GraniteGrok

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• Discussion: The Bombay attack. Demonstrating the "Tet Offensive" style of attack Doug has long feared. Lots of people carrying guns is really the only defense in a case like this.
• Once again the gutless politicians-- REPUBLICANS-- caved when it came to finally getting a handle and  REDUCING government spending and budgets. The county government. Can it ever be fixed? I still say we are enabling bad behavior with some of what is provided by the social services industrial-complex.
• Speaking of local spending-- after managing to delay voters from having their say on a tax cap during the most recent election, Concord officials are now taking their argument to Court. The New Hampshire Advantage Coalition's Mike Biundo checks in with an update.
• What about the federal budget? Where does all the money come from?
• And an update on our very own budget process right here in Gilford, with SB2 (Official Ballot) voting solving the question of outside agency funding by allowing a specific protocol for getting onto the ballot. Meredith, are you listening?
• The auto industry dominated by the "Big Three." Is there a different model? Perhaps more regional in the approach? We'll discuss some interesting electric cars in the offing and how they  stand a chance to revolutionize the business. Think "microbrews"...
• And of course, ===============>> Your calls are encouraged at 603 527 1490.

Posted by Doug at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• We were thrilled when we got the news:

(CONCORD) The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy has hired veteran reporter and policy staffer Grant Bosse to head a new investigative project for the free market think tank.

"The Bartlett Center has been a leader in the fight for a more transparent government and putting as much information as possible at the fingertips of policymakers. We’re very excited to have the opportunity to have Grant Bosse join our team. I think this will be the perfect fusion of Grant's award-winning experience as a radio journalist and the commitment to free market principles he has shown in both his policy work and his recent run for Congress. This will significantly enhance the Bartlett center's commitment to open government. I expect that politicians of all stripes will find the work we do and the information we uncover very helpful in their decision making, especially during the tough budget battles ahead," said Bartlett Center president Charles Arlinghaus.

We were pleased both for our friend Grant, who we enthusiastically endorsed in the NH 2nd CD Republican primary, and for the Josiah Bartlett Center, an excellent Granite State public policy think tank. Grant will join us in the studio to discuss his new position, Governor Lynch's budget cuts in Concord (yep-- they all made fun of Joe Kenney for his cell phone usage reduction to save $$ and, guess what?!) and proposed budget requests for next year. What's a couple billion dollars more among friends?

• Steve DeMaura checks in for an update on the deceptively named "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA), otherwise known as "card check", which effectively removes the secret ballot option for unionization votes in the workplace. His group, Americans for Job Security, has rolled out a national TV ad hoping to support Senate Republicans in their efforts to continue blocking this onerous legislation. Seems that CBS, hosting Madame Speaker Pelosi on its Sunday morning talking head show (that nobody that I know watches), has decided they won't run the ad. There are so many scary implications to consider within this issue and this particular story. Are we witnessing the death of free speech in America, as well as a massive takeover by the labor unions and its thugs?

• As most listeners and readers should know, both Skip and I serve on our local town's budget committee. Fellow member Terry Stewart drops by to discuss this week's mob scene public forum set by the Belknap County Commissioners to hear complaints input on their proposal to cut funding for all outside agencies not required by law. Although the local paper billed the attendees as "residents", other than the three of us, and a budget committee member from Sanbornton, it appeared that the other 140 or so people in the room were either employed, or somehow tied in with the outside agencies, similar "non-profit" organizations, or a division of government. They just don't make enough duct tape to make it easy to listen to what we endured Thursday eve. The tentacles of socialism and the social services industrial complex will not be easily removed...

We'll also discuss the latest "growth sector" in the local budget: the library. You know-- the FREE one!

• Meredith resident Lisa Merrill thinks her fellow residents would benefit by having the school board's meetings videotaped and aired on the public access channel, just like the town's select board meetings. Based upon the reaction she's getting, it seems the schoolies are a little camera shy. Gee, I wonder why? Don't you think elected representatives would jump at the thought of allowing their adoring voters the chance to see them in action?

We'll discuss her efforts and perhaps offer a few helpful pointers. We'll also encourage her to spend some time explaining and spreading the word about the importance of passing SB2-- the "Official Ballot RSA 40:13" in her town. It's looking like the massive growth of new, taxable properties has run its course, the government having effectively killed the golden goose in that they've spent every dime. If the voters don't claim their right to have their say in all-day voting in the privacy of the booth, the big spenders will no doubt continue with reckless abandon, having been spoiled for the last decade or so.

• And of course, ===============>> Your calls are encouraged at 603 527 1490.

