The UK often doesn’t get the credit it deserves when it comes to the beauty of its landscape. There are plenty of breath taking natural sights to see all across the island which people often don’t appreciate. If you are a resident of the UK, or visiting for holiday, you should try to make a note of seeing as much of the great British countryside as possible. If you need some tips on how to do so, consider some of the following pieces of advice.

Have a Great Car
First of all, there aren’t going to be any forms of public transport to help you see this countryside. You are going to need a car to do so. If you are travelling into the UK from another country, there are good car rental services you can use. If you are a resident, then you might need to invest in or potentially upgrade your car. If this is something that you are planning on doing, then you should check out car finance Barnsley for options that would suit you. Once you have a car you can rely on and be comfortable in, you will be all set to hit the road.

Get Some Travel Companions
A road trip isn’t the same by itself. Sure, you can still enjoy the scenic routes, but doing so with others is far more enjoyable. If you have some friends who also want to partake in the adventure, then get them to tag along for the ride. Not only do you get to experience all these wonderful sites together, but it will also provide the chance for you and your friends to do some great bonding.

Make a Bucket List
There are a lot of different places that you are likely eager to go see. So much so that it can be very easy to forget about certain places and missed opportunities. This is why making a travel or sightseeing bucket list can be massively beneficial. The list should include all of the places you are aiming to travel to and experience over the next couple of years. Once you have completed the list, you can start looking at options abroad. This is a great way to encourage you to get out and get moving, as well as making sure no stone is left unturned.

Go in the Summer
For those of you who live in the UK, summertime is really the only viable time to do something like this. The British weather can be far too sporadic and unpredictable to plan the likes of road trips. Although there is plenty of rain in the summer too, it is still the best time to go. This especially applies for any trips you might want to go on by the coast. Winter in the UK can be very cold. This means that long days in nature are probably preferably avoided. Doing your travelling in bulk in the summer could be a good idea. Just spend a few days exploring and staying in various places across the country.

*****

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The post Tips for Exploring the UK Countryside appeared first on Granite Grok.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has announced that he will not cooperate with the committee that is ‘investigating’ the Amble Around the Capitol on January 6 of last year.

I think he’s missing an opportunity here.

If you recall, the FBI recently sent a spokesperson to a Senate hearing on that same event.  Every time Senator Ted Cruz asked her a question — and they were pretty simple questions, to which she clearly knew the answers — she just said, ‘I can’t answer that question.’ And Cruz was willing to just let her skate.

Now, this is interesting, because as Professor James Duane has pointed out, one of Justice Scalia’s parting gifts before he left the bench was to guide the Supreme Court to the conclusion that it’s legitimate to interpret someone’s silence as a sign of guilt — yet another place where the oral Constitution diverges radically from the written one.

So remaining silent now means you’re guilty.  And asserting your right to remain silent, while not technically remaining silent, also means you’re guilty.

But the FBI spokesperson took a slightly different tack.  Instead of saying that she wouldn’t answer questions, she just said she couldn’t answer them, without any explanation for why that was the case.  And the Senate seemed willing to just let her get away with that.

Apparently, I can’t answer that question is the new and improved version of I refuse to answer that question. It’s the new Fifth Amendment.

Instead of saying that he won’t cooperate with the committee, McCarthy should say:  ‘Sure, I’ll cooperate.  I’ll give you the same level of cooperation as the FBI.’  Then he should show up and just keep saying ‘I can’t answer that question’ until they get tired of asking questions.

And if Congress decides to hold him in contempt for refusing to answer?  Well, there’s already a line forming over at the FBI…

The post The New Fifth Amendment appeared first on Granite Grok.

There was a time when even Democrats might have opposed the idea of forced medical intervention. That ship has sailed, at least at the elite level. Other agenda items took priority over colloquial notions like ‘our bodies ourselves’ or government not getting between you and your doctor.

Ideas that vaxx-mandate Karens’ of every progressive gender have abandoned.

Did they know their leadership was always lying to sell a different priority? Could they consider the possibility that they are lying now?

Trust is the last thing you should give freely to the government. They don’t deserve it and have not earned it, but they have recruited legions of corporatists to help them sell it. Profit silos that launder fiscal resources back into the hands of activist groups and politicians who further that relationship.

Democrats have sold that co-dependency as a feature strictly of the right, but that’s not entirely correct. It is a feature of statists in both parties of whom the Democrat party is the lead actor. The grand poobah.

All forms of government devolve toward tyranny. It’s human nature to want it and allow it. The American experiment was created to slow or limit that tendency. It’s failing and gloriously.

This descent has made the unimaginable possible. The far-fetched,…um, fetchable.

Going Hungry on Purpose

I was asked a question this morning about intermittent fasting. I guess it has been growing in popularity. Maybe a better way to describe it is the corporate media messaging on the practice has amplified in recent years.

It’s a thing, a fad, or is it something else?

I said, not entirely tongue-in-cheek that it sounded to me like a brilliantly disguised propaganda program to get people used to the idea of going hungry.

She laughed, which was my goal, but with a keen understanding that given the trajectory of our nation and the world since Joe Biden was lead into the Oval Office, there might be a grain of truth in it.

A big grain.

There is zero doubt that the media is a partner in our decline. The economic picture is bad and stumbling toward a cliff. The supply chain is ‘toes on the ledge’ and looks ready to slit its wrists before it jumps.

Shortages are real and getting more common.

People are getting priced out of the energy market – as in less mobility and warmth (it is still cold in much of America this time of year – and that is entirely the change in energy prices is a result of deliberate policy decisions.

So are the supply chain problems we have and will have.

How far-fetched would it be to think that messaging that suggests being hungry is good for you isn’t part of a series of political moves that force us to accept unaffordable or inaccessible food as the new normal?

Hey, it’s good for us!

The problem with my theory, maybe “problem” is the wrong word, is that this is where we are headed. And being hungry is being sold as healthy as our elites move pieces (or don’t move them) to make it increasingly difficult to find food and therefore to eat.

Not for them of course, but for everyone else.

Fasting is will be a religious practice secularized out of necessity.

It might just be another coincidence.

 

 

The post What if “Intermittent Fasting” is Actually State-Sanctioned Propaganda to Get You Used to Being Hungry? appeared first on Granite Grok.

SAU16’s Co-op Board met for their budget hearing the other night, and the Board got an earful from those in attendance. There was a proposal by Superintendent David Ryan to cut teachers, cut funding to Great Bay Charter School, and hire a STEM and Curriculum Coordinator.

The parents who spoke were having none of this.

Parents never asked for cuts to the teaching staff, they didn’t have an issue with funding the Charter School, and they never asked for more administrators. But that didn’t stop David Ryan from blaming others for his decisions.

The Board did one good thing, they reinstated the teachers, but they failed to cut the unneeded Coordinators and reinstate funding to the Charter school.

It was refreshing to hear parents who live in the district praise school administrators. However, that praise was aimed at the Great Bay Charter School administrators. Many of the parents from the Charter School who spoke shared how well their children are thriving, including the children with special needs.

Parent after parent spoke about how their children feel welcome in the Charter School, and are happy to go to school. They weren’t treated well when they attended some of the schools in SAU16.

One of the members of the Budget Advisory Committee brought the reality to the Board when she mentioned how 200 families had left SAU16, and how they spoke with their feet. These families were dissatisfied with what has been happening in the district. The glaring difference between the Charter School’s leadership and SAU16’s leadership wasn’t missed on this viewer.

Then came Andres Mejia the new DEIJ Director. (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) He explained to the Board how he’s been talking to the children in the school who have had to deal with racism and homophobia. So while 200 families have left the district, he was letting the Board know that the kids he spoke with continue to have miserable experiences. What a difference between what he was reporting, and what Great Bay Charter parents were reporting. What’s the difference? Leadership.

SAU16 will pay the DEIJ Director $150k which includes benefits, to help some kids feel happy. At the same time, they will cut $80k from Great Bay Charter School, where many parents reported that their kids are glad to be there. Maybe the Board should replace David Ryan with those running Great Bay Charter, and watch them get the job done.

