Congressional leaders are sitting down with Dementia Joe to talk about how to spend your money. If you have been following along, you know that starting this Friday, the US Government may partially shut down. Congress has not yet agreed on a new funding deal (as I write this) for the federal government for the rest of 2024.

This joy ride started back in September when the full year’s funding bills should have been passed. But leaders couldn’t agree on the amounts. Since they’ve kicked the can down the road every few months, setting a new deadline each time. Now, we’re approaching the March 1st deadline. So far, it doesn’t look good.

Mr. Biden and Senate Majority Leader Schumer want a lot of spending on lots of things. They want $95B for the wars in Ukraine and Israel. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his party want less spending, especially for those foreign wars. We have a $34T national debt, record annual deficits, and record interest payments on that debt. We cannot afford all the wants.

The interest payments on that debt will be greater this year than the entire US military budget. That’s a wake-up point; enough! The Congressional Budget Office agrees with Speaker Johnson. Their analysis is that America’s national debt will reach $54T within the next six years.

The Penn Wharton School, too, says it’s true. The big debt load means the US will likely be insolvent by the year 2040. Not bothered by facts and data, Mr. Biden and Mr. Schumer insist on more spending. Sen. Schumer says opposition to further spending means you’re an extremist.

Mr. Johnson, not pleased by that rhetoric, says the shutdown starts Friday, if there is one, and the responsibility for the shutdown belongs to the Democrats. He points out that during recent negotiations, Mr. Schumer suddenly said he wanted more spending this year on new additional priorities.

We’ve got three days for Congress to pass at least 12 budget bills, or the shutdown begins. Can they do it? Some House Republicans say a minibus deal can be used. Others say they should kick the can again until April.

We want to thank Marc Abear for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
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Those who care about the future of America say it’s time to shut down the Government and reset our priorities. They want to shock the American people with how bad the fiscal crisis really is. It’s time for DC to finally be honest with the American people. Yes, even if it means doing something unpopular.

America’s biggest budget items, by far, are Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. If DC is serious about cutting the federal budget and reversing that debt crisis, this means we have to change laws and start cutting or limiting those programs. Virtually every American will be affected, especially retirees.

That is why nobody in DC really wants to talk about the federal debt, deficit, and record interest payments. Sacrifice is not a popular idea. Those are the facts on this evolving budget crisis.

As it turns out, promising lots of free stuff to everybody is really easy. Paying for it, however, is not so easy. In fact, we can’t pay for it unless we take on more debt, massively cut spending, or jack up taxes. That’s the ugly political and financial reality this morning.

There’s no easy answer that comes without pain and sacrifice. That’s the honest reality nobody in Washington DC really wants to talk about, and certainly not in a Presidential Election Year. So, we should expect more lying and political theater over the coming days.

At the end of the day, there won’t be any material progress on deficits or debt. At most, we’ll see some version of “can kicking” that will push this problem down that road. But you have to know, at some point, there’s no road left. That’s when your kids and grandkids are stuck with the nightmare we’re seeing in places like Argentina and Venezuela.

The post Night Cap: Shut It Down, Kick the Can, Act like Adults appeared first on Granite Grok.

As schools begin the shift to providing mental health services, parents need to be aware of some big problems that have been uncovered. Personally identifiable mental health information on students has already been shared, but schools are still failing to acquire informed parental consent for their child’s mental health assessments and services.

SEL is a way to shift more time away from learning the academic content. You can see in this video how the gatekeepers of the SEL programs admit that teachers are no longer important. Your kids can just learn that stuff on the internet. GO HERE.

This request for an investigation into what is going on in Merrimack was sent to The New Hampshire Department of education. Parents need to be informed and consent to all of these mental health programs and services offered by school counselors.

1st Request for Documentation:

Dear Superintendent Olsen:

Pursuant to the Right to Know Law (RSA, 91-1), I am requesting public access, within 5 business days, to the governmental records:

1) A copy of any parental permission slips for teachers to assess students using the DESSA. A copy of any parental permission slips for students to participate in the Second Step SEL program.

2) Copies of all SEL competencies or competencies related to social and emotional learning. (eg: Social Skills)

3) Documents showing where SEL/Social Skills competencies have been sent or will be sent. Colleges, etc.

Per RSA 91-A:4IV(C) If you deny any portion of this request, please cite the specific exemption used to justify the denial to make each record, or part thereof, available for inspection along with a brief explanation of how the exemption applies to the information withheld.

Please let me know when these records are available for inspection or you may email the records to me at Banfieldannmarie@gmail.com.

Ann Marie Banfield
TRUST REQUIRES TRANSPARENCY

Ann Marie Banfield

2) REPLY BACK TO ME by SUPERINTENDENT:

Good morning Ann Marie,

I am submitting my response to your RSA 91-1 Right To Know Request. The attachment addresses your first request. With regard to your second and third request, my response to both is that the District does not maintain SEL competencies, or competencies related to social and emotional learning and thus has no responsive records.

Regards,

Everett Olsen

Chief Education Officer

SKM_C754e24022312280

3) FORWARD to NH Dept. of Ed for an INVESTIGATION:
Dear Ms. Fenton,

Please see the forwarded email from Superintendent Olsen, along with the documents I requested in my 91-a. 

