"Move along. Nothing to see here. Bush lied. People died. Halliburton. Scooter Libby. Funny money campaign donations from felons connected to Asia and possibly the Chi-coms? Oops. It was an honest mistake. Besides, there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq..."

NH DEMS TOOK MONEY FROM HILLARY CLINTON FUNDRAISER NORMAN HSU

CONCORD – Norman Hsu, whose campaign donations to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign are being returned, also contributed to New Hampshire Democrats last year.

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According to followthemoney.org, Hsu contributed $2,000 to Gov. John Lynch last year and $5,000 to the New Hampshire Democrat Senate Caucus PAC.  In addition, Winkle Paw, one of the many people who lived at a house owned by Hsu and whose contributions have drawn scrutiny, also gave Gov. Lynch $2,000 last year. 

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Hsu’s contribution to the Senate Democrats is listed on the PAC’s September 20, 2006 filing in the NH Secretary of State’s office.  Paw’s donations are listed on page 88 of Gov. Lynch’s August 21, 2006 campaign finance report on file at the Secretary of State’s office and available online.

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“The question I have is this: How did a fugitive New York financier and a family from San Francisco get hooked up with Gov. Lynch, Sen. Silvia Larson, and Ray Buckley last year?  This money didn’t just arrive out of the blue.”

Posted by Doug at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Blogs for Fred and Red State were saying he’ll announce at 4:30Pm Eastern today, but Jim Geraghty just confirmed with Team Thompson that at 4:30 today he will announce that there will be an announcement coming on the second half of next week.

Stop the Presses!

Posted by Doug at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Exasperation.  Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. 

News organizations should be reporting the news - period.  We hear about the sob stories, we hear about the meltdowns in different sectors of the economy (house sales, sub-prime, unemployment way up in certain areas, and the like).  Think of bad news? Front and center!

This is why the network news and large newspapers are losing eyeballs - partisanship.  Not reporting good news is just that, as non-reporting is as important (and wrong) as only reporting on one side of a story.

The Commerce Department reports:

(H/T: CNSNews)

Posted by Skip at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

LC: I reached down with my right hand like this to pick up a piece of paper.

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DK: Was your gold ring on your right hand at anytime today.

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LC: Of course not, try to get it off, look at it.

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DK: Okay. Then it was your left hand, I saw it with my own eyes.

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LC: All right, you saw something that didn't happen.

DK: Embarrassing, embarrassing. No wonder why we're going down the tubes. Anything to add?

NN Uh, no

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DK: Embarrassing. Date is 6/11/07 at 1236 interview is done.

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LC: Okay

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Posted by Doug at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

• First place was tied: Gov. John Lynch and NH Dem Party Chair Ray Buckley
• Second place found Kathy Sullivan, former Dem Party Chair tied with John Stephen.
• Third place was a three-way between NH State Sen. Bob Clegg, US Sen.John E. Sununu, and a non-person, collective entity called "the Blogs."

• "Activists" (another collective entity rather than an individual)
• GOP Chair Fergus Cullen
• Manchester Mayor Frank Giunta
• US Sen. Judd Gregg
• Former gubernatorial candidate Bruce Keough
• NH Senate President Sylvia Larsen
• NH House Speaker Terri Norelli
• Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen

• US Rep. Democrat Paul Hodes
• Stonyfield Farm's Gary Hirshberg (while a liberal, it's nice to see a non politician on this list)
• Andru Volinski- victorious "Claremont Lawsuit" lawyer
• Former NH Cong. Republican Jeb Bradley
• Joe McQuaid- publisher of the NH Union Leader newspaper (diminished, but not out)

Acting DOT Commish Charles O'Leary; NHCLU Claire Ebel; NH Reagan Network's Fran Wendleboe; Dem Cong. Carol Shea Porter; CNHT Ed Naile; GOP Minority Leader Rep. Mike Whalley; NH Sen. Ted Gatsas; Joel Maiola; Tom Rath; Robb Thomson; Tom Thomson; Judy Reardon; Paul Twoomey; Neal Kurk; Former GOP state Chair Wayne Semprini; Former NH Speaker Doug Scamman

While the press has not been very kind to him, mostly because of his disagreements with a popular governor, history will show that he singlehandedly looked after taxpayer money. Best of luck to him in his primary.

Being head of the NH Senate has its pluses. We hear a lot about Ms. Larsen in the media. At this point I think we'll be seeing her with higher aspirations in the decade to come.

John Stephen - most likely to be the next to hold the NH 1 CD seat in Congress. He acquitted himself very well by continuing to constrain the pressure cooker that is the NH HHS. Also as a prosecutor and right hand man of Dick Flynn.

The House Speaker does not seek headlines.  She does her bidding behind closed doors and she sets the agenda in Concord these days – not the Governor or Larsen.  She is smart strategically:  education funding is being costed out over a two year span and no one is complaining or noticing.  She’s a broad baser and the hole is being driven up by the hour with no sign of concern or complaint on the horizon.  She also has been able to implement a radical social agenda with scant notice:   1st in nation civil unions without court edict.  1st in nation to repeal existing parental consent for abortions.  Both outside New Hampshire mainstream.  That’s influence.

No question that Democrats have clearly benefited from the drastic mistakes of Republicans and a favorable electoral climate, but she did it after being knocked flat down on the mat in 2002 with the Shaheen Senate loss, Benson victory and the crushing of her state senate candidates.  

"He scares the [bleep] out of them."

I honestly can't single out particular individuals.  I do believe, however, that local activists and newcomers (who are sometimes one and the same) should be high on the list. I am seeing that in my town where we are finally taking on the corrupt oligarchy that has been running the town into the ground for a few decades. I am a conservative independent who has teamed up with mainly Democrats to accomplish this goal.

Posted by Doug at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (1)

Chaz Proulx is sounding like a socialist.  Over at NH Insider, he has posted twice about the new "improved" S-CHIP program (you know, the one that continues the infantalization of America by making adults in their 20's with family incomes up to $80K equivalent to 5 year olds in families in the lowest quintile).  Gee, why can't we believe that adults should be responsibile for their families and themselves?

Add to that the "discourse" of about 45 million uninsured people in the country (now the number has gone to 47 million).  Yet, it seems that this number, while bandied about quite often and loudly by the Dems in support of universal healthcare, seems to be flawed.  In fact, it is quite deceitful as it effectively is a coverup.

The original number quoted is from this study. The JunkyardBlog reported on this and provided a break down the first time and an update.

Here's my condensed version:

• 9 million of the 45 are illegal immigrants, leaving 36 million - 12% of the population. 
• That means that there are 35.6 million Americans who don't have health insurance. That's 12.3% of the population, rather than the quoted 15.3%.
  
• So of the 35.6 million uninsured from the Census Bureau survey, we can estimate that about half didn't have insurance for an entire year (most of rest lost their coverage for only four months or less). Those 18 million people are the "chronically uninsured," and are the people that policy changes should address. Or, I should say more accurately, they are the only group of people whose plight warrants major legislative intervention.

Why half?

• There are 8.3 million uninsured people who make between $50,000 and $74,999 per year
• There are 8.74 million who make more than $75,000 a year.

That’s roughly 16-17 million people who ought to be able to “afford” health insurance because they make substantially more than the median household income of $46,326.

Why?  Try young men and women who don't believe they need insurance, or those wealthy enough to self insure.

Money line:

Let's pause here for a moment and consider what the Democrats are proposing. What they are saying is that they want to radically change the way health insurance is handled in this country because 1 person in 8 is without insurance. That is, they want to force 7 out of 8 people to change their health care system to accommodate that one person.

That's right - for 6% of the population, we are going to disrupt one of the largest healthcare systems in the world by turning it upside down, and driving 94% of the US population nuts while doing so.  Madness, shear madness.

Remember, healthcare is always rationed.  The question is will it be rationed by government or by the marketplace?

I have more faith in the marketplace than with politics. 

Posted by Skip at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Some of you may be wondering about the absence of Ron Paul from this months straw poll. Let me explain. After my decision to include Ron Paul in the previous poll, I monitored (to the best of my ability) the efforts by Paul's online supporters. With the help of other bloggers, we discovered a sophisticated coordinated effort to spam the poll, obfuscate their actions, and even cheat the poll.

Ron Paul has been removed from this months poll in order to provide usable data on the acceptability/unacceptability of the candidates in the race. As you may have noticed in the previous poll, people who voted for Ron Paul as their number one choice also only put Ron Paul as the only acceptable candidate -- a voting behavior not mimicked by supporters of other candidates. This made the data severely flawed and useless as a barometer -- even for an unscientific one.

Posted by Doug at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Attention New Hampshire GraniteGrok readers... We need your help!

QUESTION: Who are the NEW power players here in New Hampshire? Who are the most influential in today's Granite State?

Posted by Doug at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Our friend DCE from Weekend Pundit (and frequent guest on Meet The New Press) has a post that caught my attention a few days ago where he marveled at the maturity shown by a couple from Ireland.

Maturity - A Contrast

Today was BeezleBub's last day working full time at the farm. From now on he'll be working on Saturdays until the farm work ends in October.

As part of the end-of-summer process, many of the college students and foreign workers have departed for school or home.

Two of the foreign workers, Andrew and Trudy, a young Irish couple in their early 20's, became fast friends with BeezleBub. It was our pleasure to take them out for an early evening cruise on the lake on the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout. It was a leisurely cruise, allowing us plenty of time to talk with these friends of our son.

It was eye opening.

The biggest impression I had was that these two seemed far more mature than their contemporaries here in the US.

I don't know if it was because they were well traveled, well schooled, well raised, or some combination of all three. It could also be that we in the US have a tendency to extend adolescence well beyond what many would consider healthy.

I've seen far too many 'kids' in their early 20's here in this country taking little responsibility for themselves or their actions. Oh, they may be attending college or working, but their actions outside of those venues are more like those of kids still in high school hoping that their parents won't catch them doing something they know they aren't supposed to be doing.

The contrast between this young Irish couple and our own “post-adolescents” was quite illuminating. I'll be far more observant of our youth from now on, hoping to see that my impressions of them were in error and that the examples of our post-adolescent citizens that I have seen were atypical.

This was reinforced for me this past Saturday in talking with long time friend (and former employer), Larry as we met at Old Home Day.  He now teaches at the Concord, NH campus in the Community Technical ("Vo-Tech") college system of NH.  His subject matter ranges from digital circuits to microprocessor to broadband communications.

Sidebar: Larry is a very smart fellow, he used to work at Bell Labs dealing with a range of things, especially that of actual costs (lower revenue / higher maintainance) of mis-maintained trunk lines between Central Offices due to the perceived quality by subscribers of phone calls.  I know, I wrote the first quanitfiable DBMS system for his theories using his Monte Carlo simulations and then aggregating N runs via N links of N parameters. There were times when he would try to explain some esoterica until my eyes would glaze over.  Best time I ever had working.

Anyways, he was remarking that he had a lot of foreign students in his classes.  Not only were they often times MUCH better prepared academically than the American students, but they had this sense of maturity that he couldn't quite put his finger on. They are willing to put in the time, do the hard work, show that work, and willing to do more.  He also said that outside of the classroom the foreign students would carry and comport themselves in what seemed several years advanced than what their American counterparts do.

Part of it, I believe, is where our society is going.  Take a contemporary topic - the extension of the S-CHIP program which was originally designed to cover poor school aged children.  Now, there is radical (nay, socialistic) attempt to extend this program from school kids from poor families to grown adult children in households with incomes over $80,000.

Forget about the family income range (with which I disagree) but the age?  At what point should kids start acting like adults?  My take is 18 - they are of majority age, take on the responsibilities of such.  Delaying that up to 8 more years can lead to the philosophy of "why should I be responsibile and take care of me?  Someone else is for me!".  As one wag pointed out, it could be possible for a family of four to be all covered by this extension.

Take what Mayor Bloomberg did in NYC - banned trans-fats.  Now, busybodies all over have said "it is a good idea that I take this away from you.  Being an adult, you should know better, but since you don't, I will do it for you".  Ditto for smoke free environments (e.g., business owners are not responsible enough to make their own decisions).

Now with interest rates going up, mortgage rates have gone up.  Adults that should have known better are losing their houses because of greed (yup, I had an ARM, and when rates started upward, I converted to a fixed.  And there are a lot of people out there that will attest to the fact that I am not the fastest CPU in the lot - if I could do it, so could they!) where they thought that a lower rate was better than a secure future. Now politicians blame evil lenders and want to bailout consumers.  Right....so much for self-responsibility. I (or you!) could go on and on and on with examples.  

Or, keep on with situations people get screwed and that they are not at fault and not responsible.
Then ask youself - does this attitude make it more or less likely that people would start to lean towards acting more like an adult, or less? 

Posted by Skip at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Doug at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Sanctions that is!  I'm not a 'deport them all' kind of guy.  I am a Rule of Law - Enforce the Law kind.  I have been more than irate ("seething" was I used in the past). In fact, I have advocated that if the incentives were removed, illegals would self-deport (being one of those frugal New England Yankees, why spend the money for something when you can get it for free?).

I told you so!

Well, back on July 5th I was quite happy to blog that Arizona had passed a real strict law - one with teeth as long as a T-Rex.  Frankly - a death knell for any business that knowingly employ illegal immigrants:

• The suspension of a business license on the first violation
• Permanent revocation on a second

Captain Ed gets the Hat Tip here (bold emphasis mine): 

Arizona Republic reported on an interesting phenomenon taking place as a new workplace identification law approaches implementation. Those workers with no documentation -- in other words, illegal aliens -- have begun to sell off their property and leave the state:

Undocumented immigrants are starting to leave Arizona because of the new employer-sanctions law.

The state's strong economy has been a magnet for illegal immigrants for years. But a growing number are pulling up stakes out of fear they will be jobless come Jan. 1, when the law takes effect. The departures are drawing cheers from immigration hard-liners and alarm from business owners already seeing a drop in sales.

It's impossible to count how many undocumented immigrants have fled because of the new law. But based on interviews with undocumented immigrants, immigrant advocates, community leaders and real-estate agents, at least several hundred have left since Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano signed the bill on July 2. There are an estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants in Arizona.

Some are moving to other states, where they think they will have an easier time getting jobs. Others are returning to Mexico, selling their effects and putting their houses on the market.

The number departing is expected to mushroom as the Jan. 1 deadline draws closer. After that, the law will require employers to verify the employment eligibility of their workers through a federal database.

The immigration hard-liners appear to have proven one of their main arguments. Illegal immigrants who face a loss of employment due to strict employer sanctions will move elsewhere, and rather quickly. One talk-radio host that caters to what the Republic calls "undocumented immigrants" estimates that the departure rate has already hit 100 per day. It will likely increase until most of them depart before the end of the year, when their jobs will disappear.

The article states that many are probably packing up and going home which is perfectly fine by me.  If they wish to come back, I really do hope they decide to return but return legally.  Why?  These are the folks that are willing to risk everything (except one thing) for a better life - more adventuresome than  others, willing to take a risk, willing to undergo hardship now for more gratification later - all admirable qualities.

But if they do, I want them to become citizens - willing to renounce their citizenship and ties to their home countries.  I do not want them to renounce their heritage (hey, being 3rd generation Swedish and Irish, I celebrate St. Patty's day and love a good smorgasbrod as much as any!) but I do want them to assimilate.  Put off to the side your country's culture for the time being and work like crazy to learn, adopt, and love America's.   Learn English, learn a skill, become / stay independent, and celebrate being an American.

However, another part of the Arizona article just drives me nuts - The Chamber of Commerce there is one such entity:

"Nobody is going to be untouched by the ramifications of this law," said Ann Seiden, spokeswoman for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The chamber is one of a dozen business groups that have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the law on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.

Gee, how hypocritical!  Let's not worry about the law in the first place - let's place profits above the law!  Sure, we don't care that we will put other businesses out of contention because they use more expensive American workers.  Who cares if we ourselves are breaking the law - we want cheap labor!

Most times in this blog, I will be quite pro-business.  In this case, no.  One does not place the law before profits.  If you break the law, suffer the consequences.  You assess the risk; you play the game. In this case, the payoff is great if you don't get caught.  But is that worth the risk of no business if caught?

Their rationale? 

Several key industries in Arizona, including construction, manufacturing and agriculture, depend heavily on immigrants, legal and illegal, to fill gaps in the workforce, especially in low-skill jobs, she said.

The labor shortages are due to a native-born population that is aging and more highly educated and therefore doesn't produce enough low-skilled workers to meet growing demand. As a result, immigrants are doing jobs that Americans won't do and that Americans aren't available to do, she said.

What a crock!  As the Swift meat packing incident showed, when the illegals leave, legals will come in.  The jobs will be done and filled by Americans - but at rates closer to the prevailing wage.  Advertise higher wages, people will come.

The old supply and demand.  It works all the time. 

Posted by Skip at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

NH Dem Chair Ray Buckley (GG file photo)

Click here first to read my post: Is Civil Union Legislation Based on Lies? Then click here and read “Gay-Rights Group Pushed for State Democrats in ’06.” More disturbing is this article from the Boston Globe. Yep, that's right, they were the single biggest donor to the democrats. But, of course the dems weren't influenced by the money, geez, ya gotta explain everything. da mi il soldi!

Spending almost $150,000 on New Hampshire state races by the Human Rights Campaign...I wonder why they just don't call it what it is; i.e., Gay Rights Campaign?...paid off for them. They switched their focus from national politics to influence state politics, particularly NH, Iowa and Oregon. Smart move, I’d say.