Then, after all of this, the Board asked how Mejia would have his performance measured. He said he would consult a peer in another district to see how they do it. After he figures this out, he will present it to the Board.

Some parents who work for private companies were shocked by this revelation. David Ryan hired DEIJ Director that makes more money than your average teacher just so he can help some of the kids feel better. Then he gets to determine how his performance will be measured. One mom mentioned that this was just another example of rampant mismanagement from the top. You can’t blame Mejia for capitalizing on incompetence.

Some of this reminds me of the self-esteem movement in the ’90s. Parents eventually rejected that fad so their schools could focus on academics. They wanted leaders who set the tone for the climate in the school in order to improve the culture and climate. Good leadership can accomplish that without this kind of reckless spending. You just need a leader who knows what they are doing. I believe SAU16 had that years ago under Mike Morgan — at least that’s what I’ve been told by many parents.

Taxpayers will see another hike in their taxes if this budget is passed, but where cuts should have been supported, that didn’t happen. Parents offered suggestions on cuts that wouldn’t hurt the quality of education, but again, that didn’t happen.

One parent made the brilliant suggestion that if children are left without a teacher for the day and sent to the auditorium, have one of those numerous administrators go teach them the lessons. It was a great suggestion because if there are not enough drivers, and packages need to be delivered, you will see managers at UPS delivering packages. Parents were not impressed that their kids have been sitting in auditoriums with no teachers while David Ryan was proposing teacher positions be cut.

Parents mentioned how academic achievement has suffered under this Superintendent, as well as school rankings. Now they will just have to pay more for all of this.

 

 

The post SAU16/Exeter Taxpayers are About to Be Fleeced appeared first on Granite Grok.

The man club is proud to announce another victory for the patriarchy. Coming off numerous victories in “women’s sports” and beauty pageants we are proud to announce a high-profile win in the heart of wokeistan. A man just won a Golden Globe for ‘Best Actress.’

The quest to replace women in all things is succeeding even in the heart of the entertainment industry.

 

In an untelevised ceremony, the 79th annual Golden Globes Award show honored Michaela Jaé “Mj” Rodriguez with the distinction of “Best Actress” in a television drama this past Sunday. Rodriguez was born a male and now claims to be a woman. Rodriguez won the award for playing the character Blanca, a nurse on the LGBT dramatic series, “Pose.” NBC News reported that this was the first time a transgender actor has ever won a Golden Globe.

 

Wait, it gets better. Michaela Jaé “Mj” Rodriguez is also a black latina ‘girl.’

So, women of color are now being denied recognitions and awards thanks to the stealth campaign of leftist infiltrators.

In related news, the actual awards show didn’t even air on television.

Another win for the patriarchy.

The post Quick Shot: Another Patriarchy Stealth Win – “Man” Takes Golden Globe Home for Best Actress … appeared first on Granite Grok.

RFK Jr. is the author of the bestseller book, “The Real Anthony Fauci“, and the founder of Children’s Health Defense.  He has been outspoken about the overreach of government mandates and protecting our children from the Covid-19 vaccine. Mr. Kennedy released a public statement on January 2, 2022. His message was clear.

It’s time we started standing up to all of these government mandates. You remember when the government told us… when Tony Fauci told us that we were going to lock down. He said it was for two weeks. And now it’s been almost two years.
I’m going to tell you these three things that you need to remember in this critical day and age.

1.) Once government acquires a power, it never lets it go voluntarily.
2.) Every power that government acquires, using this pandemic as a pretense, it will ultimately abuse to the maximum effect possible. This is a rule that is as certain as gravity.
3.) Nobody has ever complied their way out of totalitarianism. Every time you comply the demands will get greater and greater.

We need to resolve here and now this is the hill we need to die on. They have come for our jobs, they have come for our transport, now they’re coming for our children.

We have an obligation as parents to protect them. There has never been a government in history that has told its people, we are going to demand that children sacrifice and take risks to save old people.

It’s always the other way around. The old, the mature, the adults, always put themselves at risk to protect their children. This is an ethical issue. It’s a moral issue. It’s an issue of character for each of us. And it’s an issue about the preservation of democracy and public health.

We all need to stand up now and do everything that we can to block these power plays by authoritarian powers that are trying to steal from us the health of our children.

https://zbbb278hfll091.bitchute.com/tpjhtmChu3TK/FsmyiwMlZpg8.mp4

 

The experts warn that our children are at risk – but not from the Covid-19 virus.

Dr. Malone is the inventor of the mRNA technology that is used to produce the Pfizer and Moderna “vaccines”.  He warns the mRNA vaccines “will force your child’s body to make toxic spike proteins. These proteins often cause permanent damage in children’s critical organs, including:

• Their brain and nervous system
• Their heart and blood vessels, including blood clots
• Their reproductive system.”
  

Related: NH Governor Sununu: You Are Responsible if a Child is Injured or Dies!

Those are very serious adverse reactions. There are also alarming reports from Germany (here) and Taiwan (here) that reveal death and serious safety concerns regarding their Covid-19 vaccination programs for older children aged 12-17... as well as from Sweden and Denmark, who halted the use of the Moderna vaccine on those 30-and-under due to potential side effects… and from Iceland, who banned the Moderna vaccine FOR EVERYONE!

Despite the serious warnings and reports, NH Governor Chris Sununu recently expanded his program to vaccinate all NH children who are 5 and older. It’s unconscionable to ignore the data and the science, especially when it comes from the scientist who invented the mRNA technology. It’s why RFK Jr. is so vocal about protecting the children.

The Best of Ken Eyring

Ken Eyring [send him an email], is a founder and President of the Government Integrity Project, whose mission is to unite the country and demand action; to hold elected and appointed representatives accountable to their oaths and obligations of office; to protect and restore Liberties as defined in our Country’s Founding Documents.

 

The post Watch: “Now They’re Coming For Our Children … This Is the Hill We Need to Die On” – RFK Jr. appeared first on Granite Grok.

Now that the Build Back Better Act (sometimes called the Great Giveaway) has stalled, Democrats have decided that their top legislative priority is something called the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (sometimes called the Permanent Majority Act), which will effectively give the federal government the ability to dictate the electoral practices of individual states.

To pass it, the Senate would have to eliminate the filibuster, which would require the support of a couple of Senators who oppose this move. (Perhaps they’re just traditionalists. Or perhaps they’re thinking ahead about what might happen should Republicans ever gain control of the Senate without a filibuster.)

But regardless of whether it passes, the buzz surrounding it makes this a perfect opportunity for the passage of an alternative law at the state level. Unlike the John Lewis Act, this one would actually be constitutional. So constitutional, in fact, that it would make a lot of heads spin.

Remember those 19 states that were told by the federal courts that they didn’t have ‘standing’ to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election?

These states — and other states that want the federal government to respect their sovereigntah — should individually pass something that we might call the James Wilson Voting Act, after the inventor of the Electoral College.

The state legislature, in any state adopting this law, would bypass the traditional collection of popular votes for president and skip directly to appointing a slate of Electors to send to the Electoral College.

Say what? Is that even possible? Check your Constitution. (The written version, not the oral version used by politicians, bureaucrats, and judges.)  In Article 2, Section 1, we find this:

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

A state legislature may choose to use an election to decide which Electors to appoint. But it isn’t required to do that. And as opportunities for vote fraud increase, it seems less and less like a good idea.

This is a huge opportunity for the states to remind the federal government of something that a lot of people have forgotten and that a lot of others never bothered to learn:  It’s the states that elect a president. Not the people.

(There’s a big clue that this is the case right there in the name of the country:  It’s the United States of America, not the United People of America, or the People’s Republic of America, or anything like that.)

Can you imagine the tempête de merde that this would cause back in Washington?

Better still, can you imagine the wave of reclamation of state sovereignty that this might stir up away from Washington — not just regarding elections, but a whole range of areas in which the federal government has acted as if the Ninth and Tenth Amendments simply don’t exist?