I am asking you to open an investigation into the failure to secure informed parental consent before screening students with the DESSA- Devereux Student Strengths Assessment. It appears that the district required consent once the screening was completed to see if parents approved of additional support for their children.

As you know, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires informed consent by parents when children are assessed or receive mental health services from their school district. While I can appreciate that a consent form was sent to approve of additional services, I believe consent should also be required when their children were screened. 
Second Step includes SEL but also Transformative SEL which crosses over into political activism.

As you can see from the attached documents, the teacher will be covering serious mental health issues like managing stress and anxiety.

Aperture, the maker of the DESSA, includes their privacy policy here. Parents in the district are now raising concerns over what we see is a lack of security with the personal student data they collect and store. For instance, the privacy policy states that while financial payment information will be safely encrypted, it does not say the same about student data. 

Parents do not know what actual data is being collected, with what third parties it is being shared, and how it is being secured.

What happens if, through the screener, a student is experiencing emotional distress? The DESSA tool is supposed to help schools identify students who might need additional social and emotional health support so that they can ensure students have access to the right services and are getting the help they need.

Who has access to all of this personal mental health data? Where is it stored? Has Keene State BHII or any of the former universities accessed this sensitive information?

A New Hampshire physician wrote in The Wall Street Journal about how teachers are now performing mental health screenings using the DESSA. This is all done without parental knowledge or consent.

It was Marc Kirsch, who was Director of Sales & Business Development for Aperture Education, who confirmed for me in 2017 that the DESSA was a mental health assessment. Aperture even markets that “students have experienced a dramatic increase in mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression and behavior disorders. School-based programs focused on building social and emotional skills can proactively support students’ mental health.”

It even appears that you can get a psych degree in a one-day seminar.
Paul LeBuffe is the Vice President for Research and Development for Aperture Education (Apertureed.com). He is a graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland and received his Master’s degree in experimental psychology from Bryn Mawr College. For the past 25 years, Paul’s career has focused on strength-based approaches to promoting social and emotional competence and resilience in children, youth, and the adults who care for them. 



My first interaction with SEL was with a New Hampshire teacher several years ago when she sent me this:

DESSA is a program that allows teachers to enter and track student social and emotional behaviors in order to flag and group students for intervention.   I’m a huge tech person; but this type of tracking of data makes me extremely nervous.  First, because even physicians don’t track data like this over this long of time, and second because the data could be used (potentially) against a child later in life (ie college applications), and third, because a data breach on a system like this wouldn’t take much.   It’s VERY concerning to me, and because it’s teachers making the observations and entering data, it’s really flying under the radar, but is becoming more and more promoted and used especially in this area.  If ever there was something to get after, it’s programs such as this one.
I think if parents saw samples of the questions and the data that it feeds back, they would be totally against it. 
 I believe the info is fed to the DESSA servers. Where it goes from there, not sure exactly – that’s part of the issue. It’s made to track kids across settings and flag high risk kids…so I believe the intent is to store data for access beyond district walls As a teacher I’d like to refuse taking this info from my students. Can I refuse this as a professional?


In addition, as you will see by Superintendent Olsen’s reply, he said:
”With regard to your  second and third request, my response to both is that the District does not maintain SEL competencies, or competencies related to social and emotional learning and thus has no responsive records.”

As you can see from the file attached titled Merrimack-NH-School-District-SAU26- Essential Learning Competencies, on page 4 titled Subject Area: Characteristics of a Successful Learning, there are competencies listed as part of the Second Step SEL program.  This document was not provided to me in Mr. Olsen’s reply to my 91-a.
Merrimack-NH-School-District-SAU26-Essential-Learning-Competencies

I’m also attaching a file that is from a newsletter provided to parents explaining what will be covered in their child’s social and emotional class. This was sent to me by another source. If you scroll down that document, you will see that they are working on “managing anxiety,” among other mental health issues.
Newsletters (1)

The concerns I’ve raised have been many. For instance, will any of this data be used to deny a child a career in the military when they are older?

Informed parental consent was added to the federal law for good reason. Child Psychologists understand the importance of privacy and informed consent, and It’s why they should be the ones administering mental health assessments and treatments to children–not teachers and school counselors.

Please review the information I provided.

Thank you
Ann Marie Banfield 

 

The post Deteriorating … Mental Health, Privacy, and Parental Consent in Public Schools appeared first on Granite Grok.

Unless you are on the far-Left of the political spectrum, you have NO representation in the United States Congress. New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation … Shaheen, Hassan, Kuster and Pappas … can vote like the obedient Communist-bots they are up to a few months before an election at which point, like a chameleon, they become “moderates” and “bipartisan” in the reporting of Fake News WMUR, NHPR and the rest of the deep BLUE media in the deep BLUE State of New Hampshire.

(As a parenthetical note, non-Communists in CD-1 had a chance to actually have a competitive district … but the mighty Sun-King, Chris Sununu, vetoed the GOP-drawn map because Sununu is far more Democrat than he is Republican.)

Maggie Hassan recently visited Ukraine to shill for the military-industrial complex … repeating the same nonsense that the warmongers have been repeating for years; for example: Ukraine has “degraded” Russian military and they just need a little bit more “aid” (American MONEY) to finish the job, yet SIMULTANEOUSLY this degraded Russian military is going to somehow conquer all of Europe if we don’t “aid” Ukraine.