I recently read an opinion published in one of the papers that said there was no out-of-state influence regarding pushing civil unions in NH. Well, the Human Rights Campaign donation would prove that person’s theory wrong. Not only did they contribute money, according to the editorial, but an employee traveled to NH to assist with get-out-the-vote efforts and phone-banks. Do you think he was encouraging Republicans to vote?

The President of the Human Rights Campaign states:

“We understood that in order to change things at the federal level, we had to play a role in changing things locally.”

 

Of course they were successful in changing things here locally. They don’t live in NH and NH citizens didn’t get a chance to vote on the issue of civil unions, but I guess many NH citizens simply are too apathetic to care that NH was being influenced by “outsiders.”

I love Ray Buckley’s comment that “How could you make any sort of promises?” but then goes on to say that he’s known Human Rights Campaign staff for years…ten. Well, duh, most alcoholics know a lot of other alcoholics and most gays know a lot of other gays.

And, of course, Buckley helped engineer the Democratic takeover of the Senate. He stated previously that the number one priority for him was passing civil unions. Screw what voters might have voted on or what their priorities were. We just don’t get a vote, period.

And, yes a “common Republican critique of the issue centered on the lack of public discussion of the issue during the 2006 campaign. Opponents argued that Democrats didn’t campaign on a platform favoring civil unions, and that as a result, voters never had sufficient opportunity to weigh in on the issue.” Hey, I’m an independent and I didn’t get to vote either.

Well, double duh, GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen is absolutely right when he states:

“When voters gave (Gov.) John Lynch the Democratic majority he asked for last fall, it wasn’t because voters wanted to redefine marriage or make radical changes to social policy.”

But that didn’t stop the Democrats from unanimously backing the bill after it passed the House though either did it? Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Now Senate President Sylvia Larsen does say something very interesting:

Senate Democrats “had our sights on other topics; it wasn’t on our list.”

By golly it sure jumped on the list and rather quickly I’d say right after the democrats took control. Plus, sorry, but I don’t buy her statement that civil unions weren’t on the list before the election. They just didn’t want NH citizens to know it was on the list since they knew it wasn’t a burning issue for a vast majority of the population.

The stupidest thing Ms. Larsen says though about her meeting with Mr. Solmonese supposedly “once” when she was in Washington D.C. is this:

“There was not a big discussion about legislation that they wanted to see come out of it, but they felt that by helping Democratic efforts they were moving a majority that would be more understanding of the discrimination” facing same-sex couples.

Triple Duh, on this one. No “big”, a nice subjective choice of adjectives…just apparently a small discussion was held. Now what on earth would a homosexual group want to see come out of a discussion, Sylvia? Probably not less discrimination and more rights for the much larger disabled population in NH, huh? I wonder how many phone discussions you had with Mr. Solmonese.

Sorry, but I just don’t buy that Senate Democrats were completely caught off guard on the civil union issue. Obviously, Ray Buckley wasn’t caught off guard. As mentioned in my previous post, there’s been a lot of manipulation and deception going on at the State House and certainly everyone knows Ray Buckley’s a gay activist about as much as everyone knows Bishop Robinson’s a gay activist.

Gov. Lynch certainly didn’t provide any leadership regarding the issue other than to say that he’s against gay marriage. What the heck does he think is the ultimate goal of homosexuals? The slippery slope will continue unless NH citizens demand a repeal of civil union legislation and demand that it be brought to every citizen in NH for us to vote on it.

I’m willing to live with the outcome; I just don’t like politicians telling us what we would have voted for had we been given the opportunity. I wonder if you polled married couples and included that their vulnerable male and female children with raging hormones were going to be intensely recruited by homosexuals to practice homosexuality, are you for civil unions? What's the answer to that "poll?" Oh now, don’t say that doesn’t happen. Ron Tunning said on MTNP that they were “recruiting” new members at Laconia High School. What do you suppose is happening in the Middle School?

Sorry, but a “poll” of any kind is no substitution for a vote exercised by every citizen in the state. We’ve been robbed of our rights here in the State on this and many other issues. Haven’t you had enough? Let’s take back New Hampshire from out-of-state special interest groups and let people living in our state decide what “The New Hampshire Way.” is.

Posted by Judy at 7:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

I had seen this post over at the Belmont Club last week and it just wouldn't let go.  No, it wasn't the subject matter: WTO and the case of Antigua vs the US.  Stuff of international trade, while of more interest as I better understand how the world actually works, is not stirring stuff - at least not to this blogger.

However, there were a couple of sections that did grab my attention as they made a lot of sense.  Wrongly, but made sense:

Where have we seen this before? Pretty much everywhere. While not exactly the same, the Antigua decision has structural similarities to the way some international lawyers think about the Geneva Convention and human rights legislation. The US is "bound" by the letter of the law, and if a terrorist mass murderer can find a legal loophole to escape then he is "entitled" to use it. But the Convention is not obeyed by weaker parties because it is impractical to enforce it. Just as pirated DVDs can be found being openly sold in many street corners in Asia without being similarly available in places like Australia, countries with well-functioning legal systems find themselves at a disadvantage compared to countries with no enforcement. In the area of human rights, for example, America has courts before which lawyers can appear. Al-Qaeda has a cave in Pakistan where accommodations are notoriously poor. The US will obey a legal judgment. Legal judgments against al-Qaeda are an exercise in futility. Who will lawyers sue? Under these conditions the full weight of international law will always come down hardest on the most law-abiding.

[snip]

The power disparity between countries like the United States and other countries is offset by the disparity in expectations of compliance. It would be considered natural for Khalid Sheik Mohammed to ask for his "rights" under international law, but an American soldier captured by al-Qaeda can hardly make the same request -- unless he wants to kill his captors with laughter -- which might be a violation of the Geneva Conventions itself.

I taught my kids (at least I tried) that taking the "high road" was the right thing to do; the better morality.  Sure, it is hard and often not as profitable in the way that many account for profit.  I try (though not always attain) that ideal.  For me, the higher road is its higher reward.  But I also know that many do not share this sentiment.  But as with most things, when folks who try to take that high road fail, ridicule and scorn are soon to follow.

However we play it, we have to remember one thing - morality is for humans - not countries.  Countries have self-interests and self-inflicted manners of behavior (or, as it seems, none at all).  

I guess the moral of the story here is that perhaps expectations need to rise for those that choose to not follow the high road.... 

Posted by Skip at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

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Disgraced Pastor Ted Haggard Asks Supporters for Cash. Is this the true definition of Chutzpah or what?!

Did you get a severance package equivalent to a year's salary of $138,000 from the last job you left? Can you sell your home for $715,051.

Would you ask others to support you if you disgraced your church, not to mention yourself, in such a manner and had equivalent assets?

Is it any wonder why Christianity gets a bad rap sometimes? There are nuts in the Church, just like there are nuts in the world! Hopefully, we don't judge everyone by the few nuts in either population. Well, please feel free to perhaps not apply this to those who kill in the name of God! As though God would ever tell islamo-facists to kill Americans or anybody else in His name.

This is about as bad, not quite, as Bishop Robinson insinuating that some of Jesus' disciples may have been gay! For the skinny, check out this podcast from MTNP this past Saturday, when we discussed the story, as reported some two years ago at WorldNetDaily.

Posted by Judy at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

That's right, that treaty, still considered to be in effect on this very day, officially outlaws war.

Relations between the United States and France had cooled in the aftermath of World War I. A number of issues had driven the former allies apart, including:

• residual tensions from hard bargaining and perceived double-dealing at Versailles;
• the continuing effort of the U.S. to collect the full amount of war debts incurred by hard-pressed France;
• the embarrassment felt by France because of being assigned a lesser naval role at the Washington Conference (1921);
• the recent failure, regretted by both nations, of the Geneva Conference (1927).

An effort was made by French foreign minister Aristide Briand to warm-up relations between the two former allies. Columbia University professor James T. Shotwell met with Briand in France and suggested that a bilateral treaty be negotiated that would outlaw war between the two nations. Briand seized this idea and presented it in an open letter to the American people.

The Coolidge government, at least initially, was not interested in having its hand forced in diplomatic matters and offered no response. A few weeks later, Columbia President Nicholas Murray Butler sounded the same theme in a letter published in The New York Times. The press in New York and elsewhere began a drumbeat calling for the “outlawry of war.”

Even back then, the news media and their ideological comrades in acedemia espoused silly, utopian notions that failed in the face of reality.

Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg was lukewarm to the idea, but at least gave formal recognition to Briand’s proposal. Meanwhile, public sentiment continued to build. A leader in this effort was Senator William E. Borah of Idaho, who secured the support of the National Grange; its petitions supporting the proposed agreement contained more than two million signatures and increased the pressure on the government. Kellogg began to see advantages in such an agreement, but insisted that the concept be expanded to encompass many nations.

The Kellogg-Briand Pact provided for outlawing war as an “an instrument of national policy,” and was further notable for the following:

• No enforcement mechanism was provided for changing the behavior of warring signatories.
• The agreement was interpreted by most of the signatories to permit “defensive” war.
• No expiration date was provided.
• No provision existed for amending the agreement was included.

Despite these shortcomings, the pact was signed in August 1928 by 15 nations. In the following months, more than 60 countries joined in this renunciation of war.

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee studied the matter and issued a report that maintained that the pact did not impair the nation’s ability to act to protect the Monroe Doctrine. Having cleared that hurdle, the full Senate voted 85 to one for ratification. Despite the lopsided tally, little true enthusiasm existed for the highly idealistic agreement. Other nations followed the U.S. lead by ratifying the treaty, but reserving the right to act to protect their special interests.

Events of the 1930s demonstrated the total inability of treaties to halt expansionist nations from making war on their neighbors, proving the skeptics to have been correct. Most damaging perhaps for the United States was that the Kellogg-Briand Pact may have induced some in positions of authority to delay action in the face of aggression, hoping in vain that the terms of the agreement would be honored.

Times never change. Only the names and dates.

[originally posted 8/27/06]

Posted by Doug at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I get that there are untold numbers of sloppy-minded people stumbling around America wearing vacant expressions and living mindless lives, but I have yet to figure out why so many of them are drawn with such zeal toward endeavors such as political punditry that only highlight their ugliest, most brazenly ignorant facets.

Posted by Doug at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Attention New Hampshire GraniteGrok readers... We need your help!

QUESTION: Who are the NEW power players here in New Hampshire? Who are the most influential in today's Granite State?

Posted by Doug at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The MTNP Podcast page is (gratefully) brought to you by:

And we thank them very much!

Meet The New Press
Radio at the speed of the Blogosphere!
 
(A radio show by bloggers about the goings on in blogosphere)
WEMJ 1490 Saturdays 11am-1pm (EDT)
Streaming Live!

To play (or "stream") a clip now, just click on it.  To download it to your PC, right click on it and tell the process where to save the file for you.

Hour 1 here                                                Hour 2 - here

     Hour 1  

           Agenda

           Discussion - Ramifications of Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson (of NH) announcing his
                    gay civil union and causes worldwide Anglican angst.  Judy joins and adds her post
                    and the reaction to it.  Part 1   Part 2

           Jeb Bradley - interview former Congressman from NH District 1 who is trying to regain his
                    seat from Carol Shea-Porter (D)

           Discussion - Doug is trying to figure out NH's "Power Players"
 

     Hour 2 

           Judy Reever (D-Laconia) wants an income tax in NH - discussion how the Democrats have
                    spent beyond NH's ability (or they just don't care - they're all  retired!)

           Healthcare - from Pat's potato chips to a "Fat Tax" to stark difference between Republican
                    (free market) and Democratic (socialism) solutions to healthcare.  Chan from
                    Weekend Pundit calls in.

           John Stephen - former head of NH Health and Human Services is running for Congress in
                    the first District (there will be a primary race).

            Presidential campaigning - Gov. Cellucci returns to discuss Rudy Giuliani's tax proposals.

SchlubCam: coming soon!

Posted by Skip at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"Anybody here wants to get mellow you can turn around and get the [bleep] outta here!"

FREEDOM!!

Posted by Doug at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

• We'll talk about NH's infamous gay Episcopal Bishop, Gene Robinson, who has announced his intentions to enter into a civil union with his "partner." As Skip reported in his post below, the Bishop has declared his intentions to do this prior to the biggest confab that church holds, the Lambeth Conference-- held once every ten years. Says the Bish: "I am certainly not doing that to rub salt into anyone's wounds, but no one should expect me to penalize me and my partner when these rights are being offered," Of course not. Why would this "man of the cloth" turn from his selfish ways now?

• Along with the Bishop Robinson discussion, Judy Paris will jump in the fray and we'll discuss her post that has once again riled up the chimps out in the blogosphere: Is NH civil union legislation based on lies?

• Jeb Bradley has been hot on the trail to regain the US House seat lost to Carol Shea Porter practically since the last ballot was counted. We've always like Jeb, and thought he got a bum rap when he got tossed back in the November mid-term elections. We'll discuss where the campaign's at and what his upcoming plans are for the primary.

• Who are NH's power players? GraniteGrok is assembling the list. We'll discuss who we think are today's power brokers here in the Granite State. Times are changing, and those who shake and move things are as well.

• Is a broadbased tax coming to NH? Can it even be avoided? Even if it could, is there the political muscle to stop it? Are the Republicans left with nothing left to fight over except "which tax?"

• Former Mass Gov. A. Paul Celluci is travelling to NH this weekend with America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani and Steve Forbes to talk taxes and the economy. He'll give us the highlights immediately following the event. He has been an excellent guest on previous MTNP appearances. Giuliani is the apparent frontrunner at the moment in the '08 WhiteHouse race. We're excited to have someone from the top of the campaign, as always, to give our listeners the inside scoop.

• Outgoing NH HHS head John Stephen has announced he intends to take another stab at the House seat currently held by Democrat Carol Shea Porter. In order to do that, he must engage the aforementioned Jeb Bradley in a primary. Stephen is certainly a formidable force within NH Republican circles, much like Jeb. This will be an interesting campaign to watch. We are rather lucky here in the District, to have such quality Republicans seeking election. Watch out Shea-Porter! John Stephen will join us to discuss the campaign, Shea Porter's record, and why he thinks that HE is the best man to unseat NH's Pelosi clone...

• Etc.-- your phone calls at 603 527 1490

What a show! It all starts at 11AM EST today. Tune in if you're in Central NH at NewsTalk 1490AM WEMJ or live on the 'Net here...

Posted by Doug at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We use SiteMeter to track visits to the 'Grok (darn, I gotta figure out why it isn't showing at the bottom of the page...sigh....add it to-do list).  One of the aggregator sites, NH News Links, linked to us so I went on over to see what story they had linked to (Doug's post about upcoming stuff).  On working down the page, I saw a number of posts about Bishop Gene Robinson and his decision to enter in a civil union here in NH (here, here, and here).

You gotta love the Internet and blogs - go looking for one thing and find something interesting everywhere you go when you least expect it.

Anyways, the 'Grok has done a bunch of posts on the decline of the "mainline" Protestant churches, including the Episcopalian church, as they seem to be turning, in my opinion, from a spiritual gospel to a more socially / culturally oriented theology (here, here, here, here, and here among others).

It seems that Bishop Gene Robinson has decided to insert himself into the news.  He announced to BBC while in London that he was going to consummate a civil union with his partner.

(London) The only openly gay bishop in the worldwide Anglican Church has unveiled plans for a civil union with his longtime partner, unleashing an attack by church conservatives who call it a publicity stunt.

[snip] 

The timing would bring it just weeks before bishops from around the world are to meet in London for their once-a-decade meeting called the Lambeth Conference.

[snip]

"I am certainly not doing that to rub salt into anyone's wounds, but no one should expect me to penalize me and my partner when these rights are being offered,"

Call me skeptical, but to announce this before one of the most important meetings of the Anglican Church when he single handed has thrown his church into such turmoil?  This could have been done afterwards, or even after the first of the year.  Does he really think that this helps his cause? 

[snip]

Robinson first raised the possibility of entering into a civil union when he testified in April before a New Hampshire committee hearing leading up to the vote that passed the law.

He has made it no secret that this is one of his signature issues.  Not necessarily in word but certainly in deed.  No, his emphasis has not been on healing, not on winning souls, not on stemming the decline in his church membership.  It is my opinion that he has used his position for his own purpose.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the titular leader of the worldwide denomination has been trying to keep the Church from splintering over Robinson's election in 2004.

While Robinson will be allowed to attend the Lambeth Conference, Williams will not allow him to participate or vote.

A similar restriction has been placed on bishops consecrated in the US by Akinola.

On one level, Williams has done the right thing - putting both antagonists "into the penalty box".  However, this does not solve the problem - in watching words in the media, it is clear that Robinson is not going to stop his crusade.  And given the sin that Bishop Akinola sees being paraded by a church leader, neither will he stop in his admonishments.

At a more important level, Williams may be guilty of the more serious "sin" - a lack of leadership.   There is a wrong in process in his church, a serious sin.  And he delays making the decision in dealing with it. 

Despite claims by the dissident faction that they are not seeking a schism of the worldwide Church when leaders gather next year for their once-a-decade meeting bishops representing almost half of the denomination's 77-million members will be absent. (story)

Last month the steering committee for the Global South Primates, made up of churches mainly in the developing world and the most conservative in the worldwide Anglican Communion, said last month its bishops will boycott the meeting because the Episcopal Church, is allowed to participate. 