How soon could we make this happen in New Hampshire?

The post The James Wilson Voting Act appeared first on Granite Grok.

Get a load of this—a city run by Democrats forever. A massive urban bureaucracy crafted by leftists for leftists. The so-called champions of people of color, SJW, blah blah blah. They had plenty of opportunities to prevent a tragedy.

But couldn’t get it done, so the problem has to be inequity.

 

The deadly fire that claimed the lives of 17 people in a high-rise tower in the Bronx is a grim reminder of how space heaters can be a “symbol of inequity,” [Julie Colon, a tenant organizer with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition] said, representing dangerous housing conditions, poor infrastructure, and neglect in lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Many of those displaced in this week’s fire are families originally from Gambia in West Africa.

 

And if the Democrat-run city had done its job and enforced its kajillion regulations, the safety-first progressives insist are necessary to prevent tragedy (because the government knows better), almost no one, or perhaps no one, at all needed to die.

But let’s blame the space heaters and some notion of inequality associated with them and their ability – when misused at least half as badly as the NYC fire code was by New York Bureaucrats – for the needless deaths of 17 New Yorkers.

Sure.

Let’s do that.

The post SJW Blames Inequity for Bronx Fire That Killed 17 When It Was Actually Just the Fault of Democrats appeared first on Granite Grok.

Many people, like Tucker Carlson, like to talk about how ‘smart’ Ted Cruz is — how articulate he is as a speaker, how carefully he chooses his words, how insightful his questions are during hearings.

But recently, Cruz caught some flak for referring to the January 6 Amble Around the Capitol as a ‘violent terrorist attack.’  The flak was well-deserved because whatever that was, it wasn’t a terrorist attack by any stretch of the imagination.

So then he tried to backtrack, claiming that he just meant that anyone who violently attacks a police officer is a ‘terrorist’ and that he’s been saying that for years, even decades.  But that just dug the hole deeper because if you attack a police officer who is trying to arrest you, you might be a ‘criminal,’ but you aren’t a ‘terrorist.’

In another attempt to rehabilitate his image, Cruz recently questioned a spokesperson for the FBI at a Senate hearing.  He asked some very straightforward and important questions about whether any of the participants in the January 6, ah, event were working for, or cooperating with, the FBI.  The answer to each question was the same:  ‘I can’t answer that.’

Now, it’s remarkable that a federal employee would give an answer like that to a United States Senator at a hearing.  But what’s more remarkable is that the senator would just let her get away with it.

A couple of pretty obvious follow-up questions spring to mind, such as:  Are you saying that you can’t answer because you don’t know? Or that you won’t answer because you think we’re not entitled to the information?

Or: If you can’t answer, the FBI clearly sent the wrong person to this hearing.  In which case, please bring someone to your Zoom site who can answer these questions, so we can talk to that person instead of wasting our time with you.

Or, just for fun:  Under what circumstances would you — or more to the point, FBI leadership — say that it’s appropriate for employees to keep secrets from their employer?

I have a friend who says that unsettling parallels are developing between the FBI and Rome’s Praetorian Guard, which started as a personal protective service for the Emperor and ended up as an untouchable group of elites who called the shots behind the scenes.  I’m starting to see his point.

As for Ted, I’m wondering if he’s lost sight of the difference between (a) winning a debate, something you can do by scoring rhetorical points (which is all he was doing with his questions), and (b) representing his constituents, which requires actually getting answers to the kinds of questions he was asking. Asking the questions makes him sound smart.  But allowing them to go unanswered makes him seem dumb.

Someone close to the Senator needs to remind him of the first rule of holes: When you’re in a hole, stop digging.

 

 

The post Poor Ted appeared first on Granite Grok.

To whom it may concern: I and my family, have been skiing at Crotched Mountain since my sons were old enough to ski/board. I went out of my way to support Crotched as it is a small local mountain and I want to help keep these types of ski areas running.

Imagine my surprise to see on your website, that you are practicing segregation based on mRNA injection status. This is morally reprehensible and has NO BASIS in reality.

Whoever decided to implement this should take the time to read a history book and begin with 1933 Germany. They should also educate themselves about COVID and the mRNA shots.

The mRNA shots were designed for the WUHAN strain of COVID. They were not effective against that strain and they have no effectiveness with other strains. It is well known that people who have opted to take the shots still get COVID, still spread COVID & still die from COVID.

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

The geniuses that decided to implement this policy should also think of renaming the resort with something that is in line with their belief system.

 

 

Here are some suggestions:

“Welcome to 1978 South Africa’s newest ski resort. We practice apartheid.”
“Ski Dachau – Papers please.”
“Pfizer Resort – The wonderful world of experimental gene therapy”

I had planned to come there this weekend. Instead, I am going to let everyone I know that Crotched is no longer practicing freedom and that their ski $ should go elsewhere.

At a minimum, this policy is anathema to morality and at a maximum part of a crime against humanity.
You should be ashamed.

John Cawthron
Nashua, NH

 

Editors Note: This is an email sent to Crotched Mountain. The inline image was not part of the original communication. We added it or context.

The post Skier Takes Crotched Mountain Ski Resort Down For Mandated COVID Vaxx Policy … appeared first on Granite Grok.

Flight cancellations often result in inconveniences for passengers and as a result, the EU 261 regulation was passed in 2004 to protect passengers’ rights. If you have ever had to deal with cancelled flights, especially at die minutes, you must know how frustrating it is. But then, how do you know if you are entitled to compensation if any?

Know the EU 261/2004 Regulation
The EU 261/2004 regulation protects the rights of passengers if their flights are disrupted in any way. This way, they can get flight cancellation compensation. The law requires airlines in the EU to compensate passengers properly should their flights be delayed or cancelled for reasons within the airline’s control.

What are the Eligibility Criteria of the EU 261 Law?
The EU 261/2004 regulation applies to any air passenger starting their trip from an EU airport or landing in an EU airport with an airline headquartered within the EU. The compensation stands if you were informed of the cancellation less than 14 days from the scheduled date of departure. The reason for the cancellation must also be within the airline’s control. Airlines are not in any way obligated to compensate passengers when the reason for cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances that they couldn’t have taken care of.

What Are You Entitled to?
For cancelled flight compensation under the EU 261/2004 law, you may be entitled to monetary compensation of €250 to €600, depending on the flight distance, as explained below.

• Short distance – Below 1500km (e.g. London – Edinburgh) –  €250 compensation
• Medium distance – Between 1500km and 3500km ( e.g. London – Athens) – €400 compensation
• Long distance – Over 3500km (e.g. London – Tokyo) – €600 compensation

You are entitled to a partial or full refund of your flight ticket alongside monetary compensation. You may also choose to reschedule your flight on the same airline for free. If the flight was cancelled after you have arrived at the airport, you may be entitled to the right to care, such as free refreshments and beverages and hotel booking if you have to spend the night.

How to Claim Compensation for a Cancelled Flight
After your flight has been cancelled, you need to check if you fit into the eligibility criteria under the EU 261/2004 regulation. If you do, you can then kick off the process of getting compensated.

Start by asking the airline the reason for the cancellation and demand that they put it in writing. Then proceed to gather relevant documents like your flight ticket and receipts and gather evidence such as replacement flight tickets, expense receipts, vouchers, and more. Putting these documents together will make it easier for you to claim your compensation.

Some airlines have a form on their websites that you can fill to get the process started. You can also contact them directly on the next best steps to take.

Bottom Line
Travelling is already stressful and no one deserves to be inconvenienced for no tangible reason. If your flight was cancelled unjustly, exercise your passenger’s rights under the EC 261 law and claim your compensation in due time.

*****

From time to time, GraniteGrok accepts content from third parties (posts, or additional links after initial publication) from which we may or may not receive compensation.

The post How to Know if You’re Entitled to Compensation After a Cancelled Flight appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Dems have created a new movement to petition all fifty states. Their gripe? Republicans need to be blocked from running for public office. Why? For alleged misconduct relating to the Capitol Occupation on January 6th. Yes, Insurrection! So what if not one of them has been charged or convicted of that.

