Recently, a Los Angeles resident defended himself against would-be home invaders. What happened after the attempted home invasion? The state rescinded his concealed carry permit. How does this make sense?

“Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? – Patrick Henry

The Second Amendment is a first-class right. “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  Our government fails to treat it as such; it infringes the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It treats our right to self-defense as a state-issued privilege.

The right to bear arms is recognized primarily as the way free citizens protect themselves against government tyranny. It is the safeguard of our liberties. More often in practice, it is the right of free citizens to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their property from evildoers. The Second Amendment is the right to self-defense.

We want to thank Marc Abear for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Editor@GraniteGrok.com.
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In the Los Angeles, California incident, resident Vince Ricci exercised his Second Amendment rights. As he returned from a workout, he was confronted by two armed men outside his house. Fortunately for Ricci, he had a concealed carry weapon (CCW) permit and was carrying.

Ricci quickly turned the tables on the two attackers. He pulled his weapon and fired, sending the two fleeing. No one was hurt in the incident, but Ricci was incensed by the situation. He voiced some of his frustration by yelling at LA Police officers who came to investigate.

Robberies were a growing problem in the Ricci’s gated community. His home was broken into months prior. During that home invasion, his five-month-old child, wife, and nanny were in his house. His frustration over the LAPD’s obvious lack of effective action to address crime is understandable.

Fortunately for Ricci, the entire attack and firefight was filmed on his home security camera. The footage left no question he had responded appropriately. He was well within the bounds of the law in defending himself and his family.

If it had not been caught on camera, would Ricci have found himself in legal hot water with LA’s leftist District Attorney George Gascon? Today, proving our innocence is mandatory. How wrong is that?

Despite the video proof that Ricci properly used his Second Amendment rights, despite demonstrating the CCW permit he had spent months seeking to obtain was fully justified, Ricci was notified by the LAPD that his CCW permit had been “temporarily” rescinded.

Ricci believes the LAPD revoked his permit because he yelled at them when it took three days for officers to respond. Three days to initiate an investigation of the attempted assault and burglary. He accused them of sloppy policing for failing even to pick up shell casings at the scene.

The LA County Sheriff’s Department response was,  “We recognize that this incident was extremely traumatic and startling for the Ricci family, and we hope the individuals responsible for this crime are arrested and held accountable… The CCW permit may be immediately reinstated as long as the permit holder has also followed all required CCW policies (i.e. proper notifications, use of properly documented weapon, etc.). The DOJ has been notified, and there are avenues for Mr. Ricci to re-apply for his permit. We have been in contact with the Ricci family and have been providing information to them about CCW protocols and guidelines in an effort to ensure their Second Amendment rights are protected.”

This is an example of California law enforcement viewing Ricci’s Second Amendment rights as a privilege, not a right. California makes it extremely difficult for residents to obtain CCW permits. Apparently, when a resident actually needs to use his permit in a clear and unequivocal example of justified self-defense, the state quickly and needlessly rescinds the permit and restarts the hoop-jumping process.

There may yet be some undisclosed information providing a justifiable rationale to rescind Ricci’s CCW permit, but nothing caught on his security camera, nor any other reported information justifies the state’s actions.

 

The post The Second Amendment – Natural Right or State Issued Privilege? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Since October 7, when Hamas breached the Israeli perimeter wall, slaughtered over 1,200 innocent Israelis, and took 250 hostages, there have been 70 attacks on American installations in the Middle East.

Iranian satellite operators in Lebanon and Syria have carried out these attacks. There have been American casualties, but by the Grace of God, no casualties. Though the American military has incredibly mighty assets on the seas of the Middle East, we have seen little in the form of retaliation for these attacks. Why are we putting our carrier fleets and submarines in harm’s way if not to support our treasured troops and allies? Maybe Joe, Kirby, or KJP can answer that question.

We have had some minor attacks on Syrian or Lebanese infrastructure but nothing against the source of the missiles that have hit our bases. We are losing our image as the most powerful military machine on the planet and are now considered a Woke Administration that is afraid to use our assets. Maybe this is why recruitment numbers are at an all-time low. Who would want to volunteer to serve in some of the most volatile regions in the world, knowing that nobody has your back? This is not our parents’ armed services but a weak, hollowed-out version.

Our Commander in Chief, another reason recruitment is down is vacationing on Nantucket Island. He and the First Lady stepped out today for lunch and spoke to the press for the first time in days. He had little to offer when asked why none of the American hostages were released today or whether he was pressuring Netanyahu to extend the cease-fire. Let’s face it. He has little to say because he is not calling the shots. All he is doing is looking and reacting to the polls and the extreme pressure from the Radical Left wing of the Party. Joe Biden is not in charge, and those who need him reelected maintain their grip on the direction of our country’s continued demise. Those who can see through the smoke and mirrors are unnerved by what we see.

The Biden Administration has no problem injecting themselves into the battles of other countries, i.e., Ukraine and Israel. Yet, we fail to show strength to support our own country, assets, or sovereignty. Our military machine is still reeling from the Afghanistan debacle, and we must remember that Biden advised against the Bin Laden raid. We are showing no effort to secure our Border, and now we appear to take a passive role in securing American hostages held by Hamas. Biden sent every possible team member, including Pete Buttigieg and Randi Weingarten, to Ukraine and many to Israel. Under Biden, we talk a good game, but the world knows we are unprepared to back our talk. Under Reagan and Trump, we showed strength and a willingness to use our power to defend ourselves and our allies. We enjoyed peace under these Administrations. Under Obama and Biden, we have seen the opposite. We need to look no further than Russia, China, NOKO, and Iran to see our foes take advantage of our Paper Tiger, Joe Biden. We don’t know what it will take to push Biden to act, but obviously, 70 is not it.

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If you find yourself confronted with a headline, comment, or climate cultist claiming that the fall of 2023 was the warmest autumn on record, well – we are here to help. Not only was it not, and you knew that was coming, but there were 11 years since 1895 with equal or hotter autumn temperatures.

So, it can’t be global warming.

 

 

The warmest “autumn” was sixty years ago, in 1963. The general trend since then has been one of decline.

Keep that nugget handy. You never know when one of those climate goons is going to leap out of the internet and ape the latest climate lie.

 

 

HT | Tony Heller

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It is truly an injustice that Johns Hopkins Medicine responded to the anti-Semitic, terror-linked, and Hamas-linked Council On American Islamic Relations by taking such action against an esteemed physician.

Tens of millions of Americans strongly believe in the statements expressed by Dr. Darren Klugman regarding the Hamas-led Palestinians. Millions of people have exercised their First Amendment Rights since October 7, 2023, by expressing similar sentiments.

