A Federal judge just threw out a handful of class action lawsuits against automakers. No, it wasn’t about vehicle safety. No one was physically harmed. Their information was collected without their knowledge. Texts and calls placed through vehicle hands-free systems are being harvested and stored.

That’s the allegation.

 

A group of five related class action lawsuits allege that Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, and Ford “recorded and intercepted [car owners’] private text messages and call logs” when their phones were connected to the vehicles’ infotainment systems. …

As automakers continue to build out their infotainment systems with features designed to help you answer calls and text messages, privacy advocates argue that manufacturers aren’t doing enough to protect user data. A 2022 report from The Markup found that automakers are not only collecting data about your car but also sending it to vehicle data hubs to process that information.

 

The court affirmed dismissal based on the absence of any proven harm.

 

The federal judge’s ruling states that the district court “properly dismissed” the four remaining cases [The case filed against Ford has already been dismissed, according to The Record.], adding that they don’t satisfy the WPA’s statutory injury requirement, which says plaintiffs must allege an injury to their person, reputation, or business. “Plaintiffs’ allegation that a violation of the WPA itself is enough to satisfy injury to a ‘person’… without more, is insufficient to meet the statutory requirement,” the ruling says.

 

And to answer the question in the headline, no, it doesn’t violate the law here in New Hampshire either.

For those unsure why there would be some distinction, we have a constitutional amendment that is only a few years old that claims to protect an inherent natural right to privacy,

[Art.] 2-b. [Right of Privacy.] An individual’s right to live free from governmental intrusion in private or personal information is natural, essential, and inherent.
December 5, 2018

… from the government.

It is unlikely that the bailouts or other cashflows to car makers – to prop up union jobs or backstop EV manufacture or sales would qualify as government influence from which New Hampshire would appear obligated to protect us. Unless you’d like to argue that the government pushed for hands-free technology, which is now being used to harvest private information, but that won’t work either, and not just because the government isn’t the one doing the reaping.

As far as I can tell, Article 2-b, which was, in my opinion, an effort to keep abortion statistics hidden, has or will ever be honored or upheld. I may sound pessimistic, even cynical, but New Hampshire won’t be defending us from the impending privacy invasion of CBDC – the biggest anti-privacy government elephant in every room, so don’t expect them to stand up for you on anything else.

They are, after all, the ones prohibited from intruding, self-appointed to define what that means and how they can get around it. They will also be presiding over the facts, defending themselves from alleged violations, and sitting in judgment. All while accepting and spending millions from the Feds upon whose strings they happily dance.

It is an empty amendment without a whit of authority unless, of course, you want to hide how many minors have been encouraged to quietly have an abortion.

 

The post But Is It Unconstitutional in New Hampshire? appeared first on Granite Grok.

Maine legalized recreational marijuana in 2020. In response, Chinese nationals have bought properties all across Maine to grow marijuana. China has been using Tik Tok to brainwash America’s youth and now literally, not figuratively, are also using “recreational drugs” to also help turn them into zombies.

The Biden-Regime knows all about this operation but has done NOTHING to stop it.

From the Maine Wire:

Illegal Chinese marijuana grows have taken over much of rural Maine.

The government is either incapable — or unwilling — to do anything about it.

The Maine Wire has identified more than 100 properties that are part of a sprawling network of Chinese-owned sites operating as unlicensed, illicit cannabis growing operations in rural Maine. …

Most of the properties were acquired after Maine legalized the sale of recreational pot in 2020.

According to the DHS memos, the sites are operated by Chinese foreign nationals, some who are in the U.S. illegally. DHS believes the network earns an estimated total income of $4.37 billion per year, some of which is returned to entities in the People’s Republic of China.

Each pin represents a property acquired in the past three years by out-of-state Chinese nationals and turned into an illegal marijuana grow.

CBP estimates the operation could net $4bn annually.

==> https://t.co/gdivxVgc34 pic.twitter.com/Oi2nkY8301

— Steve Robinson (@BigSteve207) November 8, 2023

The post China Owns Illegal Marijuana Grows All Across Maine appeared first on Granite Grok.

You may have heard part of this story. Benjamin Rush Elementary in Redmond, Washington, announced that instead of “celebrating” Veteran’s Day, they would hold a ‘peace assembly’ on Nov. 15 to honor the “International Day of Tolerance” sponsored by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.”

 

Ten other schools in the Washington Lakes district are celebrating Veterans Day. Benjamin Rush Elementary is not. Read between the lines, folks.

This school is making a name for itself and opening the door for the rest to follow suit. Its move is consistent with the agenda pushed by progressives, Democrats and the radical left to remove history and tradition from children’s lives and replace it with fantasy, self-hatred and hatred for everything American.

 

What seems to be missing from the reporting is that while Benjamin Rush Elementary is not honoring Veterans Day, the district took the federal holiday on Friday off in honor of it.

 

 

 

 

There was no school. Depending on the contracts negotiated for administrators, staff, and teachers, this is most likely a paid holiday for many, especially anyone in a union.

I look forward to the news from Benjamin Rush Elementary about how the ‘District’ collected the day’s wages for a holiday they aren’t recognizing and returned it to the taxpayers.

 

 

HT | GP

The post School That Replaced Veteran’s Day with “Day of Tolerance” Still Took Friday Off – and Probably Got Paid appeared first on Granite Grok.

Is it ignorance, naivety, laziness, or a product of indoctrination that Democrats and a generation of young people think that the government can satisfy their needs from the crib to the grave? 

We have a history of failures from Education to Social Security and Medicare, and the government is too big and unmotivated to solve problems, except for the opportunities the system offers to make them wealthy.

The government aims to grow the government and proliferate the people’s dependence on the system. This process keeps the populace reelecting the same inept politicians for lifetime tenure. I wrote about one of our biggest failures last week. That issue is the treatment of our military personnel while they are serving, but more importantly, when they return to civilian life. 

About 255,000 veterans in the United States aged between 35 and 54 had an income below the poverty level. Over 500,000 veterans aged 65 and older have an income below the poverty level – the most out of any age group. Even sadder are the 68,000 homeless veterans and the 22 veterans who end their lives each day. This ugly truth is an American tragedy that nobody in the government wants to talk about, let alone solve. Thank God Frank Siller is not in our government.

Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller formed his Foundation in loving memory of his little brother, Stephen Siller, a New York Firefighter who gave his life in service, saving the lives of others in the Twin Towers on 9/11. Frank has made it his mission to help Gold Star Families, maimed victims of battle, and now he is tackling the homeless problem of our Veterans. Frank Siller is accomplishing what the government can not even think of doing. Frank is giving hope and respect back to our sons and daughters who were kicked to the curb by the system. Frank Siller is a hero.

We have all seen the commercials, and I admit to chills when I watch them. Frank asks for $11 a month from Americans, but what he does with the equivalent of two large cups of coffee is nothing short of magical. I watch the recent series of TV spots and marvel at what this man and his Foundation are doing nationwide to tackle Veteran homelessness. His track record ensures he will not rest until no Veteran sleeps on the street.

Across the country, T2T is converting hotel-style buildings into living centers for Vets. This weekend, they unveiled a facility in Houston that will house 105 of our finest. Frank lost his brother, Steve, on 9/11, but Steve left America with an angel. That may sound soft or hyperbole, but this man has shown what can be done when you bring people and resources together to solve a problem. Our military never leaves a brother or sister behind. America should not leave these Veterans behind. It is not just a roof over their heads but services from job counseling to mental health assistance. This effort is a complete package, and the government should be envious of T2T. It is about time they recognize Frank Siller for his actions.

The post Tunnels to Towers Is Doing What The Government Could Not appeared first on Granite Grok.

Wednesday night’s debate between the five qualifying GOP candidates for president (not named Trump) was by far the best of the three held so far, at least in my opinion. One critic complained it came off more like a TED Talk than a debate. I agree! But I thought that’s what made it good.