On Thursday Akinola issued a statement saying the "the moment of decision is almost upon us" about whether Anglican conservatives and liberals can stay together.

It matters not whether a formal schism has occurred - one already has.  No amount of PR  of spinning can cover this up. 

"We earnestly desire the healing of our beloved communion but not at the cost of rewriting the Bible to accommodate the latest cultural trend," Akinola said. "We cannot turn away from the source of life and love for a temporary truce."

And this drives Liberals and gay activists bonkers - the refusal to migrate to a social gospel from an absolute morality of the Bible. 

While the above story from 365gay was pretty much fairly straight (intended!), this one from Church Times shows its conservative slant.

Tangent:  The Church Time says this about itself:

The Church Times was started to campaign for Anglo-Catholic principles, which it did with vigour and rudeness.

Anyways, right out of the shoot, the Bishop plays....get ready.....wait for it...

THE Anglican Communion’s only openly gay bishop, the Rt Revd Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire, will use a BBC broadcast next week to undermine the Communion’s carefully crafted compromise that distinguishes between homosexual orientation and practice. The Bishop says that the distinction is dishonest.

He will also accuse his African critics of being like old-style US racists in their attack on lesbians and gays.

...THE RACE CARD!!  Nice, very nice.  Then he goes on to sack the Roman Catholic Church:

“Second of all, very few people are called to celibacy, certainly not a whole category of people.”

“I love the Anglican Church, and I value the Communion, and I will do everything short of standing down to benefit the Communion, but I will not reject God’s call to me.”

When asked if he should have stepped aside for the sake of the unity of the Communion, as did the then Canon Jeffrey John after he had accepted the call to be Bishop of Reading, Bishop Robinson says that God had constantly called him to offer himself as bishop, and had never once gone back on that call. He had resisted because he knew it would be controversial, but God had nagged at him to act.

There's more in all three articles - I urge you to read them for yourself.

For me, there is one sad fact that stands out: Gene Robinson has used his position (and now celebrity) to advocate for himself - his values and his needs.  He has put himself ahead of the church that he is supposed to lead.  He has fractured his church, not only here in NH, not only in the US, but around the world.  I believe in my heart that he has not put God first, his Church first, but himself first.  He has seemingly has no compunction in wielding the heavy sword of strong language against those that dare use the best rule for judging Christian behavior - the Bible.

In keeping his needs foremost, millions are suffering.  His own fellow Bishop John (above) stepped aside rather than to cause division (which was the right thing to do).

I certainly disagree with him theologically.  There was a time in my life when I was a Deacon in my local church (no, I am not an Episcopalian).  When it became apparent that my family needed me more, that I was causing a problem with my fellow Deacons in not being able to concentrate on my responsibilities with them, and according to Scripture (1 Timothy 3:12, Titus 1:6; Titus 3:10), I resigned, as in that setting, controversy was not the right avenue to pursue.

He should have declined.  The Episcopal Church should not have declined - to act promptly.

Actions and decisions have consequences.  So does inaction. 

Posted by Skip at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

OK, so which is it?  If I am skeptical, I'm lower than whale poop.  If I am an acoloyte, is it rational to be one?  From NRO, this observation:

Re: Mmmmm Saltier Oceans   [Iain Murray]

Point and counterpoint:

Since the late 1960s, much of the North Atlantic Ocean has become less salty, in part due to increases in fresh water runoff induced by global warming, scientists say.

—Michael Schirber, LiveScience, 29 June 2005

The surface waters of the North Atlantic are getting saltier, suggests a new study of records spanning over 50 years. They found that during this time, the layer of water that makes up the top 400 metres has gradually become saltier. The seawater is probably becoming saltier due to global warming, Boyer says.

—Catherine Brahic, New Scientist, 23 August 2007

Whatever the anomaly, the cause is global warming.

Can you have it both ways?  Doubtful - not in the same place in such a small amount of time.... 

While I do admit that the global temp has risen a degree C over the last 100 years, it is not clear that we know enough in sufficient detail to say with much rigor that humans are responsible.  The sims are incomplete as almost every week there seems to be something that raises the eyebrows (one way or the other).

Science is based on skepticism and not consensus until all empirical data and observations are accounted for and can be explained.  I am of the opinion that we just don't know enough to say one way or the other. 

Posted by Skip at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Doug at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

The deployed New Hampshire Armed Forces Family Support Groups, NH National Guard, US Armed Forces Reserves, The American Legion, State House Employees Activities and Recreation Committee are sponsoring "New Hampshire Supports Our Troops Rally" at the State House Plaza in Concord NH on 24 August 2007 at Noon. The rally is to show our support for the deployed members of our armed forces and their families.

.

Governor John Lynch will be speaking along with Capt. Trip Bellard of the radio show "Troop Talk".  Additionally  national recording Country Artist Jackie Cox will perform.  There will be displays of military vehicles, military color guards,  military displays and much, much more.  Come join us in a show of support for the men and women of our armed forces – support them as they protect us!

Posted by Doug at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

No, this is not JUST an ad for our good friend Pat Hynes from AnkleBitingPundits (and co-host of Meet The New Press).  But it works (read it, fact filled, and points out the importance of a rather large group that the Left both ridicules and is trying to court at the same time - a Skip recommendation!)

Rather, it is to point out that this group, like it or not, is going to play a major role in the upcoming election.  And over at CSNSNews, they are reporting that part of the Religious Right, the Evangelicals (and yes, as a born again Christian, I count myself within that group), as a group  do view things differently from the American population at large. 

This has major ramifications for the upcoming elections. 

Evangelical Christians' priorities for change in government and society deviate from average Americans' priorities more than any other subgroup, according to a study released this week by the Barna Group, a Christian research firm.

The study asked respondents to rank the importance of 11 different issues, including overall care and resources devoted to children, the quality of public school education, national security, poverty, the state of marriage and families, the spiritual state of the country and the environment.

Interest piqued, I decided  to look at the report at the report author, The Barna Group (which I highly suggest going over and reading it - it isn't all that long).  What it shows is that to attract Evangelicals (and like minded people), politicians and leaders are going to have to do a better job of figuring out what this group actually believes in, in order to attract their support.

And those issues are not ones we now see playing in the popular political culture.

The survey Question:

Think about how you would like the United States to change within the next 10 years. If you had the ability to make the decisions, tell me how important each of the changes I describe would be to you: absolutely necessary, somewhat important, not too important, or a waste of resources. 

The Results: after the jump 

[snip]

How Evangelicals View the Future

Evangelicals prioritized the eleven issues studied somewhat differently than did other people. The three highest priorities among evangelicals were enhancing the health of Christian churches, upgrading the state of marriage and families, and improving the spiritual condition of the U.S. In each case, evangelicals were more than 30 percentage points more likely than other adults to identify each of those issues as an absolutely necessary focus for the immediate future. They were also 29 points above the national norm in listing improvements in the moral content of mass entertainment as a priority.

In a different way, evangelicals stood out regarding their views on the environment. Only 35% said that protecting the environment should be a top priority - the lowest score recorded among any of the 80 subgroups studied. The national average was 60%. Oddly, evangelicals were also 20 percentage points below the national norm in saying that improving the overall care and resources devoted to children is an absolute necessity. Again, that placed evangelicals at the lowest end of the continuum in terms of support for that idea. Evangelicals were also 12 percentage points below the national average regarding the necessity of improving the quality of public school education and enhancing the lives of the poor and disadvantaged. That outcome also positioned evangelicals as the group least likely to portray those two issues as top priorities for the nation.

Overall, evangelical Christians stood out as the segment that holds views that are most dissimilar from the typical perspectives of Americans. They were at least 10 percentage points different from the national average in relation to eight of the eleven issues tested. In comparison, that same level of differentiation was discovered among atheists and agnostics regarding seven of the eleven issues; and conservatives, liberals, and upscale adults all veered substantially from the norm on six of the 11 issues.

Currently, evangelicals represent 8% of the national adult population. That projects to approximately 20 million adults.

People Want a Different Future

"The challenge for today’s leaders is to find the intersection of doing what is right and best with doing that which is popular and achievable," Barna continued [George Barna, noted the California-based author of forty books on faith, leadership and social conditions].

"The lack of a common vision for the future is making the identification of such common ground increasingly difficult, if not impossible. The presidential candidates seem to delve rather quickly into promoting programs rather than establishing a consensus around the ideal of what America represents and where it needs to go in the years to come. Gaining widespread ownership of such a broad-based vision of the character and goals of the United States must be the starting point for rebuilding unity and strength within the nation. Providing a compelling and comprehensive notion of who we are as a people and what we stand for as a nation would be the most valuable contribution our leaders could offer."

Posted by Skip at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Filed under Taxes, but could have been a whole bunch of things....

The Minneapolis bridge disaster (and no matter what you think politically, my heart and prayers go out to the families affected by the bridge collapse) has brought the lack of infrastructure attention to the fore. With that comes the instant clamoring that we aren't spending enough on this most serious of issues so the only solution is to quickly raise taxes - everywhere.

Fortunately for the more reasoned, PowerLine and Captain's Quarters covered this disaster in detail, as it was local to them.  One of the most glaring items arguing AGAINST immediately raising taxes was the publication of the ahundreds of millions of dollars being handed over to a private business for a new baseball stadium for the Minnesota Twins.

Yet, they delayed maintenance on the bridge.

Well, it's not the only place that funds for infrastructure have been diverted.  We here in NH are starting to realize that the State Leaders have had contrary ideas about financial priorities and infrastructure priorities such that our State's 10 year plan really needs decades to actually be completed.  So, what do you think that the consensus answer is?  Yeah, I knew you knew.

Yet, as in MN, the story is the same. 

Our friend DCE (and frequent guest at Meet The New Press) over at Weekend Pundit has the sorry story here in NH:

New Hampshire Legislature Stealing State Highway Funds

New Hampshire has a problem.

It's not unlike problems other states are facing, so it's nothing unusual.

The problem? Funding highway maintenance and building projects.

I can't speak for other states, but New Hampshire has a means of funding much of this that, on paper, looks like it would do a pretty good job of making sure that all of the financial needs of the state Department of Transportation, and specifically their needs for highway funds, are met.

Most of those funds are supposed to come from the state gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees. Some comes from the federal government as New Hampshire's piece of the federal highway fund pie. The clincher that's supposed to make all of this work is that the New Hampshire state constitution bans the use of these funds for anything other than highway construction, maintenance, or “for the supervision of traffic thereon.”

The money line:

To quote our governor, “The state should not use the highway fund as an ATM to cover other expenses.

Does this Democrat have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and say "NO"!

Hardly. 

He's made his mark by scooting around almost every contentious issue EXCEPT for the repeal of the parental notification law (so parents here in NH may not ever have a clue that their minor daughter has had an abortion).  I've heard the use of the word "Teflon" in connection with Gov. Lynch. Spineless and issue-avoidance are others too. 

I really doubt that taxpayers will see "taxpayer friendly" actions from him in this matter.

Sigh... 

Posted by Skip at 8:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Doug at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

• Jeb Bradley has been hot on the trail to regain the US House seat lost to Carol Shea Porter practically since the last ballot was counted. We've always like Jeb, and thought he got a bum rap when he got tossed back in the November mid-term elections. We'll discuss where the campaign's at and what his upcoming plans are for the primary.
• Former Mass Gov. A. Paul Celluci is travelling to NH this weekend with America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani and Steve Forbes to talk taxes and the economy. He'll give us the highlights immediately following the event. He has been an excellent guest on previous MTNP appearances. Giuliani is the apparent frontrunner at the moment in the '08 WhiteHouse race. We're excited to have someone from the top of the campaign, as always, to give our listeners the inside scoop.
• Outgoing NH HHS head John Stephen has made it clear he intends to take another stab at the House seat currently held by Democrat Carol Shea Porter. In order to do that, he must engage the aforementioned Jeb Bradley in a primary. Stephen is certainly a formidable force within NH Republican circles, much like Jeb. This will be an interesting campaign to watch. We are rather lucky here in the District, to have such quality Republicans seeking election. Watch out Shea-Porter! John Stephen will join us to discuss the campaign, Shea Porter's record, and why he thinks that HE is the best man to unseat NH's Pelosi clone...

Posted by Doug at 7:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(AP) Chinese manufacturers and American toy giant Mattel Inc. are both responsible for recent recalls of millions of lead-tainted toys worldwide, a Chinese official said in an interview published Wednesday.

Li Zhuoming, executive vice chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Toy Industry Association, said blame "cannot be pushed to either side" in the recent recalls, which included popular Sesame Street, Barbie and Polly Pocket products made in the province.

"The producers are responsible because they do not have tight controls over purchasing and production," Li was quoted as saying in the state-run Guangzhou Daily newspaper. "But the buyer Mattel cannot evade responsibility."

Li, whose group represents toy makers in Guangdong, an export manufacturing base for a large percentage of Chinese products, said Mattel neglected to "do its job well in quality inspections." He did not give any details or say how the producers did not follow standards.

Sure!  We made crap stuff and they (meaning Mattell) didn't stop us!  While we do not know what the QA specifications are, I'd be betting that adherance to American standards for products sold here would be part of the process.  But I'd also say that his statement certainly says that the Chinese are dead wrong when it came to manufacting the stuff.  Otherwise, why try to blame shift?

[snip]

Li also hit out at foreign companies exploiting China's cheap production costs and warned that they risk getting shoddy products if they demand too low a price from Chinese manufacturers.

"If you give a high price for purchasing, the factories will use high quality raw materials to produce. But if the price is low, they can only use inferior raw materials," Li said.

Chutzpah for sure!  Most times, stuff is bought under contract.  In most American contracts, there are strict levels of quality that have to be followed.  Otherwise, shipped product from suppliers will be sent back from the dock / inspection area. 

No one gets exploited willingly in a market like this.  While buyers certainly have price points, the manufacturer has to know if they can produce product at that price product with a sufficient level of profit.  Or not.

This is nothing more than using the Victimology methodology that has arisen in the US.  By casting themselves as victims of the big, bad American corporations, they wish to hide using the banner of Political Corrections (fitting, as PC really is not much more than Cultural Marxism warmed over).

China's goods have come under intense scrutiny in recent months after toxic chemicals were found in exports ranging from toothpaste to seafood and pet food ingredients.

On Tuesday, China's ambassador to the United States defended the quality of Chinese products and blamed the press for "churning up agitating stories."

Actions and decisions have consequences.  Making decisions to skip necessary QA and manufacturing processes tailord for your customer (or avoiding them altogether) is going to have severe financial consequences....

"By and large, the quality of Chinese products and the safety of the food made in China are reliable," Zhou Wenzhong said in a speech to the World Affairs Council of Oregon.

Posted by Skip at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's all about the Benjamins - in this case, lots of them (147,000,000 of them)! From Yahoo News:

BOSTON (Reuters) - Harvard University, already America's richest university, said on Tuesday its endowment grew to a new high of $34.9 billion, boosted by bets on emerging markets, real estate and private equity.

Returns for fiscal 2007, which ended June 30, grew 23 percent, significantly above the 16.7 percent gain posted for 2006 and the 19.2 percent gain reported for 2005.

Harvard, whose investments are closely watched in the asset management industry, also extended its run of beating its internal benchmark and besting the average university's investment returns.

[snip]

The median large institutional fund returned 17.7 percent in the last fiscal year, according to the Trust Universe Comparison Service.

Starting out with $29.2 billion doesn't hurt either.  Now, to be perfectly fair about this, a rise of 14.7 billion dollars is almost on par with the amount of profits turned in by "Big Bad Oil", right?

Then how come we're not hearing about the establishment of an "education windfalls tax" similar that of Exxon, BP, Shell, et al?

Or the fact that much of this tremendous rise in wealth comes from - you got it - profits from corporate entities?

That because of its educational status, pays no tax on it?  Yet the Dems want to increase the taxes of individuals that do well in this area as well?  And raise corporate taxes?

Which does two things:

• Makes things more expensive for us lowly common folk (cost of business goes up)
  
• Makes it much harder for Harvard to be able to do this again (by reducing profits via taxation).

What's fair for one should be fair for all.  Do you think that my unstated idea of making this fair is the same that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank have? 

Naw, didn't think so 

Posted by Skip at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Attention New Hampshire GraniteGrok readers... We need your help!

QUESTION: Who are the NEW power players here in New Hampshire? Who are the most influential in today's Granite State?

Posted by Doug at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Is NH Civil Union Legislation Based on Lies?

That’s right New Hampshire; our Governor signed the Civil Union bill, click here, based on a pack of lies that it’s “discrimination” against homosexuals if it’s not adopted into law. It was also propounded to be a “civil rights issue” as well by the Democratic Party. Is this true? Read on to see if you agree or disagree based on the latest scientific research.

As I’ve said before, (click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here for other relevant posts from me and other Groksters) there is no scientific consensus that homosexuals are “born that way.” Homosexuality is not the equivalent of being born black which is unchangeable…well, unless perhaps you’re Michael Jackson, ha! Again, Are Civil Unions really a “civil rights” issue? Can homosexuals choose not to practice homosexuality?

Quoting Douglas A. Abbott Ph.D., in his July 2007, Myths and Misconceptions About Behavioral Genetics and Homosexuality, click http://www.narth.com/, and you’ll easily find his article under Top Stories, currently sixth from the top, he concludes:

“I believe that the genetic evidence for homosexuality is just not there. It’s the values and politics of homosexuals and their supporters that is driving the gay gene agenda, not good science.”