CAIR has a long history of links to terrorists and Hamas. Nihad Awad, CAIR Executive Director, said, “I am in support of the Hamas” movement. In 2007, the United States Department of Justice named CAIR as “unindicted co-conspirators and/or joint venturers” in a criminal conspiracy to financially support Hamas in the United States vs Holy Land Foundation. FBI severed ties with CAIR in 2009 because of the organization’s links to Hamas. CAIR chapters demonstrated in the streets across America in 2014 to show their support for Hamas, even declaring, “We are Hamas.” The United Arab Emirates’ ministerial cabinet listed the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as one of 83 banned terrorist organizations on November 15, 2014. Numerous Council on American Islamic Relations officials have been sentenced to prison and/or deported for supporting terrorism.

The horror that Hamas imposed on thousands of unsuspecting Israelis on October 7, 2023, opened the eyes and hearts of many people to see the unacceptable dangers of tolerating anti-Semitism.

Please don’t give more power to anti-Semitism in America by siding with the malcontent, anti-Semitic, terror-linked, and Hamas-linked CAIR.
Please restore Dr. Darren Klugman to his rightful position and status at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Sincerely,

Amil Imani

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Democrats would never allow just anyone to have access to firearms under the pretense that those inclined to commit suicide would instead ask for help. Nor would they presume that the manic or psychotic would call a helpline instead of shooting up the nearest gun-free zone. But when it comes to drugs?

In 2021, Oregon passed measure 110, with the publicly stated objective that removing the stigma of drugs like heroin and fentanyl would encourage users to seek treatment. By making them legal, users would feel unburdened by any negative connotations about addictions and get clean.

At least, that’s how they sold it. And the voters in Oregon bought it until they didn’t.

As expected, things quickly went sideways. In the first year, overdose deaths rose 200 percent. The character of the homeless population promptly evolved from “older drunks” to the “young and belligerent.” Human nature had, once again, taken progressive policy to the mat and beaten its scrawny little ass.

As I observed back in 2022, when news of the overdose death numbers hit the streets,

 

The obvious question is, who, if anyone, thought this would go some other way? And was that even the intention? The political left is obsessed with unraveling society like a ball of string. Their utopia is impossible until they’ve wrecked everything. Add to that their not-so-recent obsession with eugenics, social engineering, depopulation dogma, and a 216% rise in drug overdose deaths, says a feature, not a bug.

 

If it comes from the party of death, death follows, but there are those among them – useful idiots perhaps – who imagined a different outcome.

 

Under Measure 110, addicts are given “tickets” for drug offenses that result in $100 fines, The Telegraph reported. However, the penalty would be waived if the addict rang a self-help line and sought treatment.

Around 6,000 people were ticketed in Oregon, but fewer than 125 rang the self-help line, Eugene’s Police Chief, Chris Skinner, told The Telegraph.

“We don’t have even really one successful example of somebody that went from a citation issued on the street to self-assessment to addiction services to a place of wellness,” Skinner told the Eugene City Council.

Skinner warned that Oregon was “on pace to shatter the record for overdose calls for service and shatter the record for overdose deaths. Police officers and firefighters are administering Narcan, life-saving Narcan at an alarming rate,” according to The Telegraph.

 

Any guess as to whether the makers of NARCAN lobbied in favor of Measure 110? I didn’t look, but it feels right. I’ll also remind you that in 2023, Oregon expanded medically assisted suicide for every one from anywhere: drug tourism and Death tourism.

Given the predictable transition in other places that adopted state-sponsored death and empathy, mission creep is inevitable. It starts with the chorus of “Feelings” for the terminally ill with chronic pain, then makes a Swftian leap to include the poor, the homeless, mental health patients, addicts, and even the autistic. Killing people becomes not just a plank in the Democrat party platform but a public good.

Everyone becomes a fetus. A lump of cells in the women of society without which it might be a better place. Government counselors are standing by to help you with the consent forms.

I’ve always thought that Measure 110 was meant to break off another corner of the culture. Create dependents. End lives. And if I’m right, it has been a resounding success, wherein the problem lies. While most Oregonians supported Measure 110 before it passed, a majority want it repealed. But so much damage has already been done, and Oregon is not just one more Narcan vending machine away from “recovery.” Oregon broke the fourth wall, and other states with party-of-death majorities will want to be cool like them.

Besides, who cares what the voters think? They don’t know what’s good for the government.

Blue States, not Oregon, will consider the program. If they can normalize the culture around drug use, it will be easier for users to seek the help they need. And why not? They’ll convince themselves that this time, in that state, it will work, which (again) depends on what you mean by “work.”

If the goal is to create dependency and ruin once-productive people, families, and lives, then this might be the thing you’re looking for, but it’s not going to reduce drug abuse. Even Oregon can see that.

 

The post Two Years Later: Oregon Legalized Hard Drugs and It Went About as Well as You’d Expect appeared first on Granite Grok.

Liberals keep excusing Hamas terrorism, so what’s new about that? Leftist professors at all but a few of our universities keep the anti-Semitic hate flowing into the minds of half-educated and gullible kids while politicians looking for votes send millions $$$$ in aid to the wrong side and have been doing it for decades.

Mainstream media joins right in the hate fest promoting the “River to the sea, Palestine will be free” nonsense.

In case anyone didn’t know Palestine is a region, not a country, look it up, and it is free. But that catchy phrase sounds good to the aforementioned gullible who believe the Islamic terrorists whose intent is to kill every Jew in Israel and wipe that democracy off the map. After that, all the rest of the world’s Jews, again look it up, read the Koran.

Just in case, it’s worth mentioning that the Palestinian Authority uses those many millions $$$$ of humanitarian aid first to buy more guns and bombs and then to give lifetime pensions to the families of terrorists who successfully kill Israeli Jews. Not only does the power of that religion promise rewards in heaven, but they get earthly rewards, too; what a deal!

But trying to convince any liberal of these facts is an exercise in futility. They believe they know everything they need to know and will tell you, so then walk off in a huff. I would like to present the following reasoning for consideration. If a person finds the KKK racist and despicable because they promoted hatred, terrorism, and murder of blacks, how can someone then excuse Islamism’s promotion of hatred, terrorism, and murder of Jews? If they condemn the one, must they not condemn the other?

The post If They Condemn the One, Must They Not Condemn the Other? appeared first on Granite Grok.

What do you get when twenty illegal aliens cross the border into Maine? You get arrested, but short of that result, there’s no punchline to the joke that is Joe Biden’s America and whatever passes for border security. Or did I mean border insecurity?

Biden’s Border Insecurity Complex.

We’ve got people from all over sneaking in while unwashed millions walk in to distract the individuals tasked with identifying and processing them. Or is Border Industrial Complex a better turn of phrase? It’s all very deliberate. Cloward-Piven. Overload the system (ask Mayor Eric Adams or closer to home – Boston’s Michelle Wu). Beant Town took a page from The Windy City and started storing the extras at the airport. Since they are there, maybe put them on the next plane to wherever they came from.