None of these candidates who have questioned the election process or refused to help the J6 star chamber donkey show (with RINO backup) has been credibly accused of any crime.

None of them have or will ever be charged with a crime.

None of the people who actually went into the Capitol to take selfies and mill about before leaving has been charged with insurrection.

But since when did facts or the truth matter? This is, after all, nothing more than a narrative vehicle to keep the dream alive. The perception that what happened was an insurrection even if no one ever gets charged, tried or convicted of engaging in or abetting one. And a warning shot to others who might dare to challenge the rubber-stamped details approved for historians to document.

Oh, and wouldn’t it be fun if they could actually get a few key states to block any potential Republican candidate for President? If they can’t even run in some number of states, there’s simply no point.

Oh, and the Democrats are still terrified of Donald Trump.

 

“On many levels, our democracy is under threat, and grassroots activists are ready to stand up to defend it,” said Paco Fabian, Our Revolution’s campaigns director. “We need to demand that our election officers follow the rule of law and ensure that current and former elected officials who participated in the January 6th insurrection are barred from appearing on any future ballot.”

The letters, addressed to the heads of state election boards, ask them to exclude Mr. Trump from ballots amid speculation that he may run for president again in 2024.

 

Walk with if you will. The leftist hack who wants to disqualify Republicans says his group is ready to defend our democracy. That we need to demand, election officers follow the rule of law.

Hello, McFly!

1. No one has been charged with Insurrection. You have to charge them and then convict them before you can make a case for the Rule of Law.
2. Election officers in Democrat states (and a few Republican ones) openly violated their own state laws in 2020 and 2021. Often, and a lot.
3. This irregular behavior and complete disregard for the rule of law are why the protest started in the first place.
4. Leftwing protests did far more damage, and many of those perps were cut loose or released without bail or charges dropped.

The rule of law is the flip side of the rule of man – the arbitrary and capricious whim of partisans, which is what Our Revolution (nice name, by the way) is doing. Cherry-picking political targets for punishment using a standard about which you could clearly care less.

Having said that, see some traction in the bluer states. Blue because they Dem majority, Blue because people are leaving, Blue because they have mandates and still got more COIVD. Blue because of the high crime, high poverty, and they have so much debt and such high taxes that the cure is more of both, but never to solve the problem they’ve created.

Blue.

But just in case, let’s try to keep Republicans off the ballot, you know, in case the voters care about the ruin that has followed decades of democrat rule.

It’s just like free speech. They use it to silence everyone else. SO we won’t stop hearing about J6 or their fantasies about what happened, nor will they stop pursuing innocent people for political advantage.

Ever.

Is there a remedy? You have to fight back.

Try cornering your local Dems on the issue and see if you can get a few of them to put their foot in their mouth.

Rule of Law. But no one’s been convicted, or in most cases, charged. But when “your” people are charged, you want them set free. Explain yourself, please.

 

The post Can’t Stop Laughing – Dem Groups Invoke “Rule of Law” To Block Republicans From Running for Office appeared first on Granite Grok.

This week, the House met to vote on all remaining 2021 bills. We met in the Center of New Hampshire, rather than the House chamber, to allow more room for distancing and for separate masked and non-masked sections.

This was not optimal, since the acoustics were poor, and it was hard to see who was speaking; if you needed to speak with someone, it was almost impossible to find her. Still, the snow forecast for Friday encouraged us to be efficient and we finished Thursday afternoon.

First, we dealt with the governor’s vetoes: HB 98, moving the state primary election, was upheld, 38-313; HB 239, on changing the statute of limitations for (non-sexual) assaults on minors, was sustained, 35-312 after a rambling debate. HB 242, on the content of an adequate education, was sustained, 165-182. HB 334, a mixed bill that repealed the law against carrying a firearm on an OHRV or snowmobile, as well as the state “gun line,” had some debate before the veto was sustained, 138-212.

The veto of SB 38, which allows medical cannabis centers to be for-profit entities, was overridden in the Senate, and we had to wait for it to arrive. With a lot of confusion due to the scheduling (and because the bill was not listed in our calendar), the veto was upheld, 228-115, one short of the necessary 2/3. As a sponsor of SB 38, I voted against the veto.

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

 

We adopted the House schedule for the rest of the year, setting deadlines for all bills, and rejected, 169-186, an amendment to House rules that would allow remote meetings of committees and the whole House. This was largely partisan, but really, after last year I don’t want to have to chair a Zoom hearing ever again – and the thought of a remote meeting with 400 participants is horrifying!

We voted, 317-40, to suspend the rules to introduce HB 1650, which would allow representatives to receive mileage payments for sessions, wherever the sessions were held. Then we voted 326-34 to introduce the bill and passed it on a voice vote.

HB 60, raising the minimum age of marriage to 18, was debated at some length before being killed, 192-165. It’s currently 16 with parental consent (or a judge’s approval) and there have been 5 such marriages in the state in the last two years. HB 228, adjusting the child support calculations when both parents spend time with the children, was also debated before passing 189-163: apparently, the current statutory language on child support confuses the state supreme court…

HB 65, requiring restaurants to post food allergy info on their menus, was debated on whether this requirement should be in laws or rules, as the raw food warning is. It was referred to interim study, 194-164.

HB 92, which would establish a study committee on regulating animal groomers, was actually debated before being killed, 197-159.

HB 166, which required pools or other water features on foreclosed property be covered, was debated before dying, 186-160.

HB 191, relative to prior authorizations under managed care, was debated even though the incentive for the bill was the health care disruptions suffered under Covid, and it was killed 190-162.

HB 245, repealing the requirement that convenience stores carry $3,000 in groceries, was argued by the sponsor before being killed, 292-62. I voted for it because I can see the point of allowing some stores to specialize, but am not really upset that it failed.

HB 472, a very technical bill on health insurance “clawback” features, was debated in a way that failed to make the issues clear, then was killed on a voice vote.

HB 473, requiring leases have a statement about renter’s insurance, had a rather condescending debate before being killed, 190-166.

At this point (2:30 Wednesday) the chair of the redistricting committee moved to special order the three redistricting bills to the next order of business, citing our slow progress and the constitutional requirement to balance districts after the census. This passed, and it was moved to table HB 50, the House representative districts. The vote was 179-178, and the Speaker voted to tie, so the motion failed.

The majority amendment passed, 186-170, the minority amendment failed, 165-192, after some debate, and the bill passed, as amended, 186-168. I spoke in favor of the plan, and gave some of the reasons we made the choices we did. It seems there are two different approaches to redistricting: either look at the current districts with the new numbers, and tweak as necessary, or start with a blank map and create districts that meet the requirements.

I and the other Republicans on the committee mostly did the latter, while the Democrats almost entirely based their plans on the current districts.

HB 52, the congressional districts, was not tabled, 177-178, before we adopted the majority amendment 184-171, without debate. The minority amendment (which simply moved one town from CD1 to CD2 to balance the population changes) failed, 167-189, after debate, and a floor amendment (creating a much more compact CD1) also failed, 174-182.

The rationale for the majority plan – to actually make a competitive district – was presented before we passed the bill, 186-164. HB 54, county commissioner districts, had the majority plan adopted on a voice vote, then the minority plan rejected 157-182 after a brief debate. This plan also passed, 184-159; these bills were all basically party-line votes (as expected.)

After this excitement, we returned to HB 488, a study committee on out-of-state health insurance, which was sent to interim study on a voice vote. HB 592, which would require bonds from vaccine manufacturers, was debated at length before going to interim study, 168-167. It seemed to be a badly written bill (a good reason for interim study if one agrees with the concept) and many on the committee didn’t agree with the concept, hence the debate.

SB 68, requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant employers, was debated briefly before going to interim study on a voice vote.

SB 69, about employers providing facilities for nursing mothers, was tabled, 180-155, before the debate.