Then from the “Born that Way” theory, A. Dean Byrd, Ph.D., MBA, MPH, one of the world’s leading scientists who works at the cutting edge of DNA and Head of the Human Genome Project, he states:

Dr. Abbott goes on to say:

“There is clear evidence that many men and women are at the helm controlling their sexual behavior and making choices regarding sexual preference.

I believe that the hypothetical evidence for genetic determinism of homosexuality is overstated and overrated. Most people do not have the knowledge to understand the research and are simply hoodwinked by the pro-gay activists. It is obvious to me, and to many others, that environmental factors play the major role in same-sex behavior, if this were not so how does one explain the thousands of men and women who have left homosexuality.

Consider the recent example of Michael Glatze, founder of Young Gay American Magazine, film producer, pro-gay lecturer and author, and well-recognized leader in the gay movement. At age 14 he believed himself to be “gay,” but at age 30 he “seriously began to doubt” what he was doing (Moore, 2007, available online at www.worldnetdaily.com and also on the narth site under Top Stories). He explains:

“Knowing no one who I could approach with my questions and my doubts, I turned to God…It became clear to me that homosexuality prevents us from finding our true selves…I was leading a movement of sin and corruption…Now I know that homosexuality is lust and pornography wrapped into one. I’ll never let anybody try to convince me otherwise…Healing from the wounds caused by homosexuality is not easy—there’s little support. In my experience, coming out from under the influence of the homosexual mindset was the most liberating, beautiful and astonishing things I’ve ever experienced…I believe that all people, intrinsically know the truth. I believe that is why Christianity scares people so much. It reminds them of their conscience, which we all possess. Conscience tell us right from wrong and is a guide by which we can grow and become stronger and freer human beings” (in Moore, 2007, p. 3-5).

(Godincidentally, I have only listened to the G. Gordon Liddy radio program once. Mr. Glatze happened to be the guest that day, several months ago, and spoke very openly and honestly about himself and the “truth” he had found once he not only sought the truth, but was willing to accept “truth.” I called in to thank him for his courage in speaking the truth as I’m sure it was very difficult for him. Mr. Liddy and I continued to have a very nice discussion about homosexuality and the many myths that surround the issue.

Thank goodness, some churches are now providing “transition” ministries for homosexuals. Our ministry, from 1988-1998, did guide many homosexuals into finding their “true self” and finding their own peace within. It is a remarkable, miraculous experience to witness the freedom that comes when someone faces their particular truth about themselves and their upbringing and its influences, etc....only possible with God’s unconditional love and guidance. As Mr. Glatze mentioned, much of it has to do with a “mindset” and some homosexuals are not willing to let go of the “mindset”…it does not make them “bad” people…many heterosexuals aren’t terribly willing to let go of certain “mindsets” either.

Unfortunately, many (not all) homosexuals were abused as children. Lesbians many times were victims of male sexual abuse as children.  Is it any wonder they turn to other woman to express their sexuality? Many men had weak male role-models, or no male role model, or perhaps alcoholic mothers who did not meet their needs.)

Also read the portion of Dr. Abbott’s findings where he states:

“A heritability quotient cannot be used to predict who may become gay or lesbian.

Another limitation of these studies is the authorship. Most of this research (meaning that which supports the “born that way” theory) has been done by gays that have a vested interest in the outcome.”

Is it Nature and Nurture Together? Dr. Abbott says:

“At the present time, there is no evidence of a direct causative link between a single gene and complex psycho-social behavior such as sexual preference (Collins, 2006). This is not my mere idiosyncratic opinion but read any book on behavior genetics or molecular biology and the authors will unanimously agree that, at present, there is no gay gene.”

Quoting from Dr. Francis S. Collins (MD and PhD) in the same article:

“There is an inescapable component of heritability to many human behavioral traits. For virtually none of them is heredity ever close to predictive…An area of particularly strong public interest is influenced but not hardwired by DNA, and that whatever genes are involved represent predispositions, not predeterminations.”

At the same NARTH website, I encourage you to read The Case Against Same Sex Marriage by Margaret Somerville (you’ll find it on the top left under “Top Archives”).

Pay particular attention to “Attributing Homophobia” (and also the Section on Discrimination) in which Ms. Somerville comments:

“Being against same sex marriage is frequently alleged by proponents of same-sex marriage to be proof of homophobia. The strategy adopted is to shame those who are against same-sex marriage into silence.”

Also, read “Tradition-based convictions are not “homophobia,” say recent peer-reviewed research, click http://www.narth.com/docs/bias.html

Ms. Somerville also makes this statement:

“There are certainly elements within religious conservatism that have treated the difficult circumstances faced by lesbians and gay men without proper compassion and in doing so brought disgrace to their faith. However, it is not at all clear that these excesses should best be remedied by engraving in conceptual stone an ideological position that deprecates by definition traditional religious beliefs about sexual morality and the natural order. Such issues deserve to be discussed openly and on their own terms within the field of psychology, thereby promoting rather than inhibiting the expression of diverse perspectives. In the search for workable solutions to the clinical and social dilemmas over homosexuality that respect the beliefs of both religious conservatives and gay men and lesbians, the discipline of psychology will need to exercise heightened circumspection and restraint in the use of the language of homophobia as presently defined.”

I have previously argued that just because I am against civil unions, it does not necessarily make me, or anyone else who’s against CUs, a “homophobe.” I’ve taken a lot of heat and been called many derogatory names including a racist since I do not believe civil unions to be a civil rights issue either. It doesn’t bother me to be called a bigoted homophobe, intolerant, or racist because they’re simply not true. I do have a spiritual conviction about homosexuality, and I don’t make any apologies for it. So, save your breath because name calling won’t “get to me.” I prefer open, honest, respectful discussion about the subject matter no matter how uncomfortable it makes many people.

However, what does bother me is being hoodwinked and deceived by politicians. I strongly believe that this is exactly what has happened here in NH, particularly with the civil union issue, since the democrats started “controlling” our State. Not one democrat campaigned on the CU issue, but they quickly ran with it to make it into law and under a veil of secrecy and hastily called public sessions. Even at the hastily called public sessions, 2/3 of the public who were allowed to testify before being shut off were against civil unions; but our State government elected to ignore the public. What was the agenda?

Well, according to State Democratic Party Chairman, Ray Buckley, here’s a previous post where he tells all citizens of NH what the NUMBER ONE priority at the time was in NH.

Ask yourself: Was this the NUMBER ONE priority for you for NH? Perhaps you were more concerned about school funding and rising property taxes, etc.

Now, you may also be interested in Buckley's recent comments directed at me and published in the Union Leader recently, Polarizing Pelosi: The speaker and her NH twins:

“Judy, Wow. Your gay obsession is coming through loud and clear. The editorial was regarding how angry the far right is with Representatives Shea-Porter and Hodes with their votes representing the mainstream values of NH’s families and you went off on some wild irrelevant tangent. Perhaps you are unaware but your views on homosexuality are in the distinct minority. Few people still hold on to such absurd positions as yours. I have yet to see a single poll in NH where your position has any substantive support. You need to stop obsessing about other people’s families because you can’t do anything about it anyway. But, hey, why let facts confuse your right wing talking points right? The voters of NH tossed out the Republicans in 2006 because you and your buddies were too wrong for too long that you lost touch with NH’s families. The people of NH are fed up with the “so wrong for so long gang.” I suspect you are going to have a tough fifteen months ahead of you.”

Hmmm…”you can’t do anything about it anyway!” Oh boy, I’m calling you out, Mr. Buckley. Your idea of “values” and that Shea-Pompous and Hodes represent “mainstream values of NH’s families” is simply not the case. You may think “values” are the same thing as “morals” but I completely disagree with you…not to mention your tactics to attempt to silence me with threats, if you knew me, you’d know they won’t work. You don’t even know that I’m not a Republican but an Independent. You are right, however, that I do have some Republican “buddies.”

You, and others in the Democratic Party, have attempted to forever change New Hampshire for the worse, in my opinion, and rob citizens of their constitutional right to government by and for the people. As another commenter published in the same UL article, you are a “marginalized politician!” You have attempted to deceive NH, and personally, I’m sick and tired of your very personal gay agenda dictating what’s best for NH, without asking NH, and I’m also tired of you telling me what the mainstream values of NH’s family’s means. Your “values” are not my “morals” nor are your family values my family morals.

While I could be wrong, I do not think the majority of NH citizens agree with many of your distortions of the truth, and outright lies, especially since they greatly benefit you personally.

In a sincere desire to hear your side of the story and where you get your “proof” on your position, I invite you to debate this issue with me on Meet The New Press (you may recall you've been invited before, but for some reason you didn't respond to the invitation) on an upcoming Saturday broadcast. I’m sure we can work out a mutually convenient date.

I also invite any citizen in NH who cares about our State and its future, to comment here and let me know your thoughts. Are you also tired of being hoodwinked by those who are supposed to be representing the majority of NH citizens, yet don’t ask us for our opinion, and instead represent their own self-serving political and other interests?

Out of the 50 states, NH is the only state who has the Right of Rebellion under our State Constitution Bill of Rights, Article 10 which follows:

“Examples of Constitutions including the right of rebellion

Although many declarations of independence seek legitimacy by appealing to the right of revolution, far fewer constitutions mention this right or guarantee this right to citizens because of the destabilizing effect such a guarantee would likely produce. In the United States, for example, out of fifty state constitutions and one national constitution, only New Hampshire's guarantees its citizens the right to rebellion, in Article 10 of the constitution's bill of rights:”

Posted by Judy at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

..

Rep. Bob Filner is facing an assault and battery charge after an incident at Dulles Airport where he allegedly pushed an United Airlines bag claim employee...

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[snip]

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Filner, a Democrat from California, allegedly attempted to enter an employees-only area on Sunday night.

said they heard Filner yell "You can't stop me," before pushing aside the employee and refusing to leave the office.

Filner, an eight-term incumbent who chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee, has displayed flashes of temper in the past.

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About a year ago, he hurled obscenities at two Veterans Affairs officials after a briefing about the burglary of a laptop with military personnel information. The VA officials termed the briefing a "publicity stunt," which angered Filner.

the Rhode Island Democrat was rushing to catch a plane and Patton tried to stop him from putting an oversized bag through an X-ray machine. A security videotape of the argument showed the congressman shove Patton backward, jostling a metal detector archway. In the lawsuit, Mallory said Kennedy used "great force" and "intentionally lifted his hands and lunged at plaintiff and attempted to force his way past."

Posted by Doug at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

John Hawkins: Now in 1977, during the Carter administration, you seem to have implied in the book that Bill Sullivan, a FBI source of yours, was murdered. In fact, you said that he told you if he was killed in an "accidental shooting," not to believe it. (Later), he was mistaken for a deer and shot to death. You think he was murdered and if so, by whom?

Robert Novak: ....That was in his retirement. He was fired by Hoover and he had an awful lot of enemies both on the Left and Right. He was the number three man in the FBI and a great source of mine.

I don't know, I just tell the story as it is. He told me the last time I saw him -- he had lunch at my house -- he had been fired by Hoover and he was going into retirement -- he said that, "Someday you will read that I have been killed in an accident, but don't believe it, I've been murdered," which was a shocking thing to say.

...Some years later, I read in the paper that he was out at dawn hunting in New Hampshire and a young man, a fellow hunter, with a long range rifle, killed him. He shot him in the neck, mistook him for a deer. The story was that the police investigated, said it was an accident, and Mr. Sullivan's family, and the man who was ghostwriting his memoirs, accepted that.

I just tell you the story straight out. There's a lot of strange things in the world that we never know the answer to.

Interesting. Novak is  an original. Kudos to John for scoring the interview. Read the whole thing here. Sounds like the book id definitely worth a read.

Posted by Doug at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For all of his wild-man antics, the politically conservative Nugent is talking about following in the footsteps of celebrities such as actor Arnold Schwarzenegger or wrestler Jesse Ventura, who won gubernatorial races.

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"That would be beautiful," Nugent said when asked if he would run for governor of Michigan in 2010. "I have threatened to do so and I was sincere."

You didn't come here to be mellow tonight, now did you?

.

Anybody wants to get mellow, you can turn right around and get the [BLEEP] outta here!

Posted by Doug at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

"Slowly I Turned" is the most common name associated with a popular vaudeville sketch that has also been performed in cinema and on television...

has two performers pretending to meet for the first time, with one of them becoming highly agitated over the utterance of particular words. Names and cities (such as Niagara Falls) have been used as the trigger, which then send the unbalanced person into a state of mania; the implication is that the words have an unpleasant association in the character's past. While the other performer merely acts bewildered, the crazed actor relives the incident, uttering the words, "Slowly I turned...step by step...inch by inch...," as he approaches the stunned onlooker.

agreed last week to drop their claims against the state without prejudice...

lawmakers properly defined an adequate public school education before a court-imposed deadline of June 30.

There is a growing hole in the New Hampshire state budget. Alone it would require tax increases that would cause undue economic damage. Coupled with a planned but undefined increase in education spending, the amount will be too large to close with small changes to our current tax structure.

clients [plaintiffs against state] would be right back in court if the state falters in its promise to cost out, pay for and hold schools accountable.

...lawmakers have to do something to lift the onerous burden of property taxes.

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[snip]

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She opposed a sales tax because the poor spend all their income to survive and would take the hardest hit.

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"What does that leave?" she asked. "A state income tax. That water needs to be tested. I've never figured out how the wealthy convinced the poor they should never change the system of taxation."

She agreed with Reever that a sales tax is regressive.

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"Poor people can't tell the store clerk they shouldn't be charged the tax."

"ADEQUATE EDUCATION FUNDING???!!!!" YOU SAY?   ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!! SLOWLY I TURN...STEP BY STEP... 'TIL I GET EVERY LAST NICKLE IN YOUR WALLET!!!!!

Posted by Doug at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATE:  Big Oops.  Big Mea Culpa and apology in order. 

It turns out that the article below that was emailed to me was taken from another person's blog (with whom I have conversed with over some other posts and blogging / NH in general).  The blog's proprietor sent me an email asking why I had not linked it.  It took a couple of minutes, but then I put the connection together.  The actual Post is from a relatively new blog to me "a dog-eared town" run by Paul.  Varied posts on different topics - good place to land for something different. 

My apologies to Paul and I take full responsibility for this snafu for happening.

======================================================= 

Doug and I have been involved with some local politics in conjunction with the Moultonborough Citizens Alliance on open and transparency in local government (both in Moultonborough, NH and our home town of Gilford, NH).  Stories are over at our local blog, GilfordGrok.

I guess it won't stop as I received email from my friend Tom over in Epping - it sounds like their Town Fathers are playing favorites and dabbling in censorship (if you list one political site, you'd better allow them all - and they are NOT!).  His group's site is here.

So, a bit of a flashlight help from his friends at the 'Grok!  And remember:  if it happens (in various guises) here in little 'ole NH, it can happen in your town too!

See the writeup from the Manchester Leader after the jump...

SMALL TOWN NEW HAMPSHIRE POLITICS by Paul

It’s these sorts of games that selectmen play, that drives people nuts about small town NH politics.

A proposal by Epping Residents for Principled Government to have the town put a link to its Web site off the town’s official Web site got a cool reception last night.

So one town group wants to get on the towns website, which is horribly designed btw, because there’s another group already on the site. Ok. Regardless of the content of either website we have the following demands placed on the new group by a selectman.

Chairman Jeffrey Harris said before anything is approved, he would like to see a mission and a purpose statement for the group as well as a list of all of the members and how others can join the organization. A financial statement for the group would also be necessary, he said.

So I went to the “Speak up Epping” group listed on the towns website. Nothing on their website about a mission or purpose statement. Nothing about a financial statement. But they do list telephone numbers and ask people to join, which is nice.The website is quite bare, just a listing about something that happened in April and list of telephone numbers for people in this group.

There is a blip about the group and it is some how related to UNH, though it doesn’t say how. The who is records list a California company. I see the dns servers are yahoo so I’m guessing the domain was purchased via yahoo, though it doesn’t say and there is no real contact info. So there’s not much information about the group that is listed on the town’s website.

Now this other group has a bunch of hoops that the selectmen want them to jump thru. These sorts of things are the bane of small town NH politics. They make one un-favored group jump thru hoops and their favored group doesn’t. I’m sure it’s the same way in other states but it is not fair. It should not happen. If you allow one group on the towns website then you have to allow others. And there has to be uniform rules too. You just can’t make it up as you go along in order to make it tougher.

Whether or not either group deserves to be on the town’s website is irrelevant. The manner in which groups are allowed to be on the towns website is the issue. Uniform easy to understand rules is what should happen. Is that too much to ask?

Epping spars over Web sites

By JENNIFER DEPAUL
Union Leader Correspondent
Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007

EPPING – A proposal by Epping Residents for Principled Government to have the town put a link to its Web site off the town's official Web site got a cool reception last night.

The request was eventually tabled, but not before Selectman Jerry Langdon pointed to attacks on individuals in town and the political nature of EppingNoSpinZone.com.

An item on the Web site makes reference to Municipal Budget Committee Vice Chairman Brenda McCartney as "Brenda the spender" and directs readers to its publication, Epping Taxing Times, "where you'll get the other side of the story! The side Epping's power brokers don't want you to know."

A letter by the group was addressed to selectmen on July 30 seeking the approval for the link from the town's site, www.ci.epping.nh.us.

The group noted that the organization Speak Up Epping has a forum and a link posted on the town's taxpayer-funded Web site.

