Monday • May 13 • 2024
Vol.XVI • No.XX
Manchester, N.H.
Jessica Grill is a State Rep who nominally represents Ward 12 in Manchester. While some of her fellow Democrat Woke-Communist State Reps appear preoccupied with defending Hamas, Grill … who seemingly either wants to be or actually is a thirteen-year-old who lives in and on TikTok … seems preoccupied with having sex with older men.
Allow me to translate Grill’s child-speak.
DILF means Dad-I’d-Like-To-F*ck … mfs means mother-f*ckers … dee dee blanchard refers to a mentally ill woman who abused her daughter (in other words, parents who want to know what is going on in the public schools are mentally ill and dangerous to their own children) … zaddies means a sexually attractive older man.
Jessica Grill’s vulgarity and preoccupation with sex say more about the voters in Ward 12 and the sad state of the NHGOP than it does about Grill. Her teen-slang schtick is tragicomic. At best, the voters in Ward 12 are ignorant and apathetic. And as for the NHGOP … how do you possibly lose to a candidate who resembles a caricature of a thirteen-year-old addicted to TikTok?
The post Jessica Grill … The TikTok-Democrat State Rep “Representing” Manchester Ward 12 appeared first on Granite Grok.
Most can guess who I am referring to; yes, this will be about Donald J. Trump. But before dismissing this read, try asking yourself one question. What’s more important, your animosity towards the man or our country’s survival?
What awaits this November is no longer about politics but about our Country’s actual continuance. Therefore, this situation calls for a capable and forceful leader but, above all, a loyal leader, not some vote-seeking glib mouthpiece who has never cashed a working man’s check!
We’ve all heard those expressing their displeasure over President Trump’s occasional response, of which even I have, at times, felt he might have been more tempered. However, everyone owns their personality, temperament, quirks, and irks. We humans are all different and individually unique with our separate ways and mannerisms. Given the seriousness of today, what lasting benefit comes from hearing a politician’s pleasing promises yet avoiding taking a stand on important issues?
Contrary to his occasional gruff words, there’s also a charm that the American voter instantly recognized and latched onto. He doesn’t bloviate! He spoke and still speaks the same message and in every day language, maybe a bit harsh but always what is needed to be said and heard. A perfect example was his appeal to minorities, “what have you got to lose?” This style of communicating works, which is why it’s not part of any political science coarse!
True leadership remains uncaring as to whether feelings may be hurt. This fact may unsettle some, but sensitivities are antithetical to an effective, inspiring, and worthy leader. So, when continuing with this anti-Trump drumbeat rather than applauding his peace-producing and productive record, it only reflects back upon the naysayers. This approach, choosing stubbornness rather than forgiveness, also challenges its Biblical quality defined as being Divine.
A by-product, which for understandable reasons never gets air time, is that from these eight-plus accusatory years of Trump bashing, an intimidation element has been introduced into our supposed free elections! The democrats have greatly narrowed the candidate field simply from their free wheeling of criminal charges, which are intended to occupy Trump’s campaign days while also draining his funds. Who, other than another billionaire, can follow in Trump’s MAGA footstep which has protected and provided our country with her legally scripted and proven venue? As such, America’s free elections are fading as they now resemble what in the trades is known as “a closed shop.”
Another particular of Trump questions the “hows” and “whys” that spur such a successful and affluent man to set aside all his deserved luxuries that so many of us strive to obtain in order to serve and better the country he so dearly loves. And now, he has signed up for another salary-donating hitch! So the motive is certainly not money nor is it notoriety. Not intending to further ruffle some of the reader’s feathers but could it be a spiritual calling? What else could fuel such dedication and drive?
Certain happenings occurred during our War for Independence which prompted various Founders to suppose Divine Providence being a factor in America’s quest for freedom. Within “45,” it’s certainly a possibility, at least for some of us to consider, that a celestial influence could provide his inner strength for withstanding what most would and could not endure.
Trump’s words not being part of the usual political jive was and still is another plus that magnetized his support; no, he was not a career politician, nor was he indebted or controlled by anyone. His life and career revolved around and were dependent upon successful deal-making, which also entailed being true to his word. This character trait carried over into his Presidency and has been a building block for amassing this public trust and admiration. In political circles, this didn’t and still doesn’t play well!
To wrap up, and with grateful thanks for Trump’s love and loyalty to our country and her people, America’s wise old sage, Dr. Ben Franklin offers a thought. This slice of wisdom was spoken during our 1787 Constitutional Convention: “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”
Being in agreement with Dr. Franklin, we might also add that a nation may not fall without His notice and permission! November will answer this, one way or the other!
The post A Tested and Worthy Champion appeared first on Granite Grok.
College students, and trained Marxists, do not just wake up one day illiterate and acting like cult members– they have to be trained. The dumbing down of public education certainly helps sway students to support a political movement like Marxism, especially if they are illiterate in history, and economic systems.
What we are seeing unfolding on college campuses comes as no surprise to me. Both Republicans and Democrats have laid the foundation for this kind of violent revolt. Whether it be BLM, Antifa or the Palestinian protesters, all share common characteristics; illiteracy and support for Marxists ideology.
Most normal people support black lives, do not want to see an unfair advantage among big corporations, and can value the lives of Palestinians and Israelis. But none of that matters to a trained Marxist. They become cult-like in their militant extremist positions.
Where does this all come from?
Why are parents waking up to their kids being arrested, and now part of a militant cult who are willing to use them to benefit Marxist elitists?
Some of this comes directly out of your public schools.
We can see teachers who have posted their propaganda in their classrooms, they don’t even hide it. Removing textbooks and replacing them with electronic devices, has allowed much of this radicalized propaganda in the curriculum, to be hidden from parents. Add social media to the mix, and we have a recipe for creating a dumbed-down illiterate militant Marxist.
Nellie Mae is a ” is a left-of-center nonprofit who is active in New England. Nellie Mae is oriented around furthering critical race theory-aligned policies in the region’s public education system.”
Nellie Mae used to deal primarily with student loans, but over the years, they’ve become more of a militant political organization focused on turning students to become community organizers.
How does Nellie Mae get into the schools? They offer grants to schools which then require schools to fulfill their agenda.
Grantmaking
On January 1, 2020, in order to better serve its new critical race theory-aligned focus, as well as combat “the idea that education can be a great equalizer,” which the organization dubs, “the myth of meritocracy,” the Nellie Mae Education Foundation announced a new grantmaking strategy encompassing six grant funds: “Supporting Organizations Led By People of Color”; “Advancing Community-Led Partnerships,” which supports community-organizations led by minorities; “Amplifying Youth Voice,” which supports student youth groups in New England; “Building Movements and Networks,” which supports networking projects and institutions “elevating the discourse about race”; and “Strengthening State and National Coalitions,” which supports groups advancing critical race theory aligned policies in public education on the state-level.This is why every school board should be reviewing school grants. They need to see what they’ve sold to the grant foundation.
Nellie Mae has worked with the New Hampshire Department of Education to promote Competency-Based Education in our public schools. In 2013, with support from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the NHDOE designed a performance assessment model. This makes you wonder who’s really running our local public schools.
Here is a link to the notice to the federal government by former Commissioner Virginia Barry. New Hampshire is required show the Feds on what kind of performance exam we will use in our schools: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/stateletters/nhassesspaceproposal.pdf
With the generous support from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the NHDOE in 2013 constructed a performance assessment model of local accountability to support the implementation of competency education based on the tenets of a white paper completed by the Accountability 3.0 Taskforce of the Innovation Lab Network of the Council of Chief State School Officers, (CCSSO). This model, which laid the foundation for the PACE proposal (see Appendix B), conceptualized a scalable model of state and local accountability supported by common performance assessments juried at the state level and aligned to NH state level graduation competencies in English language arts, mathematics, science, and work study practices.
Competency Based Education (CBE) has done nothing to improve academic outcomes, because competencies are focused on changing a child’s values, attitudes and beliefs. Parents may think that their child has mastered Algebra 1 after they’ve completed their competencies, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Go read them. The focus of CBE isn’t to improve academic outcomes, which might explain why Nellie Mae was so eager to help New Hampshire.
Now there are Social and Emotional Learning Competencies, even though legislators insisted that Competencies NOT evaluate a child’s dispositions. I know, I was at the hearings years ago when CBE was passed into law.