Just a thought.

In the case of the ‘Canadian’ Gypsies from Romania Eh, what happened to Canada? It was going to do a better job of not letting foreigners leak into the lower forty-eight? I seem to recall someone suggesting that South Americans, Africans, Arabs, and now Romanians traveling to Canada to enter the United States is so deliberate that you’d have to be in on it to allow it to happen.

I said that. And since I can’t get into Canada without paperwork, how are they getting there without Dudly Dooright noticing before they had to “acquire” four vehicles?

 

Border patrol agents in Maine say they discovered 20 Romanian nationals illegally trying to enter into the country in far northern Maine Tuesday morning.

They say among them were at least two on a watch list linked to organized crime.

Four vehicles were seen illegally crossing the Canadian border into the U.S. near the Houlton sector in Aroostook County.

Border Patrol pulled over the vehicles in Hodgdon, and all 20 people were taken to the Fort Fairfield station for processing.

 

Four UBERs?

So, what’s the plan? We fly to Canada, buy four cars, and drive into Maine.

Does anyone else think there might be a handful or more of illegals who also entered not far from there on foot that have not yet been apprehended?

 

 

HT | WGME

 

The post Nigt Cap: Twenty Romanians in Four Vehicles “Sneak” Into the US from Canada appeared first on Granite Grok.

Have you checked to see if your local public school taught the students about Thanksgiving? Did they learn about the first Thanksgiving?  Did they learn what happened on the first Thanksgiving? Public schools were closed to celebrate Thanksgiving. Shouldn’t students learn about the first Thanksgiving?

According to NPS.gov (National Park Service) :

On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and 800 Spanish settlers founded the city of St. Augustine in Spanish La Florida. As soon as they were ashore, the landing party celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving. Afterward, Menéndez laid out a meal to which he invited as guests the native Seloy tribe who occupied the site. The celebrant of the Mass was St. Augustine’s first pastor, Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, and the feast day in the church calendar was that of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What exactly the Seloy natives thought of those strange liturgical proceedings we do not know, except that, in his personal chronicle, Father Lopez wrote that “the Indians imitated all they saw done.”

What was the meal that followed? From our knowledge of what the Spaniards had on board their five ships, we can surmise that it was cocido, a stew made from salted pork and garbanzo beans, laced with garlic seasoning, and accompanied by hard sea biscuits and red wine. If the Seloy contributed to the meal from their own food stores, then the menu could have included turkey, venison, gopher tortoise, mullet, drum, sea catfish, maize (corn), beans, and squash.

This was the first community act of religion and thanksgiving in the first permanent European settlement in North America. It took place just 300 yards north of the Castillo de San Marcos, at what is now the Mission of Nombre de Dios. This event is commemorated today by a 250 foot cross which stands on the original landing site.

Today’s Holiday
The thanksgiving at St. Augustine was celebrated 56 years before the Puritan Pilgrim thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation (Massachusetts), but it did not become the origin of a national annual tradition. During the 18th century, British forces won out over those of Spain and France for mastery over the continent. Thus, British observances, such as the annual reenactment of the Pilgrims’ harvest festival in 1621, became a national practice. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole nation to celebrate. George Washington suggested the date November 26.

In 1863, during the bitter struggle of America’s Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln established the last Thursday in November as a National Day of Thanksgiving, making it truly a national holiday. The President urged prayers in churches and in homes calling on the “whole American people” wherever they lived to unite “with one heart and one voice” in observing a special day of thanksgiving, and to “implore the interposition of the almighty to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it…to full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union.”

Check to see if your local school is teaching children authentic history. If not, take this information to the school board and ask them to make sure that the students are learning factual information about the first Thanksgiving.

The post Did Your Kids Learn About the First Thanksgiving in School? appeared first on Granite Grok.

No word yet on how the State has taken the news, but the town of Holton, Michigan, has declared itself a Second Amendment Sanctuary and authorizes a voluntary citizen militia to protect and defend that right and that of its citizens.

 

Similar to Livingston County, which last April passed a resolution naming it what’s been dubbed a Second Amendment Sanctuary, Holton’s resolution declares the township will not enforce red-flag laws restricting gun and ammunition possession.

 

From the Muskegon County Republican Party on Facebook. (Related: A State That Exists Because of a Militia Just Banned Them.)

Holton Township just passed a Second Amendment Resolution with an addendum for a militia.

RESOLUTION DECLARING HOLTON TOWNSHIP MICHIGAN A SECOND AMENDMENT SANCTUARY WHEREAS, the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of our nation; and WHEREAS, the Second Amendment to the Constitution states, “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”; and WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court has affirmed that the right of an individual to “keep and bear arms,” as protected under the Second Amendment, is incorporated by the Due Process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment against the states; and WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court has affirmed in the District of Columbia vs. Heller 554 U.S. 570 (2008) an individual’s right to possess firearms, unconnected with service in a militia, for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home; and WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court in United States vs. Miller (1939) and District of Columbia vs. Heller (2008) stated that firearms that are part of ordinary military equipment with use that could contribute to the common defense are protected by the Second Amendment; and WHEREAS, the Holton Township Board are concerned about the passages of any bill containing language which could be interpreted as infringing the rights of the citizens of Holton Township to keep and bear arms; and WHEREAS, the Holton Township Board declares and confirms its support of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Article 1, section 6 of the Michigan Constitution; and WHEREAS, the Holton Township Board declares and confirms express opposition to any law that would unconstitutionally restrict the rights of the citizens of Holton Township to keep and bear arms; and WHEREAS, the Holton Township Board took an oath to support and defend the United States and Michigan Constitutions; and WHEREAS, the Holton Township Board declares and confirms to express its intent to stand as a Sanctuary Township for Second Amendment rights, and to oppose, within the limits of the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth of Michigan, any efforts to unconstitutionally restrict such rights. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED THAT, the people of Holton Township, through their duly elected members of the Holton Township Board, hereby designate Holton Township as a Second Amendment Sanctuary in order to preserve for the people of, on and in Holton Township, the inalienable rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America; furthermore That the Holton Township Board hereby expresses their intent to uphold the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of Holton Township, Michigan; furthermore That the Holton Township Board hereby declares its intent to oppose any infringement on the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. We, the people of Holton Township, Michigan through this resolution, hereby declare our inalienable rights, our freedom and our Liberty as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America. “AYES”: Supervisor Alan Jager, Trustee Tammy Jager, Trustee Chris Thompsen, and Clerk Malinda Pego. Absent: Treasurer William Halbower RESOLUTION DELCARED ADOPTED. Malinda Pego, Holton Township Clerk I hereby certify that the foregoing constitutes a true and complete copy of a resolution adopted by the township board of Holton Township, Muskegon County, Michigan, at a regular meeting held on November 14, 2023. HOLTON TOWNSHIP MILITIA PUBLIC SECURITY ACT (Addendum to the Resolution Declaring Holton Township Michigan a Second Amendment Sanctuary) Township of Holton, County of Muskegon, State of Michigan hereby resolves to adopt policies necessary for the security and rights of Holton Township residents. 1.0 All legal residents with primary residency within the Township of Holton have the opportunity to be a member of the Holton Township Militia by stating on open media or to friends and or family or by letter stating their desire to be a member of the Holton Township Militia unless otherwise noted below: 1.1 Any resident under the age of 18 1.2 Any resident that cannot pass a Federal firearms background check 1.3 Any resident whom doesn’t desire to be in the Holton Township Militia 2.0 From this date forward, thereafter, all items listed below are protected from any Federal, Executive, County, or State regulations for the protection of Holton Township residents. 2.1 All firearms in which the stock hits the shoulder that are legal by federal law as of 3/27/2021. This includes all semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. 2.2 All pistols or handguns that are legal by Federal law as of 3/27/2021. This includes all semi-automatic handguns or pistols. 2.3 All ammunition that is legal under Federal law as of 3/27/2021. This includes any current Caliber. This includes any ammunition and quantity of ammunition that is intended for self-defense and or hunting. This also protects the rights for the people to reload their own ammunition. 2.4 All accessories that are legal by Federal law as of 3/27/2021. This includes stocks, grips, optics, magazines, clips, and suppressors. 2.5 Any body armor that is legal under Federal law as of 3/27/2021. 3.0 Holton Township will not acknowledge any new laws that are associated with red flag laws, or any other infringement of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Holton Township will not acknowledge any new regulation that prohibits open carry or concealed carry. 4.0 This policy does not give any member the right to take violence into their own hands or act “above the law” in any way. This shall be recorded as the Addendum to the Resolution Declaring Holton Township Michigan a Second Amendment Sanctuary to stop any infringement of our Second Amendment rights as defined in the Bill of Rights, in the United States Constitution as adopted by the Holton Township Board on this 14th day of November 2023.