Maggie Hassan is an ideologue/grifter. She votes exactly how her Communist “leadership” tells her to vote because in her mind a vote that advances Communism is good for New Hampshire. Hence America going further into debt to support that Corruptocracy called Ukraine because the Communists in the Deep State are obsessed with conquering Russia is good for New Hampshire. And while she and the rest of the delegation bankrupt America, they enrich themselves.

Compare Jeannie Shaheenie’s net worth when she entered Congress with her net worth today. And then explain to me how she made all those millions on a Senator’s salary. Salva Ukraine! Salva Ukraine! Salva Ukraine!

As I told President Zelenskyy directly when we met him, Granite Staters and Americans stand with him and with the people of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/tn3NsQZi88

— Sen. Maggie Hassan (@SenatorHassan) February 24, 2024

The post Maggie Hassan Loves The Smell Of Napalm In The Morning appeared first on Granite Grok.

This is an attempt to “break out” memes, links, and my commentary about the situation in Israel / the Middle East so as to not overload the standard meme posts that I do.  My last “normal” meme post.  In these Israel-related posts I don’t just have memes such, but lots of informative links as well as hopefully-insightful commentary.

Note that this is not meant to be a day-by-day update about what’s going on.  Rather, to highlight uncomfortable truths about the actual nature of the conflict, deep-history background, and so on, as well as to show the at-present immutable nature of Islamic hatred of Jews and why that matters to today’s events.

Note that these posts do not repeat information – so there is a lot of stuff in prior posts.  Please do check them out too if this is a topic of interest to you.  In reverse chronological order:

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Still More Links, Memes, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Ongoing Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Even More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: More Memes, Links, and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Memes and Commentary – Granite Grok

Israel: Memes and Commentary – Granite Grok

With some Israel-related materials here:

Meme Overflow – Granite Grok

 

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

 

From here:

Insanity from Meta as an Instagram user is told by a customer service rep. her account is being throttled due to her support of the Israeli kidnapped hostages.

That explains a lot about my Instagram account lately.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/instagram-blocks-pro-israel-posts.mp4

 

 

TOP OF THE FOLD

 

Hamas Official: There are no Palestinian people. They are Egyptian and Saudis.

 

 

I’ve posted this link before.  Most of the current-day Arabs who are calling themselves “Palestinians” are actually descendants of the Arabs who in-migrated because of the Zionist-fueled economic boom.

Were the Arabs Indigenous to Mandatory Palestine? :: Middle East Quarterly (meforum.org)

 

 

 

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/every-muslim-knows-israel-belongs-to-the-jews-1.mp4

 

And on the Kotel specifically:

Spencer about the Temple Mount (rumble.com)

Also, on the history of co-existence:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/history-on-coexistence.mp4

 

 

 

—

IDF Uncovers 10-Kilometer Hamas Tunnel Under Hospital and University in Northern Gaza (legalinsurrection.com)

One tunnel.  Six miles long.  And this video, below, was done before the above was found.  How much effort went into this, versus benefitting the Gazans?  How much more remains to be found?

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/gaza-underground-infrastructure.mp4

 

—

Gaza is where the world’s double standards for Jews and double standards for Muslims intersect ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

Read the whole thing!  And also a must-read:

The Palestinian honor killings of thousands of women and children ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

 

 

WAR & WHEN WILL IT END?

The Rapid Return of Israel’s Disastrous Policy :: Middle East Quarterly (meforum.org)

You cannot negotiate with someone whose policy is killing you.

Those policies rest on two main assumptions: that economic benefits – more work permits in Israel, a larger fishing zone, outside funding – gives Palestinians something to lose, taming them and making them less inclined to aggress; and that an Israel so much mightier and more advanced than its Palestinian enemy can afford to make concessions.

Oct. 6 Gaza had something to lose.  They chose to loose it anyway.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/gazans-you-chose-to-destroy-yourselves.mp4

 

This suicidal return to the “status quo” means that every Israeli needs to have this tattooed on their foreheads so they can see it in the mirror every morning:

TRYING TO PLEASE YOUR ENEMIES DOES NOT TURN THEM INTO FRIENDS.

Unintended Consequences | Gates of Vienna

Israel has to be very careful with the idea of a ‘Palestinian’ state. Gaza was handed over to the Palestinian Authority at the behest of the USA and EU in 2006, and once more we are watching the unintended consequences. It is incredibly naïve to think that a state full of people brainwashed into Jew-hatred can live peacefully alongside a Jewish state. We tried that, but the T-shirt did not change its spots.

Remember, Jew hatred is hard-coded into the Koran.

Islamic Jew-Hatred – a religious mandate – Geller Report

Jew-Hate in the Muslim World | Frontpage Mag

Antisemitism in the Qur’an – Winds of Jihad (sheikyermami.com)

—

ISRAELI RAMADAN ULTIMATUM: Either Hamas frees all hostages by Ramadan or the IDF will smash the terrorists’ last stronghold in Rafah during the Muslim holy month (barenakedislam.com)

They have a choice.  Personally, I suggest this kind of plane… loaded with pig blood, airdropping all over Gaza, as a last resort.