Wow! It all starts at 9AM EST Saturday. Tune in if you're in Central NH at NewsTalk 1490AM WEMJ on the dial or live on the 'Net here... It ain't your Poppy's tired, worn out radio show. If you can't handle it, well, go somewhere else while you still have a choice. The PC police have, to this point, only been warming up. Starting next January, it's game time. Hopefully, we'll be ready.

Posted by Doug at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• The gals are back! Former schoolteacher turned activist Jane Aitken and math-wiz Ann Marie Banfield (the 'Grok's newest blogger) once again join us in studio for a whirlwind tour of the latest forces seeking to destroy education as we (used to) know it. In a post here on the 'Grok, Ann Marie sounded a dire warning about what's happening in our schools:

As we try to play catch up to the Democrats, one area that continues to fly under the radar screen is our public education system.  This is a system that continually indoctrinates children into the ideals of liberalism.  This is a system that Republicans have virtually washed their hands of.  Yet this is the most pressing issue we face.”

“It is hard to run behind this indoctrination program and do repair work.  It is best avoided when the indoctrination is not allowed to be conducted in the classrooms.”

Indeed. It's scary stuff. And whether it's in the classroom, or not, the propaganda never seems to stop. We'll talk about the latest play being put on by the students ere in our local government school that carries anti-capitalism/ radical environmental mesages.

We'll also discuss the trial balloon being floated about graduating NH students after the 10th grade. What!?

As we did the last time they were up, one of the things we'll focus on the lovely-sounding International Baccalaureate Program.  You'll cringe when you learn how deeply into local schools UNESCO and the UN have driven. Is this what parents want from their children's schools? If they only knew! More recommended reading here. Community theme pdf here (note freedom fighter reference). Here in Gilford, when promoting the program, the Superintendent mentions, according to meeting minutes, that large portions of its education philosophy follow Dewey very closely. Find out about Dewey here. Yikes! Oh, and we'll bag on NH's "Follow the Child" initiative while we're at it. Yep-- more co$tly meaningless pap that does everything but EDUCATE!

When trying to follow what's happening in the schools, look for the telltale buzzwords:

Goals 2000
block scheduling
team teaching
cross-curricular
world citizenship or global citizens
child-centered learning
whole language
constructivist learning (math or any other subject)
pass/fail instead of ABC grading
cooperative learning
environmental education
teaching for social justice
world class
lifelong learners

This will be an eye opener for sure. Ann Marie is right-- who controls our children's education is the most pressing issue we face!

• Duane Lester is an ex-Navy journalist turned blogger and podcaster. He is the lead writer and editor for All American Blogger. You can also find him on StumbleUpon, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blog Talk Radio and Newsvine. This week he posted an informative piece reminding us that Democrats who hate the internal combustion engine are now engaged in a fight to bailout automakers. After noting the Democrats vaunted love for all things environmental, he points out the seeming departure when it comes to one of "the biggest causes of pollution in the world" and fingers the reason: unions. With the automakers bailout bid on the docket for next week, it will do us well to understand what it's all about.

We'll also discuss Obama's "evolving" plan to call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Duane calls it what it is: FORCED LABOR.

 

• All politics is local. We'll review the budget process in town thus far. Whether it's Washington, DC or Gilford, NH, the big spending socialists are everywhere promoting their belief that people are simply helpless without the helping hand of government. Were we ahead of our time last year when we led the charge against funding outside agencies part of the social services industrial complex? Now, Belknap County follows suit. Really, how many juvenile justice diversion programs do we need, anyway?

• RNC chair-- Newt? Michael Steele? John E. Sununu? We'll discuss who we like.

• And of course, ===============>> Your calls are encouraged at 603 527 1490.

Wow! It all starts at 9AM EST Saturday. Tune in if you're in Central NH at NewsTalk 1490AM WEMJ or live on the 'Net here... The best radio (in our humble opinions) anywhere...

Posted by Doug at 12:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Grant Bosse (who we endorsed in this past primary for NH CD-2) was subbing for Charlie Sherman on his morning show on WGIR; we had fun during the segment allotted for us to talk about our reaction to the general election results.

You can go here and listen to the podcast.

Posted by Skip at 7:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dawn at the Alamo

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

[LIVESTREAM IS TEMPORARILY BROKEN]

Keep an eye out for the podcast. Our apologies. Skip has been feverishly trying to fix the glitch, but it appears it will take more work than he can do while broadcasting the show...

• Election aftermath. Doug and Skip agree with Ann Marie's guest post that notes

As we try to play catch up to the Democrats, one area that continues to fly under the radar screen is our public education system.  This is a system that continually indoctrinates children into the ideals of liberalism.  This is a system that Republicans have virtually washed their hands of.  Yet this is the most pressing issue we face. 
 