 

Note: some browsers will block this embedded resolution. Unblock it or follow this link to view it.

 

 

The post Wecome to Militiagan! appeared first on Granite Grok.

People from the U.S., Israel, Qatar, and Hamas negotiated the supposed hostage swap between Hamas and Israel. The agreement’s published terms indicate Hamas is in control of the situation, which makes no sense.

Hamas started this conflict with the invasion of Israel on October 7, which Israeli authorities say killed 1,200 people and kidnapped about 240. That may have been the last stage controlled by Hamas, and since that day, Israel has been destroying the Hamas-occupied area of Gaza.

The information from Gaza, and specifically Hamas, has been sketchy from the start, including the actual number of hostages, proof of life, or the conditions they are held in. Hamas dares to insist these are not hostages, but guests. Part of this deal includes a four-day ceasefire that favors Hamas. The break in action allows Hamas to regroup, move their troops, and rearm.

Hamas will release 50 women and children, while the Israelis will, in turn, send 150 male prisoners to Gaza. That is a 3 for 1 swap, and nobody is talking about cash, but you know Hamas will be getting money from the United States. We do not know if any of the first 50 “guests” will be Americans. This is a horrendous deal, but should we expect anything different with Biden’s people involved in the negotiations? We know Biden has been pushing for the ceasefire against Netanyahu’s wishes. Biden satisfies the Radical Left with the break.

Hamas will still hold 150 hostages after this weekend’s swap. They have the bargaining chips to control the future of this conflict. It is imperative for Israel and America to recover our people held by Hamas because we have respect for people and life. Hamas has no such feelings as was evident when they beheaded children and burned the elderly alive. These are not people but savages. You cannot, and should not, negotiate with savages.

The longer this battle goes, the more it will stress the relationship between Netanyahu and Biden. The war and Israel are becoming critical political liabilities for Biden. His poll numbers, which were already dismal, are dropping, especially in the crucial 18-40 age group. Biden had already lost his grip on Blacks, Browns, and even female voters, but he had to hold onto the youth vote, or his re-election was doomed.

Young voters are backing Hamas and “Palestine,” which does not exist, and he is going to have to soften his support of Israel for the sake of any political future he sees. This is the problem with wars involving America and why we have not won a conflict since World War II. American politicians cannot allow the military to do their job and reach their objective. Netanyahu has been clear from the October invasion that Israel will obliterate Hamas. Biden may do all he can to prohibit that Israeli mission.

We can only hope this weekend’s transfer goes without incident, but then we have to wait for Hamas to dictate the fate of the remaining 200, and if they are facing their total demise at the hands of Israel, those remaining hostages may never see freedom.

 

The post Hostage Swap Another Bad Deal appeared first on Granite Grok.

Israeli-owned Elbit Systems is a defense contractor that has a facility in my hometown of Merrimack. Elbit has been the target of pro-Palestinian activists, and this week, they targeted the facility in my town, which earned objections across the political spectrum.

Local Democrats and Republicans denounced the activism with more or less canned unanimity, but US House Rep. Chris Pappas tripped over his own feet.

 

“Peaceful protest and political expression are hallmarks of our civil discourse. Vandalism and violent acts are crimes to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Pappas said.”

 

I think Mr. Pappas has some explaining to do.

As a rank-and-file rubber-stamp ‘House’ Democrat, Congressman Pappas can be relied upon to toe the party line. This poses problems. The BLM protests in 2020 were not all peaceful. Most of them were not. Pappas never explicitly endorsed that behavior, but he was quick to ape the approved narrative of mostly peaceful protests. He was repeating verbatim the approved talking points, blaming third parties for the violence, and ignoring the acts of insurrection against public and federal buildings (or at least giving them the same theoretical treatment). He even repeated this gem.

 

” I’ve been deeply concerned with some of the scenes we’ve witnessed across the country where peaceful protests have been disrupted with tools like tear gas. You know, concerned about what we saw happen in front of the White House, where a peaceful crowd of protesters was cleared out for a photo op for the president of the United States. So we’ve got to make sure whatever we do moving forward, that we are living up to our constitutional ideals, including the right for peaceful assembly. And it’s important that we hear these protesters and make sure that they can safely communicate their message and not be disrupted.”

 

The protest he mentioned outside the White House was anything but peaceful, which was why it had to be cleared, and it wasn’t a photo-op (unless you mean the tear gas for the machine press). I also doubt he’s ever read any opinion that would contradict his own. No proper “House” Democrat would. So, while his recent remarks continue a trend of pro-Israel rhetoric to cover early missteps, he should be careful when it comes to using the words peaceful and protest – or acts, crimes, and prosecuted.

His party has a long and messy history of political violence, supported by members high ranked and low, that he has not made time to denounce or who have not been charged or prosecuted for “Vandalism and violent acts… to the fullest extent of the law.