 

(Image source)

 

To WIN a war, the people losing have to be crushed.  Like I tell my kids if they ever get into a fight – make sure the other kid knows they lost.  On that:

“I am personally proud of the ruins of Gaza, and that every baby, even 80 years from now, will tell their grandchildren what the Jews did” (barenakedislam.com)

There Can Be No Ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas in Power :: Gatestone Institute

Remember the Carthage solution:

 

 

Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps chief: Only ‘eradication of Israel’ will guarantee security of Palestinians (jihadwatch.org)

When someone says they plan to kill you, believe them.

Want to Stop Iran’s Regime? Hit the IRGC Assets :: Gatestone Institute

—

Not everyone in Gaza agrees with Joe Biden’s claim that Israel has “gone too far” in its retaliatory war against Hamas (barenakedislam.com)

I so, so, so want to believe that this guy is sincere.  I so, so, so want to believe that he’s genuine in his condemnation of Hamas and not of Israel.  Like this journalist:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/palestinian-journalist-speaks-out.mp4

 

And this guy – again, I WANT to believe co-existence is possible.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/arab-muslim-israeli-thanks-israel-supporters.mp4

 

It’s just that I understand, on an instinctive level, what a cultural and religious propensity to lying in the service of jihad is.

Taqiyya: Deception and Lying in Islam (thereligionofpeace.com)

—

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/thats-the-terrorists-fault.mp4

 

—

Media gets the IDF’s use of AI completely wrong ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

Arm-chair quarterbacks.

 

 

ISLAM: PRACTICES, HISTORY, AND MENTALITY

“I assure you, madam, if Jews were chopping off heads and slitting throats, I’d be spending more time looking at Judaism” (barenakedislam.com)

Video.

—

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cant-trust-the-un-period.mp4

 

Why?  Because NO TREATY signed with a kaffir has actual meaning.  Mohammed himself set the precedent.

Myth: The Treaty of Hudaibiya (thereligionofpeace.com)

In parallel, NO SANE PERSON should trust the UN.  Ever.

 

 

 

 

—

 

 

Arabs are from Arabia.  How’d they get to Israel?  Oh, wait… colonization!  Speaking of, this is an amusing video:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/i-am-a-white-colonizer.mp4

 

Don’t forget the Jews have been there the entire time:

Jews – a continuous presence in Israel, no matter who was in control (rumble.com)

 

 

ATROCITIES

Muslim terrorists on Oct. 7 at rally point (rumble.com)

The video begins at a gathering point for a huge force of Hamas Terrorists in a nature reserve west of Kibbutz Beeri, seemingly where they met after crossing the fence Once the Toyota begins to drive, we can hear the euphoria in their voices ahead of the crimes they are about to commit.

Here are a few excerpts from what they say to each other as they speed towards Israeli communities:

(01:30): “Oh, the weather is great!”

(02:06): “This is the hour for Jihad! This is the hour for Jihad!”

(02:15): They taunt [Israeli prime minister] Netanyahu.

(02:20): “My God is generous with us! In the name of God we will succeed!”

(02:37): “It will take them two years… no…. 20 million years to figure out what happened here!”

(03:00): “We must livestream it on the GoPro! It’s a must!”…. “Don’t worry, this will be seen live so everyone [in Gaza] will follow us!”

At (03:20), the Hamas Terrorists arrive at Kibbutz Be’eri, the site of one of the worst massacres. They begin to scream out, “BE’ERI, BE’ERI!” while laughing uncontrollably.
(03:50): “Walla, I will die a holy death!… God be with us!”
(03:59): “Send anyone and everyone our way! Oh Allah, the Great!”

At (04:27), they approach road 232, and we can hear the driver screaming, “Where is [the city of] Netivot?”

At (04:48), We can hear the driver start to sing a jihadist song, “Qariban Qariban,” which was famously adopted by ISIS. After he finishes singing, the driver stops to shoot intensely at an Israeli civilian car.

At (05:45), the driver sees a family station wagon approaching down the road. We can hear the driver say, “Give him lead Mahmoud!” The terrorists then fire assault rifles, an RPG, and a heavy machine gun at it until finally they approach the vehicle.

At (07:20), the terrorist says, “Clean it [the vehicle] out! Clean it out!”

The driver’s fate is unclear.

—

Presented as videos (not just links) – but understand, the content is horrible.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/sexual-violence-discussion-1.mp4

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/sexual-violence-witness-1.mp4

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/sexual-violence-witness-2.mp4

 

—

From here:

Shocking new footage from Oct 7 reveals Hamas kidnapping Thai agricultural workers.

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/thai-workers.mp4

 

—

Understand what happened here.  A man is running, carrying his daughter… clearly a civilian.  And he’s gunned down.  Video, link only.

Fleeing man gunned down while carrying his daughter

 

 

ON INTERSECTIONALITY / LEFTIST SUPPORT

 

 

—

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/fighting-on-college-campuses.mp4

 

—

Islamic scholar who endorses Hamas, Hizballah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad lands job at Columbia University (jihadwatch.org)

Now, imagine a school hiring a KKK “Grand Wizard”.