Republicans have been complicit in this education reform because they’ve never done the research. Ask yourself, if CBE is so great, why is it the private schools will not touch it? Why does it have to be forced on schools through a state law?
How do they turn kids into radical community organizers? Here’s one example from the former Asst. Superintendent from Manchester, David Ryan, explaining how they would be turning students into community activists in class. When the students have no idea what they are fighting for on the college campuses, or cannot locate Gaza on a map, you will have a better understanding how they got there.
The former Asst. Superintendent, David Ryan went on to become the Superintendent of SAU16/Exeter for several years. He instituted a focus on Social Justice by hiring a DEIJ Director. None of this actually helps students learn to read and write, but it does divide students while pushing the students into activism. He’s now taken those talents to Hinsdale, NH.
As an activist myself, I can certainly understand and support anyone actively supporting a political cause; but this isn’t what we are seeing. We are seeing an undermining of our democratic values, and our economic system from young adults who are illiterate in the subjects of history and civics.
We have the best political system in the world because we do not have to resort to violence. We can run for office or vote for a representative who aligns with our values. There is no need to burn down cities like we saw during the Summer of Love when BLM and Antifa teamed up to destroy cities, businesses, and harm anyone who got in their way.
Children writing to their legislators about police brutality, are learning to become political mules for Marxist elitists.
What can you do about this ?
1) Stop ignoring your public schools, you pay for this.
2) Start looking at what’s being taught in the school you pay for.
3) Get involved with your local school board election.
4) Either run for school board, or help get good board members elected.
5) If you are elected, do not cower in the corner, start asking questions.
6) Expose what is going on in the schools.
7) Why are teachers displaying flags from one group while ignoring all of the other students in your district? That’s not inclusive.
8) Keep communicating with your school board and demand that they focus on quality academics vs civics action.
Students in our public schools deserve a quality education, black and brown included.
These kids are not the ideal candidates for a good job in the future. Once a company sees that they’ve been engaged in this fight, they know that kind of employee will eventually take their fight to their employer. That will be come a big problem for those running the company.
This is a big set up for failure, unless you are George Soros.
The post Radical Community Organizers on College Campuses Who Created Them? Connecting Some of the Dots appeared first on Granite Grok.
If you missed it, mostly-rural-Maine has succumbed to the electoral weight of its cities and Left a majority of Democrats running the political store. They assume this means they should advance every nutty progressive thing in case the people come ot their senses. And so they have, no matter what the cost.
The Kittery Trading Post, just over the border in Maine, is a Tourist magnet, but recent changes in State Law would complicate matters and undermine firearms sales.
In a statement, Kittery Trading Post said the law will have “irreversible consequences” for its longstanding outdoor sports retail business, which relies heavily on tourism.
The 72-hour waiting period “forces law-abiding customers” to make two visits over three days to complete a legal firearm sale, with the extra time, gas, and other expenses further driving up costs for the consumer, the company said.
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The gun retailer estimated it brings in over $11 million in new and used firearm sales each year and that roughly 60% of those sales are to out-of-state residents.
That’s no small amount of cake.
The store’s announcement follows a statement from Gov. Janet Mills this week that she would let the legislation become law without her signature.
The law, which will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns, likely some time in August,…
I hope they do it. We’d be happy to take them in, and they already have space here.
Kittery Trading Post said that it would move its firearms business to New Hampshire, where it currently has a small gun exchange facility. The Maine store is about 2 miles from the New Hampshire border.
It is yet another unpleasant side-effect of knee-jerk progressive policymaking. Pass a law that will do nothing to improve public safety (that will likely make matters worse) and lose millions in sales and commerce. Maine residents should also know they don’t care—the Democrats in office. Lost jobs and revenue are not part of any such calculus. Disarming you is the priority. Preventing young Mainers from embracing any gun culture that is not anathema to firearms is more important. And since they never cut spending, they’ll tax something else and call you names if you complain.
You voted for it. This is what you get.
The post How Maine Gun Laws Help New Hampshire: Kittery Trading Post Threatens to Move All Firearms Sales to Granite State appeared first on Granite Grok.
Joe Biden is constantly talking about the threat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to our Democracy. This talk is part of the scare tactics used by all Democrats because there is no way they can run on their record for the last four years. We have been getting graphic visuals of what is happening in America for months, showing Joe Biden’s Democracy at work, and it does not look like any America I want to live in.
From Day One of his administration, our border has been thrown open, and millions of undocumented, unvetted, illegal migrants have come into our country and dispersed throughout the country, making every state a border state. These people are transported to whatever region of the country they desire, regardless of whether the receiving region has the infrastructure and funding available to handle these new residents.
The children of these migrants are putting a burden on every school district they are now attending. Individuals and families are overtaxing the available housing, with some communities building new units to house these migrants at no cost to them but to the taxpayers.
The list of Americans dead from Fentanyl poisoning continues to grow. Over 300,000 during Biden’s term, yet he does not feel an obligation to challenge China or Mexico for their complicity in the manufacture and distribution of Fentanyl, killing Americans in their prime.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate and opponent of Joe Biden, faces 91 exaggerated counts in various locations across America. Biden is using his Justice Department as a weapon to interfere with the 2024 election by keeping his number one opponent confined to a courtroom when he should be on the campaign trail and under a bogus gag order in an attempt to silence Trump. The ridiculous fines are an apparent attempt to break the former President or empty his campaign coffers by paying court fees. It is not working, and Trump’s approval rating increases with each sordid twist in these trials.
College campuses around the country are exploding with “peaceful” protests, as Congresswoman Cortez (D-NY) called them, that are anything but peaceful. Mob scenes at Columbia, the University of Oregon, and UCLA turned violent, resulting in conflicts with local and state police. Buildings have been damaged and covered with vulgar graffiti. These illegal encampments have been happening for ten days. Still, finally, on Thursday, Joe Biden made a quick statement describing Freedom of speech versus hate talk or violence but said little about the students and activists claiming freedom of speech but spewing hate speech against Israel and Jews and claiming alliance with the terrorist group Hamas. Police reports indicate that more than one-half of those arrested in these uprisings have no affiliation with the school. This confirms these violent acts were organized and funded by anti-American and anti-Israel activists.
These illegal actions should have been shut down ASAP as they were in Florida or Texas, but Biden ignored the rioting until Day 9 when he finally spoke out but took no questions. Biden’s lack of leadership is consistent with every significant decision or policy of his Presidency. He is always late, weak, and non-specific in his responses, and his staff usually has to clean up the mess he leaves with his comments or reinforce them with what he meant to say.
Joe Biden claims he has brought America back from the turmoil of the Trump Presidency, but you never saw these ugly situations during his term. What we see with our eyes is the real Biden Democracy that he wants to protect. Biden shows by his actions that he does not love this country and wants to complete the transformation of America that started when he was Vice President under President Obama.
The post This Is Joe Biden’s Democracy appeared first on Granite Grok.
I am writing to complain about the restrictive laws which only serve to decrease our recreational use of our parklands. The USDA has enacted laws (ostensibly) to reduce the impact of campers on some (most) areas in the White Mountain Nation Forest.
These include prohibiting camping within ¼ mile of trailheads, roads, most ponds, and some trails. This is excessive and unnecessary.
Someone walking along a trail or driving on the road will not be able to see more than 150 feet into the forest –and will not notice the minimal impact of someone’s tent having been set up even 100 feet from the trail.
We want to thank Paul Hutsteiner for this Contribution – Please direct yours to Steve@GraniteGrok.com.
You can review our ‘Op-Ed Guidelines‘ on the FAQ Page.
Yes more people would visit the White Mountains if they could camp near enough to see at least a glimpse of their car: This is a good thing, it brings in revenue. And it would in no way affect those people just driving by…
So , after attending the celebration commemorating the Pine Tree Riot this weekend, I am writing this in the spirit of freedom
and the right of all Citizens to get some use out of our nation’s resources – the National Forest.
If anyone has any ideas as to who can I try to contact to get help addressing this issue, please let me know.
The post White Mountains: Let Campers Camp! appeared first on Granite Grok.
A recent poll by Rasmussen/Heartland institute indicates that TWENTY (20) percent of mail-in-votes in 2020 election were fraudulent. A link and some highlights below, but first an(other) admonition … if you think 2024 is going to be different, that 2020 was a one-off, you are DELUSIONAL. To theDemocratsCommunists “democracy” means that they win … no matter what it takes. Wake up, bitter-clingers. Wake the *&^% up.