 

The post The Chris Pappas Peaceful Protest Problem appeared first on Granite Grok.

To all those who are sending in memes, thank you!  Keep them coming please, as it helps me gather weaponry to fight the Left.  Please do share this post, and if you share an individual meme, consider mentioning you saw it on the Grok!

Speaking of, from this week, Monday Edition and Wednesday Edition.  Also check out my latest Israel-focused meme & commentary post if this is a subject of interest to you.

 

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

 

And hoping you and yours had a magnificent Thanksgiving!

 

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

 

 

 

Please understand that I’m not advocating violence, nor am I suggesting any particular course of action.  But understand something with crystal clarity: the Globalists are relentlessly advancing, advancing like a lava flow advances slowly but relentlessly consuming everything in its path.  Jab mandates.  CBDC.  Vaxports.  Digital ID.  CO2 credits and allowances on credit cards.  Bugs in food.  On and on the list goes.  And what do we do?  We write letters and hold protests and vote… and with rare exceptions, what happens?  At best they retreat temporarily, or we score a win like just happened in the Netherlands.  But then the flow advances again.  Like Trump, or the new Argentinian President, Geert Wilders will face massive pushback from the entrenched powers to hamper any actual changes… up until they take him out one way or another.

So while I do pray that this is the start of something – a peaceful revolution – I hold only a fool’s hope that Spicy Time can be avoided.  So I opine – in an abstract way of course – that were a few Globalists to get “very visibly messily culled” as they seek to cull us, they might have less enthusiasm for the project?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, sadly they are.  They “trust the science”.  They believe their pediatricians.  They obey whatever they are told to obey.  And the side effects?  That just means the shots are working.

 

 

We all know why…

 

 

 

 

Sic vis pacem, para bellum.  The Romans understood.  This is not just a national imperative, but a personal one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the questions I ask pro-abortion people: “When your mother told your father she was pregnant, did she say ‘I have a clump of cells’ or ‘We’re gonna have a baby'”?

 

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

 

PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA

 

The Covid virus was deliberately developed over years and even decades, for the precise purpose of then having The Jab to inject and cull the population.

 

Transparently Hiding…Again

 

 

For reference, all my Covid / Jab related cartoons are here.

CARTOON: We Trusted the Science – Granite Grok

And my latest essay on depopulation, with links to the earlier ones:

Depopulation Speculations

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boy is the Left pissed at this guy’s victory.

 

 

 

 

Said this for a couple of years now.  And I know more than a few who would, if told to do so by “the authorities”, cheerfully pack their bags and get into the cattle cars.

 

 

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

 

Pick of the Post:

 

 

Even Islam is a head.  And, really, a second one:

 

 

Politics, not justice.  They don’t want riots again.  Saint Floyd of Fentanyl was a dead man walking.  The autopsy showed that there were no life-threatening injuries and that he had a LETHAL level of fentanyl in his system.  He would have collapsed and died soon regardless.  And so a man who did NOT murder Floyd will rot in jail so the SCOTUS *cough cough* “justices” don’t have to deal with the repercussions.

 

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

 

Palate Cleansers:

 

—

—

 

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

 

And don’t forget… come back Monday for another edition.  Same Meme Time.  Same Meme channel.

Please do consider buying me a coffee.

Buy Me a Coffee

I need 200,000 in total.  So far, 11 down…

 

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

 

The post Friday Meme Overflow-Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.

I like to sneer and make snide comments when commercials for Electric Vehicles interrupt whatever I happen to be streaming. My wife has learned to ignore them, and I am trying to keep those opinions to myself, but recently, within the past few weeks, I’ve had no need.

There has been no shortage of commercials or ads for cars and trucks. Christmas is coming, and they pepper the breaks more frequently than Pharma or food ads (only barely). But not one of them has been for Electric Vehicles. This is very odd.

In the recent past, it was unlikely for a spate of ads to pass without someone pimping an EV, typically doing things EVs can’t do, like traveling long distances, climbing rocky slopes with a trailer or something heavy in tow. It would be more realistic if they showed drivers looking for a charging station, stranded, or watching from a distance as their car ignited a parking garage full of other people’s cars and trucks.

The past few weeks? Nothing. Zilch. Naught, nix, nil, nada!  No hay coches eléctricos. Not a one. And they aren’t appearing while I sneak off “during the break” to relieve myself or grab a snack. I ask.

My ad experience has been stripped of Electric Vehicle ads, and that’s something I couldn’t help but notice, given recent news. Car companies are losing billions, and EV start-ups can’t find investors or are collapsing. Actual vehicle costs have somehow broken the veil of media silence to penetrate the collective consciousness of our nation, or at least car makers and their advertising agencies. And that might be why some states – by which I mean the political people running them into the ground – are announcing combustion engine bans by [insert meaninglessly random year here].

EV sales are not great, and the cost of the vehicle, despite tax-backed bailouts, is prohibitive. It is, as we’ve noted often, the laundering of money so the rich, and almost rich, can virtue signal. A nice EV in the driveway that no one uses with a bumper sticker on it that says my other “car’ is a Hummer. But it is also the realization that regardless of the drop-dead date for the clownish all-electric vehicle fantasy future, there is no amount of time, money, or resources available to support it.

Oh, and the economy sucks. Inflation, despite the same media hiding it in the basement like a red-headed stepchild, is too real on a day-to-day basis. You can’t not see what everything costs when you shop, especially groceries. Some pet foods have risen nearly 50% in price, and that burden carries across the spectrum from personal care products to furniture to raw materials to energy to motor fuels.

Getting by under Biden is a financial burden you can’t hide behind a perky press secretary. But the black Marxist heart wants what it wants, so automakers, with a lot of help from consumers, will need to find a way to push back. Might I suggest not backing mind-bogglingly daft left-wing lunatics for public office as an excellent place to begin?

 

The post Is It Just Me, Or Are There Fewer EV Car Commercials Airing? appeared first on Granite Grok.

The gang at NBC and Macy’s visited us again this year with their latest iteration of a holiday tradition – the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  The tradition of Thanksgiving is one celebrated in many places around the world.

Originally meant as a reminder to be thankful for the many blessings bestowed by the Almighty, it has, like some of the performers, mutated over the years on the streets of New York. Gone are the innocent floats, once simple animals draped in gilded capes hoping to attract holiday shoppers, now replaced by balloons inflated more than Americans and their economy.  However, they made up for it with Big Pharma commercials hoping to attract the lame and afflicted, you know, just like Jesus did.

Thanksgiving morning just isn’t the same for Mrs. Bananas unless she can start it by watching the Macy’s parade. It serves as a pre-game for the long day ahead in the kitchen because what can get you more amped to feast than a bunch of fat-ass floats being anchored to the concrete by a bunch of fatties?  Fat shaming, you say?  Dear Lord of the Flies, no! Thanksgiving is a celebration of girth people, and I’m here for it.