Langdon said the Speak Up Epping website was not political and carried a more positive message.

"I don't know why I would want that link associated with the town with some of the things I saw in there when it is being compared to 'Speak Up Epping,' " Langdon said of EppingNoSpinZone.com. "I guess if it was something trying to teach people about government it would be fine, but not if it was politically motivated."

The Speak up Epping Web site is connected with the downtown revitalization project.

Epping Residents for Principled Government wants to have its link posted on the town's Web site along with Speak up Epping to show a difference of opinion, said Selectman Diane Gilbert, who is also a member of Epping Residents for Principled Government,.

The organization wants to make sure the revitalization project is being led by the right people and that they aren't taking residents down the wrong road, Gilbert said. Currently the Planning Board is in charge of the project; Gilbert has been reviewing receipts and other paperwork in regard to how the project efforts are being funded.

"What does the link cost to put it up? Nothing," Gilbert said.

Chairman Jeffrey Harris said before anything is approved, he would like to see a mission and a purpose statement for the group as well as a list of all of the members and how others can join the organization. A financial statement for the group would also be necessary, he said.

Posted by Skip at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

One could, I suppose, regard this as one of those unforeseen incremental consequences that happens in the darkest shadows of society. But that doesn't extend to Newark's official status as an illegal-immigrant "sanctuary city." Like Los Angeles, New York and untold others, Newark has formally erased the distinction between U.S. citizens and the armies of the undocumented. This is the active collusion by multiple cities and states in the subversion of U.S. sovereignty. In Newark, N.J., it means an illegal-immigrant child rapist is free to murder on a Saturday night. In Somerville, Mass., it means two deaf girls are raped by MS-13 members. And in Falls Church, Va., it means Saudi Wahhabists figuring out that, if the "sanctuary nation" (in Michelle Malkin's phrases) offers such rich pickings to imported killers and imported gangs, why not to jihadists?

Posted by Doug at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At least Sentor McCain "got" the message.  In this post, I wrote:

Has he changed because of political expediency?  Watching him closely last night, I would say no.  For that to have been true, he would have had to change much earlier in the process so as to minimize the political damage to his Presidential campaign.  Tonight, I saw a man, a very powerful man, humbled by acknowledging that what he had been pitching was not what the people wanted.  He even fought against at that time!  But now, with the battle over that bill is over, he has reflected  over what the people wanted and has come to grips that he was wrong.  An "all in one" package may be what he wants, but is not what the American people want.

It may have been a bitter pill, but he swallowed it and his pride and is now acknowledging that the right thing to do is to secure the border.  Why?  While securing the border is of utmost importance to many (very much including myself), it is a way to try to EARN back the respect and confidence of the American people towards Congress (something that he admits is quite bruised at the moment).

I give him kudoes to doing this - given the political capital spent, to admit one is wrong takes a big man.  To turn it around and do and support what he didn't want to do at first takes a bigger one. 

Meanwhile, first time Senator Mel Martinez and head of the Republican National Committee has yet to learn this lesson. This article talks about what he said that in retrospect, shows him a tad behind the times:

ST. PETERSBURG - Sen. Mel Martinez, the head of the Republican National Committee, took a swipe Tuesday at the leading Republican presidential candidates for not offering solid solutions to America's immigration crisis.

The first-term Republican from Orlando, who absorbed enormous criticism mainly from within the GOP for pushing an immigration overhaul that included letting illegal immigrants become citizens, turned the tables on some who had been most critical.

"Presidential contests are about leadership. ... It's about leading on the tough issues," Martinez told the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. "It was easy to say, 'This wasn't good enough, this isn't right, I don't agree with Martinez.' ... But at the end of the day what is your answer? How would you solve this?"

In his remarks, Martinez did not directly refer to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, but he later suggested both candidates, who were critics of the controversial Senate immigration proposal, had mischaracterized the plan. He also urged audience members to pin down the Republican candidates on immigration when they come to St. Petersburg for the YouTube/CNN Republican presidential debate Nov. 28.

We saw the effort by Republicans and others that figuratively caused a meltdown of the Senate phone system.  Millions of emails were sent.  Talk radio (including Meet The New Press) discussed it and mobilized listeners while bloggers marshalled their readers.  An uproar ensued to the likes that have not been seen in a long, long time.

Yup, put him in the corner with a dunce cap.  Not for his stance (which I disagree with) but for his obstinence and arrogance for openly defying the base.  At a time when Republicans are quite nervous about the upcoming elections, the Rs are going to need all of the activists they can get in order to get out the vote.  Insulting them as well as your front running candidates only pours more burning oil on the Republican leadership that those of us looking up already distrust.

And distrust looses not only voters but money and time.

Martinez's remarks underscored both the difficulty Republicans are having with the volatile issue of immigration and the delicate position Martinez holds as both a senator and general chairman of the Republican National Committee amid a heated presidential primary.

"It can be a little awkward," acknowledged Martinez, a Cuban-immigrant who is neutral in the presidential race but has called Republican presidential candidate John McCain "courageous" for being a champion of the immigration plan that was so unpopular with much of the Republican base.

Awkward?  Is he nuts?  Try stupid.  Speaking as a Senator is one thing, but attacking your front runners in what will be a very iffy Presidential race is....yeah...stupid.  

Hey, McCain "got it"....Senator Martinez had better refocus as well.  Concentrate on what the voters are demanding FIRST.  Build back that lost trust, then proceed with the next step. 

Unless he is trying to use reverse psychology.  IMHO, that failed badly. 

"I don't want to in any way intervene in the primary process," Martinez said. "But at the same time, I have an obligation as a senator to speak about the issues."

Let me be the latest to state the obvious "er, you did".  And you do realize that now you've got people looking at you as the RNC head, not as a Senator.  While free to say what you will, your speech is certainly going to cross over, and just make some of us plain cross.

Let the candidates slug it out amongst themselves.  Your role is to get the winner elected.

This didn't help.

Adding insult to injury, I just found this in a Washington Times article:

Mr. Martinez's criticism of the two men was a stinging shot from the head of their party.

But it comes just two weeks after the Republican National Committee sided with those who want enforcement first, with the RNC passing a resolution calling on the government to use all means necessary to secure the border.

The St. Petersburg Times said Mr. Martinez told audience members at the chamber of commerce to try to pin the candidates down on their immigration stances when Republicans are in town for a debate on Nov. 28.

The Republican National Committee did not return a call for comment

Wonderful....now the RNC is starting to act like the Gilford School Board.....
(see GilfordGrok if you have a puzzled look on your visage) 

Posted by Skip at 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Meet The New Press Podcasts

To play (or "stream") a clip now, just click on it.  To download it to your PC, right click on it and tell the process where to save the file for you.

Hour 1 here                                                Hour 2 - here

     Hour 1   

           Interview with Presidential candidate, former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee. 

          LeadIn - Introducing Presidential Candidate Governor Mike Huckabee

          Intro - Remarks by the Governor.  Expected 50 and got 200 for a fund raiser.                      Chowdah vs y'all.  Going to the Stratford County Republican picnic.
                     The independance and role of NH in the primary process

          Newt - MH is an "interesting dark horse".  MH talks about being pro-life,
                    pro-Second Amendment, does not compromise on core Republican
                    issues.  Voters want to make sure that a candidate agrees with his
                    past.

          "Hybrid Huck" - social conservative, Main Street Republican.

"Sometimes Republicans act like the only folks we are listening to are the people who have hedge funds.  We need to be worried about folks who're trimming their own hedges."

                  He struggled growing up and knows what people are going through.
                  Talks in favor of the FairTax and getting rid of the IRS and a bunch of
                  taxes.

           What is the Fair Tax?  What is good about it?

           FairTax - Does away with ability of Congress to control behavior.  Congress                     will not give up that power voluntarily.....it will be up to the people to
                force them to do it ("you're fired!").  Analogy to how the comprehensive
                immigration reform bill was killed.

           Healthcare - you will own your healthcare and not the employer or
                government.  Get rid of this WWII leftover that doesn't work anymore.
                Have to switch to prevention from intervention. Premium payers (people,
                small businesses) are not rewarded for "good lifestyles".

           On Education Choice - Parents always know better.  Appointed a home school
                parent to Board of Education.  Passed laws to empower parents.  Fostered
                competition to get excellence.  Along with healthcare, it does not have a
                focus on quality or competition, and you see the result.

           Pat - open invitation to come back.  Question on foreign policy from an

                AKB reader (#11). Does not believe in the "nonsense" of if we leave them

                alone, they will leave us alone.  Discussion on job exportation.         

          Interview Senator Talent, representing the Mitt Romney campaign (immigration, anchor
                      babies, Iraq). 

          MTNP says "Good Luck" to Chris Ialuna, Operations Manager at WEMJ (who gave us our
                        start!)     

           Update on NH boating speed limits discussion by the MTNP crew

           Political "Town Meetings" by Presidential candidates discussion by the MTNP crew
 

     Hour 2   

           Boating Speed Limits commentary - Email from Chain

           Discussion on Shaheen, Shea-Porter, Sununu - upcoming NH races (with Doug's famous
                    imitation of Jeane Shaheen).

          Interview with NZ Bear of Victory Caucus - what is it, discussion on Iraq.  Part 1    Part 2

          Emails start a philosophical discussion by the MTNP crew.

          Discussion - are family members fair game in politics even when they decide to sit out?
 

SchlubCam - more video from commercial breaks (no in-studio guests this week)
          Discussion on Van Halen reunion
          More Discussion from the Emails
          Mike Huckabee - comments
          More after the NH Congressional discussion
 

Posted by Skip at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

• Governor Mike Huckabee, fresh off a strong second place showing at the Ames Iowa straw poll, joins us right at the start of the program. Don't know how busy the phones will be, but email us your questions and we'll try to get them asked.
• Campaigning here in NH. The "town hall" style meeting seems to be most people's favorite type of event. Generally, the audience questions are better than anything I've seen any of the TV debate "moderators" ask. We'll discuss the rise of "canned" questions and the many issue advocacy groups "working" the crowd of attendees. What are their real motives? Is it simply to build a database of persons to be possibly mobilized at the approriate political moment? They all claim their "non-partisan". If that means Dem/GOP, maybe, but not as far as left/right goes.
• Sen. Jim Talent, of the Romney camp comes back to MTNP for a second stint. We'll talk illegal immigration and the brewing dustup between Mitt & Mayor Giuliani over the issue. Can it be a bad thing that finally, Republicans are debating with each other over who's tougher on illegal immigration?
• Senator Sununu-- will Shaheen take him on? Pat had some thoughts this week, and I followed with a reminder that his position on the war has not changed as of late, it is the same now as it was back in April.
• NZ of the Victory Caucus joins us to discuss the latest news from the Iraq front. IIs the surge working? What will Petraus say next month? Is Iran's influence getting worse?
• Etc.

Posted by Doug at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have blogged before about HB404 here in NH - a bill that would turn all of NH into a sanctuary state (here, and here).  Basically, this bill is a free pass to illegal aliens to roost here.  It seems that other people are starting to notice

From the Nashua Telegraph 

CONCORD – U.S. Attorney Thomas Colantuono, four federal immigration agents and three police chiefs warned Tuesday that a proposed bill would block state and local law enforcement officials from going after suspected terrorists who were also illegal immigrants.

Colantuono said the state might also risk the loss of up to $200,000 that local communities and the state get from the federal government for detaining foreign-born residents unlawfully in this country.

“It is unrealistic in the way law enforcement operates in the 21st century in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,” Colantuono said.

“The bill, as written, would be a disaster.”

Ah yes, the Law of Unintended Consequences....or is it?  Let me be positive for just a sec - even with the best of intentions (and I doubt that this bill is actually that - the best for NH citizens), things go wrong because the "moves" were not thought out correctly.  In an immediate response to a perceived ill or wrong, a bill may sound good emotionally but can fail at critical junctions.

It seems that the people who know best, the "boots" on the ground in law enforcement, are not exactly thrilled with the efforts of Lily Mesa and Susi Nord (both Democrats):

The legislation (HB 404) – introduced by Rep. Lily Mesa, D-Manchester – would prohibit state and local police from detaining or arresting anyone whose sole offense is the violation of federal immigration laws.

Gee, I always believed that do bad things meant that bad consequences should follow.  Once again, these two Democrats wish to continue the process of not holding people accountable for their actions and decisions.  What a way to run a society.....no responsibilities at all....unless you are a citizen/taxpayer.... 

A four-person subcommittee of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee is studying the measure, which the House of Representatives sent back to committee last spring.Speaking at a subcommittee work session Tuesday, Londonderry Police Chief Joseph Ryan said the bill’s adoption would stop his officers from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were detaining suspected aliens at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.

“To think state and local officers have to turn our backs is contrary to everything I believe in,” Ryan told the subcommittee. 

Absolutely true.  Once again, we are a nation whose main principle is the Rule of Law.  Take that away, and anything can happen.

Rep. Timothy Robertson, D-Keene, said police and prosecutors were overreacting.

Great, another Democrat weighs in......

“It doesn’t say you can’t help the immigration service,” he said. “It says you can’t be the immigration service.”

No, it means that you do not want the immigration service would never be able to be clued in.

Unlike the open borders people, I believe that laws should be enforced.  That is all law - local, state, and federal levels.

Hudson Republican Reps. Andrew Renzullo and Jordan Ulery want the House to kill the bill outright in January.

“This is an attempt to create in New Hampshire a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants,” Renzullo said.

But Arnie Alpert of the American Friends Service Committee said it instead seeks to reduce distrust that exists between the immigrant community and some local police departments.

I detect a missing word here - illegal.  Frankly, the AFS is an open borders group that seemingly wishes to label anyone that disagrees with their stance as rascist bigots.

They never seem to get to the "illegal" part.....

“If the local police are involved in immigration enforcement, there will be an increase in profiling,” Alpert said.

Actually, all one has to do is really go to the AFS site and review who they say makes up most of the illegal immigrants.  Their own stats show that these folks are from Mexico.  So, profiling?

I have the same problem with CAIR - if all of the terrorists seem to be Islamic, doesn't it make sense to put more of one's scarce looking where a problem might be rather than 180 degrees the other way?

ICE Associate Legal Adviser Jorge Artieda said with only 23,000 beds nationwide to detain illegal aliens, his agency has no desire to indiscriminately lock up anyone without proper papers of citizenship.

“We don’t have the bed space to get everybody,” Artieda testified. “We want the worst of the worst.”

Mesa said she brought forward this proposal to stop profiling of foreign-born residents by local police, which she claimed has occurred in her home city of Manchester.

“We know there are presently police who will stop people on the street and ask for documents whether they are citizens or not,” she said.

Sorry, it may be extremely politically incorrect to say so, but one has to pick priorities.  Instead of bellyaching about asking only certain folks their status, change the bill to hve police ask EVERYONE EVERYTIME what their immigration status is.

Mesa volunteers at the Latin American Center in Manchester. Victims of these incidents are afraid to come forward publicly to speak about them, she said.

If they are here legally, what's to hide.  If they are here illegally, of course they are afraid!  And that is fine by me.  I don't care if these folks are from my ancestral homes of Sweden or Ireland (go ahead, do this in Boston too!).

I'd be fearful, too, if I was living in a place where I should not be.

After all, look what Mexico is doing to the illegals that cross their Southern border (the hypocrites). And I still maintain why should we not deport the illegals who are nothing more than "line jumpers"?  Do it the right way - emigrate lawfully.

“My intent was to help people who look different like me, have an accent and speak broken English.”

The issue emerged in part from the 2005 ruling of Jaffrey/Peterborough District Court Judge L. Phillips Runyon III, who quashed the bid of police in New Ipswich and Hudson to use state criminal trespass laws to arrest suspected illegal aliens.

The New Hampshire Legislature rejected attempts led by these police chiefs and others to let local enforcement prosecute immigration laws.

Hudson Police Chief Richard Gendron and Lyndeborough Police Department Administrator Richard Darling also lent law enforcement support at Tuesday’s hearing but did not speak.

Immigrant advocates are wary that chiefs in Hudson, Londonderry and the Carroll County sheriff all have expressed a desire to form a memorandum of understanding with ICE officials.

This agreement could allow local police to carry out immigration duties under the supervision of federal officials.

Once again, huzzah for those that wish to enforce all laws!  I bet that the 'advocates" are wary - once that MoU is set, deportations may start - which they are struggling at all costs to defeat.

Colantuono said Mesa’s bill would keep local and state police out of investigating a suspected terrorist whose only known offense is his illegal alien status.

“If we suspected someone was operating a bomb factory, we’d want a full SWAT team and the bomb unit to be backing up ICE,” he said.

“This would completely tie the hands of state and local police to assist.”

Mesa said she’s open to changes but noted this bill has sparked a spate of threatening e-mails sent to her. The unknown authors called her “stupid, filthy” and warned she was being watched, she said.

“I understand the fear about 9-11, but I don’t see why we have to blame everybody that is different because of that,” she said.

She just doesn't get it.  While I will admit that there are some out there that would threaten her or her family, I have also said that behavior is despicable.  

I also maintain that this is not about race, broken English, or racial profiling.

This is about maintaining and upholding the Rule of Law.

Posted by Skip at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Note:  I've tried to get most of what happened with the event, and once again, Rudy did a good job.  

What I am now noticing is that the same questions are coming from different people - it seems that there are "loaded" or "setup"questions now being asked of the candidates that I'm seeing.  For instance, the questions on chronic disease, the medical marijuana one.  Different people asking but pretty much the same wording and in the case of the marijuana one, a "trapping" situation.