Unless you’re looking to exploit click-bait soundbites, what does anybody get out of mud-slinging one-liners and too many people talking over each other?

All of the candidates did a good job outlining their positions on a number of serious issues ranging from the Israeli/Hamas conflict as well as Ukraine, and China, to energy policy, immigration, the opioid crisis, crime, inflation, entitlement spending, and education. The spinners are trying to stir the pot by highlighting a couple of “heated moments” – Nikki Haley is Dick Cheney in heels! — that weren’t really that heated or are downplaying the event as irrelevant. (The latter have an argument.)

Some, I think, did better than others. Ramaswamy made some solid points, starting with taking on the legacy media for their multi-year collusion in the Russia collusion hoax, but shot himself in both feet by generally coming across as, well, just kind of a jerk. Tim Scott finally came out of his shell and turned in a solid performance, but if Tuesday’s election results from Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia teach us anything, it is that Scott’s Christian conservative positions on issues like abortion won’t translate well into a national race. Chris Christie was Chris Christie. He’s a smart guy, but a Blue State, center-left Republican is not what an overwhelming majority of Republican primary voters are looking for today.

That leaves Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the two non-Trump frontrunners. Personally, I think these two should be the Republican ticket for 2024, and the only question to iron out between now and the primaries for me is which one should be at the top. Both are/were highly effective conservative governors. Both delivered conservative policies and electoral victories in their states. Both are extremely articulate in their own and in complementary ways – DeSantis being more methodical (some say uncharismatic), and Haley being more passionate (some say more charismatic).

Both have demonstrated they can connect with and bring in voters who are outside their base constituencies, such as independents and minorities. Both are young, energetic, and attractive. If either won the presidency in 2024, the other would still be young enough to run in 2032, setting up Republicans for long-term national success. (Trump, of course, would be constitutionally done in 2028.)

We need to see and hear more from these two. Just these two.

So, some free advice for their campaigns that probably won’t be taken, but anyway…. Scrap any more GOP-sponsored debates.

Currently, there is a controversy over a proposal by influential Iowan Bob Vander Plaats, president of The Family Leader, to hold a public Thanksgiving roundtable discussion with the GOP candidates, and the RNC is threatening to bar anyone who participates from future GOP-sponsored debates. First, what future GOP-sponsored debates? And second, who cares? Do the Vander Plaats event (which I’m happy to say it looks like he’s going to move forward with), and don’t stop there.

None of the five from Wednesday is going to break out or change the current dynamic by popping up once a month, if that, to scramble for fifteen minutes of talk time at free-for-all moderated by a bunch of left-wing legacy media talking heads. So, create your own forums and have a real, in-depth conversation about what your visions are for the country – and how you plan to win a general election in November.

As for Haley and DeSantis, I would suggest the two organize a World Series of two-hour head-to-head discussions. Seven games, each focusing on a specific topic, hosted by someone(s) conservatives care about and who has an audience. Mark Levin? Tucker Carlson? Joe Rogan? Elon Musk? One a week leading up to the Iowa Caucuses on January 15.

Last month, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy explored doing a one-on-one debate on Fox News, and the RNC quashed it. Why did they chicken out? Both probably would have gotten more publicity for their campaigns and created more of an opportunity to connect with voters had they done it. I, for one, was looking forward to it and hope they revisit the idea themselves. The more in-depth exposure we get to these folks, the better.

The low-information way we go about picking the leader of the free world these days sucks. I cite the current guy who ran from a basement hiding behind a mask – and won — as my evidence.

 

Rob Roper is a freelance writer with 20 years of experience in Vermont politics, including three years of service as chair of the Vermont Republican Party and nine years as President of the Ethan Allen Institute, Vermont’s free-market think tank. He is also a regular contributor to VermontGrok.

The post Top GOP Candidates Shouldn’t Participate in Any More Debates appeared first on Granite Grok.

How bad is the RINO problem in the U.S. House of Representatives? Pretty damn bad. The latest (as off 11/9) … SEVENTY (70) DC RINOs joined with the Democrats to give the FBI $300 million for a new headquarters.

And, yes, that would be the same FBI that considers pro-life activists and Trump-voters domestic security threats and treats them as such while covering up the actual crimes committed by the Biden crime family.

Nothing is ever going to change until Republican voters turn out for primaries and defeat the RINOs. Until that happens, we will have merely the illusion of GOP control acting as camouflage for the UniParty.

NEW: 70 House Republicans voted in favor of rewarding the FBI with a $300 MILLION headquarters in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This is the same FBI that has been aggressively targeting Trump supporters while protecting the Biden Crime Family.

Republicans, who often times like to… pic.twitter.com/HkspdWhbqX

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 10, 2023

BEFORE: We will set up a major, Church-like Committee to investigate the FBI!

(doesn't happen)

NOW: We are giving the FBI a brand new mega headquarters https://t.co/LBus7cyfma pic.twitter.com/4TG8JF8twp

— Mike Howell (@MHowellTweets) November 9, 2023

Editor: And this just in …

 

The post DC RINOs Reward FBI With $300 Million for New Headquarters appeared first on Granite Grok.

The Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida, was the site of the third Republican debate.  Missing from the stage were candidates Mike Pence, Asa Hutchinson, and that guy Doug, as was the Reagan Library plane that disappeared like the hopes of the three vanquished old white guys.

Miami is as diverse as they come, and the GOP hopefuls suddenly look like the new America Barack Obama and Joe Biden have manufactured by opening the southern border wider than Governor Christie’s pants.  Gone are the days of pasty conservative men as we are left with two Indians, an African American, an obese guy, and another guy wearing high heels.  If that’s not a representative sample of modern America, I don’t know what is!

Speaking of striking, Vivek Ramaswamy came just short of rich-slapping two ladies right off the bat as the billionaire came out of the gates swinging for the fences (that was one pun and three metaphors if you’re scoring at home).  He answered his first question by calling out RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to come up on stage and apologize to her party, generously offering her his time to allow her to resign.  He quickly turned his attack on to the lone female moderator, Kirsten Welker, for supporting the Trump Russia Collusion hoax, eliciting groans and howls from the crowd who were itching for some click-bait.  Who says chivalry is dead?

The moderators for the show were the equally diverse Lester Holt, Kristen, and Hugh Hewitt, who, if I’ve done my intersectional math correctly, make two Harvard grads and a Jamaican, all working for the man.  Lester set the tone early by admonishing the crowd for showing their human instinct of approval by applauding candidates saying things they support.  Having the personal charm of a butler who moonlights as a librarian, Lester seems to have forgotten the real focus of the debate was the people sitting behind, not beneath him.  Luckily they did as they were told by the Constitution and told Lester to go fluff himself by continuing to make as much noise as they damn well pleased. ‘Merica!

The moderator’s questions were all craftily designed to focus on second-tier issues like high gas prices, what would you say to Israel’s Prime Minister if he actually listened to you, and how many boats will you buy from defense contractors to impress the Chinese.  This made the debate feel more like a friendly game night where the argument is over playing Monopoly versus Risk.  Toss in a question about the growing anti-semitism on college campuses and the real interests were being spoken to: Energy companies, “the Jews,” and the military-industrial complex, that is, the America that rules Americans.  At least that’s what my friends Mel and Kanye told me.

Conspicuously absent from the debate was front-runner Donald Trump who has a bigger lead over the pack than a tranny at a track meet.  When not in court, the Don is holding court at one of many arena’s around the country that are packed fuller than Sam Brinton’s suitcases.  Governor Christie, when he wasn’t using food as a reference, spent most of the evening pining for the former president to give “what he owes the American people” by way of an explanation as to what he’ll do when he becomes president.  Somehow, he missed that’s exactly what Trump was doing that night to a crowd of millions without the indignity of having to answer to a team of future also-ran-their-mouths.