HB 147, which increases the penalties for assault of an elderly person (over 65!) had no debate before we killed the committee amendment, 66-260, and tabled the bill on a voice vote. We elderly representatives don’t care to be considered so feeble that we need to be considered a special class of victims (I’m not sure about the average age of the House this session, but it’s usually about 60.)

HB 237, legalizing and regulating the sale of cannabis, had minimal debate before the committee recommendation of interim study failed, 158-171, and ought to pass also failed, 163-170. Much of the opposition (including me) supported legalization but didn’t like the regulatory scheme. HB 237 was then tabled, 300-32. A motion to bring HB 607 – local education freedom accounts – to the next order of business failed, 161-172, and we finished up the day.

Thursday began with a short debate on HB 238, prohibiting the so-called “LGBTQ panic” defense. It passed, 223-118; I voted against it because it seemed unnecessary. We should not, by statute, deny anyone their defense in court, even if the defense seems silly and biased.

HB 579, requiring notice before conducting immigration checkpoints, passed 254-85 with no debate. HB 598, allowing parole after 50% of the minimum sentence (current standard is 2/3), was debated and killed, 181-171.

HB 620, requiring local law enforcement agencies to gather and analyze demographic information – race and gender – was tabled on a voice vote before debate. Besides being an unfunded mandate for local agencies, there is no standardized way to determine race: different officers might well classify people differently.

My HB 629, legalizing possession, use, and growing cannabis, but not sales (so no taxes) was not tabled, 144-210, then debated. The committee recommendation of interim study failed, 122-231, and the bill passed, 241-113. It’s off to the Senate, where passage is not assured.

HB 632, prohibiting a life sentence without parole for a juvenile, was briefly debated and killed, 181-174. It seems that life without parole sentences for juveniles are subject to judicial review, so the bill simply eliminates that review.

SB 92, an omnibus bill with the most controversial section being a change to bail release for accused criminals awaiting trial, was tabled before debate: there are a number of other bills on this topic this year.

HB 20, the original education freedom accounts bill, was also tabled before debate, as was HB 136, requiring schools to be able to identify students as “non-binary.”

HB 214, a statewide assessment of facility needs, passed without debate.

HB 255, which the committee had amended to be a ban on vaccine mandates, was tabled, 213-142. As a procedural point, tabling is preferable to killing a bill since it doesn’t prohibit a similar bill being considered; also, tabling is not debatable, so it will be quicker when the result of a vote is known.

HB 607, local education freedom accounts, was tabled, 187-170, as was HB 608, the formula for funding an adequate education, 193-154, and SB 44, establishing a community college workforce program, 201-148.

HB 87, on electioneering – particularly wearing political clothing at the polls – was not tabled, 166-184, debated and then passed, 186-164.

HB 327, requiring voters to show ID when delivering absentee ballots, went to interim study without comment.

HB 514, slightly changing the formula for rotating party position on the ballot, was debated at some length and passed, 188-165.

HB 531, establishing provisional voter registration and provisional ballots, and HB 535, eliminating the qualified voter affidavit, were both tabled without comment (the choice was to further study the issue, or just kill the bill!) HB 554, on temporary absences from home, was likewise tabled.

My committee had only one important bills: HB 275, finalizing the emergency powers reform we worked on last year. This bill limits the governor to three renewals (84 days) but allows the legislature to declare an emergency for 90 days, renewed as often as necessary; it was debated and passed, 190-165. Reconsideration failed, 170-184, so it’s off to the Senate.

HB 84, Ona Judge day, was amended and passed without comment; HB 204, declaring Granny D day was tabled, 229-118. (I made the motion, since there were two representatives speaking in favor of this rather minor bill, and one would not be brief.)

HB 414, codifying the current practice on emergency evacuations, was killed, 198-156, without debate.

HB 91, death benefits for first responders who die by suicide, passed without comment.

HB 254, on Your State House Page 3 of 5 January 7, 2022 placing minors in secure settings, was debated on whether property crimes should be completely ignored when securing minors. It was not tabled, 151-204, debated some more, and finally passed, 264-87 when the responsible committee agreed to bring these issues to the Senate.

HB 398, appropriating funds for some wastewater projects, HB 412, allocating funds to getting federal funds for wastewater projects, and HB 536, death benefits for public works employees killed in the line of duty, all passed without debate.

HB 591, setting a license fee for tobacco-only retailers, was explained and passed, 282-66. Tobacco sellers require the same inspections and audits as beer and wine, or beer and cigarettes, sellers, but had been paying a $6 license fee rather than the $216 for alcohol sellers.

HB 118, on the fish & game commission, was killed 321-31, without debate.

HB 490, on game cameras, passed 195-159, without debate. HB 103, establishing an adult dental benefit in the state Medicaid program, was not tabled, 138-213, debated, and passed, 225-127. I was opposed since it’s a new entitlement, currently available on one of the managed care medicaid programs; many people don’t actually want or won’t use a dental benefit.

HB 359, creating a cause of action for discrimination on the basis of hairstyles or ethnicities, was tabled without comment.

HB 478, requiring St Gobain Plastics to pay for remediation of the water in Merrimack, had a very long debate. It was not killed, 139-212, then passed on a voice vote.

HB 597, detailing the expectation of privacy, passed without debate.

HB 622, protecting the pre-born, was tabled by both sides since the Speaker had declared the committee amendment (repealing the ultrasound requirement) non-germane, and nobody wanted the original bill. The ultrasound is actually only required to verify the fetal age, to make sure it’s not over 24 weeks, but the opponents don’t want to admit that!

HB 517, raising the minimum wage, was tabled, 191-158.

HB 589, requiring worker’s compensation to cover some prophylactic treatments, passed 211-133 without comment.

HB 558, creating a study committee on information technology in the legislature, was killed 183-162, without debate.

HB 122, separating two capital projects, was explained and passed.

HB 571, repealing the prohibition against OHRV travel on Hoit Road Marsh, was debated and passed, 189-158. HB 611, abolishing water fluoridation, was tabled, 187-162, before debate.

HB 153, a study committee on internet access, and HB 167, expanding net metering limits, were both tabled, 194-151 and 185-153. I was surprised by the support for HB 167, since the same language had passed and been vetoed last session, and the veto upheld! Why some expected a different result this time was mind-boggling.

HB 172, setting greenhouse gas reduction goals, was tabled, 180-159.

HB 308, on utility pole attachments, was killed on a voice vote as a similar statute had been approved in the budget.

HB 376, a study committee on electrical microgrids, was tabled 184-152, as was HB 382, a study of demand charges (voice vote), and HB 394, study of carbon pricing, 191-151.

HB 410, a study of assessments of utility property, passed without comment. HB 543, a study commission on nuclear power, was debated briefly and passed on a voice vote.

There was a rare (first time I’ve seen one!) unanimous vote on HB 549, restructuring the systems benefit charge for energy efficiency projects. After debate on the committee amendment (passed on a voice vote), and on a Your State House Page 4 of 5 January 7, 2022 Democrat amendment (which failed 155-189), both sides urged us to pass the bill and the vote was 343-0!

HB 355, a tweak to the laws on Keno, and HB 364, revising the definition of “charitable organization” for the purpose of holding raffles, both passed without comment.

HB 614, exempting the state and its subdivisions from paying the cost of compliance with the renewable power portfolio, was debated at length. One issue was that it would undermine funding for renewables, the other that it would reduce costs for property taxpayers. The bill finally passed, 177-158.

We then dealt with the bills that the committees had put on the consent calendar of noncontroversial bills, but that some representatives didn’t agree.

HB 408, on employment restrictions for registered sex offenders, was debated at some length. A floor amendment to increase the restrictions failed, 73-263, and the bill passed on a voice vote.

HB 526, changing the fines for possession of cannabis, had been listed as to be killed, but actually, the committee wanted an interim study. We voted for further study, with explanations rather than debate.

HB 362, domicile of students for voting purposes, was tabled 312-25, largely to avoid debate.

HB 116, regulation of personal delivery devices, was argued by a representative who wanted more comprehensive regulation: but without this bill, we have no regulation at all and the devices can operate as they please. The bill passed on a voice vote.