 

 

PALLYWOOD & MEDIA DISTORTIONS/LIES IN GENERAL

Last week I did this post showing how Gaza is, absolutely and without any doubt by anyone with three brain cells that speak to each other, NOT an “open air prison” or “concentration camp”:

Pre-War “Concentration Camp” Gaza – Granite Grok

I just rediscovered this video – “Thanks Hamas”.  Look at all that’s in Gaza – or was.  NOT the “concentration camp” that is claimed:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Thank-You-Hamas.mp4

 

Nice buildings, clean streets in good repair, greenery, markets full of food, maintained beaches, hospital halls, water parks / amusement parks, restaurants & hotels, kids rollerblading… every single second of this video gives absolute lie to the idea of a “concentration camp”.  Here’s another video:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/where-is-the-concentration-camp.mp4

 

Now comes this article:

Countering ‘Pro-Palestine’ Propaganda Part 5: Gaza is an Open-Air Prison :: Middle East Forum (meforum.org)

The evidence is there, right before your eyes.  The problem is demoralization, as described by Yuri Bezmenov (link only):

Yuri Bezmenov – How To Demoralize A Nation. (youtube.com)

And Sowell:

 

 

With a parallel word from fiction:

“Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.”

― Brian Herbert, House Harkonnen

Because that belief, tying in with Sowell, makes the believer feel virtuous.  And, having tied that virtue to a specific belief, the belief is engraved in their minds lest – in actually assimilating contradictory information and having to reconcile it against their beliefs – they slide to undermining their belief in themselves as virtuous.  The vast majority of people do not have the strength of character to make that self-assessment / self-correction.  Thus they reject anything that would call into question their virtue.

I, personally, have seen this in action multiple times.  For example, in a “discussion” a few years ago about abortion and Planned Parenthood with a loonie-leftie fellow Yid coworker, I said that Sanger sp0ke at Klan rallies.  He didn’t believe it.  I pulled up proof on the computer – a picture of her at a Klan rally.  He literally stared and refused to believe it, actively called it a fake, even when I found a newspaper article giving background on the event.  For him to acknowledge this would undermine his faith that abortion was good.  So he rejected it in toto lest his view of himself, in supporting abortion, be undermined by the realization of abortion’s racist roots.

—

Uncle Tom and the Happy Dhimmi: Reimagining Subjugation in the Islamic World and Antebellum South :: Middle East Quarterly (meforum.org)

This is a particularly egregious form of Pallywood – implying that until Israel was restored in 1948, all was fine between Jews and Muslims.

—

The Hamas way | Power Line (powerlineblog.com)

Introduction to a podcast.

—

Indoctrination in schools:

 

https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/indoctrination-in-schools.mp4

 

—

Media Leaves Out Key Details to Paint Israel as the Aggressor (jihadwatch.org)

Leaving out all the pesky details that might put Israel into a better light.  Related:

Guardian completely avoids journalism in promoting ‘starvation’ libel < CAMERA UK (camera-uk.org)

 

 

TERROR COMING HERE?  TO THE WEST?

 

 

—

Islam is an existential threat to Western civilization – Winds of Jihad (sheikyermami.com)

Yes it is.  And, as I’ve wailed before, too damned many Jews want to bring more to the West:

An Open Letter to Pro-Migration / SJW Jews – Urban Scoop

And you want more of these people here?  Video grabbed from the link in case it gets disappeared.

A MusIim Girl was brutaIIy beaten in the streets of Raqqa/Syria by her family in an “honour killing” crime. Her family chased her in the streets and dragged her from hair. She was screaming and everyone kept watching. One of thousands of honour killing crimes Among MusIims.

Link only:

Dad beats daughter on Syrian street

Other examples:

“IRELANDISTAN?” (barenakedislam.com)

UC BERKELEY: Violent pro-Hamas, anti-Israel Muslim thugs shut down event hosted by Jewish students (barenakedislam.com)

“Us Muslims are coming for you, you dirty Zionist motherf*ckers” (barenakedislam.com)

The Left and Islam.  Allies.  Speaking of, here’s that LEFTIST guy who self-immolated:

I didn’t go far enough – Gun Free Zone

 

 

—

And in the Caliphate of England… – Gun Free Zone

How long till we will see live televised/streamed stoning and beheadings from Trafalgar Square?

Projecting images on London landmarks calling for the genocide of Jews is not a criminal offense, say police (barenakedislam.com)

If you are a British Jew in the UK, your application for a passport could be denied (barenakedislam.com)

Contrary to popular Muslim propaganda, Islam DOES NOT mean peace… (barenakedislam.com)

 

 

TREADING ON THE POLITICAL

Blinken: New Israeli housing units ‘inconsistent with international law’ – JNS.org

The problem is that these delusional idiots think peace is possible with people who are sworn to destroy you. And one more thing: the addiction to the impossible.

Does Palestinian Violence Have Benefits? – The Lid (lidblog.com)

The Two-State Solution is an unquestionable.  You simply cannot – in the halls of power – doubt it.

The World Prepares to Recognize a Hamas Palestinian State (jihadwatch.org)

The Biden administration also wanted Israel to defeat Hamas, but not to defeat it too much.

The administration is worried that if Israel wins in Rafah, it will win too much and be much less interested in its diplomatic solution of creating a “Palestinian” state which it believes is the real solution to the conflict. And it needs Hamas to provide pressure on Israel to create such a state.