Other than Ramaswamy’s scorched earth tactics, the debate had the feel of a drug commercial.  You know the kind – where we’re reminded of how great life was, then told we have this pervasive sickness that only (blank) can solve, followed by a list of harmful side-effects spoken quickly to us in a hushed monotone voice, such as hair loss, lowered libido and eye bleeding, concluding with visual imagery of the perfect life we all hope for while secretly knowing we’re more likely to get one or more side-effects.  Yeah, sign us up for that.

So as the candidates were asked to give their concluding remarks, they pulled out their rhetorical paint brushes and canvassed the room with vision casting and big promises loud enough to cause amnesia for all of the past promises that they forgot to pay up.  Desantis summoned his greatest governor in America vibe, Haley waved the “strong and proud” flag, Christie reminded us the situation is more serious than his looming heart attack, while Scott did his best impersonation of Mike Pence, cranked out a few Bible verses, and soft-shouted how American needs to return to its Christian roots, at which point Lester immediately cut him off for using the words faith and Christian and Scott was later declared the black face of white Christian nationalism by Media Matters.

All of them at times borrowed from the Trump playbook, which runs on a combination of tough talk, insult comedy, and patriotic slogans, only none of them come by it honestly, as does Donnie’s ballgame, which is why his numbers are higher than Jerry Garcia on the Matterhorn.

However, the only one who came to play hardball was Ramaswamy, who signed off by daring the Democrats to be honest about Joe Biden as a “puppet for the managerial class” and come clean about the real candidate they would run suggesting either Gavin Newsom or Michael Obama.  As the crowd roared with approval, Ramaswamy reminded Ronna that she would be more useful to the party if she’d just go make him a sandwich, after which he stepped out from behind his podium and shouted, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?!”

 

The post Bananas GOP 3: Return of the Son of Ramaswamy appeared first on Granite Grok.

We have been discussing the role of prayer in the founding of our great country, not just from the early clergy but the Founding Fathers themselves. This week, let’s take a look at the many times the Founding Fathers, not the clergy, declared a day of prayer and fasting for a crisis that was threatening the nation.

There is a scripture (word) given by God to the nation of Israel in II Chronicles 7:14; it reads, “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Never before in our history are we at a point like we are now in the targeted and planned destruction of our foundations. All of the freedoms afforded us by the Constitution are now being threatened by our own lawmakers. We need some real miracles from Heaven!

In Colonial days, the Colonists often declared days of Prayer during droughts, Indian attacks, threats from other nations, and the insecurity of our own colonies, always threatening to unravel.

A notable Day of Prayer was in 1746 when the French Admiral d’Anville sailed for New England with the most powerful fleet of the time- 70 ships with 13,000 troops. His intention was to recapture Louisburg, Nova Scotia, and destroy Boston to New York, reaching as far as Georgia. Massachusetts Governor William Shirley declared a Day of Prayer and Fasting on October 16, 1746. They met in Boston’s Old South Meeting House, and the Rev. Thomas Prince prayed a most fervent prayer for protection and defeat of the enemies’ threats; he began…”Send THY tempest Lord upon the water..scatter the ships of our tormentors!”

Historian Catherine Drinker Bowen relates that as he finished praying, the sky darkened, the winds shrieked, and church bells rang “a wild, uneven sound…though no man was in the steeple.” Well, a hurricane actually sank and scattered the entire French fleet. With 4,000 sick and 2,000 dead, including Admiral d’Anville, French Vice-Admiral d’Estournelle threw himself on his sword. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a most apropos Ballad about the event. Admiral d’Anville has sworn by cross and crown, to ravage with fire and steel our helpless Boston Town…From mouth to mouth spread tidings of dismay, I stood in the Old South saying humbly: “Let us pray!… Like a potter’s vessel broke, the great ships of the line were carried away as smoke or sank in the brine.”

On May 24, 1774, Thomas Jefferson drafted a Resolution for a Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer to be observed as the British blockaded Boston’s Harbor. It was introduced in the Virginia House of Burgess, and with the support of Patrick Henry, Richard Lee, and George Mason, it passed unanimously! Members of the House were ordered to attend as the Reverend Mr. Price was appointed to read prayers and the Reverend Mr. Gwatkin to preach a sermon. Can you believe this? Where is the separation of church and state, as touted so arrogantly today?

George Washington wrote in his diary on June 1, 1774: “Went to church, fasted all day.”

On April 15th, 1775, just a few days before the Battle of Lexington, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, led by John Hancock, declared: “ In circumstances dark as these, it becomes us, as men and Christians, to reflect that whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments…the 11th of May next be set apart as a Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting, Prayer…to confess the sins…to implore the Forgiveness of all our Transgression.”

On April 19.1775, Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull proclaimed a Day of Prayer and Fasting.

On June 12, 1775, less than two months after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Continental Congress, under President John Hancock, declared, “Congress…considering there present critical, alarming and calamitous state…do earnestly recommend, that Thursday the 12th of July next, be observed by the inhabitants of all English colonies on this Continent, as a Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer….”

On July 5, 1775, the Georgia Provincial Congress passed: “ A motion…that this Congress apply to his Excellency the Governor…requesting him to a appoint a Day of Fasting and Prayer throughout this Province…due to disputes between America and the Parent State.

November 8, 1783, at the end of the Revolutionary War, Massachusetts Governor John Hancock issued: “ These Citizens of these United States have every reason for praise and gratitude to the God of their salvation…I do..appoint..the 11th day of December next (the day recommended by Congress to all States) to be religiously observed as a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer, that all people may then assemble to celebrate..that he hath been pleased to continue to us the Light of the Blessed Gospel…That we also offer up fervent supplications..to cause pure Religion and Virtue to flourish..and to fill the world with His glory.”

So, friend, as you can see from these examples, and mind you, I can give you close to 100 or more the government, not just the church, called on God to bring deliverance from their enemies and to help the new nation grow strong on every level. The fallacy of interpretation today of the Separation of Church and State is one we need to address as often as we can. In the meantime, let us give ourselves to prayer and fasting for the salvation of our current situations, which are myriad and problematic, to say the least. God has promised He will heal our land if we will pray….

Until Next Week…

Allen

The post Pulpit Polity: The Founding Fathers, and Prayer appeared first on Granite Grok.

An increasing number of reports have emerged about the jet stream becoming unstable. Regular readers already know why that is and that it has nothing to do with human emissions. That’s not stopping the Climate Cult from emitting excessive amounts of fraud about the cause.

The headlines are coming, the headlines are coming. You broke the jet stream! But it is not too late! Let the government tax you into poverty to pay their friends, donors, and family to “fix it.” Oh, and we’ll be wanting your property and natural rights as well. Those are also bad for the environment.

So what’s the deal? Not with the climate MArxism, we’ve got that – what about the jet Stream?

As I said, we’ve been there and done that, but given the direction of the cult narrative, a refresher is in order,

 

Higher levels of solar energy stabilize the jet stream. When that energy declines during solar minimums, the jet stream gets all wonky (or wavy), allowing warm air to move north and cold air to move south in weird and exotic ways. The result is areas in proximity with dramatically different weather.

The most immediately noticeable impact is the reduction of energy entering the jet streams, which changes the jet’s usual strong and straight ZONAL flow to a weak and wavy MERIDIONAL one.

Depending on which side of the stream you’re on, this means you’re either in for a spell of anomalously cold or warm weather and/or a period of unusually dry or wet conditions:

” …the perceived climatic changes can be fully explained by cyclical ‘buckling’ of the jet streams (Zonal to Meridional), itself caused by a bout of historically low solar activity.”

 

Here it is, the omega blocking in all its glory, responsible for the annotated extreme weather events in Europe this week. pic.twitter.com/0TUmZMQzoT

— Mika Rantanen (@mikarantane) September 4, 2023

You can see it with your own eyes. Solar energy is lower. The climate is reacting as predicted—no need for the Marxism or its advocates to enrich themselves.

Solar minimums have weird weather, and this is why.

I hope you took notes.

