents will be tasked with investigating and auditing the middle and upper-class Americans. The CBO has determined that this provision will raise $20 Billion over the next decade. A poor return for our tax dollars.
The Justice Department and FBI are teaming up on Donald Trump. The Biden Justice Department has turned on mothers and fathers in this country by labeling anyone who challenges the education system and local school boards as Domestic terrorists. The FBI is used to investigate anyone reported by school departments as potential threats. The stream of investigations and laws suits culminated last week with the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago, the Florida home of the former President. These proceedings solely aim to destroy and possibly run in 2024 by Trump. It does not appear to be working as the approval ratings for Donald Trump are skyrocketing, and it seems inevitable that he will run.
The Border is a two-pronged attack as the number of illegals crossing increases every month, and the amount of Fentanyl discovered is mind-boggling. July saw over 200,000 encounters at the Border. That number is twice the number of Americans killed yearly by Chinese-made Fentanyl. The border crisis impacts every state as the influx of non-English speaking students burdens schools. Social service budgets are inadequate to handle the new demand for benefits. Employee wages are driven down by increased available workers, especially for entry-level positions.
Biden has alienated every sector of the American population. Even blacks and brown people hurt by the increase in urban crime due to the destructive policies of local justice departments are turning away from the Democrat party. By weaponizing the government, Biden has successfully unified America, but definitely not how he hoped. He has turned most of America against him, and his party and Democrats will feel that pain in just a couple of months as the midterms approach.
The post Joe Biden: Unifier or Weaponizer appeared first on Granite Grok.