The same failed idea that has haunted the region for decades is that Islamic terrorism can only be defeated by giving the terrorists some, but not all, of what they want. Much as it did not occur to the State Department that the Taliban would want everything, it refuses to believe that Hamas would want everything. And every time the negotiations fall apart, history is rewritten again.

In an article published in early October, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan described the negotiations that had brought peace between Hamas and Israel. “We have de-escalated crises in Gaza,” he boasted. The online version of the article has been edited to remove those words.

A lifeline to terrorists.

Hey, Joe Biden and all your EU co-conspirators, it’s the Palestinians who don’t want a two-state solution (barenakedislam.com)

Related:

Biden Regime Warns Israel Not to Interfere With Hamas Members Stealing Aid (jihadwatch.org)

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Biden Moves To Attach Conditions On Israel Using US Weapons In Gaza  | ZeroHedge

So where are the calls for Hamas to obey international law?

Is Clueless Biden Getting Closer to Abandoning Israel? (townhall.com)

Not just clueless.  Deliberately deceptive.

Joe Biden puts lipstick on Palestinian pigs ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

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US launches unprecedented investigation of company producing Iron Dome parts | Israel National News – Arutz Sheva

Does ANYONE think this is purely coincidental?  And, being the paranoid sort, I have to wonder about this too now:

Biden might have torpedoed the truce talks ~ Elder Of Ziyon – Israel News

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GIVING SUPPORT TO ISRAEL

You can’t go wrong with a donation here:

Connections Israel

And please share this post far and wide.  There’s a lot of info here that many people don’t know.  Post it, email it, share widely.

Also, if you’re willing:

Buy Me a Coffee

 

 

A CONCLUDING THOUGHT FOR THIS POST

In the Middle East, You Win with Fear :: Middle East Forum (meforum.org)

Only a crushing and devastating blow to Hamas will pave the way for a truce that would not be a victory for the terrorists. Such a truce would survive much longer than a half-baked truce that survives only several months until another extortion scheme.

I keep saying this.  I will continue to say this.  Peace with a hostile enemy is only possible once they’ve been crushed.  And it is critical to understand the culture: to them, mercy and such are signs of weakness to be exploited until you get the upper hand.

Know your enemy.

 

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Nikki Haley may need to find another war to run on (There’s always Gaza!) to keep her Military Industrial Complex (MIC) Campaign Cash Flowing. Ukraine is losing, Russia is winning, and the only players who don’t want Peace are in NATO. But Peace is in the Air, and it’s been a bad week for the MIC.

Ukraine lost the “strategically paramount, fortified city of Avdiivka,” after which Russia launched an unstoppable border-wide offensive. Two days ago, the CIA used the New York Times to burn all of its “secret” assets in Ukraine, and today, we learn that Russia and Ukraine were both in Saudi Arabia in immediate succession in hopes that the Saudis can negotiate Peace.

 This morning, the Jerusalem Post covered the fast-moving story headlined, “Ukraine’s Zelensky holds talks with Saudi prince to push for peace plan with Russia.”

Peace plan! According to the article, on Tuesday Zelensky and a team of Ukrainian support staff went to Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and a whole lot of other Saudis.

The Saudis gave Zelensky the royal treatment. Literally, in this case. The day before, on Monday, the Saudis coincidentally hosted a delegation of Russian officials.

The timeline suggests there would have been just enough time to put the two meetings together if the Ukrainians started working on it late last week, either after the New York Times story broke on Wednesday or possibly right after CIA Director Burns’ visit. Either way, the Ukrainians are now seeking a peace deal from the Russians through one of its closest allies and new BRICS member, Saudi Arabia.

Not Peace through strength or Peace through war but Peace through … Peace. Zelensky likely sent his opening terms – which means a bunch of things he knows he won’t get, a few he likely can – last week after losing Avdiivka the previous week (and does this make him a Putin apologist?). Russia is all over his eastern front, and giving 61 billion to US arms manufacturers in the name of Ukraine isn’t going to help anyone but Defense contractors, not that the US doesn’t need to restock the sorts of things a nation might toss downrange in a conflict (but we have a budget/appropriations process for that and it’s one of the few Congress actually got done).

Feel free to speculate on the cascade of failures, but the CIA one is the most interesting.

First, longtime CIA watcher Mike Benz agreed with me that the 34-page Times’ article was an obvious CIA plant, but one paragraph convinced him the disclosure was actually just an effort to pressure Congress to pass the $61 billion Ukraine aid package by selling what terrific work the CIA was doing in Ukraine and how it needs funding to continue.

I disagree with Mike for four reasons.

One: the CIA could have much more easily assigned an attractive analyst with a compelling pair of visual aids to directly persuade Speaker Johnson (and anyone else in Congress) in a classified briefing without burning its network; it does that kind of thing all the time. Second, the CIA, like cockroaches, never do their scurrying out in the open. The network is useless to the CIA now its cover is blown, so there is no longer any need for CIA funds. Third, Ukrainian officials seemed deeply upset by the disclosures, rather than salivating over chances for a new plane-load of cash pallets. Fourth, though the reporters tried to squeeze the disclosures into a strappy dress, they wound up looking more like a balding, middle-aged, trans NATO general trying to pull off a tight skirt look.