"One in five mail-in voters admitted to violating election laws in 2020, which should have disqualified their ballots. Further details are even worse." https://t.co/nXIvM3ooTJ
— Ned Ryun (@nedryun) May 1, 2024
The Heartland Institute/Rasmussen survey, which was conducted from Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, asked likely voters who cast ballots in 2020 questions about fraudulent activities, without telling them such actions were a form of voter fraud. The results were stunning. One in five people who voted by mail admitted to engaging in at least one kind of potential voter fraud, seriously calling into question the security of widespread mail-in balloting.
If the recent Heartland Institute/Rasmussen survey is accurate and one in five ballots were, in fact, fraudulent, that would suggest greater than 13 million ballots should not have been counted nationwide in 2020. That’s far more than the margin of victory for President Biden in the popular vote, about 7 million.
The post Night Cap: TWENTY (20) Percent Of Mail-In-Votes in 2020 Were Fraudulent appeared first on Granite Grok.
No compilation of urban legends would be complete without mentioning cafeteria-style mystery meat. It is shaped like meat, colored (and cooked) like meat, but would it stand up to even casual scrutiny? Stories about schools saving money by cheating out on food were spurious at best. Schools don’t try to save money.
But if they did, would that be the place?
My memory of school lunch is not unpleasant. The food was food, and I ate burgers and fries almost every day in High School, and I looked forward to it. That was before the advent of fake meat, vegan meat, and the latest carbon and chemically intensive insult to nature, lab-grown meat, or cloned meat (as I like to call it)—something you’d expect in some deep-space dystopian post-apocalyptic tale. No cows in space, but you still need those nutrients. In the Matrix, they ate “a single-celled protein, vitamin, mineral, and amino acid colloid.”
Yum!
Meanwhile, in what passes for our real world, laboratory-generated meat facsimiles are a thing. The folks claiming it will emit less CO2, thus saving the planet (for people pining for real meat), can’t seem to agree on how much CO2 a lab full of people and equipment making meat might generate. I think it would be more. But someone is pretending this is the wave of the future (a real cash cow), so it’s a thing. Normalizing it is also a thing, but plant-based “meat” isn’t the thing they thought, so chemically grown meat has an uphill climb, especially in Florida, where they’ve banned it.
The first bill banning lab-grown meat was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on May 1. According to SB 1084, the bill prohibits the manufacture for sale, sale, holding or offering for sale, or distribution of cultivated meat in the state.
Florida isn’t known for Cattle ranching, but then, I guess it is.
“We’re fighting back against an ideology that ultimately wants to eliminate meat production in the U.S. and around the globe,” DeSantis said. “In the state of Florida we’ve put down the marker very clearly; we stand with agriculture. We stand with the cattle ranchers. We stand with our farmers because we understand it’s important for the backbone of the state. It’s important for our culture. It’s important for our heritage so the bill that I’m going to sign today is going to say basically take your fake, lab-grown meat elsewhere. We’re not doing that in the state of Florida.”
If they can ‘steer’ the mRNA away from the cows, Florida cowboys might be the heroes in all the new-age Westerns, only you can’t call them that. “Southerns,” sounds dumb. Someone will work that out, I’m sure – no lab needed.
So, how do people feel about meat from lab-generated cows? Greens would likely object to it the way they do GMOs (can we call them lab-grown vegetables?), but they all lined up for the mRNA thing, which makes them a GMO, IMO.
If we can convince them to spend all their time boycotting themselves, they won’t have any time left to push the lab meat (global warming, grooming, alien invasion, domestic spying, forever wars …).
We could only hope.
The post Florida Bans Manufacture and Sale of Lab-Grown Meat appeared first on Granite Grok.
Dr. Michelle Mullen, Senior Vice President and Chief Design and Impact Officer of The Jed Foundation, discusses the importance of a wholistic approach to college student mental health and their data from working with 144 colleges and universities.
Check out the 2024 JED Campus Impact Report.
The New England Take.
The post The New England Take: 10 years of “Fixing” College Student Mental Health… appeared first on Granite Grok.
After seeing his state holding down the second worst spot in the country for economic prospects Governor Scott reached out to coach extraordinaire Ted Lasso in hopes he can work his magic to turn around Vermont’s bleak future.
Mr. Lasso is famous for taking his American football coaching skills across the pond to the United Kingdom where they play a “different kind of football”. Despite his hiring intended as a farce that would cause the team to, in his words, “flop like Lebron James cliff diving in Maui” Ted employed his endless optimism to win over his team leading them to win on the field.
Governor Scott hopes Mr. Lasso’s approach to character development as the key to creating a winning team environment will translate to the state’s economy.
Despite Mr. Lasso having no experience with government economics he and his staff are not discouraged. “If Hunter Biden can handle Ukranian energy ol’ Ted can pump some life into Vermont’s economy” says long-time assistant Coach Beard. “Ted’s got more spark than an Iranian suicide bomber” beamed the faithful assistant who is known to share his boss’s gift for meaty metaphors.
Despite his boyish joviality Mr. Lasso is taking his role as economic catalyst seriously. Not one to take opportunity for granted the ebullient coach has immersed himself in the history of economic theory.
“I tell you what, that Adam Smith had more common sense about money than a Jew with a nap-sack full of shekels” commented the coach. Despite his politically incorrect approach to economic theory his ad hoc staff remain committed to the process thanks to Lasso’s now famous admonition to “be a goldfish”. Goldfish have only a ten second memory which allows them to be the “happiest critters on the planet” thanks to their ability to quickly forget whatever bad things have occurred. This advice flies in the face of many in the state who cannot let go of past events, including as far back as two-hundred and fifty years ago when the United States still allowed slavery.
When told Vermont has a Truth and Reconciliation Commission tasked with creating reparations for current and past harm caused by the state that banned slavery in its first year of existence Coach Lasso’s responded saying “That makes about as much sense as a Vegan in a hot-dog eating contest”. Regarding slavery the iconoclastic Lasso stated proudly “I love slavery. Why? I am a slaaaave to success! You tell Harriet Tubman if her underground railroad doesn’t have stops at Jim-Dandyville and Treasure Island then I don’t want on it!”
Not everyone at the state level is convinced Lasso, who’s previous experience of leading a franchise worth approximately $250 million dollars, has the capacity to handle an entity wielding $40 billion in revenue. Lasso begs to differ.
“Ever heard of Modern Monetary Theory? I suggest you go watch Harry Potter again folks ‘cause it’s like magic – poof! You just print more money. Taste the rainbow son! We live in a time where if I want to be a woman well then touch-blue-and-make-it-true – I am now a woman. My fourth grader goes to school with a four cats and a lemur. They call them furries. You just gotta believe it. Click your heels three times Vermont cause we aint in Kansas anymore. Are we in Kansas? No, this is VER-MONT. Which if I’m not mistaken is Keebler elf for Green Mountain State. These mountains are gonna be mountains of money once I find out where you Yankees keep the printing presses! WHOO-DADDY!”
After a day of briefing Coach Lasso was surprised to discover most of Vermont’s economy is tied up in government jobs and agencies. “You’ve got more administrators than a hog’s got warts on its butt Vermont! I have never seen so many lawyers drinking out of the same trough. If I wasn’t standing smack dab in the middle of a mountain range I’d’ve thought this was the bottom of the ocean looking at that list of lawyers gaaawlee!”
When asked if he anticipated making any cuts to the bloated agencies Lasso responded with questions of his own.
“How many of these bureaucrats can run a 4.4 second forty-yard dash? Well we’re gonna find out when they all start scamperin’ to the unemployment line!”
Concerns over the new economic tsar’s approach to team building has led to state-wide protests after he stated his intentions to change the government’s policy on DEI training. Rather than diversity, equity and inclusion the firebrand coach will be basing hiring on “determination, energy and inspiration”.
“If you don’t like it, then put on a helmet, rub some maple syrup on your boo-boo and go find you a safe-space because this is Vermont. Last I checked Vermont is whiter than Moby Dick wrastlin’ Frosty the Snowman. Our color spectrum runs mostly from copy paper to cumulus cloud, so I don’t care what color you are, can you do the job?”
After a week of intensive study into the state’s economic woes Governor Scott held a press conference introducing Mr. Lasso to the press where he delivered a spine-tingling speech aimed at isolating the core of the issue.