Once again, the 'Grok has come to another campaign event for Rudy (Doug was at the Romney event last night and will be posting about it later). Today, we are at GT Solar – they make the furnaces that help create the photovoltaic cells (silicon) that go into solar panels that one could mount on or around a house of business that create electricity. From the signs of it, they are going great gang busters – two buildings in a new modern facility.

It also appears that Rudy is bulking up his staff here in NH – a new name is that of Jeff Grappone who will be handling the Press duties for The Mayor locally. Both Doug and I had a chance to chat with him briefly. None of the Rudy staff-folks that I am used to seeing at the Rudy events are here – all of them seem to be relatively new. The lady that checked in Doug at the Press table, when Doug started to ask her questions, had to keep saying “I've just started...no, you don't understand – I just started....5 minutes ago!” Real learning on the fly!

The “Cookie Lady” is here from NH Priorities (funded by one of the very liberal founders of Ben & Jerry's ice cream). You know, she keeps saying that her group is “non-partisan” - can we do something about the false advertising? Or at least get the pie chart right! Her group is about changing that pie – wanting to remove money from military (a Rudy talking point of rebuilding the military to face the oncoming needs of America).

Non-partisan? I hardly believe it.

Well, the room that is being used for the event is all but full with a number of folks standing – say about 150 folks. Many of them, if the shirts are to be believed, are from GT Solar. Hey, why not? Someone that may be the next President of the US and Leader of the Free World.

Andrew Sylvia is here, formerly of NH Insider, is here in his “day job” as part of the “A Healthcare Voter” role. We talked about blogging – BlogNetNews (and our dropping off of it and subsequent resurrection). We talked about Left-Right bloggers, and that some don't wish to talk afterwards – why can't we all be friends? He agreed with Doug and I that in the heat of the debate, whether on the blogs or in the papers or radio and TV, anything goes. However, afterwards, decent people should be able to at least talk...

When we asked about his shirt, he says that policy says won't let him talk to the Press – seems to be quite the thing in a lot of organizations – show the colors but say nothing without permission “on the record” with the Press (hey, we're just bloggers!). He'll be back posting after this gig (43 events in 2 months – or more!) is over.

Just chatted with Kevin Landrigan of the Nashua Telegraph. He wrote a piece about Lilly Mesa and how some of the law enforcement folks are rather steamed at her and her HB404 bill that makes it illegal for law enforcement to ask about immigration status. I've asked permission to link to his article and he said yes. He also will be on the show sometime soon!

It is now 9:29 – running late and Rudy is not here yet. I bet that the Press Avail, if there is one, will be rather short (note after the fact – short so as to be non-existent). But...

We started to talk to the camera guy next to us - Steve Griffin of DividedWeFall.org, a non-partisan organization advocating for healthcare and financial security for all. This is a new organization sponsored by the SEIU, AARP, and the Business Roundtable. He's here with a camera to get some video for DWF. In addition to the camera he had, we discussed that he wants video of their dream quote “If I'm elected President nothing's going to happen with the domestic agenda until healthcare and financial security is taken care of.”

Ah, just had the usual announcement for phones to be turned off – at 9:34, he should be here soon.

Thomas Zarella CEO of GT Solar is intro'ing the mayor. Folks once again are standing – the staff play a quick sound music bite.

Opening remarks by Rudy:

Talks about that US has to be energy independent so that we don't have to depend on countries that may not like us. This (speaking of GT Solar) is a great new industry for us and will have an effect on trade balance. We should not figure out how to buy less from other countries or protect trade – that will lose American jobs. We have to figure out how to sell more of OUR stuff. Right here, they are making something that developing countries will buy – 80-85% is being sold to Asian markets. This is one of the answers to American independence of energy trade. Boosting alternative energy – it is one of the 12 commitments of his.

Leadership – you have to explain what is the problem, have a solution, and then go around and explain it. Rudy carries a card with him all the time with all 12 commitments. He will add text to it as he goes along, his staff will add verbiage, and then he will keep it on the Desk in the Oval Office. This is how he will be held accountable.

Again, brings up the privatization of healthcare rather than expanding the gov't programs.

He learned this approach from Ronald Reagan. He explained that Reagan said what he wanted to do, got elected, worked hard on those items, accomplished most, and was able to run on results as he did accomplish many of those items.

Quick jab at his successor Bloomberg. Rudy was elected as a Republican, reelected as a Republican during desperate times. He made promises and delivered (showing his executive abilities and the ability to work with Democrats and large bureaucracies and get them to deliver). 1990 – Newsweek had the title of “The Rotting of the Big Apple”. Go to 2000 – Rudy was in office for 7 years – Time – “NYC was the best example of a renaissance story”. One of the BEST cities – a strong economy, from an unemployment rate of 10.5% to about 5-6%, and crime way down. He has a track record against which to judge. He is running on results. The 3 Democratic front runners have never run anything – state, city, business. The CEO of the US during a time of war is not the best place for on the job training. Even with the Republicans, he has the most executive experience. He did things that other NYC mayors and AGs have never done before.

“If you don't like these results, don't vote for me.”

If you are in favor of the Clinton approach to terrorism, don't vote for me. Not blaming President Clinton, as no one is a prophet. However, looking backwards, we should learn from those mistakes. We know that it is a mistake to be on defense – we have to be on offense. We have been safer on offense than on defense – first attack was the the WTC in 1993. Reaction? A domestic crime and prosecute as criminal offense. It really was an act of war. Followed by Khobar Towers, embassies in Africa. Then Bin Laden declared war, followed by the attack on the USS Cole.

This was warfare. Our reaction? Nothing. 5 attacks in rapid succession plus a declaration of war.

He spoke about just meeting a young man and his dad – the son is going to Iraq in 2 weeks. Rudy told the son that the only reason why we are safe here is that you are fighting there. We are safe because dedicated men and women are working hard at protecting us (CIA, FBI, intelligence services, et al). His experience with law, terrorism makes him better prepared than the others.

We have to have the wiretapping and the aggressive (but legal) interrogation techniques – we need them! Attacked Reid's philosophy of being on defense only.

Q&A

I don't understand the thinking that being on the offense means that 3500 of our folks that have been killed....it is not accomplishing anything.

It is a mistake to say we are not making progress in Iraq – he blames it on the press. We removed Sadaam and therefore the financial support for terrorism. Secondly, the deposing played a role in the giving up of Khadaffi of Libiya, who had WMD. With the engagement of terrorists there, they'd be here (lots of people were saying it). If those sacrifices had not been made, we'd be in much more trouble.

He is talking about the two from Brookings that had a report in the NYT...liberals that had been critical....now saying that there are successes in Iraq. We just may win, due to the surge. Anbar is quieter, having success in Baghdad. Points out that nothing is promised in any war – never a reason for running away.

What is success? – a stable Iraq that will act as an ally of us in the war on terror. The soldiers are the best judge of that now – they are there and we are not. General Patraeus was asked “when you are asked about another loss of another life, does it give you pause of the effectiveness of the strategy?” The answer was yes, every time....but the surge strategy is working.

We have to be able to sustain our efforts – 450K lives in WWII. The losses in the cold war. Have to put things into perspective.

NH passed a standard that 25% electricity has to be renewable by 2025....comment?

Have to pass standards by the states and local govts that work for them – not one standard for all. Right now, we have about 7-8% alternative energy. We could double it in 10 years. It cannot be all one thing – it has to be a number of things – solar, ethanol, nukes, hybrids, et al. Government can pass incentives to help. We control our sun, wind, coal (have more coal that Saudis have oil). Government cannot and should not choose “the winner” – we have to allow private ideas battle it out to get the best result. Not government.

After paying into SS as a boomer, will it be there? Bush tried but no one listened. What is your idea?

Rudy asked “how old are you?” Answer was 64. Rudy - “I'm 63 – I'm in the same boat”. Anyone running right now will ensure that your SS promised benefits will be protected. He wishes that people had listened to Bush. This should be easier than fixing Medicare and Medicaid. Feels that the solution will come after the election.

Neither side is saying anything right now as it will be played as political football – no matter who brings up what (Dems turning on Repubs, Repubs turning on Dems).

He will try to create a private option....growing up, he would have preferred to have been able to have controlled part of his SS contributions Those that want to do that should be able to as well. Those that don't should not have to.

Voters in 12 states passed laws to protect medical marijuana. What will you do (paraphrased)?

FDA says there is not medicinal benefit – he will keep it illegal.

Blue Star Mom – who cares about abortion when we have soldiers in Iraq...we'd have to fight another 50K years in Iraq to equal the number of abortions in a year.

Decrease abortions, increase adoptions. However, he realizes that there are strong views on both sides. Government should be out of it.....allow the women to make that decision themselves with their doctor. Missed the rest.

Likes the free market proposals . How will they help chronic diseases?

Private will drive costs down by figuring out the risk properly. Government will and cannot not do that. Gov will not drive the costs down. Govt will have to ration healthcare. Example of private sector iPod – keeps calling the iPhone the wrong thing – the market drives costs down.....need 40-50 million people driving the cost of healthcare. And then develop equity over time (like life insurance). Health insurance now is like an entitlement instead of insurance.

American healthcare, the core, is the only way it can work – privately. 84% success rate for prostate cancer here, 44% in Britain where healthcare is run as a socialistic entity. Healthcare will deteriorate if socialized, especially in the real serious diseases where we are much better.

Where do you stand on Feds funding higher education (to keep on innovation)?

Loans, scholarships – keep higher ed the way it is as they are among the best in the world. K-12 is not outperforming the rest of the world – they are outperforming us. Why? What is the difference? Higher Ed is based on an American strength – choice and competition. Feds may help with funding, but does not direct anyone to a given place. You get to chose the college – 2 year / 4 year / Masters / Phd. Bad colleges get voted out of existence.

This is not happening in K-12. It is required by law as to where you can go. There is no principle of choice. He wants to give parents choice over the place of education. Public school, charter, private, parochial – choice is what matters.

Look at Sarkozy's new book on education....he is say the same thing there on education as Rudy is here.

Energy – what is your posture on nukes (France, Japan, Germany, China)?

We have to increase the incremental role of nukes – not a silver bullet but can help. 20% comes from nukes here, 80% in France. China is building 40 new plants India is working on it.

The US will decline if we do not use nukes. We have to realize that every source can be dangerous – please note that no one has lost their life in the US from nukes.

Govt has to give incentives and then step out of the way and let the market decided.

Wrap Up with a story

Sarkosy has a new book “Testimony”. In France, he wants to bring quintessential American principles to the fore. He wants to take our principles that have made us the best in the world, and use them in France. Rudy is now having dreams. Sarkozy is on the plane flying to US to learn about the American principles that have worked and bring them back to France. In his dream, he sees another plane with 3 Democrats going the other way – to learn the French principles that haven't worked and still want to bring them here.

Posted by Skip at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

TMEW and I went back to PA for a few days this week - Gettysburg. 

We toured the Civil War battlefields.  I took away the visualizations of 150,000 or so Blue and Gray soldiers in a fairly small area - and in some cases, literally brother fighting brother.  In all, 1 in 3 died for their respective sides.  In one small area, the Wheatfield, 4,000 men died in one day.  It gives you a better appreciation of sacrifice, and of honor - each soldier knowing full well that his time on earth may end that day.  May God rest their souls.

As always with a trip of a couple of days with a hotel in it, I take the chance to look through USA Today - the traveler's newspaper - for something on which to comment or bring to someone's attention. Once again, I was not disappointed.

The background to the item is that we have all seen or heard about the Mexican officials, claiming that what the US does is racially motivated, racial profiling, not humane, against international law, and over all, gets their knickers in a knot.  All the while, they must be laughing like hyenas!

Why?  This (not online):

Mexico deports thousands of stranded illegal migrants

Mexico began deporting thousands of U.S.-bound illegal immigrants from Central America who were stranded in southern Mexico after the Chiapas-Mayab railway closed.  migrants used the freight cars to ride north.

Buses were taking deportees from immigration detention centers to the Guatemalan border.

The U.S.-run railway closed in late July, but migrants continued to pour into the area where they used to hop the trains.  Some camped along the rail line, and some turned themselves in to authorities.  Others tried to walk hundreds of miles to the next rail line, Salvadoran Consul Nelson Cuellar said.

Oh, where is the shame of Mexico?  Where is the compassion?  Why won't they let the illegal immigrants stay?  After all, they are only looking for a better life for themselves by working hard, right?

Oh yeah, a double standard. We're wrong for doing it, but for them, it is against the law.

Hypocrites....

Posted by Skip at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 

Chris Ialuna, that is.  The Laconia Citizen reports today that he is leaving WEMJ where he served as the Operations Manager. 

His connection to MTNP is that it was he that allowed us, as an experiment, to start the show.  He and his staff took our requests, built upon them, and gave us a new studio from scratch from which to broadcast.  He gave us the time to build up what we consider to be a pretty good product - fast paced, different topics - around ideas coming from bloggers/activists from the realm of the blogosphere.

For that we say THANKS!  For the future, we say "GOOD LUCK!"

-Skip, Pat, and Doug 

Posted by Skip at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On 8/4/07, Meet The New Press had the NHRBA folks on the show - the New Hampshire Recreational Boating Association.  Ric Perreault and Dick Hickok talked about the effort to set up speed limits and how they thought that the reasoning for doing so was flawed.

After the show, Ric invited TMEW and I for a ride on his 35 foot Formula (twin 500hp I/Os) which I instantly agreed to.

Well, right out of Glendale Docks while we were at the lowest throttle point, another boat came at us on the port side - breeching the 150 foot passing rule (at about 80 - 100 feet).  As Ric was in the middle of discussing how that violated the rules, another boat overtook us, also on the port side, waving the whole time - as they split the difference between the first boat and ourselves.  Ric didn't even bother to comment - his rolling eyes said it all.  You just couldn't just script that moment.

Yes, we did go fast at one point - as the speed increased from 25 to 48, the ride got smoother.  In the Broads, with absolutely no other boats around, it got smoother still at 70 kph.

You know, when you have a boat that is worth more than my house, WHY would anyone do things to screw up the use of that vehicle?

Anyways, in today's papers, it seems that the present effort by the Dept. Of Safety to run pilot programs to measure and enforce speed limits has run aground on the beachhead of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (sorry - couldn't resist the metaphors!) 

One battle down, the rest of the war to go. 

I've included that part of the broadcast in this post for "just in case". 

  Boat Speed Limits on Lake Winnipesaukee? Ric Perreault- VP of the NHRBA and Dick Hickok

Posted by Skip at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

said he would require a uniform identification card for foreign workers and students and create a central database to track the legal status of visitors to the country. He told the crowd of more than 300 that 12 million immigrants have entered the country illegally.

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''That's a lot of people to walk over your border without being identified,'' he said.

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Giuliani also said he would continue construction of a border fence, deport any illegal alien who commits a felony and propose that all immigrations who want to become citizens learn English.

Posted by Doug at 7:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 Sign over a Gynecologist's Office: 
      "Dr.  Jones, at your cervix." 
   
 
In a Podiatrist's office: 
"Time  wounds all heels." 
 
 
On a Septic Tank Truck : 
Yesterday's Meals on Wheels 
 
 
 ************************** 
At a Proctologist's door: 
"To expedite your visit please back in." 
 
 
************************** 
On a Plumber's truck: 
"We  repair what your husband  fixed." 
 
 
************************** 
On another Plumber's truck: 
"Don't sleep with a drip. Call your  plumber.." 
 
 
************************** 
On a Church's Billboard: 
"7 days without God makes one weak." 

Chicago Radiator Shop: 
"Best  place in town to take a leak."
****************

On the Door of a Proctologist and Psychiatrists shared  office:
Drs. Smith and Jones
Specializing in Odds and  Ends.

H/T: Laurie

Posted by Judy at 5:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Even being a Christian myself, I'm sometimes embarrassed by how we act. We forget that God draws people to Himself, and we're merely facilitators sometimes. I hate it when Christian's beat people over the head with their Bibles rather than "lovingly" bringing them into the Kingdom. However, this can take on some interesting ideas of what "lovingly" means as well. Sometimes truth and honesty, wrapped in loving confrontation, feels anything but "lovingly." 

Since Bill Mayer is at it again, I thought some of you might be interested in reading Father Jonathan’s "loving confrontation" on Mr. Mayer’s un-enlightened state when it comes to Christianity. Yeah, I already know you chimps will be offended. God Bless you anyway.

Before any of us became Christians, we were all "un-enlightened" too and most of us didn’t understand God, or may have even believed that He didn't exist at all. We certainly didn't know what Christianity was really all about.

It’s kinda one of those things that you have to experience for yourself and then you’ll “get it.” Being forgiven for your sins, no matter what they are, is the biggest high in the universe...no drugs required. Perhaps that's why some newly born agains (and old timers) can be, admitedly, a bit overly zealous.

The nice thing about God is that he already knows everything about you, and He’ll still welcome you into his Kingdom just as you are, warts and all. How many people do you know who will welcome you in your absolutely worst state? Pretty cool when you think about it…

But, after you “join” you’ll likely have a deep desire to change for the better. Plus, He’ll provide you some insight into yourself, too, and even possibly reveal why you do those stupid, destructive things you do. It’s a win-win situation if you're willing. I like that! 

Posted by Judy at 5:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The most vulnerable Republicans are probably Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Wayne Allard of Colorado, and John Sununu of New Hampshire.