It is hard to run behind this indoctrination program and do repair work.  It is best avoided when the indoctrination is not allowed to be conducted in the classrooms.  

Check out this post over at GilfordGrok.com about the play "UrineTown" being presented by the government school students in the 'Grok's hometown. Indoctrination? Sure looks like it. Will anyone rise up and say anything? How many young children showed up from school announcing their "support" for Obama, much to the chagrin of their parents? The battle for America takes place in the Nation's schools...

• Our buddy John Hawkins of RightWingNews (RWN) & the Conservative Grapevine joins us for some free-wheeling chat about "what's next" for America, the war, the Republican Party, and the conservative movement. What are "The Top 7 Reasons Why The GOP Can't Build A Political Party Around Moderates?" John wrote several good posts about the future of the right side of the Blogosphere and its place in the aforementioned topics. We'll also discuss what Skip and I believe is the attempted destruction of Sarah Palin by the establishment of the Republican Party, fearing her populist conservatism much like they did with Ronald Reagan.

• Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta checks in and gives us his take on the election and what Granite Staters can expect in the upcoming two years. What challenges will he face as he leads his city through these perilous economic times and what is the best thing he can do to help his citizens? We'll also talk about the landslide passage of a tax cap in Rochester and what the next step is for the Manchester cap. Oh yeah, as proponents of a gubernatorial run by the Mayor in the last cycle, believing him to be a credible and exciting candidate able to give Gov. Lynch a run for his money, we'd be remiss if we didn't ask him about a run in 2010... 

• In Wednesday's WSJ Opinion Journal, investigative reporter/lawyer Jeffrey Scott Shapiro wrote a great piece entitled "The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace-- What must our enemies be thinking?" In it he noted,

It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.

Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.

[snip]

Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.

Yep. We couldn't agree more. Almost since day one of his presidency, he's been "damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't." Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned with John F. Kerry's legal team during the presidential election in 2004. Earlier in his career, Shapiro investigated several crime stories on location including the JonBenet Ramsey murder case, the Columbine shootings and the disappearance of Chandra Levy. He is the author of "Kobe Bryant: The Game of His Life."  Shapiro is best known for a story he published in The Washington Times' "Insight on the News," about an FBI investigation concerning possible prior knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks in the Arab-American community in New York City. The story also featured Shapiro's own investigation, which led him to many mosques, foreign consulates and law enforcement agencies in New York and New Jersey in an attempt to track al-Qaeda's presence in the area.

Posted by Doug at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• Senator Sununu checks in from the campaign trail. We'll ask him whether he thinks the good folks at BAE Systems and others are "war profiteers" that are "bilking the taxpayers for billions of dollars." We'll also discuss the deceptively named "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA) that removes the right of employees to a secret ballot when deciding whether to unionize, replacing it with a "card check" decision. This is it.. the last word before Tuesday's vote!

• 1st Congressional District candidate Republican Jeb Bradley has kept MTNP listeners up to speed throughout the entire primary and general campaign seasons... and we expect he'll continue to do the same once he replaces the cider-sippin' antiwar peacenik lovin' Democrat Carol Shea Porter. We'll get the lowdown on the final days of the election...

• Our friend Liz Mair is the Online Communications Director, eCampaign Division for the Republican National Committee. Once again she'll check in as we assess the last few days of the campaign season. How do things look for Republicans? Is it possible that McCain & Palin can bring it on home? What about Obama's tax plans? Do Americans really understand what it all means? Are there enough people left in America like Joe the plumber to make a difference? Will Congressional races find Republicans faring better than conventional wisdom? We think Jeb is going to take out Carol Shea Porter here in NH's 1st CD. Are there any other "Jebs" out there?

• Frequent MTNP guest Jen Rubin contributes to the American Spectator, Human Events, Commentary Magazine.com's Contentions blog, along with a host of other excellent magazines, websites, and news organizations. Is she hopeful for next Tuesday's election, or is she getting ready to hunker down and ride out the Obama agenda, as outlined by Krauthammer?   Predictions? Dare we?

Posted by Doug at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• As reported by our friends at PolitickerNH.com,

Comments made by New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Ray Buckley became the focus of a press conference by congressional candidate Jennifer Horn and Debbie Lee, a mother who lost her son in Iraq and who has been supporting Republican candidates in New Hampshire.

According to Lee, last night after a debate between U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-Rochester) and former U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro), Buckley told Lee that she was "being used" by Bradley's campaign. Earlier that day Lee had endorsed Bradley. "The statement he made to me was disgusting. He said at that point that I was being used, that my son's sacrifices were being used by the campaign," said Lee, who is a member of the group Move America Forward.