Representative Carol McGuire
carol@mcguire4house.com
782-4918
Your

The post Your State House 1/11/22 – Vetoes, Weed, Insurance, LGBTQ, Emergency Powers, and more Redistricting appeared first on Granite Grok.

So the​ “Esteemed” swamp gods have spoken from the pillars of the CDC and FINALLY admitted what WE,​ THE PEOPLE,​ knew​ – THE WHOLE TIME: ​the “magic” 14-day-quarantine was too long, vaccines never stopped the transmission ​or adoption ​of the virus,​​ ​and case numbers were​ and ​are​​ overreported.

The only person in D.C. who spoke these truths from the beginning is Dr. Scott Atlas, who was overshadowed by the evil minion twins, Dr. Fauci and Dr. Bir​x, and constantly ​skewered ​by the media.​​​ Wikipedia – who’ll never get a DIME from us portrays him saying: [Atlas] ​ “spread misinformation about COVID-19, such as theories that face masks and social distancing were not effective in slowing the spread of the coronavirus.​”​​

Atlas​ recently​ told Fox News he was ‘shocked’ President Trump never fired Fauci and Birx at the time. ​I’ve asked myself the SAME question as I’m sure many of you have. It was a ​tragic ​mistake​ to have two ​entire-​career ​swampaucrats ​allow them to taint the Trump​ Whitehouse with liberal — and CONSTANTLY CHANGING — hypocritical opinions. ​Curious and confused as to HOW, on earth, they got there, I researched their paths to The Trump WhiteHouse. In doing so, I stumbled upon a familiar name: Matt. Mowers.

​Yes, that’s right, New Jersey’s – oops – I mean “​New Hampshire’s​”​ very own​ — Winnipesaukee lake-home ​carpetbagger candidate​ –​ Matt Mowers, served as the ​”​Chief of Staff​”​ ​– ​for Doctor Birx​​ at the State Department, ​architecting her​ infiltration​ into the Trump White House.

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

In a 2020 CNN article titled, ‘How Fauci and Birx got Trump to listen to the science,’ Matt Mowers is cited as being *THE* reason Dr. Birx received the top job in the West Wing.

I have heard Matt Mowers speak on the campaign trail many times this election cycle. He likes to talk about his work in the Trump Administration as a ‘Senior White House Advisor’, but conveniently leaves out ​– ​WHO ​– ​he was advising! ​He conveniently leaves out that he was the Chief of Staff and ‘friend’ to Dr. Birx in arguably the most corrupt federal agency in the whole Swamp – the State Department.

​Open your eyes folks, ​Matt got his campaign kicked off back “home” in Bergen County NEW JERSEY, New York, and DC. That was AFTER his interview where he stated: “Based upon on what I see & votes that were cast, the guy that got the most votes is sitting in the White House.” ​

Don’t elect a​ COVID Swamp Creature in the NH-01 Primary who played a direct role in​ effectuating​ the ​24/7 ​COVID​-Culture ​that has annihilated and divided America.​ We have a chance to beat Chris Pappas. Let’s not do it by electing a career bureaucrat​ who so desperately wants to escape from New Hampshire back to his peers in DC. ​ I leave you with his huge (anti-Trump) Birx endorsement below.​

Live Free or Die.

 

 

The post Look Out: COVID SwampCreature in NH-01 Primary appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Live Free or Die State is anything, but -New Hampshire’s State Budget is top-heavy with Federal Money. This dependence is embarrassing and debilitating, but recent tax cuts have produced a wave of new revenue. And cutting more taxes sounds great, but I may have a better idea.

Well, two of them, actually.

First, the good news that’s bad news.

Despite reducing business tax rates, we’re still overtaxing job creators.

 

From Fiscal Year 2012 through Fiscal Year 2021, business tax revenues exceeded budget projections by $649.6 million — or 100.1 percentage points. 

That is, over that time businesses gave legislators an additional $649.6 million to spend beyond what lawmakers had budgeted. 

Imagine if, over a decade, your largest source of income came in at double what you had budgeted for it. That’s what happened to state business tax revenues from FY 2012-2021. 

State Fiscal Year 2022 began last July, and so far the trend continues.

 

The good news is, cutting taxes continues to produce the inverse of what Democrats predicted. They swore we’d lose money if we cut taxes again, and political pandemic interference aside, we ended up with more than projected. The bad news is, we ended up with more than projected.

Taxation is theft.

NH cut business taxes again, lowered the rooms and meals tax, increased the amount of money returned to cities and towns to help lower property taxes, and that’s all great. Not all of that is reflected in this increase, but we need to do more of that.

Democrat states have proven that raising taxes leads to more government spending, which means raising taxes or adding new ones. It is a cycle of dependency that harms everyone but the government.

That means we should also cut spending and our addiction to federal money.

That fiscal ship is sinking. There may be no way to stop that. When it goes, all those federal dollars marketed as “love, caring, affection, compassion, ” or whatever BS labeling they’ve managed to stick to it will disappear. Maybe just some of it, if not all of it.

It is not a reliable revenue stream, and it is based on bilking future generations not yet born. We need to cut these cords as many as we can. So, while I’d love to see more tax cuts, I’d truly love to see less dependency on federal money or the programs used to force us to dance to their tune.

There’s nothing free about that, and we need to solve that problem before it forces us to do it.

One more point.

If Democrats get back into the majority, they will solve the happy “problem” of excess revenues by increasing spending. Revenues are, after all, only over-projection because we didn’t spend them.

The solution is to overspend. To plan for overspending to eliminate any chance of ever raising extra revenue.

Democrats always do this and then claim they need more and higher taxes and more dependency on the central planners in DC, who could care less about the New Hampshire Advantage or what having it means to Granite Staters.

Not that local Dems care any more than their DC masters. They only know how to sing one song, and you’re paying for it whether you like that or not. SO, I guess I have three suggestions, the last one being – keep Democrats out of office, or we’ll never Live Free, or even in any proximity to whatever that means.

 

 

The post Is it Time for NH to Lower More Taxes or Should We Cut a Few Federal Umbilical Cords First? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Nitzakhon note: I am not really out of my hiatus mode but this is IMHO critical enough that I am putting it out anyway despite the risk to my personal situation.  This was started a couple of months ago, but in light of recent events vis a vis a potential new virus, plus other things happen globally, I wanted to get it out there ASAP.

I fear time is very limited before fit starts hitting the shan – overseas at first but definitely coming here too.

So cases of Covid are rising – one need merely pay scant heed to the enemedia to know this; indeed, one cannot avoid the clear attempt to make the panic porn rise again.  And, at least in the northern hemisphere, rising cases make sense even outside the increase in testing (after all, the more you look for something the more you’ll find it!): as winter comes people crowd indoors, don’t get as much fresh air or sunlight (vitamin D people!), and their exhalations into and breathing in drier air make for a riper transmission environment.  Add in the false comfort from people who have been Jabbed being given leave to not wear their ineffective-anyway masks… despite their being able to catch and transmit the virus and to do so with fewer, if any, symptoms.  Which IMHO makes THEM into the “superspreaders”.

So this is not only predictable but was predicted by many.  As are the resulting ADE incidents as the virus infects people more readily thanks to the previous Jab-created antibodies aiding the virus.

The more Jabs, the more cases:

And please do see his recent graphic-rich post too.

 

BILL GATES OF HELL

Before I begin, take a look at the “knowing glance” and smirk shared by Bill and Melinda Gates.  Watch it a couple of times.  If you don’t get chills at that, go back to sleep.

 

 

 

The next one?  I cannot fathom the mentality of smiling at the prospect of a pandemic.

Now let me attempt to be reasonable: pandemics are a real threat.  Ever since I read The Hot Zone when it first came out I have been worried about pandemics given our age of air travel.  An infected but not yet contagious or symptomatic person with, well, anything can be around the world in less than 24 hours and assuming they get through customs & immigration, out and spreading whatever-it-is.  Nairobi in Kenya to Tokyo in 24 hours?  Yes.  Lagos in Nigeria to O’Hare or JFK or LAX in 24 hours?  Yes.  So Gates’ warning does have merit:

“If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war,” Gates said during a 2015 Ted Talk. “We’ve actually invested very little in a system to stop an epidemic. We’re not ready for the next epidemic.”