Childers further posits with prompting from a reader that even the CIA might be afraid they can’t stop Trump, and it’s time to bury all the bodies before there’s something for which there’s no plausible deniability. But there’s still a lot of Joe and Hunter Biden stink and plenty of Obama’s, too (Joe was his point man in Ukraine). His people were there, did things, as things, hid things, tried to impeach Trump for asking about them (and succeeded), and then pushed the NATO thing that started the war.

They must have had a lot to hide besides secret Biolabs and secret CIA infrastructure (like the massive laundromat for taxdollars that became war funding). If Peace comes, expect the uniparty to try to launder recovery dollars through Ukraine to keep the train rolling until the last possible moment. Elections, after all, can be stolen. And if you did it once, you can do it again, though not in Delaware. A judge just struck “down a law allowing early voting and unlimited mail-in voting because those things were barred by the plain language of the state’s constitution.”

If judges in a few more states can find their constitutions before November, who knows what the CIA might have to consider.

The post UniParty Forever War in Danger: Zelensky Wants Peace – Visits Saudi Arabia Right After Russia appeared first on Granite Grok.

I recently attended Ian Underwood’s presentation titled “Back to Schools” at the Sullivan County GOP Committee meeting, during which he argued coherently and consistently for separating the concerns of what to include in government-funded schools and what to exclude.

The main thrust of the presentation was identifying how the reality of Education Freedom Accounts, EFAs, do not support the goals that many of their proponents claim and that the most crucial question, what is the goal of education, is obscured by the EFA discussion.

The presentation happened shortly after the SAU#6 deliberative session. During that deliberative session, the administrators were congratulated on their outstanding performance, and a school board member described the goal of education as raising New Hampshire residents focused on creating a fairer New Hampshire. It’s hard to imagine a situation more at odds with Ian’s perspective.

We want to thank Kevin P. Tyson for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.

The incongruency between the deliberative session and Ian’s presentation caused me to think of how the vital questions raised by the presentation could gain the consideration they deserve from the taxpayers. If, as Ian claimed, EFAs are not a market-based solution to education issues, what would constitute such a solution? Then it dawned on me. There isn’t one because New Hampshire’s education structure mirrors a pre-market capitalism economy. It is a feudal model.

As the name and morphology imply, the State is the omnipotent ruler. The SAUs are fiefs granted by the State. The administrative staff serves as the barons who receive the rent the State extracts from the taxpayers, who are the serfs. The administrative staff direct the use of the rent in maintaining the fief. The teaching staff are the overseers who perform husbandry services on the students, who are the livestock. Changes in the size of the herd do not impact the amount of rent extracted from the serfs. Changes in the amount of rent do not affect the nature or quality of the husbandry services implemented by the overseers.

Feudalism ended in continental Europe primarily due to the black death reducing the number of serfs, which indirectly led to the rise of wage-based employment. Sadly, the persistent reduction in enrollment that New Hampshire has experienced won’t play a similar role now because the students are just livestock. The proponents of EFAs may eventually play a role analogous to Martin Luther’s, e.g., throwing the peasants under the bus in return for favorable treatment by the State. None of this fills me with hope for the future.

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Parents bring children to drag queen story time and brag about it. NH House Democrats walked out of a meeting disgusted by the subject matter and then voted to keep that subject matter in school libraries.

When the woke are so aimed at “Look at how woke I am” and have no issue with smut in school libraries, or having transvestite, transgender, transsexual teachers, and having no problem with transgenders in the girl’s bathrooms, the deviance runs much deeper than just the deviants themselves.

I think I am going to call them Deviant Enablers.

We want to thank Ken Goodall for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.

I have one question: if the claim that “homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexual orientation” and we were to have a catastrophe like losing power, as we lost cell phone service on Thursday, February 22nd, but this time for a long period of time, if the majority of Normal people are Homosexuals, what happens to our civilization?

I don’t think these medical experts, highly intelligent people overall, with degrees up the Wazoo, even consider the basic facts of actual true science.

homosexuality and mental health

 

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If you are not familiar or as likely forgot, (then) sitting Democrat State Senator Jeff Woodburn, his aspirations to one day run for governor dashed, was accused of multiple counts of domestic assault by his (then) Democrat girlfriend.

Scriptwriters and producers can wade through the details of the drama here. The accusations pitted Democrats against Democrats from within and outside the North Country political apparatus. Innocent appliances were harmed. Court orders were ignored. It was an amusing spectacle. He said she said. Democrats were picking sides. Jeff even ran for office again but found himself – in the shadow of #metoo and #believewomen – lacking “he said” support. Bloggers paradise.

Related: We Called It: Democrat Jeff Woodburn Admits to Leaking Image Under Protective Order

After a series of mishaps and delayed court appearances, Woodburn was charged and later convicted, but on appeal, the State Supreme Court eventually overturned that on a technicality. Keep in mind that Woodburn was found guilty of things to which he admitted but not what he did not, and even bragged about that to the press and on social media. The NH High Court commanded Woody be retried and evidence allowed that had previously been withheld (incorrectly, according to NH’s Supremes).

Since that verdict, the Defense has been playing games with court dates, most recently requesting that because Woodburn’s (New!) lawyer, Mark Sisti, is a Town Moderator and has been for many years, the Court date chosen months ago would not work as it is the same day as the Town Meeting. It’s one of those things you’d think might have come up when discussing trial dates when scheduled.