Our hosts were the usual suspects from NBC, Homa Kotb, Al Roker 2.0 (petit et maigre), and Savanna Guthrie, who dressed appropriately for the opening number, a Demi Lovato song about BDSM.  Savanna’s black leather mini-skirt and studded leather gloves were no doubt all the rage with the ladies on the Mayflower, and the crowd of parents and children went wild for it – slay girls!

Our next highly rehearsed moment of spontaneity had little Big Al standing perfectly aside the front of a cathedral with the Pride-Swastika flag hung with care in hopes that diversity soon would be there. By golly, as luck would have it, the former Vice President Joe Biden himself and his second wife Jill must have just gotten up from another long winter’s nap to join the festivities!  Gropey Joe’s potentially pre-recorded comments were dern-near perfect for the holiday – let’s be thankful for all of our blessings. You know, like the fact we aren’t all unemployed and could get a short-term loan to pay for dinner, and for the military we just sent overseas to fight another foreign war, and let’s not forget the first responders we need to defund so the terrorists we let cross our southern border can get some equity man!  God save the, you know, the thing.

(Banana’s Media is happy to report no children’s hair or bodily autonomy were molested during the course of his comments.)

Of course, a massive production like this doesn’t just happen without some advertiser money which is why Lady Gaga appeared on screen ready to hock some migraine meds for our friends at Pfizer.  Loosely paraphrasing it went something like this:

“Being the queen of the freaks isn’t easy, and pounding away on a demonic piano in a skin-tight leather-o-tard night after night can take a toll, especially when the demons are real.  Which is why I take Nurtec ODT for my debilitating migraines. Side effects may include nausea, diarrhea, eye bleeding, vomiting, ruptured ear drums, loss of identity, anti-semitism and Islamophobia. Ask your doctor or exorcist if Nurtec is right for you.

I dare you to find me one person who isn’t thankful for Lady Gaga and Pfizer.  Just one.

After the break, we’re brought back to see the gigantic balloon floats being carried by Lilliputians when pangs of concern shot across my body seeing the Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s hand and the giraffe’s prodigious head and neck both dangerously deflated.  However we were reassured there was nothing to worry about since both of them earlier that morning were given the parade vaccine.  Whew!

Thankfully, someone had the good sense to invite the dancing band from Historical Black College Alabama A & M University to remind us what talent matched with thankfulness actually looks like. With moves and choreography slicker than Gavin Newsom’s hair, these youngsters brought the party to the people, including the white folks who looked to be still waiting for Santa to bring them some rhythm, but who cares because that’s why God gave us the Cher!

What is she still doing in the States, you ask?  I wondered, too, because I thought she vowed to leave if Donald Trump became president.  Looking at the most recent polls, I hope her tickets aren’t expired, but looking at her dance, something tells me her eighty-year-old hips and knees are. That didn’t stop her from belting out her new hit “DJ Play A Christmas Song (I Wanna Dance All Night).”  Of course you do, honey.

It wouldn’t be a Macy’s Day parade without the Rockettes, and this year’s edition of leg swingers was unusually masculine. I noted to Mrs. Bananas, who couldn’t see the five o’clock shadow for the tree trunks swinging to a fro. I’d bet my ripe banana they were sporting more packages than Santa, but the cameraman cautiously pulled out to a wide-angle shot, making my claim seem as spurious as their femininity. Touché media masters.

The grand finale featured the famous gift-toting Ice Man on his sleigh who looks to have cometh down with a serious case of diversity fever as I don’t recall the lovely Mrs. Claus sporting an arctic tan quite so chocolaty.  However, when your food groups are candy, candy cane, candy corn, and maple syrup, who’s to say what kind of skin tone you’ll end up with?  Not this guy.

We can all be thankful our friends at Big Pharma have a drug for that, too.

 

The post Banana’s: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Review appeared first on Granite Grok.

I thought this needed to be sent to show how they are influencing our kids with this Woke garbage. This is just one example of thousands, and not many people have the time to do the deep dive.

Read how the definition changes (gets worse for white people) through the years from other publications or drafts by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

60% of all states rely on this group to develop or create standards for early childhood education and Head Start is also involved.

1989 – “[Definition of] Whites: All the different national groups of European origin who as a group are disproportionately represented in the control of the economic, political, and cultural institutions of the United States.”

2010 – “[Definition of] Whites: A socially created ‘racial’ group who historically and currently receive the benefits of racism in the United States. The category includes all the different ethnic groups of European origin, regardless of differences in their histories, ethnicities, or cultures.”

2018 Draft – “Deeply embedded biases maintain systems of privilege that grant greater access and power to people who are white, male, hetero, English speaking, thin, and/or middle-to-upper income.

The post The Definition of “White people” From the National Association for the Education of Young Children … appeared first on Granite Grok.

In recent years, Miami has become an epicenter for professionals looking for well-paying job opportunities, especially for those who speak Spanish, because Miami offers the possibility of that long-awaited American dream but being more familiar to those who mainly live in the place.

The best thing is that even those people who do not have a degree have the possibility of finding jobs with excellent pay quickly in Miami, and we can see some examples of this statement in: https://jobszone.info/empleos-en-miami -in-the-mine-with-extraordinary-salaries-without-degrees/

In any case, it is always good to know the best-paying jobs in Miami that cover various areas, from medicine to technology and gastronomy, and that, of course, require a degree to apply to them.

Dentists

Dentists in Miami enjoy a constant demand for high-quality dental services, after all, teeth are a fundamental part of the image, which is why many worry about turning to experts.

Likewise, with a growing oral health-conscious population, dentists can establish successful practices and offer specialized treatments, from teeth whitening to reconstructive procedures.

Veterinarians

There are a large number of pet owners in Miami, and veterinarians are in constant demand, as they are professionals who are used for simple issues such as giving a vaccine or more complex ones.

The city is known for its love of animals, and veterinarians can specialize in one-stop-shop services to serve a clientele who are passionate and willing to pay for the good health and well-being of their dogs, cats, turtles, birds, among other pets.

Pilots

Miami, with its world-class international airport and strategic location as a gateway to Latin America, offers lucrative opportunities for professionally trained pilots.

Commercial airlines, as well as private aviation companies, look for highly qualified professionals to transport passengers and goods to national and international destinations.

Director of Information Technology

Technological growth in Miami has generated a growing demand for IT leaders. IT Directors play a crucial role in developing and maintaining advanced technological infrastructure, making this position one of the most coveted and highest-paid in the city’s business sector.

Let us keep in mind that this type of professional is not found as easily as in other cases. Therefore, they are more in demand, and that translates into a higher salary, which will benefit much to the professional.

Plastic surgeon

Miami is known for its focus on aesthetics and beauty, so plastic surgeons specializing in cosmetic procedures find a thriving market in the city, catering to a clientele that values appearance, and beauty, and personal self-expression.