“Look, let’s be honest Vermont. This state is bluer than a room full of Smurf’s listening to Otis Redding y’all. And I tell you what, it’s workin’ about as much as a bunch of teenagers on Tik-Tok. I have never seen so many rainbows with no pots a gold anywhere. Sure you’re woke but you’re about to go broke and despite all of these green fields I have yet to spot a leprechaun. I understand we have a progressive super majority but we’re making about as much progress as the Patriots did against the Chicago Bears back in ’85, ok? Now I’m all for retro but this communism isn’t doing it folks. We need more socialism like Bernie Sanders needs another pair of mittens. We’re looking at fourth and about a ninety-nine yards with five seconds on the clock and there ain’t enough solar power on the sun that can make socialism score us a touchdown. So less Karl Marx and more Carl’s Jr.’s is what I’m sayin’.”
Despite the deafening silence in the room the following morning Vermont’s number two sector for economic revenue, real estate, saw a 1800% jump after Lasso’s speech was aired on the New York evening news.
The post Bananas: Governor Scott Hires Ted Lasso To Save Economy appeared first on Granite Grok.
Here is a good one: Ross Berry criticizes union leadership on X for not representing union workers. The irony apparently escapes Berry. Berry and his fellow Republican “leaders,” Jason Osborne, Joe Sweeney, etc., do NOT represent Republicans.
Their priorities: turning New Hampshire into a vast shanty-town/open-air-drug market… of course, I am talking about outlawing single-family zoning, legalizing marijuana (for starters), and keeping the bars open until 2 AM.
And they do NOTHING about the priorities of actual Republicans. Our public schools are DEI-sh*tholes. The “solution,” according to Berry and his fellow imposter-Republican-libertarian-ideologues, EFAs and a Parental Bill of Rights … neither of which would do anything about the DEI infesting public schools. They can outlaw single-family-zoning, but not DEI administrators, who are Communists in all but name.
I will be voting for TRUMP in 2024, and then leaving the rest of the ballot blank. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan … I didn’t leave the NHGOP; the NHGOP left me.
The post Irony Alert … Ross Berry appeared first on Granite Grok.
Benjamin Netanyahu should look Tony Blinken in the eye, say go home, and tell Joey we have this. The Joe Biden Administration does not support Israel, and any inference on their part is a sham.
Do not listen to what they say. Look at what they do. Joe Biden would rather appease the Far Left of his party with the hope they will help re-elect him than do what is right and protect and support our most important democratic ally in the cesspool, which is the Middle East.
Tony Blinken continues to visit the Middle East, not to ask Netanyahu what he needs to win this battle but to push for a cease-fire. For what? We have not even done our due diligence to confirm the hostages taken on October 7. Hamas cannot verify the status of the hostages or if they are even alive. Netanyahu is committed to the obliteration of Hamas for the safety and future of his country, and the Biden Administration is doing all it can to hinder that effort. It was Israel, not America that Hamas attacked, and who is the Biden team to challenge the tactics of the Israelis as they defend themselves?
Biden’s international philosophy makes no sense. He is concerned with us protecting the sovereignty of Ukraine for the sake of securing democracy worldwide. At the same time, he is destroying America’s sovereignty and is not committed to defending Israel as she fights to secure hers. This confusing approach by Biden is consistent with his lifelong foreign policy record. He has never been on the correct side of any issue.
Robert Gates, who served as secretary of Defense in the Obama-Biden administration, famously disparaged Joe Biden’s 40-year involvement in foreign policy before he became president: “He has been wrong on nearly every major issue.”
Nothing has changed or improved and America is the loser for the shortcomings of Joe Biden. And Biden calls his foreign policy and familiarity with foreign leaders his strong suit. What does that say about the rest of his portfolio? For years, Israel knew that it had unconditional support from the United States. That was until Barack Obama was elected. The team of Obama and Biden turned their backs on Israel, and now President Biden is following suit.
America is in a bad place if our politicians, especially our commander-in-chief, lead and govern based solely on the decision that is best for fringe groups that will bring in the votes. If that is the case, we can do away with politicians and have a machine deliver a vision based on recent polls.
It is pure projection for Biden to claim a vote for Trump is a vote for anarchy. Joe Biden’s administration can be summed up with a single word: anarchy. Biden and his surrogates will continue their crusade of gaslighting. The difference this time is there is no pandemic to occupy our thoughts, and the msm is covering the events because they have no choice. Joe Biden may lose this election before the convention, and it is all on him and his lousy policies and decisions. Many of us have seen this coming for four years. It is nice to have the other side join us. Welcome to the real world. Joe Biden has done his best to destroy it.
The post Biden Does Not Want Israel To Succeed appeared first on Granite Grok.
To all those who are sending in memes, thank you! Many, many good ones! Please do share this post, and if you share an individual meme, consider mentioning you saw it on the Grok!
Q: What do you call a chicken that likes to do calculations?
A: See the Palate Cleansers area for the answer.
Speaking of, from this week, Monday Edition and Wednesday Edition. Also check out my latest Israel-focused meme & commentary post if this is a subject of interest to you.
*** Warning, a few possibly off-color ones, in case tender eyes are about ***
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Just a little warm-up smile before things go too far.
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Exactly.
How does this man’s tongue not burst into flame at this level of mendacity?
Peg-out on the cringe-o-meter.
You will own, you know, the thing.
Remember these two:
If a good or service is OWED you as a “right” then someone else is OBLIGATED to provide / pay for it. That is slavery.
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PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA – PSA
They’re corrupt. All of them.
Maybe it’s just me… but who the living F has $700K just laying around to do this?
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That movie did so much good. And now it’s practically banned.
Whether here in NH or elsewhere… I don’t get it. People flee high taxes and crushing regulations, then vote for the same party that enacted the conditions they fled.
Pegging out the irony-o-meter.
I’d start bringing my own water.
Which is WHY they’re being brought to America.
Just to think. A 12′ x 18′ American flag is $300.
IN 100%!
A reminder for Monday…
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Link Section (some mine, some from my Jarhead friend):
What 10 Years of U.S. Meddling in Ukraine Have Wrought (Spoiler Alert: Not Democracy) | RealClearInvestigations
Let me be 100% clear – am I happy with Russia’s incursion? No. But while I’m not a geopolitical expert, there’s history here:
Powerful figures in Washington took a different view: For them, the Maidan movement represented an opportunity to achieve a longtime goal of pulling Ukraine into the Western orbit. Given Ukraine’s historical ties to Russia, its integration with the West could also be used to undermine the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
…
In his memoir, former senior Obama aide Ben Rhodes acknowledged that Nuland and Pyatt “sounded as if they were picking a new government as they evaluated different Ukrainian leaders.” Rather than dispel that impression, he acknowledged that some of the Maidan “leaders received grants from U.S. democracy promotion programs.”
And from what I’m learning about the US’s meddling all over, I’m losing my belief that the US are the good guys.
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The Triumvirate Running America Is Not Who You Think | RealClearPolicy
There’s the joke about the Chinese sage discussing the “world turtle” with the tourist who asks what that turtle is standing on, and replies that it’s turtles all the way down. The question here is the reverse: we know there are puppets. They’re likely controlled by other puppets. How far up does that chain of controlling puppets go?
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House Democrat Leadership Throws Support Behind House Speaker Mike Johnson, Will Table MTG’s Motion To Vacate The Chair * 100PercentFedUp.com * by Danielle
Who supports who? Uniparty backs uniparty.
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Bayou Renaissance Man: Gov. Kristi Noem was (and is) right
An interesting take. Noem is getting hammered hard on this in the court of public opinion.
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Poll: Donald Trump Now Beating Joe Biden in All Seven Battleground States – The Lid (lidblog.com)
All that, and the vote fraud machine will be working on overtime.
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Dear Donald Trump: Compassion Should Not Be A Suicide Pact… – Flopping Aces
Embedded quote from Kesse Kelly:
“70% of Americans SAY they care about the border.
Run one video of little Pedro sobbing as he and mother Lupe get loaded into an ICE vehicle a they get deported back to Guatemala and that 70% number will drop to around 5%.
Country is too soft for mass deportation. No chance. 0.”