Sisti also posits several other considerations in a request for continuance, tossing Jeffy’s previous lawyer under the ‘Win with Woody’ bus in the process.

The State filed an objection opposing any more delay, noting that it has been six years. Mr. Woodburn is still dragging this out.

Woody has made it clear in his statement to the press in May 2021 that he found it “gratifying” that a jury found him guilty of (only) the crimes to which he admitted.

The Judge wasn’t having any of what Sisit was shoveling.

The Court has denied the untimely motion to continue, noting that Sisiti had 8-months to make the request when the date was set in early June 2023 and again two months later in August. Jeff Woodburn will go on trial again in a few weeks, and we will see what we see. The State will most certainly use his public statements of guilt as evidence, so I’m not sure what the Defense thinks it can offer to contradict that.

Mr. Woodburn has run out of places to hide. He will have to stand in court unless he and his lawyer are thinking of testing positive for COVID on March 11th, something the Court might want to verify before suggesting they appear masked, which would hold a certain irony.

 

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Bill SB567 was introduced in New Hampshire in January which supports coerced abortions via the abortion pill. It is sponsored by all ten NH Democrat state senators.

Lines 23-26 of the original bill describe how the authors of the bill believe abortion pills are good for abused women who are being coerced into having an abortion.

VIII. For many people seeking abortion, access to medication abortion is not a preference, it is critical for their access to care, including but not limited to, survivors of rape or domestic abuse, for whom medication abortion may be the only way they can terminate a pregnancy without risking detection and further abuse.

The practice manager for Equality Health Center in Concord, Sarah Anderson, admitted last year that her abortion facility administers abortion pills to women who are being coerced into having an abortion.

We have had people choose medication because they have to prove pregnancy loss to a partner to keep themselves alive.

In 2022 an article in the Boston Globe described how a young teen girl was repeatedly raped by a New Hampshire government employee at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. When she became pregnant, she was taken to an abortion facility where she was administered abortion pills against her will, very likely at the Manchester Planned Parenthood.

Related: State Employee Rapes Girl and Sununu Wants to Help Cover up Future Cases

Learn more about forced abortions at theunchoice.com.

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Seeing your children beam with wide grins and bright eyes makes any gift instantly worthwhile. While the latest video games, smartphone gadgets, and fashion trends capture their attention temporarily, experience gifts create lifelong memories that bond your family, unlike short-lived material items.

Read on for top tips on selecting incredible kids’ experience days, guaranteeing genuine smiles, laughs, and maybe even some grateful hugs, making gifts that money can’t buy truly priceless.

Gift Shared Family Time

In today’s busy world, finding connected quality time together ranks as a top priority for happy families, though often elusive. Experience gifts facilitate treasured moments free from daily distractions truly engaging together, such as:

• Adventure Days – Ziplining, rock climbing courses, surfing lessons, kayaking tours or circus skills workshops place families in exciting settings cooperating trying new thrills.

• Escape Rooms – Mystery-layered themed puzzles require listening, communication, and teamwork for families to “escape” scenarios covering everything from bank heists to tropical islands within tight time limits.

• Volunteer Days – Jointly helping others doing good deeds at animal shelters, food banks, homeless assistance centers, children’s hospitals or conservation efforts bonds families in shared purposes bigger than themselves.

When reminiscing over life’s highlights, shared adventures trying new exploits, using minds collectively or helping others in need earn top billing over material gifts lost to childhood memory.

Lean Into Their Interests

The most effortless ways to delight kids focus on what already brings them joy. Experiences aligning with current crazes consuming their attention span hit bullseyes. Consider:

• Disney Gifts – Gift cards let kids direct their own magical VIP tours of theme or water parks picking favourite rides, character meals with beloved figures, princess makeovers and more.

• Superhero Training Camps – Let young Marvel and DC fans engage with gaming, cosplay trivia contests and mock stunt training emulating famous crime fighting moves from Black Widow strikes to Spiderman agility drills.

• YouTube/TikTok Workshops – Aspiring influencers learn filming techniques, editing software tricks, content brainstorming and promotion tactics from professionals at creative studios tailored for their demographic.

When kids steer experiences based on their unique personalities, confidence and interests, the sense of ownership, agency and validation elevates enjoyment even more.

Add Extra Surprises

Amp up anticipation and excitement going the extra mile embellishing gift reveals in delightfully unexpected ways. Ideas include:

• Festive Invites – Design creatively themed invitations slipped under pillows summoning them to mystery “missions”, wizard academies or elite training centers building suspense.

• Costumed Characters – Arranging visits from beloved fictional characters like Disney princesses, superheroes or storybook figures doubles delight bestowing gifts in magical character fun.

• Puzzle Pieces – Write trip details on individual jigsaw pieces requiring piecing clues together before the full picture and destination is finally revealed.

Making kids work detective-style unleashing experiential gifts or surprising them fancifully in costume show next-level thoughtfulness increasing gift impact.

While kids soon outgrow material gifts, lifelong positive imprints form from shared family adventures trying empowering new exploits together. You can visit WonderDays for more ideas on kids gift. Strengthen family bonds treating kids to extra special experience days uniquely tailored just for them!

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