But fond remembrances of Shaheen may not live up to the facts. Shaheen famously took the “Tax Pledge” when she ran for governor, promising not to impose a statewide sales or income tax on New Hampshire. Unfortunately, Shaheen broke her promise to the people of New Hampshire and actually proposed and promoted a sales tax, which is repugnant to anti-tax Independents and pro-income tax liberals alike.

Shaheen would also be an odd fit for the anti-war Democratic Party in this post-post-9/11 era. She has been an ardent supporter of the Iraq War [YouTube evidence] and President Bush’s policies decisions in the War on Terror [YouTube evidence].

Pat also writes:

Sununu will have to carve out a respectable position on Iraq that shows the people of the Granite State that while he supports victory he is not committed to open-ended war in Mesopotamia. This would be in keeping with the overwhelming wishes of the Granite State’s Undeclared voters who seem to oppose the war effort more than your average disaffected Independents.

The good news is that Sununu won't have to "carve out" a position that's anything different than what he's been saying right along. This is a YouTube flashback from April when we had a chance to sit down with the Senator. You'll note his carefully answered question about "supporting the troops to victory." His answer is the same as the one he uses now. And it should strike anyone listening to it as eminently reasonable a position to have...

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Posted by Doug at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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Well, I went down yonder in Louisville
Lived a cat named Big Bad Bill
I wants ta tell ya
Ah, the cat was rough and tough he would strut his stuff

"Usually, when a band comes back like us, it's rockers with walkers," frontman David Lee Roth told reporters at the Four Seasons Hotel here on Monday. "This is anything but."

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[snip]

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"This is not a reunion," said Roth, 51. "This is a whole new band." "It is totally blowing our minds and I think it will yours, too," said Eddie Van Halen, 52. "It's better than it's ever been."

"The band has been rehearsing since October and plans to exceed fans' expectations," Roth said.

Posted by Doug at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"A convicted robbery getaway driver is in trouble for allegedly showing off weapons on MySpace.com and bragging on the social networking site about drinking and using drugs, prosecutors say."

Posted by Doug at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

• We will be attending an "Ask Mitt Anything" event on Thursday. The setup is pretty much what other candidates call a "town hall" style campaign event-- Mitt will probably start with a standard stump speech focusing on whatever the hot topic happens to be, followed by audience questions. I attended a similar event a while back right here in Laconia. Just like then, following tomorrow's event, there will be no time allotted for the press to ask direct questions. Hopefully the audience will do a good job in their stead. It will be interesting to see if there's any marked changes in the post- Iowa Straw Poll win Mitt Romney.
• Friday we'll sit in on another Rudy Giuliani "town hall" style meeting. It's my contention that Rudy is the real front-runner of the moment and is therefore worth the close study we have been giving him. I have seen him three times now and each time, I have come away impressed. Can he withstand the never ending scrutiny? Can he maintain the pace? Does he, as many believe, myself included, have the most extensive record of actual management experience? Does his record as Mayor of NYC qualify him for the job of Chief Executive of the United States as much as say, a US Senator or state governor? We'll see if we can discern the answers and share them right here on the 'Grok.
• On Saturday, it's time for the radio program, Meet the New Press. Broadcasting and livestreaming from 11am till 1pm EST each week, the gang from the 'Grok joins with Pat Hynes from AnkleBitingPundits to bring the best of the Blogosphere to the radio, complete with listener phone calls. This week, we are pleased to have with us for a segment, the SECOND place winner of the Iowa Straw poll, Mike Huckabee. He spent considerably less money than Mitt Romney did, and came in with a strong showing nonetheless. Some pundits believe he got votes that perhaps other candidates thought belonged to them. We'll ask him what he thinks, and about the campaign moving forward.

Posted by Doug at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

So, senior citizens don't know enough to make "good food" choices for themselves?  Umm, isn't that part of the reason why they are seniors?  From the Putnam County Courier:

A war is waging among Putnam's senior citizen population and the only weapons being used are donuts - or the lack of the sugared treat. For years, County Office for the Aging nutrition centers received widespread donations of day-old donuts, cakes, pies, breads, bagels and donuts from delis, supermarkets and donut shops throughout the tri-county area.

County nutritionists decided that the sugary treats were not in the best interests of the over-65 set, so the "war" now facing county lawmakers centers on senior citizens' determination to make that decision.

This has got "I'm from the Government and I am here to help you" written all over it! This is like Mayor Bloomberg instituting the trans-fat prohibition in NYC that is now being copied all over the country by over zealous people whose mantra is 'don't you know that this is bad for you?  Well, it seems that you don't, so for your benefit, I will stop you."

This is just one more reason why government can be hated.  Listen up!  People can act dumb and they can act in their own worst interest....LET THEM!  These are the same people that in NH want to reduce boating speeds on our largest lake because (failing to notice that speed is not the primary reason for accidents - alcohol and not obeying the laws are).  Why?  Because they don't like it.  Thus, other people can't either. 

Legislator Sam Oliverio of Putnam Valley, who chairs the Legislature's Health, Social and Educational Committee, scheduled a forum for later this month to resolve the issue.  Oliverio said he believes donuts should be provided to the county's seniors.

"Our senior citizens are telling me that they are adults. One man added: 'We are your parents and grandparents. We know what we are doing. Remember we are senior citizens - not senile citizens!'" he said.

If our senior citizens are senile, then I can see the ban.  But for those that are fine, they should be allowed to make their own decisions (and wanting a donut doesn't make one senile).

Oliverio said he was proud of the senior citizens for "flexing their political muscles."

The man who finds himself in the midst of the donut war is Putnam Office for the Aging Director William Huestis.

"What started out to be a good deed has spiraled out of control. Professional members of my staff were vehemently against the giveaway because many people in our centers suffer from chronic issues including diabetes, heart issues and high blood pressure," Huestis said.

Ah yes, the "professionals"....and in this case, professional "killjoys".  Look, go back to my statement - are they senile?  If no, then we should err on the side that an occasional donut isn't going to hurt.  And simply because a few may be hurt should not be a reason to deny it to the majority.

You know, our government has gotten better and better at that lately - deny the majority freedom in some aspect because of the minority.  Can't we assume that the minority are old enough (yes, that was intended) to make reasonable decisions on their own behalf?

"Food security was also an issue since the Office for the Aging is a county program operating under permits issued by the Health Department. There are regulations and guidelines concerning the distribution and handling of food as well as a security factor that ensures the health and welfare of our participants," said Huestis.

In my mind, professional bureaucrats are the most dangerous (and not just found at any level of govenment - they exist in the private sector too!). 

[snip]

"We are committed to providing not only nutritional meals but nutrition education, screening and counseling as well. To stray from the county's mission would be a great disservice to our senior citizens," said Huestis.

And heaven help ANYONE who keeps a bureaucrat from accomplishing their mission...

even if it is at cross odds with the needs or wants of the people.

Look, most people in government are fine and this is not a crank on them.  But sometimes, people (including me!) get a bit full of themselves and have to be gently corrected.

Or sometimes, not so gently!  Ridicule works too....

[snip].

"We are by no means 'donut police,' but we must continue to uphold our mission statement and comply with health department regulations," he said.

[snip]

Judy of Mahopac was split down the middle. "I understand where Mr. Huestis is coming from, but after all, we are adults. If we want something at our tender ages, we should be able to have it - as long as it's legal," she said with a wry grin.

As it should be...

Posted by Skip at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Judy at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

“There were no candidates, surrogates, signs or even stickers.  Just real people taking a few minutes break from their supper to participate in grassroots democracy.” said Jeff Woodburn, a former State Democratic Party chairman and event organizer.

Giuliani got 33 percent from Republican voters to 22 percent each for both Senator John McCain and former Governor Mitt Romney. Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton and Edwards tied at 33 percent with Governor Bill Richarson getting 28.7 percent to place third.

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Rudy Giuliani. Photo by GraniteGrok

[UPDATE] In a phone interview with poll organizer former NH Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Woodburn, he told me that he felt the results painted a "fairly accurate political picture" by "looking at a rural area" with less of the influence of big media saturation, "more representative of your average person" and "where they're at." Without any prompting on my part, he further observed that the poll seems to confirm the "Giuliani presence" he has noticed at recent local events. "While there are some who say the Mayor lacks a grassroots effort, I am seeing more for Giuliani than I am for others." And he described them as not the paid type, either. More regular people that happen to be for him. [End Update]

Posted by Doug at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

.

This picture reminds me of my 53rd birthday. My husband arranged to have our horses trailered to Lake Michigan from the Rockin' R Ranch in Bear Lake, MI so we could ride up and down Lake Michigan, in and out of the water; he succeeded in giving me a day of joy that was probably the best birthday I ever had. In fact, it was one of the most enjoyable and memorable days of my life. But, we're talkin' politics here, I forgot for a second.

No surprise, click here…while I didn’t know much about Tommy Thompson, mainly because I never felt like he had a chance to be the nominee and I only have so much time in a day to study candidates, I’m glad he pulled out of the crowded race having recognized that the “writing was on the wall.” Where will his supporters end up? It’s getting more interesting and a few more will be dropping out soon, I think.

I still like Mitt and Giuliani. But, I was also very impressed with Mike Huckabee since I saw him and his band, Capitol Offense, at a support the troops rally in Nashua last month.

Why do I like Mike? He didn’t seem like a politician at all, but just a very sincere person. Since I don’t particularly care for politicians…period…Mike’s sincerity is a huge plus for me. I’m going to look at him further now.

Hey, he also plays a mean guitar and seemed relaxed and having a good time himself knockin’ out the old tunes from my generation. There was some Elvis and other old classics played that I simply love and wax nostalgic over. Yep, I was dancin’, dancin’, dancin’ with some other gal who, like me, didn’t care that we were about the only ones dancin’…I try to enjoy life since I don’t know when it will be gone.

Is that enough to get my vote? Of course it isn’t. Like I said, I’ll be reading his policies to see if most of them line up with my personal criteria for picking our next President. I’m realistic that there’s not a one of ‘em that will fit everything I’m looking for in a candidate, but I have to make an informed decision before I vote. It’s my duty as an American citizen to educate myself before I vote. Well, better check out his website and see what I can find out.

I could even end up a Fred Head I guess before it’s all said and done. No, I haven’t studied Fred yet either and you know why already.

Right now, I’m really more interested in reading further about the outlaw who stole some body’s $10,000 cowboy boots. Since I’m a cowgirl, I understand what a pair of cowboy boots can mean to a person. Although, I bought a new pair on ebay for considerably less, once you find the right ones, you wanta be buried with your favorite boots on next to your favorite horse. Does anyone know if they’ll cremate your boots with you since I’m leaning toward having my ashes spread partly here on the ranch and the other half in the ocean. I’m guessing it will be no problem, not that I’m lookin’ to follow the trail to my final sunset just yet, but horse s#%*! happens…especially after you just cleaned out the barn!

Happy Trails!

Posted by Judy at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Meet The New Press
Radio at the speed of the Blogosphere!

Meet The New Press Podcasts

To play (or "stream") a clip now, just click on it.  To download it to your PC, right click on it and tell the process where to save the file for you.

Hour 1 here                                                Hour 2 - here

          Pat starts a discussion about the Gilford School Board and the Moultonborough Study
                Committee - Right To Know ramifications.  The technology is enabling ordinary citizens
                to keep government honest and open.

          Chan - FairPoint is trying to gobble up Verizon    Part 1   Part 2 

      Hour 2 

              The MTNP crew takes on Pelosi and Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)

           Iraq - turnaround?

              Judy calls in - Stirring the pot on the Left at Dr. Joan Bushwell's Chimpanzee Rufuge;

                tactics, bad language, and humor.  "They" refuse to take on head on debate.

           The Politico does an article on Judy!

           Discussion - Doug's YouTube on Rudy's visit to Gilford.  Time to blog.  Popular posts on our
                blog sites. 

           Discussion - NH Episcopalian Biship Gene Robinson endorses Barak Obama.

           Senator McCain - Town Event at the Wright Museum in Wolfeboro, NH.  Audio clips and                         discussion.  Senator McCain should not be written off just yet.  Iowa Straw poll, voting if                 not running, Fred, the perils of live radio (wrong clips), earmarks / pork online                             database.

          Break
          Break - talking about Verizon
          Next break
          Next
          One more

Posted by Skip at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

.............................

Today, the people of Iowa took the first step towards bringing change to Washington.  This important victory sends a signal to grassroots Republican activists across the country that we are working hard to earn their support...

One candidate, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, has assembled an unrivaled operation for the event: a statewide corps of 60 "super-volunteers," who have been paid between $500 and $1,000 per month to talk him up; a fleet of buses; more than $2 million in television ads in Iowa; a sleek direct-mail campaign; and a consultant who has been paid nearly $200,000 to direct Romney's straw poll production, which will include barbecue billed as the best in the state.

Winner Mitt Romney has not said how much he spent. The reporting in this Washington Post article suggests at least $2 million and possibly more than twice that much. Assuming $2 million for 4,516 votes, that's $442.87 per vote. But it could top $1,000.

Total Number Of Votes:  4,516
Percentage Of Vote:  31.5%
Margin Of Victory:  13.4%
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Governor Romney's Efforts In Iowa Since January 3, 2007:

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Number Of Iowa "Ask Mitt Anythings":  53
Number Of Trips:  17
Number Of Events:  310
Number Of Days In State:  43
Number Of Miles Traveled In State:  4,211.5
Number Of Miles Traveled In The Mitt Mobile In Iowa:  4,684

Posted by Doug at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Doug at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In this post, I mentioned that the 'Grok crew went the Senator McCain Town Meeting at the Wright Museum.  Well, I have more stuff to add and just ran out of time yesterday.  So, here some more stuff!

First, some audio clips!  The McCain campaign staff (thanks muchly to Patrick, Crystal, and Jill!) who made it possible to have a brief meeting with the Senator after his Town Meeting and the presser afterwards.  Here's a couple of the questions that we had time for:

    Doug: Reaction to Truman's decision to use the Atomic bomb?

    Doug: If you were not running, would you vote for Rudy Giuliani?

    Skip: Would you support a Web enabled database listing Federal earmarks and campaign
                    contributions?
 

Here's the other clips from the "Presser" or Press Availability.  This is the time after an event where the certified Press can listen to the "person of interest' or ask questions.  Both Doug and I were kind of surprised as no one really wanted to ask a lot of questions at all!  Heck, Doug and I could have kept him going for at least another hour (but were too polite to intrude!).

Dutch Television asked about what the Senator would do to patch up European relations here. 

A reporter by the name of Dan asked about the Iowa Straw Poll. 

A couple of more pictures as well!

Sherman Tank T26 Pershing (Thanks, Dave!)

 Half Track mounted 50 caliber machine guns

Posted by Skip at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. In America, August is considered a slow news month. But in the war on terror, America and our allies remain on the offense against our enemies. And this month, we've had some encouraging news from both Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Earlier this week, I had a good meeting with President Karzai of Afghanistan at Camp David. He updated me on the work his government is doing to help build a more hopeful future for the Afghan people. He told me that senior officials and tribal leaders from Afghanistan and Pakistan are meeting to discuss how to deal with the extremists who are targeting both their countries. And he explained why he's confident that his government will prevail against the Taliban remnants who continue to launch attacks throughout his country.

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Here's how President Karzai put it: "The Taliban do pose dangers to our innocent people .... [But] they are not posing any threat to the government of Afghanistan, they are not posing any threat to the institutions of Afghanistan, or to the buildup of institutions of Afghanistan." He continued: The Taliban "is a force that's defeated" and it is "acting in cowardice by killing children going to school." In other words, the Taliban fighters can still launch attacks on the innocent, but they cannot stop the march of democracy in Afghanistan.

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In Iraq, we are working to help put the Iraqi government on the same path. The surge that General Petraeus and our troops are carrying out is designed to help provide security for the Iraqi people, especially in Baghdad -- and aid the rise of an Iraqi government that can protect its people, deliver basic services for all its citizens, and serve as an ally in the war on terror. Our new strategy is delivering good results, and our commanders recently reported more good news.

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One encouraging development was a coalition air strike that killed a terrorist named al-Badri earlier this month. Al-Badri was the mastermind of the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, one of Shia Islam's holiest shrines. That bombing sparked the escalation in sectarian violence we saw in 2006. Al-Badri was the most notorious al Qaeda commander in Samarra. He sheltered foreign terrorists, and he was responsible for attacks that claimed many innocent lives. His death is a victory for a free Iraq, and a sign that America and the Iraqi government will not surrender the future of Iraq to cold-blooded killers.

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Al-Badri is just one of the many al Qaeda leaders and other extremists who are coming under a withering assault across Iraq. Only a year ago, al Qaeda ruled places like Ramadi, terrorizing the local population and intimidating local authorities. Today al Qaeda has largely been driven out of these cities, markets and schools are reopening, and normal life is returning. And since January, each month we have killed or captured an average of more than 1,500 al Qaeda terrorists and other enemies of Iraq's elected government.

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Our surge is seizing the initiative from the enemy and handing it to the Iraqi people. And Iraqis are responding. Local residents are coming forward with tips that are helping U.S. and Iraqi forces rout out terrorists hiding among the population. While political progress has been slower than we had hoped, the Iraqi parliament passed more than 50 pieces of legislation in its most recent session. They approved a $41 billion budget, created an electoral commission and military courts, and laid the groundwork for private sector investment in production of gasoline and diesel fuel. At the same time, Iraqi forces have taken responsibility for security in a number of areas. They are taking losses at a much higher rate than we are. And they're making these sacrifices willingly, because they are determined to see their children live in freedom.