 

SO WHAT WILL IT BE?

 

Lots of electrons have been written about the possibility of a Marburg pandemic and the possibility one may be imminent (code to access the video bolded) – or, at least, the possibility of the threat and/or illusion of a Marburg pandemic being used:

The link below goes to the website of a Chinese dissident, in hiding somewhere outside China. She produces very cutting-edge content and has access to well-placed sources. I cannot verify the contents of this video; I don’t know who the speaker is (but he seems to be Irish). It is less than 3 minutes long and should scare your socks off. He claims that the upcoming winter will be the most deadly in human history, because of a hemorrhagic fever called Marburg’s disease, similar to the Ebola virus. It will be unusually lethal because of the immune degradation caused by the CoVID injections. People will beg for a vaccine to this new disease, a vaccine that contains ricin, if I understand correctly. To watch the video, you will be prompted to enter a passcode within a box. Ignore the Chinese characters and just type nov11 in the box.

Here the link to the video.

Others, too, have speculated that Marburg (whether real or not) is on the horizon.  To wit:

 

 

 

 

Consider this August 2021 warning.  And this article (bolding added):

Gavi, part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, also indicated as far back as April 2021 that Marburg has the potential to be the next big pandemic but with a mortality rate far exceeding anything we have seen before; according to Gavi, 88% of those infected with Marburg will die of the disease. Similar to Covid, the incubation periods tend to last for 2 to 3 weeks, and would no doubt provide a perfect excuse to reinstate social distancing and once again force the human population to treat one another like walking time bombs.

The notable Aesop has also weighed in on what could happen if Ebola got to America, and Peter Grant’s 2019 assessment of the ease in which it could get here is not comforting (links in the original; italics in the original replaced with underlining):

That’s why this outbreak of Ebola scares me so much.  It’s perilously close to breaking out of its geographic boundaries, despite months of intensive efforts to contain it.  The reason is precisely what I’ve said above.  Local people don’t believe in Western medicine;  in fact, they’d rather flee from it.  In doing so, they’re going to spread Ebola into Uganda (which has “10,000 [border] crossings each day” to and from the Congo – and that’s just the ones who go across legally, rather than walk through the bush).  South Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi are also threatened.  From there, it’s a hop, a skip and a jump to Kenya, with its international airport at Nairobi and its many flights per day to Europe and the Far East.  From there to the USA is no distance at all in terms of air travel.

Be afraid, people.  If you’re not, you don’t understand the situation.  This could turn very nasty, very quickly, and there’s almost nothing effective we can do to stop it if it does.  Even an international travel ban would have only limited effect, given how easily African refugees, particularly Congolese, can cross (and are already crossing) our borders illegally.

I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten here already.  As the Irish Republican Army said about attempted assassinations of British officials and even Royal family members:

“We only need to be lucky once. You need to be lucky every time.” – The IRA

Ebola, Marburg, or something else only need to be lucky once in today’s global travel, packed-in dense cities.  Imagine, and shudder, what could happen if a set of deliberately-infected people made it to and then dispersed in European or American cities with training on how to maximize the spread.  Do not forget what happened with Yersinia Pestis’ “world tour”…  Or Typhoid.  Or the 1918 flu.  Or, or, or, and those were with foot, horse, and ship travel, with nobody deliberately trying to spread anything.  As an aside, this book, Armies of Pestilence, is academic-level dry but is nonetheless a fascinating look at the role plagues have had in human history.  One of the book’s conclusions is that civilizations that are rising and ascending can withstand and recover from enormous population setbacks from a plague.  Civilizations in decline, historically, do not.  Where are we on that curve again?

 

 

ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES

No, I am not vain enough to think that I’m actually right all the time, but… I’m right enough, and been visionary/prescient enough, that I have had trouble at several employers for seeing farther – the proverbial Seven League Boots – than those far higher on the food chain who are supposed to be the ones with that perspective.  Having immodestly praised myself, cue up one of my favorite quotes:

 

 

I am old enough to have had the full sequence of Smallpox vaccinations, though I’d accept a booster if I could find one.  Why?  Because despite Smallpox being supposedly eradicated, there’s this from 2014; Vials of Smallpox Virus Found in Unapproved Maryland Lab:

The vials were found in a cold storage room in the Bethesda, Maryland, research building. It’s unclear how long they had been in the storage room, which is kept at 5 degrees Celsius. But the boxes holding them may date back to the 1950s, according to CDC spokesman Tom Skinner.

Remember, Smallpox is a lethal champ; from the same article (bolding added):

Smallpox killed a third of those who contracted it for about 3,000 years until it was declared globally eradicated by routine vaccination in 1979, according to the World Health Organization. We’re not even vaccinated for it anymore.

And this, now.

Vaccinations for Smallpox were discontinued in 1971, at least in America.  Thus everyone since then, born here, is wide open.  Functionally that’s everyone under 50.  And now lookie-here, what do we have?  Mr. Gates-of-Hell himself:

 

 

And now this:

A single case of monkeypox virus infection was confirmed Tuesday in a Maryland resident who recently returned from Nigeria.

Maryland health officials said the has mild symptoms, is currently recovering in isolation and is not hospitalized.

MDH said Monkeypox is in the same family of viruses as smallpox but generally causes a milder infection. It can be spread between people through direct contact with skin lesions or body fluids, or contaminated materials such as clothing or linens. It can also be spread through large respiratory droplets which generally cannot travel more than a few feet, and prolonged face-to-face contact is required.

OK, Monkeypox, not Smallpox, but still.  A relative.  And confirmation that global air travel has infectious risks.

 

 

SUMMING UP: SOMETHING BIG IS COMING

 

But… but… but Smallpox was eradicated, right?  Right?

And now, cue up the hemorrhagic fever threat:

This has many experts worried including Dr. Malone who is the inventor of the mRNA vaccines.  Dr. Malone today told the War Room audience that he is hearing the current disease that is spreading across China is reportedly an “Ebola-like hemorrhagic fever virus.”  The regime is hiding the true nature of this disease from the public and from the global community — Just like last time!

Doubtless this will be useful fear-porn fodder.  And doubtless, right on cue, they will have a miraculous just-in-time Jab for this one too.  mRNA of course, released under an EUA because of the crisis, and people will flock to the clinics to get it.  And with people having had their CD8 T-cells – the ones that resist viruses – diminished because of the Jabs with more being mandated… doubleplus ungood.  People will drop like flies and it will be blamed on the disease, not the Jab.  Thus the 7.3 billion person question will be on it’s way to be answered.  Don’t forget the video I embedded here as well:

 

 

 

All done believing they are doing good.

Food shortages.  Power outages (see this piece about Berlin, just recently); don’t forget our friend Klaus on the “inevitable cyberattack”).  Plague after plague.  Deaths are rising.  And things heating up war-wise.  Are we sure the Four Horsemen are just a rhetorical idea from times past… or an eddy in time prediction?

Got preps?

Added:

A Government-caused disaster in the making?

Follow the gold, follow the food – they tell the same story

“Like A Soviet Store During 1981”: Americans Absolutely Horrified By Empty Shelves From Coast To Coast (Video)

Back to hiatus.

The post The Next Pandemic appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Government-first people are the first to question the motives of wealthy pastors but what about the motives and machinations of greedy their government?

 

 

5 min 50 sec.

 

Listen and follow us on Spreaker, iHeart Radio, Spotify, or Google Podcasts
You can also find this episode on our podcast page.

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When your district uses technology vendors, there is a certain amount of data extracted from your child. Rarely do parents read the privacy statements by vendors, but even if they did, they’d discover that the privacy agreement isn’t exactly private.