I concur. Our empathy and compassion will, among other factors, be the death of this country. More (links in the original, bolding added):
Americans are indeed a compassionate people, but sometimes compassion can get you killed. Compassion has a role to play in a moral civilization, but when it becomes the driving force to the exclusion of rational thought, it ceases to be a virtue. (See Europe, which since 2015 at Angela Merkel’s direction during the war in Syria, imported tens of millions of military aged men from Africa and the Middle East who are bringing war to the streets, many of whom despise western culture and want to bring Sharia.) You cannot run a country based on teary anecdotes. They make for great media and heartfelt stories, but they make for terrible policy.
Remember that the invasion of Europe accelerated after that image of that little drowned boy – with some evidence it was staged / artificially presented – broke the hearts of all the libs.
—
Here Come The Pre-Planned Riots of 2024! – Flopping Aces
Not just the riots with the enemedia all but fellating the protestors. Add in the spinning of, and covering for, Soros’ funding.
As a Jew, I want to be the one who pulls the lever to drop this POS through the trap door. Not just for his anti-American, anti-Western Civilization actions, but for hiding behind his being Jewish.
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“It Was Brutal”: 2nd Boeing-Linked Whistleblower Dies | ZeroHedge
He had been in good health, and ‘was noted for having a healthy lifestyle,’ according to the report.
How… convenient.
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Biden is GONE, senile, how can you keep going with this? FLOTUS Jill Biden had to turn him around to face wounded warriors he was talking too…again, he talks to the air…confused walked to opposite (substack.com)
More and more in the open. Which means, IMHO, increasing impetus to “retire” him. Feet first.
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Pick of the Post:
This is an extraordinary claim. Per magician and paranormal debunker James Randi, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof”.
But we do know, because we have videos, of people seizing just after their Jabs (with others still dutifully awaiting their turn!). We know, through Dr. McCollough (from memory) that 50% of the people who die, die within two days. It’s somewhat logical / inferential to think that if these things do what they do with clotting, etc., that some people really would seize up uncontrollably.
I remember one instance I read about where a married couple, older, went into the local clinic-in-a-supermarket. The man went first, seized, coded, and died within a few minutes as the wife screamed for help. That can’t be a one-off.
So it begs the question: Just how powerful is the OMERTA of silence on this when people, with their own eyes, see evidence but there’s no outcry. And how does a person with even a shred of a conscience continue to administer the shots after seeing something like that?
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Palate Cleansers:
A: A Mathemachicken.
—
TRUTH!
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I’ll show myself out.
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And don’t forget… come back Monday for another edition. Same Meme Time. Same Meme channel.
Please do consider buying me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee
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The post Friday Meme Overflow-Overflow appeared first on Granite Grok.
I don’t want anyone confusing this article with a routine one from Carol McGuire, who always does a great job and names her articles “YOUR State House.” Therefore, I’m calling this “OUR State House.” Carol writes about the House, but this piece is on the Senate and the Executive Council.
The dastardly RTK Tax, HB 1002, originated in the House, but tomorrow is its big day in the Senate. Unfortunately, it has the blessings of Sharon Carson and all of the Judiciary Committee, plus Tim Lang.
More on the senate, particularly Tim Lang and HB 1002, in a moment because I was there to observe the executive council from a front-row seat with Nurse Terese, who I will ask the readers to support, inside or outside of District 4, in her primary to take the place of Ted Gatsas. You can start by liking/following her on social media and asking others to do the same.
Let’s talk enemy camp primaries for a moment because there seem to be quite a few of them though not everyone might be aware that some communities have more than one of them. To recap, the governor’s race is on everyone’s ballot, and the enemy camp offerings are Councilor Warmington and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig. Half of all Granite Staters also have Colin Van Ostern and Senator Twitley hoping to be the next Annie Kuster. Wheeler’s constituents(1/5 of NH) have Alderman Kelly and Ms. Melanie Levesque primarying each other. But there’s another EC primary in the enemy camp and it’s one I wasn’t aware of until today. There are two people running for the gerrymandered District 2 seat, currently occupied by Warmington, and they’re regulars in the audience.
However, they’re too good to sit in the audience with all the spectators. They get to sit at a table placed next to the press table. This self-important VIP table for 3 was occupied today by Warmington’s campaign manager, who might consider choosing a deodorant with a stronger antiperspirant, Mike Liberty, whom I met in March during the Francophone proclamation meeting, and Lebanon City Councilor Karen Liot Hill, who proudly wears her woke civilian fruit salad. I call it fruit salad because General Mikolaitis is a regular at EC meetings, and there must be many veterans among the Grok Faithful. I didn’t know who Mike and Karen were, but being friendly with Meagan, the EC secretary, has its perks. I asked Meagan who those three were, and that’s how I learned.
I find a few things interesting. First, the Damn Emperor and PappASS were both executive councilors before running for governor and federal office. Would anyone happen to know if the campaign manager of either one of them had a very own special table in the room? I ask because Terese ought to be informed of that privilege if it exists, but I’m guessing it doesn’t. I will also point out that one of her primary opponents, Senator Reagan, was present today for the first time(to my knowledge). The old senator stood in the Corner Office reception area, presumably because there is no special seating for EC candidates and all the seats in the chamber were taken.
Now, let’s get back to the Senate. Being early for the EC, I wandered around looking for senators on the loose to remind them to reject HB 1002 tomorrow. Carrie Gendreau shares an office with Tim Lang. Once I confirmed that Tim was not there, I enjoyed a brief chat with Carrie. Because her parents are realtors, I told her my story and how my own RTK journey began with the assessor’s office. Her secretary pleasantly reminded her that she had stuff to do before her committee met, so I took the cue that it was my time to move on, and I made my way to Kevin’s office, where I spotted Regina entering from afar. I high-tailed it to make contact with her and said, “Regina, I hope you’re going to vote the right way tomorrow.”
I don’t know if she was playing stupid, so I had to say “HB 1002” and follow up with the words “RTK Tax,” but she just gave me a “we’ll see” without any indication of how she was leaning. She left the office, and I then had Kevin and his secretary almost all to myself as there was another aide in the room. He said Tim Lang planned to amend the bill to make RTK unlimited and free to locals. Essentially, that would mean that Laurie Ortolano et al. could keep on digging without ever having to put the shovel down upon hitting bedrock, um, I mean “the maximum allowed.” Kevin told me to find Tim and talk to him about that. I pointed out that the senate meets TOMORROW, I was on my way to the executive council, and Tim’s committees(Education & Ways and Means) weren’t on the calendar for today. I wasn’t expecting to run into Tim, but God had other plans! At least, that’s what Terese would say.
After the executive council adjourned and lunch was had, Terese and I were exiting the front door and stopped at the top of the front stairs. She wanted to show me something on her phone when I spotted Howard Pearl and Tim Lang(who are almost always seen together) entering the state house lawn from the far right corner. Terese had her back to them when I told her it was showtime. I greeted Howard first and said I still wanted him to vote the right way, and he played stupid. I reminded him that he replied to my email that he would look at the bill and wished me a good weekend. Then I confronted Tim and showed him a picture of the 4/9 committee sign-in. He claimed that it was a forgery and then started talking about bill cosponsorship in Kevin-speak, which I don’t agree with.
Then Tim switched to some of the opposition talking points, and I considered asking him if he read my last article, but I didn’t, so I looked squarely at both of them and said, “So what’s going to happen tomorrow?” All I got was the “I don’t know” shrug. A better answer would have been, “We’ll head over to OLS right now to get that amendment going and move to table the bill if it can’t be ready in time for tomorrow.”
The post OUR State House appeared first on Granite Grok.
It is unusual for the name of a local public school district to have national legs. Loudon County, VIrgina, is one. SAU16 in New Hampshire is another. The Exeter School District has made national news more than once, and perhaps it has again.
A few years ago, the very #woke SAU (School Administrative Unit for those outside the state) hired a Diversity Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Administrator. Andres Mejia, a Seacoast Black Lives Matter member, got the job and its very nice salary, and proceeded to do what the District was already doing without him. Advancing DEI, CRT, creating a hostile environment for any staff who thought the focus should be academics. Bullying is illegal in New Hampshire, and every District has a policy, but much like election law, its application is both partisan and selective, true to party form.
Democrats run on uniting people, unity, and diversity, but that’s all bullshit. As I’m fond of saying, it is a room full of people who look different but must think the same. Ask Dem Rep. Johnah Wheeler about that if you’re confused. He voted his conscience and proceeded to get bullied and attacked by members of his caucus (voted the wrong way on gender surgery, you see). And he’s just the latest victim of inter-party bullying in the Granite State.