Lee also said that Buckley told her, "We've all lost things."

The conversation between Buckley and Lee took place after Natalie Healy, who lost her son in Afghanistan, confronted Shea-Porter about why Shea-Porter had not returned her phone calls and letters.

Jeb Bradley will join us in studio and we'll have Debbie Lee and Natalie via phone. We'll hear their stories firsthand. Jeb has called for Chairman Buckley's resignation. We agree. We'll also discuss the real story behind the faulty national-level VFW endorsement of his opponent (yep- the cider-sippin' peacenik-lovin' antiwar lib) and what the locals have to say about this wrong from on high...

• Doug &  Skip discuss a few things, including a complaint by a NH citizen against Democratic front groups that was filed with the NH AG. Don't forget the machine gun shoot Sunday.

• Joining us for the second time here on MTNP radio is Mass Resistance's John F. Russo, who tells us he has "publicly opposing the homosexual movement since 1993." A former Reading, MA school committee member, John has been writing newspaper articles, speaking on radio and TV, and has provided public testimony regarding the homosexual agenda and family values in both Massachusetts and NH. He also spends a great amount of time providing training and research to help grow the activist movement in defense of traditional family values. What triggered our invitation this time is tonight's event being hosted by NH's openly gay Episcopal "bishop" Gene  Robinson right here in the 'Grok's hometown:

The Open Doors Fellowship will be presenting a Lakes Region-wide showing of Daniel Karslake's film, "For The Bible Tells Me So," on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the First United Methodist Church in Gilford, and Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson will be on hand to introduce the film and hold a question-and-answer session afterward.

Why can't he just shut up and go about his "business" quietly? What kind of  a "leader" is willing to destroy the very enterprise he heads? And worse, what kind of people are in his "flock" that would allow this to even happen? No wonder the "churches" are emptier and emptier every weekend. Why bother dragging your rear end down to "church" on Sunday when you can simply turn on MTV? Mr. Russo will attempt to give us the answer and what we should do. We'll also ask him about certain Democrat politicians promiising a gay marriage bill in the next legislative session here in NH. What could that mean?

• Fellow "Samspherian" Leslie Carbone is the author of Slaying Leviathan: The Moral Case for Tax Reform (Potomac, 2009) and blogs at www.lesliecarbone.blogspot.com. Her work has appeared in magazines including The Weekly Standard and The American Enterprise, in newspapers from The Philadelphia Inquirer to The San Francisco Chronicle, and on Web sites like BreakPoint and National Review Online. We'll get her take on the ongoing tax debate sparked by Joe the Plumber and whether there's any hope that we can "slay Leviathan"? We'll also talk about the "Cornell versus Elena" story she covered in this excellent and eye-opening post. If you thought free speech and open-minded debate and discussion thrives on all college campuses, think again. We'll also touch on the failed Hawaii universal health care experiment and what we should (but probably won't) learn from it.

• And of course, ===============>> Your calls are encouraged at 603 527 1490.

Wow! It all starts at 9AM EST Saturday. Tune in if you're in Central NH at NewsTalk 1490AM WEMJ or live on the 'Net here... The best radio (in our humble opinions) anywhere...

Posted by Doug at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• Senator Sununu checks in from the campaign trail. We'll discuss the deceptively named "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA) that removes the right of employees to a secret ballot when deciding whether to unionize, replacing it with a "card check" decision. We'll get an update on the campaign and get his take on the economy and what's next. Can we trust Jeanne Shaheen when it comes to her no tax promises?

• Republican state senate candidate Greg Knytych hangs with us for a while. He'll tell us what it was like addressing the crowd at Wednesday's Sarah Palin appearance here in Laconia. We'll talk about what the day was like, and why it was exciting (for a change, lately) to be a Republican. It's been a long time since we've seen such enthusiasm among Granite State GOPers. We'll savor the moment...

• Our friend Liz Mair is the Online Communications Director, eCampaign Division for the Republican National Committee. She'll check in to discuss the newest phenomena in the presidential campaign: "Joe the plumber". Specifically, we won't be talking about the guy himself, but his question, and more importantly, Obama's answer, and what it all means. I'll be blunt-- when Obama promises to "spread the wealth", he sounds like your basic communist. We'll see if Liz agrees with that assessment.

• Every day I read the paper, and every day I learn NH's budget hole just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Gov Do-Nuthin' Lynch says he's working to find solutions, seeking input from state workers. We'll see if Gregg has any thoughts on how to help the poor Governor get us out of this mess (that he and his fellow comrades in the Democrat Party helped create). We'll also touch on Hawaii's short-lived universal health care experiment that ended, well, as a failure. