Racism is part of every culture and always will be, to some extent, part of the human condition. The issue is how we react to it, no different than the sexes.

The first source for a definition of CRT that I found was Britannica, which says, “critical race theory (CRT), intellectual and social movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category.”

The logic fails right out of the gate. I hate to tell you this, but race, ethnicity, and sex are biologically grounded features of physically distinct subgroups of human beings. We have always been taught that humans are different but all the same on the inside. That is the way it has been taught and the way it should be taught.

According to two of the founders of the new CRT, Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, “Races are products of social thought and relations. Not objective, inherent, or fixed, they correspond to no biological or genetic reality … races are categories that society invents, manipulates, or retires when convenient.”

This also goes beyond logic. Discrimination goes far beyond just that. Short and tall people, fat and skinny people, and intelligent and less intelligent people all have discrimination issues. In many cases, unconscious bias does not kick in until someone speaks or stands up, or in the case of the handicapped, when they can’t stand up.

And there is another group discriminated against, the “Physically Disabled” versus the “Physically abled.” These differences are clear and obvious and cannot be ignored. As Humans with the condition of being aware of differences, we need to learn to be accustomed to the differences and just live with them without prejudice.

Today we have people trying to overcome true science to deny differences in sex. It is scientifically impossible to change a person’s sex. As for living life as One, I am not religious, but if Adam, the first human male, and Eve, the first human female, did not see the differences, the human race would have ended there.

The post Critical Race Theory: Flawed From the Start appeared first on Granite Grok.

We are slipping, folks. Most of us have been proud to live in the state with this distinctive motto. But, is that all it was meant to be…a motto? Let’s talk about this.

Last fall I noticed that convenience stores were scanning driver’s licenses for proof of age, whether you were obviously an octogenarian or not! Just the idea that anyone would want to look at my license to prove I am over 21 was, I thought, a good reason to always make a wise crack about it! For over a decade (maybe 2 or 3 decades…time is hard to gauge once you get just so old), I would be standing in line and seeing balding, very gray-haired men & women asking for their IDs at convenience chain stores. It appeared there was no sign of aging that would be enough proof that a body was of legal age, so ALL licenses must be viewed. Still, a corporation might have to look high and low for employees who could actually do the math when looking at the date of birth. (see how one problem – failure to educate – leads to another?)

Enter scanners. I just want to point out that there are much less expensive ways to enter the mm/dd/yy and have the age spit back. Suspicious Me believes the ability to collect data was a big selling point of these driver’s license scanning systems.

I have to allow that there could be a situation where the Department of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms or Liquor Commission inspectors might be hovering around these vendors, checking to see if IDs are being “thoroughly” checked. There is no doubt that safety and freedom are each a fraction of one whole. More safety means less freedom and vice-versa. Whether Ben Franklin said it or not, this quote is so true: “Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

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

At the time I saw this and became alarmed, I had no idea how fast these scanning systems were being implemented throughout our communities. But, I was alarmed and I did begin a process to stop the use of scanners. See articles describing my experience here and here.

Since those articles were published, quite a few people have contacted me with their personal experiences of driver’s license scanning. Please understand that I realize how busy everyone’s lives are with work and families, and I am not admonishing those who did what they had to do just to get through the day…but…our freedoms are under attack, and we must notice when it is occurring, or we are at high risk of losing freedom.

The 1st step when someone appears to be stepping on one or several of your US Constitutional Rights…walk away if that is an option. Step 2: Do some internet searching or ask a State Rep. if your rights have been violated. Step 3: Keep notes and documentation as much as possible. Step 4: Begin to realize and use your power as a citizen of NH. Step 5: Use our legal system to begin to insist your rights be restored.

Remember, I thought this was a small problem that would be easy to point out and have our system fix the issue. Hopefully, that is the case most of the time, but always remember the truth in knowing “where there is smoke, there is often fire.” We can retain our right to “Live Free or Die” only with enough eyes and ears to guard against the slippery slope.

The post Night Cap: Are we still the “Live Free or Die State”? appeared first on Granite Grok.