So, the Mejia hire is typical, and he’d have held the destructive and overpaid job for life (if he wanted that), but recent events changed the dynamics. October 7th, the Israeli response and recent campus protests have polarized the Left. Democrats pretending to support Israel are at odds with Democrats who can’t publicly admit they want it wiped off the map. BLM leans harder left like the good Marxists they are, putting them in Camp Keffiyeh. It’s not the best place to be right now (professionally), even among ideological allies on the Left.
Pressure was gently applied to the Superintendent, who likely hoped he could ignore it, but the School Board was looped in. On May 1st, the District announced Andres Mejia’s resignation.
It is with regret that I inform you of the resignation of our DEI-J Director, Andres Mejia. Andres has been a driver in championing diversity initiatives, promoting equity in educational opportunities, and advocating for inclusion and social justice. This role is important for our entire school community and is pivotal in fostering a culture of acceptance, understanding, and belonging among students, faculty, and staff. We will be posting this opening by early next week as we look to find a qualified candidate to continue in helping create a learning environment where all individuals feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive academically and personally.
Andres will be moving on to a wonderful opportunity working for a non-profit organization supporting their efforts in the State of New Hampshire. His last day will be May 31, 2024. We wish him the best as he takes his next steps on his career journey.
I wonder if the Non-Profit is BLM?
We’ll get back to you on that, but for now, he is out at SAU16, and they will want to replace him. Taxpayers and those with students in these schools need to step up and push back. He did nothing for academic competency, so there is no reason to fill the position. In fact, this might be an excellent opportunity to flush out a few more like him.
Good luck with that, but to every one out there, if your school (or work) has a DEIJ director or officer and they are connected in any way to BLM, these protests might provide an opportunity.
The post School District Has to ‘Retire’ Their DEIJ Director appeared first on Granite Grok.
After two weeks “off” from session days, you’d have thought the slim majority would have returned refreshed and in numbers. Nope. Republicans were in the minority today (or so I am told). Democrats claimed some scalps.
While yesterday wasn’t a great day in the NH House, remember that everyone misses the odd vote or an entire day, so that’s not the point. We’re looking at the cumulative effect. Belmont, you are by far one of the most poorly represented towns in the State. Yo should consider replacing O’Hara and Trottier with Reps who can show up.
Here’s the rest of the list for this week. Note that Laurie Sanborn showed up and voted for the first time this year.
| 5/2 | YTD | |
| 15 | O’Hara, Travis (R, Belmont) | 155 |
| 15 | Trottier, Douglas (R, Belmont) | 112 |
| 15 | Varney, Peter (R, Alton) | 98 |
| 15 | Infantine, William (R, Manchester) | 60 |
| 15 | Brouillard, Jacob (R, Nottingham) | 54 |
| 15 | Nagel, David (R, Gilmanton) | 47 |
| 15 | Foote, Charles (R, Derry) | 40 |
| 15 | Sellers, John (R, Bristol) | 17 |
| 10 | Phinney, Brandon (R, Rochester) | 40 |
| 10 | Roy, Terry (R, Deerfield) | 14 |
| 3 | Sanborn, Laurie (R, Bedford) | 219 |
| 3 | Panek, Sandra (R, Pelham) | 49 |
| 3 | Testerman, Dave (R, Franklin) | 47 |
| 3 | Reid, Karen (R, Deering) | 5 |
| 2 | Berry, Ross (R, Manchester) | 15 |
| 2 | Smith, Steven (R, Charlestown) | 11 |
| 2 | Boehm, Ralph (R, Litchfield) | 7 |
| 1 | Guthrie, Joseph (R, Hampstead) | 42 |
| 1 | Vandecasteele, Susan (R, Salem) | 27 |
| 1 | Fedolfi, Jim (R, Hillsborough) | 24 |
The post NH House Republican Attendance – Is Back! appeared first on Granite Grok.
We learned that when Republicans do not show up, it can be a pretty disappointing day in the House. Additionally, the same thing happens when we have a few person advantage and a handful of “Republicans” vote along with House Democrats to kill perfectly good bills, and conversely pass pretty awful ones. If you know some good Conservatives in your district, please urge them to sign up to run in June.
It would go a long way to prevent days like today. Additionally, we need some strong Conservatives in the Senate that actually send us Conservative legislation.
We learned that Rep. Andy Renzullo (R-Hudson) and the Hudson delegation delivered a memorial to Hon. Bob Clegg who passed away in August 2023. The House also passed via voice vote SB468, a bill which designates a portion of Rt. 111 in Hudson as the Sen. Robert E. Clegg, Jr. Memorial Highway. Bob Clegg was a hard working good man who helped many people in need. May his memory be a blessing always.
We learned that SB359, a bill to raise the age of marriage from 16 to 18, passed 192Y-174N after two floor amendments failed, which would have carved out exceptions for emancipated minors. The bill states, “no person below the age of 18 years shall be capable of contracting a valid marriage, and all marriages contracted by such persons shall be null and void”. This bill repeals statutes that currently provide legal avenues for minors to marry. RSA 457:6 now allows parents and guardians of minors between the age of 16 and 18 to petition a family court to grant permission for legal marriage. Emancipated minors can already engage in “grown-up” activities, like having their own apartment and jobs and entering into contracts. SB359 allows no exceptions. There is so much wrong with not allowing exceptions to this new restriction. First of all, it is clear that House Democrats would rather see 16 and 17-year-olds who get pregnant and have abortions instead of getting married and having a family unit to bring stability to their lives. It is also clear that House Democrats feel that “children” aged 16 and 17 do not have the maturity to get married but are certainly encouraged and welcomed to decide to change their gender and undergo surgeries and chemical castration. The logic totally evades me and many others. We heard stories during floor debates of people who got married at young ages and successfully raised a family and stayed together. Alas, this bill passed with no exceptions allowed, and it looks like NH will raise the legal marriage age to 18. This was the first disappointing bill sent to us from “the other side of the wall”.
We learned that SB316, which establishes a penalty for a person who transports fentanyl-class drugs into NH with intent to distribute, died when the OTP Motion failed 137Y-229N and then was ITL’d with a voice vote. An attempt to recommit this to Criminal Justice to work on it some more died 172Y-180N. Again, some folks talk about dealing with the fentanyl crisis that is killing our citizens, and yet here we are, not passing legislation that would give even harsher penalties to drug dealers. Go figure.
We learned that SB376 passed 192Y-170N. This is a bill that establishes a corrections (as in jail) education and vocational planning group. Now, incarcerated people can already get education and training while doing time, and they make use of Pell grants and also get career counseling… but now even more of your tax dollars can go to hire people to do more planning and coordination with our universities to help folks like Adam Montgomery get a college education while incarcerated. Sounds like jail is becoming a more attractive place to be.
We learned that SB414 was Tabled 340Y-24N. This bill would have established a mandatory minimum sentence for the crime of distribution of a controlled drug with death resulting. There were actually some problems with this bill, but we did not even get to hear the debates as the Table Motion came up right away. The interesting thing was that Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D-Peterborough) argued against tabling the bill because he said we shouldn’t use a Table Motion to kill a bill…we should listen to the argument… Well, hold onto that thought….
We also learned that HB563 would prevent local governments from adopting “sanctuary” policies that would shield wanted immigrants from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Several municipalities have, in recent years, taken it upon themselves an authority not granted to them in the New Hampshire or US Constitutions and have adopted “sanctuary city” policies. In any case, guess what our friend Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D-Peterborough) did??? He put forth a motion to Table the bill in order to kill it and not hear the debate. Hypocrite much? Rep. Terry Roy (R-Deerfield), in his floor speech, said that he didn’t think tabling a bill should be used to kill a bill. Pointing out Rep. Wheeler’s hypocrisy was priceless…nonetheless, the bill died on the Table with a roll call vote 188Y-177N, with 8 Republicans helping to kill this bill. This was a shame.