 

The post Reminder: The Jet Stream IS Messed Up But Your “Emissions” Have Nothing to do With That appeared first on Granite Grok.

[Concord, NH, November 11, 2023] The 603 Alliance, a leading conservative grassroots organization in New Hampshire, endorses Donald Trump for President.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan captured the hearts and minds of many Americans when he asked: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is as safe, that we’re as strong as we were four years ago?”

It is well worth asking those same questions again today. Under Donald Trump’s leadership, America experienced a resurgence in economic activity, including a revival in manufacturing. Average gas prices ranged between $2.26 and $2.81 per gallon. Minority unemployment hit an all‐time low, and domestic energy production reached an all‐time high. Inflation averaged just 1.4 percent.

Joe Biden’s America, in contrast, looks a lot like Jimmy Carter’s. So, too, does the rest of the world. Four years ago, Trump was brokering peace deals in the Middle East. Today, that region is at war. US troops are under attack. Vladimir Putin is on the march in Ukraine. Our nation needs a proven leader who can act quickly to reverse the damage brought about by Joe Biden’s disastrous economic policies, and who can affirmatively re‐assert America’s strength on the world stage. Donald Trump is uniquely qualified to do both.

While the remaining pack of GOP candidates battle for the second‐place position, Donald Trump continues to dominate the polls. He has a commanding lead in New Hampshire. Moreover, recent results show him beating Joe Biden in key swing states, disproving once and for all the claims that Trump cannot win another general election. He has done it before, and he is uniquely positioned to do it again.

“The 603 Alliance is proud to be endorsing Donald Trump,” said Jim Kofalt, Managing Director of the 603 Alliance. “While the rest of the candidates are clamoring to appeal to the donor classes, Donald Trump is reaching out to regular people, engaging with the grassroots, and setting the stage for victory next November. The 603 Alliance is all‐in for Donald Trump.”

Press Release Reformated for this publication

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Fran Wendelboe
Phone: (603) 513-0378
e-mail: info@603alliance.org

###

ABOUT THE 603 ALLIANCE: The 603 Alliance is a grassroots organization whose mission is to restore Constitutional principles at all levels of our government by championing the principles of free people and free markets, uniting like-minded citizens in support of candidates who will further these principles.

 

Reminder: Content about candidates or by candidates is not an endorsement by GraniteGrok.com or its authors.

The post 603 Alliance Endorses Donald Trump for President appeared first on Granite Grok.

The ATF has been busy promulgating rules to restrict firearms, but so far, all it has done is keep lawyers fat and happy from legal fees and the US courts busy throwing out partisan acts of overreach.

 

A three-judge panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit decided on Thursday against the ATF’s 80 percent frame rule, finding that the ATF overstepped its bounds in issuing it.

The 80 percent or partial frame rule is contained within ATF Final Rule 2021-05F, and makes clear the ATF’s position that partially completed pistol frames–commonly known as 80 percent frames–are “firearms.”

 

The politics of civilian disarmament being what they are, we should expect ATF to either appeal or come at it from a different angle. They won’t give up. Even if a Republican wins the White House and the GOP lands on both feet withmajorities in both chambers, the bureaucracy is its own branch of government. Congress has granted it so much power that it assumes more on a whim.

I am, however, reminded of a case in New Hampshire. Prior to clarification in the law, a citizen was charged with illegally concealing a loaded firearm in their vehicle without a permit. If it is unloaded, you could conceal it, but the prosecution charged that the proximity of a magazine to the unloaded weapon constituted a violation.

New Hampshire courts, in a moment of clarity, observed that a firearm without either a magazine or no round chambered could not possibly meet the definition of a  loaded weapon.

There will always be those who seek any means to harass those who choose firearms as a tool with which they might exercise the natural right to self-defense. The ATF appears to be full of them.

But we should not need courts to come you our rescue. As Ian noted on Thursday,

 

If the government says you have to register your guns, and you decide that it has no authority to do so, you are no longer law-abiding.  You are a felon — guilty of the ‘crime’ of believing that the federal constitution actually means what it says.

So according to the government — and for that matter, according to the NRA and the vast majority of ‘gun rights supporters’ that I’ve met — you can’t have guns.

And even when the Supreme Court gets around to striking down that law in a few years, your felony conviction will still stand.  So unless you have a pile of money and several years to devote to having it overturned, that won’t be of much help to you.

It’s time for people who think that only ‘law-abiding Americans’ have the right to keep and bear arms to rethink that position, which is what allows laws like this to exist in the first place.

 

It’s what allows the ATF to do what it does. And it is not about to stop.

 

 

 

The post Night Cap: Another Biden ‘Gun-Grab’ End-Run Around Congress Get’s Beaten Back in Court appeared first on Granite Grok.

There is a lot of enthusiasm and expectation leading up to a wedding. A pre-wedding retreat offers a calm break in the bustle of wedding planning, allowing the bride or groom to spend quality time with their closest friends and family. Careful planning and a little imagination are needed when creating such an adventure to create a memorable experience.

Selecting the perfect locale

An amazing pre-wedding retreat starts with the right setting. The site should match the honouree’s interests, whether it’s a bustling city, a peaceful beach, or a scenic countryside. It should balance leisure and group activities. Consider the time of year, visitor accessibility, and budget when choosing a party location. A good site boosts guests’ comfort and delight and sets the tone.

Crafting a shared experience

The retreat’s main purpose is to create lasting memories. Activities that foster friendship and celebrate the wedding produce these moments. The agenda should include spa days, adventure sports, cultural visits, and food adventures to suit the group’s interests. Planning ensures guests have ample entertainment without being overcrowded. A well-balanced program that encourages individual relaxation and group closeness should allow enough time for solo relaxation and exploration.

Accommodation matters

The group’s gathering and relaxation area is a key component of the retreat, and it requires careful consideration. Hen party houses are a great option for these kinds of events. These homes are made to accommodate large gatherings of people seeking a comfortable yet opulent setting that can accommodate quiet times and celebrations. Make sure the hen party house you reserve has all the amenities required for the size of the group and the activities you have planned. Furthermore, these homes frequently have distinctive features like game rooms, hot tubs, and spacious dining areas that can enhance the pre-wedding getaway’s excitement and luxury.

Personalising the retreat

Give the retreat a personalised touch to make it genuinely unforgettable. This might be anything from themed dinners that showcase the tastes of the bride and husband to personalised welcome bags full of goods and itineraries. Personalisation can also be seen in the activities selected; for example, the honouree’s favourite pastime or a private lesson in an endeavour they’ve always wanted to pursue could be included. Make sure the pre-wedding event is meaningful and pleasurable by customising the retreat to each individual’s unique qualities.

Ensuring flexibility and comfort

The retreat’s success depends on flexibility as much as careful planning. Whether the changes are brought on by the weather, your attitude, or unforeseen events, be ready to adjust. Ensure that every guest’s comfort is a top concern, considering dietary needs, physical limits, and individual preferences. A well-run pre-wedding retreat is characterised by a relaxed, welcoming environment where all participants feel eager to join in on the fun.

Conclusion

Arranging a pre-wedding retreat is a creative undertaking that involves thoughtful evaluation of various aspects. The precursor to the wedding becomes an enriching experience by picking the ideal location, fostering a shared experience, picking the ideal lodging, customising the event, and guaranteeing the retreat’s comfort and flexibility. It’s a celebration that strengthens the relationships between individuals who will soon join in the couple’s big day, as well as honouring the impending wedding.

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We are one year out from the 2024 presidential election, and as usual, the American people remain eager to be persuaded that a new president in the White House can solve the problems that plague us.

“We’ve got to face it. Politics have entered a new stage, the television stage. Instead of long-winded public debates, the people want capsule slogans—‘Time for a change’—‘The mess in Washington’—‘More bang for a buck’—punch lines and glamour.”— A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Yet what is being staged is not an election.