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The enemy in Iraq is still dangerous, and the surge is still in its early stages. Changing conditions on the ground is difficult work. But our troops are proving that it can be done. They are carrying out their mission with skill and honor. They are accomplishing great things for the future of our Nation and for the future of a free Iraq.

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Thank you for listening.

Posted by Doug at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

 

 

Did that get your attention? You sports crazed fans who could care less that this guy is a horrible example to the youth of America keep celebrating, because many of us believe that Hank Aaron still owns the homerun record legitimately.

Click here for my former post on Bonds. I know the arguments...even if he did take steroids, it wasn't illegal when he took them...certainly let's not argue about whether steroids are right or wrong or that they artificially enhance someone's ability to play the game better and probably corrupt our little leaguers who learn by example from some of their heroes, or whether it's really cheating or not.

Nope! Sorry, Bonds' new record means absolutely nothing to me as it will forever be tainted!

H/T: Sue

Posted by Judy at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

• Chan Eddy from the WeekendPundit will join us in studio co-hosting for the entire show. It's a regular Blog-Fest today! GraniteGrok, AnkleBitingPundits, GilfordGrok, and WeekendPundit. Should be good stuff!
• NH Verizon/ FairPoint sale brouhaha. Is this a dangerous deal for everyone?
• The Right-to-Know laws are being used hard right here in Central NH by the citizens and the media. Guess what? The pols aren't liking it! From the Belknap County Convention to some sunshine-wary "leaders" in Gilford and Moultonborough, the heat is on. The people are DEMANDING open government!
• Of course, some members of our school board still don't get it!
• Nancy Pelosi's visit to NH
• Turnaround in Iraq
• The lefties don't like our Judy Paris and her posts here at the 'Grok!
• Speaking of Judy, the Politico featured her this week on their site. We are quite proud to be helping her on her road to fame & glory... :-)
• Prez politics roundup. Rudy. McCain. Fred. Mitt. etc.
• Celebrating A-Bomb Week

Posted by Doug at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, back to McCain's again for last night's Town Meeting event. This time, the it was at the Wright Museum in Wolfeboro NH. The Wright is dedicated to preserving the memory of the time during WWII and in honoring those of the Greatest Generation. Located in the big amphitheater, the crowd is up front surrounded by a tracked ack-ack, a tracked jeep type of vehicle, and a Sherman tank. The area is ringed b y a balcony and the place is packed! Heck, it was packed a half hour ago and with standing room only. I joked with Jill that she should have a drawing and the winner gets to sit on the muzzle of the tank (only kidding)!

 
A somewhat older crowd, it still is an impressive turnout, given that this is the dead of summer, it is gorgeous out there (bright sun, dew points in the 50's, and temps in the low 70s). This is Wolfeboro – its claim to fame is that it is the oldest resort / vacation area in the US – all the way back to the 1700s people have been seeking this quaint New England town (heck, the new President of France, Sarkozy, is spending a couple of weeks here).

Pledge of Allegiance was led by John, a Viet Nam era vet (didn't catch his last name).  Then,
Dave Knox gave giving the opening remarks. Intro'd the “special local notables” – Matt Stanley family. Commissioner Dave Sorenson, Peter Oaker (County Commissioner), Stand Stevens House Representative. Talked about McCain's book about "Faith of Our Fathers".  He stressed that John McCain will not change his views easily - he does not change for mere political expediency.

As Senator McCain strode in,  there was a standing "O" to the music of "Johnny Be Good". The audience started to clap in time to the music (which sounded speeded up a tad). Played the entire song and people stayed right up. Of course, typing away means that I cannot really see if he is here.....note to self...wearable / belt style computer, chording keyboard and eyeglass monitor may be needed to be in my future....yup, a geek to the end.

When everyone sat down, he looked good and full of energy. 

Note: Considering the long day he had already had, I was surprised.  Reflecting back on the Franklin event and watching him during the rest of the evening, it is clear that he is in his element in this type of setting. It seemed that he became more and more energized as the event progressed.  I may sound like a broken record, but he does relish getting questions from the audience, looking for that back and forth between him and the questioner.  There were a couple of "doozies" that I believe were obvious setups, but even those he answered honestly.  He wants to make sure that the attendees that are chosen get as much of a complete answer as is possible in that setting and, admittedly, in that style of event.

THAT is the McCain advantage.  I've personally seen others, and watched others on TV, and I don't think anyone can match his intensity in trying to talk with the person asking the question.  One may not agree with his answers or his stances, but he, at that moment, makes it seems as the only important person in the room at that moment in time is YOU...and not him.

Anyways, more after the jump (and I will be adding more, including some exclusive audio clips by and for GraniteGrok at the McCain event)! 

Irish jokes – the only ethnic joke you can tell nowadays. Bar is empty with one guy at either end. One gets up, goes to the other. Where are you from? Ireland? Me too! And thus they swap drinks.  Whereabouts in Ireland?  Oh, Dublin you say!  The two swap some more drinks. What school didja go to? Oh, St. Mary's?  Me too! Drinks again. A new person comes in and watches the two at the end of the bar and asks the barkeep "Who are those folks?"  Ah, they're just the O'Brien twins getting drunk again."

Another quick quip: chided the museum director that he needed to add more Navy stuff.   Another was noticing that Governer Lynch (a Democrat) was not present, so told this quick Prison joke – Two prisoners were waiting in the chow line and they both mumble about the lack of quality in the food.  Finally, one turns to the other and flatly declares "the food was better here when you were governor."

Senator mentions the South Carolina news (moving up their date) – NH has to be first, as the people here understand what is at stake. "You will be going to other town meetings that will be more boring than mine." He does not believe that the front loading is good for America. He wants the Iowa caucus, the NH primary, and then the SC. If he is President, he will ensure it stays first. "Pandering is now over."

Chertoff – news – more enforcement of employers. People want existing laws enforced. This will be the SS matching, that an employer has to fire an employee if the SS numbers do not match up (as in the case of illegal immigrants) and the non-compliance letter is sent. If the employer does not take action, big fine or prosecution will result. People were right – we have to enforce our present laws. More efforts will now be done to enforce it.

He still wants a temp worker policy. Proposing a work 10 months, go back 2 months cycle. Have to address 12 million illegal and 2-3 that have done crimes. This is a very emotional issue for most people.

The previous bill failed because people did not have the confidence that we would secure our borders – Katrina, out of control spending, bad Iraq for 4 years, congress folk in jai – what's to have confidence in? Mentioned low ratings.  He promises that the border will secured and that the border state governers should certify that the border is secure and not the Feds.

He goes on to talk about the the Republicans lost - the deserted Republican principles by overspending and making big government instead of smaller government.  More examples....but boy, is he is intense mode. Peppered the intro with small jokes, keeping the audience engaged.  The message is that we have to stop the spending. We can use ridicule help that process - of the
$50 billion highway bill – $2 billion went to porkbarrel projects like the $233 million Bridge to Nowhere. Take the 2 Bill and apply that right in the first place, then let the pols say they need more taxes.

Iraq – we have sacrifice so much. War was mismanaged (Rumsfeld will go down as one of the worst Sec Def of all time). The strategy we have now should have started way back. The surge has only been in place a short time and it is succeeding. The strategy was "kill and leave". Now, it is "kill and stay". This allows the political process to start. Attacks are way down and the Sunnis are joining.

He is not happy with Maliki – brought up the soccer win to show that the people can be Iraqis  and not Sunni, Shia, or Kurd.  Even those that were against the invasion, they are against a date for withdrawal. The process should be front line to backup forces to forward bases to rearward bases to leaving.

While we need oil, we have strategic needs in that area. Syria is trying to destabilize Lebanon, Hamas is arming in Gaza. Hezbullah is antsy in Lebanon. Iranians are sending the most lethal IEDs into Iraq and want to eliminate Israel. We have to think regionally and not just about Iraq.

Middle of Dec (?) Patraeus will be back. The great debate in Congress will start between those that want to win and those that want to declare defeat. McCain said that he will sacrifice his campaign on behalf of the war. The threat of radical Islamism is the biggest that we and our children will have faced since the Nazis.  Repeated the Navy Seal purple heart ceremony in Bethesda Naval Mark Roberts (Robins?). “We can win this fight”

Audo clips will be here in a couple of minutes!

On to the Q and A.  The above prose noticed, the real amount of time was spent by McCain in the back and forth with the audience.

Note: I listen to the Dem debates and events and the Repub events and debates.  You know what one of the big differences is in the style of questions.  The Dems tend to ask more of "what are you going to do for me or my family....the Rs tend to ask more broadly based questions (Dems - what about me!  Rs - ask the issue) 

One of the things that disturbs a disabled vet that is still in the Reserves (She served during OIF) is the big difference between the VA and the military when someone is discharged. Why is there a 6 – 12 month lag before help gets to them?

He takes responsibility for part of the problem, so he is responsible for fixing it. George Washington – the willingness of our young people is directly proportional to what they see how the former vets are treated. Bob Dole has just released his committee's recommendations on this specific issue (whom, McCain noted, is a big supporter and fund raiser for the Wright Museum). We did not plan for the much better battle field care that now exists that has saved many more lives than in previous conflicts and the length of this war. The Wounded Warrior bill is held up by Reid as he wants another debate to get out of Iraq instead of helping our military in need.

Many politicians say they what they want to do, but HOW would you and your Admin plan to stop ALL illegal immigration which has affected our jobs, schools, health care and national security?

We need fences, UAVs, sensors, border guards. Need a tamperproof biometric ID and a database. The employer has to verify that person's status to be able to work. He believes that there are some jobs that Americans won't do, especially in the Ag sector. But we have to prove that we can secure the border first. Asked if she had a follow up.

If an employer, say Yuma, advertises and no American shows up, then and only then can he advertise in Mexico. They would have to go to the embassy, get the biometric visa, then the Employer checks the DB and hires or sends home if >10 month. If illegally hired (say a counterfeit SS card) and it doesn't check, prosecute the employer.

What rights come with the temp visa?

None. If sick, then go to ER.  But that's it.

Follow up - Family?

No.  Nothing for bringing a family.  Not allowed.

Calderone (new President of Mexico) is a good guy and is trying to fight the drug cartels. Will be a hard fight and a long one. Mentioned the demand...and we should be trying to eliminate the demand (clapping). We should take some responsibility for the problem.

What about the illegals here now?

They will have to come out of the shadows, as there will be no jobs (SS match). If long term 40-50 years, pay a fine, go back to the home country, learn English, take the test, and then come back (take about 13 years as it will take that long to just clean up the green card backlog)

If the illegal has been here a short term here? They just go back

He quips "Gee I sure hate to change the subject!"

It is both a national security issue and climate change issue. If you don't believe the latter, what if we are wrong? What if we are right and do nothing? That is not right for future Americans.

Chavez hates us, Nigeria is unstable, and look at the attempt to try to blow up that Saudi refinery. We put a guy on the moon, we are the innovators.  We can do this.  He was at Google (liberal but...) quite a group - some of the smartest people in the world!

He and Lieberman – want to propose a "trap and trade"...marketplace orientation. Wants nukes to reduce greenhouse (France generates 80% of its electricity from nukes). Sarkozy is Pro-American (shows that if you live long enough anything can happen!).(pandering – notes that Sarkozy's here in NH )

He is for wind, solar, hybrid, tide.

40 years already on War on Drugs Why is this not different from Prohibition?

Some alcohol can be good you. Drugs are just damaging. Nancy Reagan – "just say no" and there was some success with that, even though liberals were against it. First time offenders should not be jailed but rehab. Constant testing. Have to have constant education.

First questioner again - Vets – OIF – Progress is being made in Congress. She is still in reserve although disabled. Drat missed the question.

As a reservist on active, you have access to all medical facilities. If in reserves, you should still have that access. We should improve the whole system.

Follow up – I'm not following it - cannot hear.

He admits he he doesn't know, but will have his staff follow up.

As a mom and grandmom, global warming. We've already done lots, but what are we supposed to do about India and China?

We have to make international agreements, but it will do nothing if China and India do nothing.

Follow up – she does not want to see us throw billions away and screw up our economy and China & India do nothing.

GE is doing well with green. Nukes have to be part of the mix. Cap and trade.

And now for the emotional part of the evening.  A lady stood up, Lynn Savage, in the front and said that she lost her son in Baghdad - Cpl Matthew Stanley, 22,  killed on his second tour.  She had worn a silver bracelet during Viet Nam to show her support for the troops then and was now wearing a black one in memory of her son.  She asked if he would be willing to wear it in his memory. 

Talk about a shocker!  It was like he just ran into a brick wall (face it, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes too!).  You could tell it rocked him emotionally - he stumbled a bit but choked out that he would be honored to wear it.  He took it and gave her a big hug. 

He IS one of the troops big supporters, and to have this happen...wow.  His emotions came to the fore and the intensity of the moment grabbed everyone.  Something like this brings it home, that life is unfair and that hard sacrifices have been made.  Yet, they can be celebrated in rememberance as well.  And this was one of those moments.

Name 5 Changes that you would do different from current administration?

National security – Islamic radicalism
Global warming.
Close Guantanamo
we will never torture another prisoner
try to be humble.

That high moment, that solemn moment, was broken by two selfish "setup" questions. 

Republicans have lost respect for states rights. What will you do for states for federal raided medical marijuana clinics that have been approved by states?

Nothing – he does not believe it relieves pain, it is damaging, and it is a federal issue and not state rights one even though he is a Federalist. He does not support it. He believes it is a gateway drug....thanks for her advocacy.

SHE GOT UP AND LEFT.  She showed that she was there just to ask the question in public and get it taped.

What about those that suffer from PSTD and not a vet?  What will you do for me.

I don't think McCain heard the question? He thinks that vets have a special status and deserve the care. Mercs get high high pay and are not entitled to it.

Follow up – I now you were tortured – I was tortured as a child - what about me?

Mc – will help you if we can and will talk to staff.

It turned out that I watch him and her, and another couple of people (camera guy and someone looking like a reporter) all get into a car together.  Before that, I saw him and the "reporter" joking quite a bit together .  This, I believe, was a setup - either just for their issue group or to make McCain look bad. 

Across 13 million children live in poverty. 28K in NH. What will you do to get their parents a livable wage?

It can be cured with a healthy economy. Minimum wage just went up. Serious concern about healthcare (he will work on that for peace of mind and stability). He will provide job training and education that will allow families to take part in our economy. We don't have the trained people to fill what is needed.

As an educator, I am concerned about NCLB by this Admin?

It is a good beginning – I can finally compare my daughter against those in NH. First time for a lot of things and that it injects competition and standards. Is it perfect? No. We need to improve it and don't discard it. His State superindentdant complains about Spanish speaking there and that it hurts his competitiveness to have to be judged against all English speakers and that his students leave before graduation and again hurts his state's scores.

We need choice and competition. The charter schools work well and provide competition. 2 years in CA and teachers get tenure and cannot be fired for bad jobs...and that is not right. He will spend money where ever it is needed.

Highest spending in DC and not one congressman sends their kids there. It is not always about money as DC is also the worst system in the country. We should try vouchers. In Washington state, have a 3K voucher for low income parent to go anywhere (being challenged). His wife is an ex special teacher. Teachers have to join us instead of fighting it.

What do you believe the success conclusion in Iraq and how do we get there?

Present strategy is working and some Iraqis are leading. It is starting to happen for the better. Political govt can and needs to get going . Then we can withdraw. We have to convince Saudi and Eygpt to get involved as it is their own self interest. Don't know what to do about Iran and Syria. Maliki has to become effective.

Follow – how do we get Saudis and Eygpt involved – hasn't happened so far?

We have to convince them that we are going to be there for the long haul until we are no longer needed.

Stem cell research – husband was a 2003 bone transfer that failed and 2005 stem cell that worked.

Hard for us that are pro life and fights for the rights of the unborn. After hard thought and prayer, he is now for funding stem cell research for the relive of human pain and suffering. Hoping that with new research, it won't come to that.

Battery is almost out!!!

We have the best healthcare, but have to make it more affordable. He is against single payer like that proposed by Dems like that in Canada and England

• reward with lower prem for wellness
• medical practice tort reform – defensive
• HSAs
• Low income tax dividends for premium
• allow small biz to join to get better rates
• people have to take more responsibility (Reagan – no one washes a rental car) rather than employer
• portability
• if lose job, can't afford COBRA. Maybe just catastrophic is needed.

There is no bigger supporter than you on our troops. He will never see American troops see in a place where the gov does support them. What if the Maliki govt doesn't get better?

He is not sure what the easy solution is.

Posted by Skip at 7:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Dude, I couldn't have said it better myself except to say that Paul Hodes and Shea-Pompous are also enemies to the United States of America!

Click here to read this guy who gets it letter to the editor recently published in the Monitor.

Posted by Judy at 5:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

CLICK HERE....feeling helpless? Pray for God's Blessings on our fellow Americans in Minnesota! Thank you, Lord, for saving all of the school children in the bus! Be with all those who have lost loved ones and comfort them. Abundant blessings on all the unselfish people who stepped up to help without a thought for their own safety. Bless the First Responders, the Police and Fire Departments and all those who did the right thing regardless of their own feelings.

Hug your wife, husband, mom, dad, grammy, grampy, your children and your friends and tell