The great thing for these experts is that they are highly in demand, both by women and men, because society, in general, has been more open to this type of procedure, from the simplest to the most complex.

Chef in charge

Miami’s culinary scene is diverse and exciting, and the chefs in charge play a crucial role in its success. With world-class restaurants and a constant demand for unique dining experiences, commissioned chefs can achieve substantial incomes and make their mark on the city’s culinary scene.

Software Architect

In an increasingly digital world, software architects are essential for the development of advanced systems and applications that allow beneficial functions to be carried out for companies or brands that require it.

In Miami, the demand for information technology professionals has skyrocketed, making software architects key players in creating the city’s digital future, which, of course, are well paid.

Medical Specialties

Various medical specialties, such as urologists, ophthalmologists, and other health professionals, enjoy high salaries in Miami. The city is home to renowned medical centers and a population that values quality healthcare, which translates into lucrative opportunities for those in the medical field.

It is possible to affirm then that Miami not only offers a unique lifestyle but also job opportunities in various industries with competitive salaries. No matter what the field, its residents can find rewarding careers that allow them to thrive both personally and financially.

 

The post 8 Professional Jobs with the Best Paying in Miami appeared first on Granite Grok.

The first piece of legislation passed by the new Congress of the United States of America after the ratification of the Constitution included a tariff on the import of foreign sugar.

Although this tariff was passed as a means to raise the funds needed to pay the debts accrued during the Revolutionary War, coincidentally, it also provided elaborate protections to the nation’s wealthiest farmers of sugarcane and sugar beets.

The indirect subsidies afforded to the sugar producers by the Tariff Act of 1789 have been reapproved and signed, now via the Farm Bill, every five years by every available president up to and including Donald J. Trump. For more than two hundred years, these sugar producers in America have been able to sell their product at prices higher than what the market would normally allow. Later this year, President Joe Biden will get the opportunity to put his signature on the bill as well.

In the late 1960s, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan discovered an enzyme that effectively and easily converted cornstarch into fructose. This technology was ultimately sold to American companies, and in 1983, the Food and Drug Administration approved high fructose corn syrup as safe for consumption. In short order, the food industry took advantage of this cheap, new form of sweetener in extraordinary amounts. Supply of this ersatz sugar became abundant. The market, as you would expect, used this opportunity to undercut the historically high prices of sugar generated by the aforementioned tariff.

Due to this market opportunity, a new agricultural policy was pushed at the highest levels of the federal government. From 1971 to 1976—under the auspices of Richard Nixon—the secretary of agriculture, a loud, boisterous man named Earl Butz, became famous for conjuring up a new “fencerow to fencerow” policy: maximum production for corn and soy, as the demand for these crops were now high. He pushed farmers to take on debt to buy more land and machines to drive production. Henceforth, lavish government subsidies (by way of the same Farm Bill mentioned earlier) were doled out to corn farmers. Production of these crops skyrocketed, and given the increased supply of corn, sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup became cheaper on the open market.

To fully understand how governmental policies lead to adverse health effects, it is important to understand how the human body metabolizes different types of sugar. The most abundant sugar on earth is glucose, a six-carbon hexagonal sugar, which has been what our bodies have mainly adapted to and utilized for energy production. Fructose, a five-carbon pentagon, is another sugar found in nature, natural to many foods, and another source of energy for the body. Similarly, both glucose and fructose are broken down in the body during metabolism by a biochemical pathway called glycolysis.

However, due to its shape, fructose happens to bypass a key early enzyme in the biochemical pathway that can serve as a check on energy production. Therefore, a fructose molecule entering glycolysis becomes metabolized and stored faster and easier than glucose. Overall, excess fructose ingestion leads to excess fat in the body.

That is precisely what we have seen scaled up from the molecular level all the way to the population level: soaring rates of obesity driven primarily by excessive sugar consumption. Today, Americans consume an average of 130 pounds of added sugar per year, much of that coming by way of fructose. This is a sharp uptick from the 1970s, when average yearly consumption was closer to eighty pounds. Likewise, obesity has skyrocketed since the 1970s. The obesity epidemic continues to worsen, quickly approaching a 50 percent prevalence in the country.

Obesity can increase one’s chances of developing diabetes, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, renal failure, serious infections (e.g., worse covid outcomes), osteoarthritis, stroke, blindness, different forms of cancer, and depression, and the list continues on. Obesity not only shortens life expectancy but also decreases quality of life, especially by putting financial strain on the individual. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the annual medical costs for adults with obesity were $1,861 higher than medical costs for people with healthy weight.

Obesity is also putting financial strain on society writ large. The CDC reported the annual medical cost of obesity was nearly $173 billion in 2019 dollars; in all likelihood, this is an underestimate. Looking at the US fiscal year budget as a pie chart, one of the largest slices of the budget goes to Medicare and Medicaid. It is no surprise to find the national debt increasing to unfathomable heights.

Policies put forth by the national government have real-world consequences, sometimes taking decades or even centuries—if you care to draw cause and effect back to the Tariff Act of 1789—to fully manifest. It is both sad and almost comical to have the American taxpayer subsidizing the sugarcane and sugar beet industries—which puts upward pressure on the price of sugar—to then subsidizing the corn industry in order to undercut these high sugar prices, only later for the taxpayer to be taxed again to fund Medicare and Medicaid in the government’s attempt to curb the health fallout from obesity.

Many will cheer the president, from both the high-spending Left and profarmer Right, as he places his John Hancock on the Farm Bill that is due for renewal this year. Understand, however, that subsidizing farmers to mass produce corn is one of the largest drivers of health and economic decline in our nation.

 

Stephen Manuszak currently work as a Hospitalist at Munson Manistee Hospital in a small town on the west side of Michigan. He is boarded in Family Medicine. Prior to that, he trained briefly in General Surgery at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit. He attended medical school at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in 2016. Prior to medical school, he served two years in The Republic of Armenia as a Peace Corps volunteer from 2007 to 2009. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he majored in English Literature. 

 

Stephen Manuszak | Mises Wire

Mises Wire We heartily encourage reprints and shares of Mises Wire articles. If you wish to reproduce an article in your blog, magazine, radio show, newspaper column, classroom material, textbook, discussion group, website, or any other venue, please do so. The original publication source must be included in an appropriate place.

The post Night Cap: How Taxpayers Are Forced to Ruin Their Health appeared first on Granite Grok.

Sadly, during these times of great peril, truth is sacrificed by the politically correct, myopic, and self-serving in the liberally dominated media and the ruling class. People of courage and integrity must labor tirelessly to speak the truth and defend Liberty. We must not be silent.

The people are crying out for freedom.