It’s a con game, a scam, a grift, a hustle, a bunko, a swindle, a flimflam, a gaffle, and a bamboozle, and “we the people” are nothing more than marks, suckers, stooges, mugs, rubes, or gulls.

We’re being duped into believing that this mockery of a choice between two candidates who are equally unfit for office actually translates to having some say in how the government is run.

To the contrary, this particular con game is part of a long-running, elaborate scam to keep the Deep State in power and leave the populace deluded, distracted and incapable of demanding accountability, transparency and decency from the government and its cohorts.

Politics is entertainment.

It is a heavily scripted, tightly choreographed, star-studded, ratings-driven, mass-marketed, costly exercise in how to sell a product—in this case, a presidential candidate—to dazzled consumers who will choose image over substance almost every time.

This year’s presidential election, much like every other election in recent years, is what historian Daniel Boorstin referred to as a “pseudo-event”: manufactured, contrived, confected and devoid of any intrinsic value save the value of being advertised. It is the end result of a culture that is moving away from substance toward sensationalism in an era of mass media.

As author Noam Chomsky rightly observed, “It is important to bear in mind that political campaigns are designed by the same people who sell toothpaste and cars.”

In other words, we’re being sold a carefully crafted product by a monied elite who are masters in the art of making the public believe that they need exactly what is being sold to them, whether it’s the latest high-tech gadget, the hottest toy, or the most charismatic politician.

Politics is a reality show, America’s favorite form of entertainment, dominated by money and profit, imagery and spin, hype and personality and guaranteed to ensure that nothing in the way of real truth reaches the populace.

After all, who cares about police shootings, drone killings, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture schemes, private prisons, school-to-prison pipelines, overcriminalization, censorship or any of the other evils that plague our nation when you can be sucked into an alternate reality so emotionally charged and entertaining as to make you forget that you live in a police state.

But make no mistake: Americans only think they’re choosing the next president.

In truth, however, they’re engaging in the illusion of participation culminating in the reassurance ritual of voting. It’s just another Blue Pill, a manufactured reality conjured up by the matrix in order to keep the populace compliant and convinced that their vote counts and that they still have some influence over the political process.

Stop drinking the Kool-Aid, America.

The nation is drowning in debt, crippled by a slowing economy, overrun by militarized police, swarming with surveillance, besieged by endless wars and a military industrial complex intent on starting new ones, and riddled with corrupt politicians at every level of government.

All the while, we’re arguing over which corporate puppet will be given the honor of stealing our money, invading our privacy, abusing our trust, undermining our freedoms, and shackling us with debt and misery for years to come.

Nothing taking place on any Election Day will alleviate the suffering of the American people.

The government as we have come to know it—corrupt, bloated and controlled by big-money corporations, lobbyists and special interest groups—will remain unchanged. And “we the people”—overtaxed, overpoliced, overburdened by big government, underrepresented by those who should speak for us and blissfully ignorant of the prison walls closing in on us—will continue to trudge along a path of misery.

Corporate greed will continue to call the shots in the nation’s capital, while our elected representatives will grow richer and the people poorer. And elections will continue to be driven by war chests and corporate benefactors rather than such values as honesty, integrity and public service. Just consider: it’s estimated that more than $10 billion will be spent on the elections this year, yet not a dime of that money will actually help the average American in their day-to-day struggles to just get by.

And the military industrial complex will continue to bleed us dry. Since 9/11, we’ve spent more than $8 trillion to wage wars abroad. Although the U.S. constitutes barely 5% of the world’s population, America boasts almost 40% of the world’s total military expenditure, spending more on the military than the next 10 biggest spending nations combined. Even with America’s military might spread thin, the war drums continue to sound as the Pentagon polices the rest of the world with counterterror activities in 85 countries.

Americans should be mad as hell.

Many of our politicians live like kings. Chauffeured around in limousines, flying in private jets and eating gourmet meals, all paid for by the American taxpayer, they are far removed from those they represent. Such a luxurious lifestyle makes it difficult to identify with the “little guy”—the roofers, plumbers and blue-collar workers who live from paycheck to paycheck and keep the country running with their hard-earned dollars and the sweat of their brows.

Conveniently, politicians only seem to remember their constituents in the months leading up to an election, and yet “we the people” continue to take the abuse, the neglect, the corruption and the lies. We make excuses for the shoddy treatment, we cover up for them when they cheat on us, and we keep hoping that if we just stick with them long enough, eventually they’ll treat us right.

People get the government they deserve.

No matter who wins the presidential election next year, it’s a sure bet that the losers will be the American people.

As political science professor Gene Sharp notes in starker terms, “Dictators are not in the business of allowing elections that could remove them from their thrones.”

The Establishment—the shadow government and its corporate partners that really run the show, pull the strings and dictate the policies, no matter who occupies the Oval Office—are not going to allow anyone to take office who will unravel their power structures. Those who have attempted to do so in the past have been effectively put out of commission.

So what is the solution to this blatant display of imperial elitism disguising itself as a populist exercise in representative government?

Stop playing the game. Stop supporting the system. Stop defending the insanity.

Washington thrives on money, so stop giving them your money. Stop throwing your hard-earned dollars away on politicians and Super PACs who view you as nothing more than a means to an end. There are countless worthy grassroots organizations and nonprofits working in your community to address real needs like injustice, poverty, homelessness, etc. Support them and you’ll see change you really can believe in in your own backyard.

Politicians depend on votes, so stop giving them your vote unless they have a proven track record of listening to their constituents, abiding by their wishes and working hard to earn and keep their trust.

Stop buying into the lie that your vote matters. As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, the only thing you’re accomplishing by taking part in the “reassurance ritual” of voting is sustaining the illusion that we have a democratic republic.

What we have is a dictatorship, or as political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page more accurately term it, we are suffering from an “economic élite domination.”

A healthy, representative government is hard work. It takes a citizenry that is informed about the issues, educated about how the government operates, and willing to make the sacrifices necessary to stay involved, whether that means forgoing Monday night football in order to attend a city council meeting or risking arrest by picketing in front of a politician’s office.

It takes a citizenry willing to do more than grouse and complain. We must act—and act responsibly—keeping in mind that the duties of citizenship extend beyond the act of voting.

As Justice John Josephus Grant warns in the 1943 film A Stranger in Town:

“As citizens, we carry a burning responsibility. It means that when we elect men to public office, we cannot do it as lightly as we flip a coin. It means that after we’ve elected them, we can’t sit back and say: ‘Our job is done. What they do now doesn’t concern us.’ That philosophy of indifference is what the enemies of decent government want. If we allow them to have their way to grow strong and vicious, then the heroic struggle which welded thousands of lovely towns like this into a great nation means nothing. Then we’re not citizens, we’re traitors. The great liberties by which we live have been bought with blood. The kind of government we get is the kind of government we want. Government of the people, by the people and for the people can mean any kind of government. It’s our duty to make it mean only one kind – uncorrupted, free, united.”

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If Vermont is the poster child for Democrat decline, Burlington is the picture at its center. It is by far Vermont’s largest municipality and, again -and perhaps then some – its greatest cistern of liberal policy, making its decline, while sad, easy to predict.

The people of Burlington made it illegal to prosecute prostitution, gave illegal aliens the vote, defunded the police (then regretted it), and the list goes on and on. It is as if the citizens elected a cadre of toddlers and left them unattended in the liberal policy candy store. They grasped at every sweet-tasting shiny lie of the Left. If it failed somewhere else, they felt sure it could work here.

They were wrong.

The disaster of Democrat rules has followed the same prescribed pattern of decline, and the latest evidence is the exodus of small businesses.

 

(WCAX) An exodus on Burlington’s Church Street– where three more businesses are leaving the downtown following other recent departures and adding to the number of vacant storefronts. That has city officials wondering what will happen as the holiday shopping season heats up.

 

Whatever could be the problem?

 

“Sales volumes are down,” said Kelly Devine of the Burlington Business Association.