We also learned that SB219, is a bill that would have school districts provide mandatory reporting of school expenses – giving the public more accountability and transparency. The House Democrats fought long and hard over the course of the day to kill this bill, and in the end, they succeeded. At first, early in the day, the bill was passed OTP 180Y-179N with the Speaker breaking the tie vote. At 3:55 PM, the Democrats asked for Reconsideration, which passed on a roll call vote of 185Y-181N, after which a roll-called OTP motion failed 182Y-184N. Then a Table Motion was made which resulted in 184Y-183N with the Speaker again breaking the tie and sending the bill to the Table. Then, at 5:05 PM, Democrats made a motion to remove the bill from the table, which passed 176Y-174N, after which, seeing as they had the numbers, an ITL Motion passed 178Y-172N with a subsequent Reconsideration motion failing 173Y-177N. House Democrats successfully killed a bill that would have allowed YOU to better see how schools spend your tax dollars. It was apparently very important for them to work so hard all day to kill this bill! Remember that in November.
We learned that SB341 was another important bill that House Democrats and five “Republicans” killed. This bill, as amended, creates a lawful requirement that educators and schools respond in a complete and honest fashion to inquiries from parents and guardians about their children. This bill was Indefinitely Postponed 185Y-176N on a roll called vote. 185 people voted to make sure schools keep information from parents about their children. House Democrats claim this is “to protect children and their Constitutional Rights to privacy”. Never mind that parents have responsibility for their own children or that parents have the right to know what their kids are doing. House Democrats continue their war against parents and their right to know anything going on in our schools.
We also learned that there was lots of heated debate and many motions with regard to SB380 which would move New Hampshire’s primary to June. We started out with an OTP motion which failed 170Y-196N, with a small contingent of Republicans who didn’t like this bill either. A roll called ITL motion passed 190Y-176N. Then there was a Reconsideration Motion that passed 191Y-175N, after which a Table motion failed 175Y-192N. The whole mess ended with a roll called Indefinite Postponement motion which passed 189Y-178N with 8 Republicans helping to kill this. Rep. Ross Berry (R-Manchester) said the current primary schedule favors incumbents, as it gives them an edge in fundraising and campaigning. I think June would be a better time simply because college kids from out of state won’t be around campus to vote in our primaries. That was reason enough to support the bill.
We then learned that another knucklehead bill came to us from the Senate. SB456 is a bill that would take taxpayer money and use it to pay off student loans for qualified nursing professionals. This expands the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Rural Health (ORH), and this bill makes an appropriation of $300,000 to be directed specifically toward nursing professionals, ostensibly to lure more people into open job slots because we need more nurses now that we let tons go because they didn’t like vaccine mandates during COVID… but I digress… In the bill there’s no guarantee for them to remain employed after having their loan repaid by NH taxpayers. This unfortunately passed 187Y-177N, and I just want to know when I can join this gravy train and have my mortgage paid off by NH taxpayers too since loan forgiveness seems to now “be a thing”. I jest though… because I am an adult and realize that I am responsible for my own obligations.
We also learned that we killed SB496. This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a climate and health protection program. As if they don’t have enough to do. Thank goodness the ITL motion passed 186Y-182N. Yet another bonehead bill from the Senate.
We learned that SB63 sought to clarify, in statute, the subject matter of which health officers may utilize their authority to draft health ordinances. House Democrats decried the bill as having the basic intent to curtail the authority of municipal public health officers and to limit the ability of towns and cities to enact ordinances in response to public health threats. Rebuild NH stated, “Currently health officers have unlimited authority to make any ordinance they wish. This bill limits their ordinance authority to only “nuisances” and that term is well defined in law. By passing this bill, health officers will no longer be able to make any ordinance in the next pandemic like we saw during Covid with mask mandates and such, but will retain their authority to make ordinances about situations that might arise in their towns.” The bill passed with a roll called OTP Motion 184Y-182N. It moves on to House Finance with no mask on.
We also learned that SB538 was killed on a roll called vote of 188Y-173N. This bill was an omnibus mess with multiple parts and numerous problems to mention. First, the bill looked to permit the governing bodies of municipalities to grant tax relief to developers and passing that relief to be picked up by all other municipal taxpayers. Next, the legislation proposes giving the ability to change zoning to the local governing body rather than by warrant article which requires the vote of the town’s citizens. Allowing and delegating to a small group of individuals, the ability to change the municipality’s zoning on very short notice without time for the citizenry to consider and vote on the proposed changes, is bad governance. The legislation goes on to further propose “alternate parking solutions” which were problematic at best for zoning boards and applicants. Enough with dictating state “solutions” to local issues. Yet another stellar mess from the folks on the other side of the wall.
We further learned that SB476 passed 217Y-144N on a roll called vote, to appropriate another $40 million to begin to renovate The New Hampshire State Prison for Men which was built in 1878 with additions and renovations made in the 1980’s. The current population is a little over 1000 prisoners with its max capacity roughly around 1400 prisoners. The place needs work and its said that prison cells may not meet the industry standard and pose safety concerns for the inmates and corrections officers. The estimated costs for these improvements exceed $400 million over the next ten years, more than half the cost of building a new, more-modernized utilitarian facility which is estimated to cost, at this writing, $584 million (and probably more than that).
We learned that we passed the very important legislation, SB603 (how apropos) 257Y-103N, which would direct the Department of Energy to continue and accelerate work already begun to conserve and reclaim telephone numbers to allow the 603 area code to be preserved as the sole code for the entire state for as long as possible. Another critical piece of legislation from the Senate. And yeah, we get that it’s an “identity thing”.
We also learned that SB471, to add a speed limit of 45 miles per hour on rural highways, was tabled 190Y-165N. This bill would have created a new statutory speed limit of 45 miles per hour (mph) and a definition of “unimproved” state highways. Currently the statutory state highway speed limit is 55 mph and the Department of Transportation (DOT) has the authority to lower it based on road design issues and conditions. Also, municipalities can request and receive lower speed limits in problem areas if it is supported by traffic engineering studies. So, this bill was wholly unnecessary, since there’s already a mechanism in place for municipalities to work with the DOT to evaluate roads and set speed limits. It’s good we put the brakes on this one.
Finally we learned that 2 bills were taken off Consent, but the one most noted was SB375. Originally on the Consent Calendar to go to Interim Study – this bill was relative to biological sex in student athletics. The committee recommended this bill be Referred for Interim Study, as a similar bill, HB1205, was passed by the House and sent to the Senate earlier this session. Both bills require school sports to be expressly designated as male, female, or coed. The overall intent of both bills is to ensure participant safety, fairness, and opportunity; however, this bill would allow any team, sport, or athletic event designated for males, men, or boys to be open to students of either sex, while any team, sport, or athletic event designated for females, women, or girls shall only be open to students of the female sex. There were problems with this bill, but who knows what the Senate will do with HB1205. Originally a motion to Table SB375 failed 162Y-195N and so the Interim Study motion was again considered and passed 200Y-154N. Reconsideration failed 118Y-233N.
Next week we get more fabulous Senate bills and more Concurrences for House bills that the Senate, in their infinite wisdom, have changed.
The post So Kids, What Did We Learn From This Week’s House Session (5/2/24)? appeared first on Granite Grok.
In the vast and ever-expanding world of online slot games, one concept reigns supreme: variance. Also referred to as volatility, slot variance plays a pivotal role in determining the frequency and magnitude of wins players can expect over their gaming sessions. Understanding the nuances of slot game variance is crucial for players looking to tailor their gaming experience to their preferences, risk tolerance, and bankroll management strategies.
What is Slot Game Variance?At its core, slot game variance refers to the level of risk associated with a particular game. It encapsulates the frequency and size of payouts, as well as the overall volatility of the game’s mechanics. Slots can generally be classified into three main categories based on their variance:
Navigating through the jungle of online slot game variance requires a blend of knowledge, strategy, and intuition. Whether you prefer the steady drip of low variance slots or the adrenaline rush of high variance games, understanding the nuances of slot variance is key to maximizing your gaming experience. By defining your risk tolerance, managing your bankroll wisely, and exploring a variety of games across different variance levels, you can embark on an exhilarating journey through the world of online slots with confidence and excitement.
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The World Economic Forum, WEF, has for decades been a central node of collaborative efforts towards bettering himanity. Many of its projects are initiated with the best intentions. Yet, it has increasingly become corrupted and now acts as a source of fascist anti-human ideology worldwide.
This is in plain sight in the language used by the WEF’s directors and media outlets. The key term is “Public-Private Partnership”. What does this mean precisely? It means cooperation and coordination between corporations and governments. There is a key element missing here— the private citizen.