There are always ways for the technology vendor to extract data on your child and share it. Data is gold now, and it’s the way for technology companies to build a digital portfolio on your kids. I bet you had no idea–it’s not like they tell you any of this.

You can see what software they are using in your school district here.

Cheri Kiesecker, a data-security expert has been actively warning parents about the data mining that is happening in schools across America. So when she posted about Naviance and Powerschool, I figured I’d share that information too.

Cheri wrote on her Facebook page:

Does your school use Naviance or PowerSchool?

Vista Equity Partners owns both PowerSchool and Naviance and A LOT of other companies. “Vista Equity Partners has been buying up software used in schools. Parents want to know what the companies do with kids’ data… Over the past six years, a little-known private equity firm, Vista Equity Partners, has built an educational software empire that wields unseen influence over the educational journeys of tens of millions of children. Along the way, The Markup found, the companies the firm controls have scooped up a massive amount of very personal data on kids, which they use to fuel a suite of predictive analytics products that push the boundaries of technology’s role in education and, in some cases, raise discrimination concerns.

One district we examined uses risk-scoring algorithms from a company in the group, PowerSchool, that incorporate indicators of family wealth to predict a student’s future success—a controversial practice that parents don’t know about—raising troubling questions.”

SOURCE: This Private Equity Firm Is Amassing Companies That Collect Data on America’s Children

Cheri wrote:

 

The data they extract goes WAAAY beyond what we could’ve guessed. “To piece together the extent of the companies’ data collection, The Markup reviewed thousands of pages of contracts, user manuals, data sharing agreements, and survey questions obtained through public records requests.

We found that the companies, collectively, gather everything from basic demographic information—entered automatically when a student enrolls in school—to data about students’ citizenship status, religious affiliation, school disciplinary records, medical diagnoses, what speed they read and type at, the full text of answers they give on tests, the pictures they draw for assignments, whether they live in a two-parent household, whether they’ve used drugs, been the victim of a crime, or expressed interest in LGBTQ+ groups, among #hundreds of other data points….”

It’s almost like they are building a dossier on your children. Actually, that’s exactly what they are doing.

Cheri then suggests that everyone look through these documents that were uncovered through a FOIA.

Your district administrators may not even be aware of how these Ed-Tech companies are data-mining sensitive and personal information on your children and your family. It would be a good idea to take this information to your local school board meeting and introduce this during public comments so they are entered into the minutes.

Request the administration and technology team begin a deep dive on all of the technology used in the district. Yes, it can make their job easier, but what price do you pay for that?

If district administrators demanded TRUE privacy agreements with vendors, maybe they would get the hint that your child’s personal information is not for sale. Although it’s not really sold, they give it away for free.

I’ve been warning parents for about a decade that these Ed-Tech companies are building dossiers on your children. You have no idea how that information will be shared and who will have access to it. Considering there is a market for selling data, their personal information is up to the highest bidder.

Will that bidder be a future potential employer? Will it be a college or university ? Will it be the military if your child wants to enlist?

You won’t even know what they’ve gathered on your child. Maybe your child’s behavior records. Maybe it’s information on their political views. In this case, you can’t get hired as a teacher unless you exhibit the proper woke attitudes. In other words, what EdTech gathers can be used against them at some point in their lives.

Good luck with that.

MORE ON NAVIANCE:
“Perhaps the poster-child for the lack of accountability to which Student Privacy Pledge signatories are held is Naviance by Hobsons — an Ed-Tech provider used by middle, high school, and college students that collects dates of birth, ethnicity, and other sensitive data — having reported at least three data breaches in 2019 alone. The first was a data breach in Virginia, involving sensitive information of 21 former students; the second was a breach in Pennsylvania involving 12,000 students, and the third involved close to 6,000 students attending Montgomery County, Md., public schools. With three breaches in a single year, one could argue that Naviance is not compliant with the pledge’s commitment to “[m]aintain a comprehensive security program that is reasonably designed to protect the security, privacy, confidentiality, and integrity of student personal information against risks.”

What’s stored in your school Google Drive account? You might be surprised.

: https://missourieducationwatchdog.com/?fbclid=IwAR1D-G4M904oCsd1yQQU2_O-cL3dcLTgs7O1Llf24T_jz-tNw_Mr1yUGCqQ

The post It’s Almost like They Are Building a Dossier on Your Children. Actually, That’s Exactly What They Are Doing. appeared first on Granite Grok.

So liberal sportswriter Sally Jenkins of the liberal Washington Post thinks NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is a victim. Brown (formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, and Pittsburgh Steelers) ripped off his uniform and walked out on his latest team (Bucs) during Tampa Bay’s game with the Jets on Jan. 2.

Wrote Jenkins: “The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted to own Antonio Brown’s talent but not his problems. There is something disquieting about that…It’s an ugly institutional look: The Bucs used Brown’s body, only to fire him for his troubled mind…The Bucs knew they were dealing with a volatile character and used him, calculatedly. They wanted to get what they could from him. And they had the right to walk away when they were discontented. He didn’t … The Bucs knew Brown could be irrational, and they signed him anyway.”

After Brown ripped off his pads and departed the TB sideline bare-chested, Buc head coach Bruce Arians said “He’s no longer a Buc. End of story.”

 

 

That doesn’t seem to be unreasonable after an employee walks off the job.

But more from Jenkins: “In no other profession do employers demand such devotion and repay it with so little loyalty and deem people so disposable.”

Really?

I can think of plenty of other professions that treat their people worse than the NFL treats its multimillionaires.

Jenkins: “The Buccaneers should tell Brown he is welcome back.”

Seriously?

Truth be told the Buccaneers took a big chance on Brown after his long history of volatility that got him bounced from three previous teams. Besides disrupting team chemistries, he was also accused of very serious sexual misconduct, refusal to pay creditors, counterfeiting vaccine cards, and much more.

Did Brown have a difficult upbringing? Sure. Should that excuse his behavior? No.

You see, personal responsibility is an anathema to the likes of Jenkins, et al. Egregious behavior must be excused, tolerated, and enabled.

“It’s not their fault.”

“They came from a bad neighborhood.”

“They have emotional problems.”

Brown may well indeed have emotional issues. Who does not, to some degree? Neither Jenkins nor I have access to Brown’s medical records. But sometimes people just choose to do bad things. And when they do, they should not be shielded from consequences because they’re rich, famous, emotional, or a member of some sort of a “protected” group.

Sometimes people just choose to do bad things. Or dumb things.

I wonder if Jenkins had similar sympathetic feelings towards Las Vegas Raider coach Jon Gruden when he was forced to resign in October due to an unsavory email he’d sent when working for the Washington Redskins eight years ago.

If it weren’t for double standards the Washington Post would have no standards at all.

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The Supreme Court’s failure to issue a decision on the Biden Administrations’ unconstitutional vaccine mandate yesterday is bad for every American regardless of which political side you sit.

Their failure to act is flouting the Constitution and their responsibility to the American people.

The Supreme court could have made an easy decision that was to maintain the Jacobson v. Massachusetts case which would have reaffirmed that vaccination is up to the States. They also had the option to do what is clearly right and side with those that say vaccination interferes with medical freedom and should be up to the individual.

The inability of the court to function and grant relief to the American people once again usurps State authority and grants rights that belong to the American people to the Federal Government.

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

Sadly, this is only the tip of the iceberg. During the first day’s hearing on the vaccination mandates, we heard justices express ridiculous un-American views (Looking at you Sotomayor). How does a Supreme Court Justice not know the difference between State and Federal Authority? What about spewing information that was not based on fact but media fear-mongering?

Americans will never be able to have a free and fair society when even our Justice system is rotting at the top.

The Supreme court was supposed to be an impartial-unbiased-apolitical organization. The reality, however, is that many of the Justices made up their mind before hearing arguments, and undoubtedly whatever decision they make could change the shape of America forever.

That is why it is imperative for the Supreme Court to remember their oaths and do what is right by the Constitution and remember that rights not explicitly granted by the Constitution belong to the States and the People.

 

The post Inaction is Action appeared first on Granite Grok.