Devine pointed to a number of factors for the decline: public safety concerns, a shortage of workers and fewer people working in downtown offices to provide regular foot traffic to supplement tourists.

 

Local businesses are hoping for a holiday boost to sustain them with the promise of more business when a development project creates living space for many new residents. People who will ignore the crime that has plagued Burlington since the Summer of Love? How exactly does that change this dynamic? If anything, it creates more targets of opportunity.

The Legislature has set its feet firmly on the path of civilian disarmament. If it allows local municipalities to set their own gun restrictions, Burlington will jump in with both feet. The already declining value of a right to self-defense, which exacerbates property crime, robbery, assault, and murder, will turn Burlington into what gun-free zone mass-casualty-seeking shooters call a target-rich environment.

Every day, misery will increasingly be relieved by acts of robbery or petty theft. Those who resist will be assaulted to separate them from their cash and belongings. A process that is already underway. You have a 1 in 27 chance of being a victim of property crime in Burlington, nearly three times the state average.

Given the current trajectory, that’s not about to change, and anyone who can eventually leaves for safer spaces.

 

The post The Blight of Democrat Rule Continues to Take It’s Toll on Burlington, Vermont appeared first on Granite Grok.

Remember when an elementary school paraprofessional for the Mill Falls Charter School (who is also a Goffstown Budget committee member) spoke at a September School Board meeting and publicly announced that gender information was being taught to kindergarten-aged children?

She proudly exclaimed, “It is being done.” Then, was angry that a Department of Education investigation was initiated into the school.

Well, another example of unhinged bias in the Goffstown Public Library happened recently through public comment that was circulated at a Goffstown Board of Library Trustees meeting. The incident started when a Goffstown resident emailed the board asking why they renamed a recent holiday and how that decision came about. After a lapse in response, the resident (who happens to be openly gay) filed a Right to Know request for all emails relating to that holiday subject.

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Once received, those emails showed evidence of the Library Director, Dianne Hathaway, asking fellow Library Trustee Board members for “help in crafting a response that doesn’t call [name redacted] an asshole.”

 

The Library Board of Trustees Chairperson, Diane Hebert, responded with an email that ended with “Tell him to suck it, bigot boy.”

 

 

Shocked, hurt, and appalled by these responses, the resident asked for a public apology from Dianne Hathaway, the Library Director, and for the resignation of Diane Hebert, the Library Board of Trustees Chair. Neither of which ensued. Dianne Hathaway and Diane Hebert only apologized to the resident through a private email AFTER being required and recommended by the Library Board of Trustees to do so, not before. Their behavior is concerning and unprofessional. Libraries are meant to be inclusive, safe spaces for all members of the community, and such behavior goes against the principles of respect, tolerance, and inclusivity.

Goffstown’s Code of Conduct for elected, appointed, paid, or volunteer officials states that “it is important that the public have confidence in the integrity of its government.” How do calling citizens “assholes” and “bigot boys” represent integrity? All he did was ask a question. Lately, Goffstown residents have submitted multiple complaints to the Select Board, Parks & Recreation Commission, School Board, and Library Board against different town board members, and the board’s leadership continues to find that ‘no violations have taken place,’ and there have been zero consequences for bad behavior.

Brian Campbell, a liberal Library Board trustee member who stepped into that position after running unopposed last year, recently stated that “they” (referring to conservatives) are organizing and producing candidates for Library Board to bring about harmful change. They are opposed to our award-winning director’s leadership.” It is so interesting to watch leftists take a situation and twist it into a narrative to suit their agenda. Is he saying because she won an award, her behavior is ok? I wonder if she was a conservative in leadership, would he be singing a different tune, demanding her resignation, and plastering what she said all over the town’s social media pages?

As of today, the majority of Goffstown has no idea that the Library Director and Library Board of Trustees chair were engaged in this type of name-calling behavior. Now they will. The Library Board of Trustees should demand Diane Hebert’s resignation as chair immediately. Dianne Hathaway should make a public apology statement on their social media page for full transparency.

It is crucial for such appointed and elected town individuals to be held accountable for their actions. What’s the point of a Code of Conduct if the boards don’t use it as a guideline for addressing these kinds of behaviors?

Goffstown and others, local elections are important.

 

Editors note: the author’s identity has been confirmed but shall remain anonymous.

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Recently, I came across yet another in a long line of calls for ‘holding accountable those who are supposed to serve us.’  In this case, the writer was talking about public schools. Yes, we should definitely do that.  We should hold accountable the people who operate our public school system.

Also, it’s time for us to reduce our energy costs by investing in the development of perpetual motion machines.

Those efforts would be equally likely to succeed.

Seriously, when we set up an inherently political welfare project as our primary mechanism for educating children, it’s delusional to expect results other than exactly the ones we’re getting — and have been getting for at least half a century now.

Think about it.  The idea is for elected officials and appointed bureaucrats to be held accountable to voters, right?

Is the solution to elect (and appoint) ‘the right people’?  There are three insurmountable problems with that.

First, if the job involves wielding power over other people, there is no right person for the job.

Second, even if you think you’ve found the right kind of person, as soon as he gets into power, he’ll quickly become the wrong kind of person.  (Ron Paul and John Valera seem to be the exceptions that prove the rule.)

Third, and most importantly, the best you can hope for is that a majority — really, just a plurality — to which you happen to belong is able to push something on everyone else that they don’t want.

The smaller the plurality, the more nearly this becomes the opposite of government by consent, and the more brazenly this ignores Jefferson’s admonition that to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.

P doesn’t like what Q is teaching in schools when Q is in control.  But Q doesn’t like what P has been teaching when P was in control.  And the rest of the alphabet doesn’t agree with either of them.

Is this really something that can be settled with coercive funding extracted by majority rule?  Or should we start treating being educated the way we treat being armed — not as an entitlement, but at a responsibility?

For consent — and accountability — to be meaningful, people have to be able to understand what they’re being asked to consent to (which is why they need to be educated); and they have to be able to say no and back that up with force if necessary (which is why they need to be armed).

That’s why the federal constitution (in Amendment 2) says that arms are necessary to the security of a free state; and why the state constitution (in Article 83) says that education is essential to the preservation of a free government.

Arms and education are the principal mechanisms of accountability available to a free people.  Putting either of them under the control of the government is the first step towards disabling them.

 

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It’s been less than a year since our last report on the hurdles associated with “greening” winter road maintenance. In December of last year, the folks in New York City who are in charge of such things discovered that Electric Vehicles suck when it comes to snow removal but held out hope for a solution.

As it turns out, the solution was to scrap the notion entirely.

 

Primarily intended to clean streets and remove garbage, one of these Mack trucks had been fitted with a snow plow as part of an experiment. Essanews reports the move has been a failure. The reason was given as a simple lack of power:

The plow, dragging across the road and the snow buildup in front of it, created substantial resistance. Moreover, the plow required almost constant movement, eliminating the option for loading pauses.

Consequently, the electric vehicle’s power supply was insufficient for the demands of a New York winter, known for its heavy snowfall.

The report further detailed that after nearly two hours, the electric plow had to discontinue the route for recharging.

While the truck was efficient for garbage collection, its performance significantly dipped when faced with the snow removal tasks.

 

I’m not surprised NYC tried it, but I am amazed that no one expected this result. Battery-powered heavy equipment fails are legion. Add to this the deleterious effects of cold weather on EV tech, and success was never likely unless the goal was wasting money on another empty virtue signal. And waste the money they have.

Garbage trucks do double duty as plow trucks in winter. EV garbage trucks can’t plow snow. Storing EV anything in a garage or near other vehicles invites disaster, but there are only so many places to put any vehicle, especially municipal vehicles. The City will continue replacing aging equipment (the garbage never stops piling up), but if they want garbage trucks to keep plowing snow, they must be diesel.

On a bright note, the City only purchased seven EV trash haulers in a fleet of 2000, and the lesson could translate to other municipalities with similar green dreams.