Corporations and governments are both functioning power structures directing economies. Both are conglomerations of individuals working towards specific goals. However, neither necessarily have in their specific interest the prosperity and well-being of the individual private citizen. When corrupted, both corporations and governments take from the citizens rather than nurture them. Most especially, when corrupted, neither has in its interest the prosperity of individuals outside of themselves. That is, a corrupted government run by a certain political party will not care for citizens outside that party. A corporation will not care for citizens who are not part of the corporate structure.
No effective global mechanism exists today for regulating corporations and governments. These power actors chart a course depending on the morality of the people who run them. By and large, across the planet today, morals have been cast to the wayside in favor of money. Some widely broadcast voices say you can have only one but not the other. This is not true. Attaining both is possible. All that is required is restraint from the amoral.
It is difficult to do a good thing that benefits everyone. There are so many possible courses of action. There are many easy ways when it comes to making money. Yet, making money morally in a way that benefits everyone is the key. It is possible with a clear vision and a good conscience.
The WEF has not promoted such a path forward. This group of globalists is promoting transhumanism— the destruction of the human body. They call it by other words to make it palatable, and so they can profit. Yet, the reality is that their agenda promotes war and bloodshed, promotes castration, and promotes deadly and dangerous biomedical technologies. They have collectively lost the way.
A collaboration between corporation and government has been defined already— it was recognized by the Italian politician Benito Mussolini in the mid 20th century by the term fascist. This is precisely the correct definition of fascism.
When corporations and governments work together, there is a conjunction between the monopoly on economic power and the monopoly on military force. The result is destructive and anti-human. The course is one where the individual finds it increasingly difficult to affect change or even to be recognized and heard.
We must avoid this course at all costs. The WEF is not leading humanity along the best course of action. We must all recognize this reality as quickly as possible and act to avert what could be a disaster for the entire planetary civilization.
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Homeschooled students typically score 15 to 25 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests, according to The National Home Education Research Institute.
An earlier series of articles published by me in the Eagle Times showed a strong majority of students in public schools in NH and VT scored poorly on statewide reading performance assessments.
New Hampshire does not collect such data on homeschooled children and homeschooled students are not required to take the yearly state assessment or to report their results if they do.
But we do know that one of the many reasons people decide to homeschool is that schools do not serve their children well academically.
As one parent interviewed for this article said: “My child was removed from school because she was getting excelling grades in reading and we realized she couldn’t spell or read well.”
In researching this article, I conducted a survey to determine how reading is learned by homeschoolers. It ran from October 3 to November 14, 2023 and was advertised to the Upper Valley Homeschool group and the Granite State Home Educators group on Signal and Facebook. The UVHG has about 800 adult members and GSHE has over 16,000 adult members.
The survey asked questions about approaches to homeschooling, how homeschooled children learn to read, when they’re taught, where they’re taught and how they’re taught. It also asked about when children showed an interest in reading, how long it took them to become fluent readers and how well they read now.
There were 111 responses; one entry per homeschooled child. The children’s ages ranged from 5 to 21. Some children have special needs and learning disabilities, though those didn’t stand out. The results are summarized below.
How do people homeschool?Fifty-five percent (55%) of the 111 children take an eclectic approach to learning, meaning parents try different things based on what the child is ready for and what works for that child. Eighteen percent (18%) of parents follow a particular curriculum, like the Classical Method or the Trivium, basically doing school at home, though with a lot more flexibility. Nine percent (9%) do what is called “unschooling,” which is usually thought of as learning as you go through your day-to-day life.
Many parents are able to guide their children’s learning full-time; some have at-home businesses, others work unconventional hours.
Many homeschooling families are part of co-ops or learning clubs, no matter which approach to learning they take. Groups meet daily, 2 to 3 times weekly, once a week or a couple of times a month, depending on what works for the families. Some allow kids to be dropped off; some don’t.
Two local groups are the Upper Valley Homeschoolers, who base many of their events in Newport NH and at Micah Studios, which is also in Newport. Micah works with homeschooled students between the ages of 6 and 18. All Micah students currently use Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). (In full disclosure, I was involved in setting up Micah Studios, but am not involved with the school’s operation.)
How do they teach reading?As one parent said: “Learning to read was always, in my mind, akin to potty-training; a necessary skill, which each child needs help with, but has to develop when they are ready to be provided and made available, but not to be punished for or be negative about.”
Who does the teaching?
When parents say their children learned to read on their own, they mean that they didn’t use a curriculum or method to teach them, that the child just started reading one day. However, they generally spent a lot of time reading to and with them and taught them the alphabet and the sounds the letters make.
Below are survey answers that revealed a few patterns in homeschoolers’ approaches:
Research indicates that children will learn to read more easily if they’re developmentally ready. In one study (https://bit.ly/3S1WRzT), 22% of kindergarten students started the year with a gap in their reading readiness. At the end of the year, gaps remained and those who were already ready to read made significantly more progress.
Homeschooling parents use interest to let them know that their child is ready to learn to read. As one parent said: “I am grateful I could give her the gift of waiting until she was ready.”
Some lessons from the survey:
Most of these children (73%) showed interest in reading between the ages of 3 and 5. Quite a few (20%) showed interest between the ages of 6 and 8. One was 10 years old and a few were 1-2 years old. The range is probably similar for all children.
How long did it take these children to become fluent readers?Most of these homeschooled children (65%) were taught to read after they showed interest. One child was first taught to read at 9 years old. She became a fluent reader very quickly. Harry Potter was the first book she read on her own.
Some kids can learn to read fluently at an early age. One child was reading fluently at 4 years old, before going to school for grades K-4. “Starting with simple books, he was able to quickly improve his reading skills and comprehension. We introduced more interesting stories early and avoided simple readers without good story lines.”
The survey data suggest that it takes about the same amount of time for kids to become fluent readers whether you start teaching reading before or after the child shows interest. It can range from two weeks (if they’re really ready) to more than 4 years for children to read fluently.
Does learning to read before or after showing interest affect how much they LIKE to read?“He loves reading now because it wasn’t forced on him as something he HAD to do just because he was a certain age or grade. It was offered to him as an exciting magical power when he was ready and interested to learn it.”
Over 71% of children in the survey like to read, whether they learned to read before or after they showed interest in reading. This might be because most of these homes provide rich reading environments, where parents and siblings read with the child early and often.
However, 20% of children who were taught to read before they showed interest do not like to read now, compared to 10% of children who learned after showing interest. The sample of children is small, so it’s hard to draw conclusions.
Did going to school affect when children learned to read?“This child was not ready to learn to read in kindergarten when it was taught. She hated doing the phonics and simple reading homework at home. She simply did not understand it and ended up repeating kindergarten and hating school. She eventually ended up having panic attacks at school so I pulled her out halfway through 5th grade to homeschool. She caught up to her original grade and is now flourishing in college.”
Some of the children in the survey went to school for a period of time:
Over 80% of the homeschooled-only children were taught to read after they showed interest, whereas almost 40% of these children who were schooled were taught before they showed interest.
Of course, homeschooled families have the opportunity to wait for a child to be interested. Children who go to school have to try to keep up with their class, no matter their level of reading readiness.
A number of years ago, I tutored a first grader, a 6-year-old boy, in reading. He didn’t know, or care about, the sounds that letters make. It’s not clear that it’s worth putting a lot of effort into forcing a child to read at that readiness level. My focus was to get him to trust me while exposing him to books and letters. Elementary school teachers have to meet this challenge every day.
Conclusions“Homeschooling has allowed her more time to read and has accelerated her skills. Rather than getting up before she’s fully rested and rushing to get to a traditional school where she will be assigned 20 minutes of reading, she wakes up when she’s ready each day and reads in bed before getting up.”
All homeschooled children in the survey who showed interest in reading have learned to read. People who responded to the survey were self-selected so we might not have heard from parents whose kids had problems learning to read.
Homeschooled children are taught to read using many different approaches. Many parents mentioned following the child’s readiness and interest. Contrast this with schools, which use one approach for all students, whether it works or not.
In my previous series on reading published by the Eagle Times, one parent said that everyone in her affluent town hires tutors to teach their kids to read, even though they attend a well-performing public village school. Also, the principal of another village school said that many kindergartners start out not ready to read and that it is a problem. Perhaps school policies should change to allow children to attend kindergarten only if they are ready to learn to read, no matter their age.
Whether you homeschool your children or send them to school, reading to or with them at home regularly will give them a solid foundation.
(This article may have also been published by the Eagle Times.)
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