Laziness is a disease. I strongly urge you to get involved and get your friends and family to become part of this movement. We must keep America from losing to a group of loonies. We are living in a troubled time. This is the era of universal propaganda, lies, deceit, and the complete perversion of truth on all levels. Truth has become a dangerous ideology. Our responsibility, as citizens, is to build a bridge of truth over the sea of lies. George Orwell was not wrong in stating, “In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” Truth has become the ultimate revolutionary act for these brave citizens.

2024 is the most critical election of our era. This is not a joke. We neither can nor must allow the repeat of the 2020 stolen election. That would be the end of America as we know it. Be vigilant. Start now. Fight for election integrity.

Please, people of faith. People who believe in God and aim to obey Him. This is your time; this is your call. Please stand up and protect our Liberty now. Time is of the essence. The cause of the good is in dire need of stalwart champions. Be one.

A stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man’s oppression until Liberty enlightens the world. — President Grover Cleveland

The post Our Responsibility, as Citizens, Is To Build a Bridge of Truth Over the Sea of Lies appeared first on Granite Grok.

You read that right: you can’t call it Artificial Intelligence if it doesn’t fully imitate Human Intelligence.

I used to teach this stuff at a local college in their 400-level computer science curriculum. The book was Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig. It’s considered the book to teach first-level concepts in artificial intelligence. It’s well written and very understandable.

HI (Human Intelligence) begins developing even before a child is born. The child can recognize sounds in the womb and can (and does) react when certain sounds are heard. After the child is born, the same sounds heard in the womb are now heard clearly by the infant with many of the same reactions.

Ever notice how an infant will all of a sudden stop and listen to a sound? The infant hears the sound and checks its memory – it’s “knowledge base” – for the sound and reacts accordingly. Pleasing sounds bring a smile, unpleasing sounds cause a different reaction.

As the child grows, it “learns” by adding additional sounds to it’s “knowledge base”. It experiments with motor actuation by first moving limbs, then discovering how to roll over, then crawl, then stand. All the while, the infant is also hearing and repeating sounds and noticing the reaction to those sounds. Eventually, the infant “learns” that certain sounds always cause the same reaction – or reaction that is reasonably similar. The infant adds both the sounds and their reactions to its “knowledge base”, and eventually figures out how to manipulate those sounds in ways that are far different than the original sounds. Adults think this is “so clever”, but it’s actually the child’s learning process being demonstrated.

Companies developing AI in today’s market are not generating true AI. They are pre-populating the AI system’s knowledge base – its memory – with predetermined stimuli and response algorithms. Those algorithms are designed for specific purposes: modification of preexisting data to achieve new views of that data (pictures, videos, and sound), using artificial vision to cause specific motor control (driving, assembly line robotics), and the manipulation of other preexisting data to achieve a desired output.

But none of these systems demonstrates the primary purpose of intelligence: to learn. These systems do not take previously unconsidered data and incorporate it into their knowledge bases. They can’t – and the designers are wise to not do this. Because these AI systems are incapable of doing the one thing that humans do, the thing that separates the human mind from all other animal minds.

The ability to reason.

And, by reason, I don’t mean political or moral. I mean the ability to understand whether a new piece of knowledge should be incorporated into its knowledge base. Whether a strangely-designed light pole moving in a strong wind is a human or an object. Whether a series of words pasted together makes sense even if it is grammatically correct. Whether those generated sounds claimed to be “music” are pleasing or atonal. And whether the picture generated is ugly or beautiful.

The current demonstrations of AI are not meant to show AI capabilities but to confuse the observer into thinking that the generated picture, sound, or object are human-generated or not. In almost every case, it’s possible to determine the difference under close examination – but that raises the question why try to confuse reality by a computer-generated fantasy?

But one factor remains: these systems are not generating new ideas or new connections between ideas. They are merely exercising algorithms developed for a specific purpose. And for now, that purpose seems to be to demonstrate the capabilities of computer systems.

Alan Turing created a test to determine whether a system could demonstrate “artificially intelligent” behavior that would be indistinguishable from human behavior. His test has been criticized as being “not realistic”, but the critics miss the entire point. If a computer system cannot demonstrate “artificially intelligent” behavior, then it isn’t intelligent: it is merely exercising highly advanced algorithms.

The proof remains the non-human system’s ability to reason. And, as yet, none of the so-called AI systems have demonstrated this ability best described as whether, or not, to do something beyond the information stored in their knowledge bases. And if so… what, then, to do.

The post It Ain’t AI if it Don’t Learn. appeared first on Granite Grok.

I ask your indulgence for this post is much more personal than most, but today merits such a message.

Just because this Thursday is the fourth of November, which makes it Thanksgiving, we cannot forget the many problems this country faces, which we have documented for the last three years. Some believe this is the best American holiday ahead of only the Fourth of July. Thanksgiving is a purely American holiday. We celebrate the day regardless of our ethnicity or Religion. It is a day to celebrate the fruits and benefits of being born in the greatest country with the most incredible political experiment in history.

We have people who are paid vast amounts of money to face the camera every night to convince us we are a racist country built on the blood and sweat of slaves. They tell us the deck is stacked in favor of the wealthy ruling class, who want to keep the middle and lower class from climbing up the ladder. They convince the Black and Brown communities that they are, and always will be, the oppressed. Schools start teaching these tales in preschool, and the recent anti-Israel demonstrations are proof of the indoctrination of our children. They gather by the thousands, armed with a narrative but not with the truth. When asked about the facts, these young people embarrass themselves and the system with their ignorance.

Despite all of the negatives spewed by the Left, Americans have much to be thankful for. We learned a lesson during the pandemic: We must rely heavily on our inner circle of friends and family. We can trust the people closest to us to be by our sides and cover our backs. The Government has shown us that they talk a good game to achieve office, but we are forgotten as soon as their hand touches the Bible. It is A cruel but healthy revelation that reinforces what we already know. The circle is strength, and we have what we need within. Our circle deserves our attention and energy; if filled with the right people, what we give to our circle will come back to us manyfold.

We are fortunate to have two circles, much like one of Kamala’s beloved Venn Diagrams. One is in New Hampshire with our generational friends and families, and our newer circle of dear friends is in Maine. Our Maine circle goes by the moniker the People of the Pond. These folks have completed the magical experience of Bear Pond and have solidified the importance of friendships in our lives. It was like a mystical magnet that drew us all together. We, of course, share our love of Maine and the Pond, but we also share a love of companionship, our country, our families, and our God. It is a unique dynamic that we all cherish and work to strengthen. It is these relationships that we not only give thanks for every day but give us hope that our circles can grow. The power of the Pond needs to be experienced to understand it, but when people do, they get it and feel it. So, on Thanksgiving Day, I give thanks for that. Not the things that we have but for the incredible people we share life with. Selfishly, I wish every one of them health, for I want them around to enjoy for many years to come. God Bless you all, and Happy Thanksgiving

The post It’s Bad. Real Bad, Yet We Should Still Be Thankful appeared first on Granite Grok.