The real question, however, is whether failure will translate to common sense when pursuing EV versions of other heavy equipment. This seems unlikely. The indifference to wasting other people’s money combined with their starry-eyed devotion to the net-zero lie is how they spent more than three million on trash trucks without much thought about their ability to move snow.

I’m sure someone, somewhere in the mammoth mountain of nonsense doing business as the City of New York, asked the question, but was it only in their head? Did they suggest it in a meeting, an email, or a Zoom call? Were they dismissed, or did political pressure overwhelm common sense, standard procedure on liberal urban plantations?

In 2021, news broke on NYC ordering EV trash haulers. In 2022, Mayor Adams proudly announced the City was expanding its EV fleet three years ahead of schedule. That included another nod to buying seven new Electric Garbage Trucks. In Dec of 2022, we reported on how they were not suitable for the plow duty existing trucks had handled with ease. And now they’ve been benched for not being plow-capable in winter.

And no one saw that coming? Did no one mention this to the manufacturer to ask if it would work?

I guess what I’m wondering is who screwed up and if we’ll ever know because green dreamers walk among all of us, and they aren’t much different in their thinking than the goons running New York City. They don’t think things through because if they did, they’d stop saying how expanding the EV fleet is greening the planet and would admit they are just offshoring emissions.

 

HT | Breitbart

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You’ve heard the term when pigs fly. How about the one where progressive left-coasters advance legislation requiring insurance companies to define pigs that can’t fly as disabled and eligible for medical intervention? Now, replace pigs with “men” (that should be easy) and fly with “pregnancy” (not as easy).

 

SB 729, which already was passed in the state Senate in October, would “require large and small group health care service plan contracts and disability insurance policies issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024, to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and fertility services,” with “infertility” defined as the inability to reproduce “either as an individual or with their partner” without medical intervention, without any consideration of the distinct mechanics by which the two sexes contribute to reproduction, or whether or not a couple is comprised of both sexes.

The bill also declares that “coverage for the treatment of infertility and fertility services shall be provided without discrimination on the basis of” numerous identity factors, including “gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.”

 

This is the progressive utopia doing business as California. Where ideology comes first, and the costs don’t matter.

 

[T]he California Health Benefits Review Program projects the legislation to increase Californians’ annual insurance premiums for employer health plans by more than $330 million annually.

 

And while it is not unreasonable for a “queer” couple to want to have access to fertility services in the event that they would like to bring another taxpayer into the world to help fund the bottomless pit of government, the lack of clarity is – if nothing else – amusing. Nothing about the bill, as written, dares to suggest that unless you were born female, the resources would be a waste of time, health resources, and money. In fact, it is quite clear. Refusing to cover such costs is a deliberate act of discrimination with – presumably – all the progressive accouterments. Public pillory. The threat of mob justice. Criminal prosecution.

A last straw that could break one or more insurers whose actuaries might decide the risks of doing business in California are too great, and that too might be the point. Socialist Utopias can’t afford to have any competition. Put another way, there can be only one.

 

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Long-time progressive activist and sometime Concord City Councilor Zandra Rice Hawkins has been unseated. After Tuesday’s elections, the three-term incumbent is one of only two incumbents in Concord replaced by challengers.

She lost to Jeff Foote, 618-566 (“preliminary” citywide results can be viewed here).

I’m unfamiliar enough with Concord to know what a good turnout looks like, but the 2022 mid-terms attracted over 18,000 voters. The November 2023 city race for mayor attracted 6,720. We could say it was a typical municipal election. One where turnout is low, so turnout is everything, like the race for mayor in Manchester. Hawkins didn’t turn out her Ward 10 city Councilor voters, or something made them stay home.

That seems odd to me. Dems are typically much better at getting their base to show up than their Republican opponents, especially in cities that run blue.

 

Congrats Jeff Foote on your win for Concord Ward 10 City Councilor over Zandra Rice Hawkins @progressnh #nhpolitics #nhlibertyhttps://t.co/a1aN7YZXjb

— NHLA (@nhliberty) November 8, 2023

 

Some folks suggest that Republican wins in places like Manchester are a sign. The disaffection among center-left voters over Biden has trickled down to local races and will lift a tide in 2024.

We saw that in 2010 and again in 2016. I would love that to be the case, but presidential election years are different than stand-alone municipal races. They are different from mid-term elections. And we’ve got a lot of loopholes in the electoral process that remain wide open without the legislative capacity or will to fix.

Zandra will be working full-time to ensure any advantage.

What are we prepared to do?

 

 

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According to his LinkedIn Profile, Donald Sullivan worked as an “Independent Compliance Overseer” for St. Paul’s School, Concord New Hampshire from January 2021 to October 2023. The AG of New Hampshire and St Paul’s School also have him listed in this position for the same period of time.

A September 2018 settlement agreement between the AG of New Hampshire & St Paul’s School required St. Paul’s to hire an “independent” compliance officer with a proviso that any dispute in the agreement should be brought to the AG’s attention.

St. Paul’s School’s fall term started on approximately 7th September 2023. Donald Sullivan was either on St. Paul’s School payroll or hired as a full time independent contractor in September 2023.

Yet on Tuesday September 12th, 2023 at approximately 3pm, Donald Sullivan was present at 100 Main Street, Concord in the offices of the NHCADSV where he presented himself to alleged victim of domestic violence- Robert Tanguay- as a retired police chief who was “representing” the NHCADSV.

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NHCADSV’s Pamela English had called Robert Tanguay between 12 and 1pm and invited him to present himself at the NHCADSV after Robert Tanguay had requested assistance from the coalition with regard to alleged domestic violence he had experienced from his ex partner who had left him for a police officer and allegedly alienated him from his children. When Robert Tanguay arrived at the NHCADSV he wasn’t allowed into the office. Donald Sullivan appeared instead to greet him.

According to a police report from Concord Police for Tuesday September 12, 2023:

At 1526 a call came in “Phone — Unwanted guest. …Location: New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, 100 Main Street, Apt 300”

Details were then given on the phone call of Robert Tanguay’s date of birth, social security number, race and sex.

Details were also given by the caller to Concord Police of the other “involved party” whose name is blacked out on the report.

At 1527, the caller to Concord Police from the NHCADSV advised “there is a male screaming in the hallway and an off duty police chief Don Sullivan is trying to get him to leave. It is Robert Tanguay.”

At 1602 “X (blacked out name) said that Robert wanted to speak to someone at the Coalition in regards to getting an attorney. They said they told him that they don’t provide those services and they could see his behavior escalating. X (blacked out name) became concerned and asked for help but Robert had left when he was told to do so. No threats or assaults. X (blacked out name) authorized trespass paperwork to be served for Robert.”

Let’s wind back a moment:

Robert Tanguay was asked to show up by Pamela English of the NHCADSV to the NHCADSV Concord Office. He did as he was instructed but when he got there Donald Sullivan, an employee of St. Paul’s School, was there to greet him and the NHCADSV called Concord Police to say that Robert Tanguay was an unwanted guest and gave details to the Concord Police of his social security number and date of birth — all within the space of one minute.

September 12th at 3pm would be a school day at St Paul’s School for Donald Sullivan. So what was he doing on St. Paul’s School’s dime, turning up to greet an invitee of Pamela English of the NHCADSV instead?

Donald Sullivan described himself as a former police chief who was representing the coalition, not as an employee of St Paul’s School.

The video of the incident is worthy of review — compare it to the police record of the phone call and assertions above. It’s very clear from the video that Robert Tanguay is quite calm and that Donald Sullivan is not. Is that because he shouldn’t have been there in the first place because he was being paid by St. Paul’s School and was instead moonlighting at the offices of the coalition? The NHCADSV caller referred to Donald Sullivan as an “off duty police chief” yet he had maintained in the video that he was not a police officer.

Imagine if this incident had become more contentious. Where would the liability be? Normally it would be with the employer. Donald Sullivan was threatening Robert Tanguay with arrest after Robert Tanguay had turned up to the offices of the NHCADSV per the request of the NHCADSV.

Was Pamela English trying to entrap Robert Tanguay by inviting him to the NHCADSV and then getting Donald Sullivan, St Paul’s School’s employee, to threaten him with arrest even though Donald Sullivan said that he wasn’t a police officer, represented the coalition but was not employed by them? Was Pamela English an agent for the police given that a phone call was then made to the coalition to the police to report an unwanted guest — Robert Tanguay- who they had invited to the coalition’s offices? Was Donald Sullivan guilty of false impersonation of someone acting under the color of the law? He seemed to have too many details about Robert Tanguay and his child “Bobbie” and his situation for him to be some random security officer.

On 9/18/23, a written order was written up for Robert Tanguay to stay off the property: 100 Main Street, Concord. The order was signed by a Megan Sioux Barrett. Who is Megan Sioux Barrett? According to Zoom Info she is an administrative assistant for Concord Schools. According to Linked In, Megan Sioux Barrett is a “Medical Transcriptionist at EDIT”. There doesn’t seem to be any authority for Megan Sioux Barrett to sign an order to stay off the 100 Main Street property. Yet she wrote her name above the line specifying: “Type or Print Name of the Property Owner or authorized person (if a business include person’s title)”. No business name was given. No title was given. According to the order, Robert Tanguay was served with this order on October 31st at 1310 by Concord Police Officer #55 — “N. Carrey.”

On November 2nd, 2023 Robert Tanguay received a letter from Jennifer L Smith, “Director of Citizen Services” for the State of New Hampshire Office of the Governor. That letter advised Robert Tanguay to seek private legal counsel and to cease contacting the Governor’s office.

Robert Tanguay is not the first person to be in such a frustrating run around when it comes to the NHCADSV, the courts and the Governor’s office. There are multiple documented cases of female upon male domestic abuse being ignored in the state. There are multiple documented cases of females being ignored by the coalition as well.

There have been numerous commissions in New Hampshire set up by several governors to address domestic and sexual violence. The coalition has just received another round of funding to provide assistance to victims & survivors. However, for some bizarre reason, when the NHCADSV invite a man to their office, they borrow an employee of St. Paul’s School to threaten that man to leave their premises or face arrest. And for some other bizarre reason, an assistant administrator from Concord High School signs an order to stay away from the building in which the NHCADSV is housed as though she were the owner of the building or the authorized representative. Where is all the money going?

The State of New Hampshire needs to clean up its act. It needs to make it known publicly if members of the NHCADSV are agents of the police, if “independent” compliance officers working under the payroll and employ of St Paul’s School have the authority to threaten citizens with arrest on property that does not belong to St Paul’s School nor falls under its jurisdiction. If assistant administrators for Concord High School have the authority to sign anything for 100 Main Street, Concord — an address which does not appear to belong to Concord Schools.

When there are arrests, restraining orders, altercations, it is the employers & property owners or their insurers who carry the financial liability. There is a staggeringly dangerous lackadaisical approach to this when it comes to the NHCADSV and 100 Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire.

I wonder what the City’s Insurer, PRIMEX, would make of this. I wonder what St. Paul’s School makes of it. They were required to hire an “independent” compliance officer by the AG. Did they hire someone who spent his time on their payroll hanging out at the NHCADSV as some kind of bouncer/mock police officer? I wonder what Concord’s Police Chief Bradley Osgood has to say.

According to the video recording of the incident on September 12th, 2023, Robert Tanguay asks Donald Sullivan not to touch him. Donald Sullivan states he is not a police officer (was it misconduct that led him to leave the police force?). He doesn’t have qualified immunity.

631:2-a Simple Assault. —
“I. A person is guilty of simple assault if he:
(a) Purposely or knowingly causes bodily injury or unprivileged physical contact to another; or
(b) Recklessly causes bodily injury to another; or
© Negligently causes bodily injury to another by means of a deadly weapon.
II. Simple assault is a misdemeanor unless committed in a fight entered into by mutual consent, in which case it is a violation.”

According to the video recording, Donald Sullivan did assume the functions, powers, duties of office of law enforcement because he threatened Robert Tanguay with arrest while he himself had no authority to do so since he is not a police officer but an employee of St Paul’s School. In essence, there is arguably no difference between Donald Sullivan threatening Robert Tanguay and a student or faculty member of St Paul’s School threatening him. But if it were a student or faculty member who’d shown up that afternoon and threatened the same, the call from the NHCADSV to Concord Police would have involved a request to arrest the impersonators of law enforcement.

104:28-a False Personation. — “Any person who knowingly and falsely assumes or exercises the functions, powers, duties, or privileges incident to the office of sheriff, deputy sheriff, state police officer, police officer of any city or town, or any other law enforcement officer or investigator employed by any state, country or political subdivision of a state or country, or who wears or displays without authority any uniform, badge, or other identification by which such sheriff, officer, or investigator is lawfully identified, and with the intent to be recognized as such, shall be guilty of a class B felony.”

A list of the New Hampshire Coalition’s Staff and Duties can be found here. There is no mention of any representative by the name of Donald Sullivan.

Here is Pamela English’s bio:

Pam English is the Coalition’s Administrative Director. In this role, she is responsible for the financial management of the Coalition, including budgeting, financial statement preparation, and policy development.

Pam has more than twenty years of experience in the areas of non-profit administration, finance and human resources. Pam has worked for the Coalition since 1993 and has been in her current role as the Administrative and Finance Director since 2006. Pam works in collaboration with the Coalition’s national partners to provide technical assistance on implementation of new data or financial systems. Additionally, the National Network to End Domestic Violence contracted with Pam in 2015 to create and present two national webinars on financial management and oversight for Coalition financial staff, and for Board of Directors.

Pam has written many grants and annually manages between 11 and 15 federal, state, and private grants or contracts. Pam has experience in NH employment law, regulations and rules. She has working knowledge of federal and state grant compliance requirements, including specific knowledge of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) code of federal regulations that govern cost principles for non-profits. Pamela manages the collection and reporting for two of the Coalition’s statewide databases.

Here is the employment information for Donald Sullivan — confirmed by his own Linked In, St Paul’s School’s website, the AG’s website. Notice the attention given to the word “Independent.”

The Governor has announced millions in new funding for family violence prevention for the coalition but if they can’t help a father with young children who is a victim of domestic violence who are they helping?

If they can’t help female victims of domestic and sexual violence either, who are they helping?

If they can’t provide assistance to those who have been stalked by their own members, who are they helping? And if they get millions from grants, why do they need to borrow someone on St. Paul’s School payroll to pose as a representative for them to threaten a guest they’d invited to turn up at their offices?

Donald Sullivan has a side business — Surveillance.

Astro Investigative Services.

Was he hired on September 12th, 2023 via his Astro Investigative Services by the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence? By his Robert Tanguay’s ex partner and her police officer new partner? Does Donald Sullivan carry insurance for his business on the 3rd floor of 100 Main Street, Concord in the offices of the NHCADSV? Do they? Does Megan Sioux Barrett who has the authority to sign orders for the building?

Donald Sullivan’s Astro Investigative Services covers:

“Marital Infidelity
Fraud
Employment
​Child custody issues
Skip Traces — people locating
Asset Location
Background Investigations
Residence verification
​Due Diligence

Domestic Violence — Donald Sullivan retired after 24 years in Law Enforcement with a specialization in Domestic Violence and Sexual assault investigations and training. We can provide individual consulting and Corporate Training. Our Training curriculum focuses on understanding Domestic Violence, recognizing Domestic Violence and Proper Response.

Active Shooter Preparedness — physical assessments and training for employees response

Event Security

Executive Protection”

Who was Donald Sullivan working for on September 12th, 2023 at 3pm on the 3rd Floor of 100 Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire?

The post The State of New Hampshire Needs To Clean Up Its Act appeared first on Granite Grok.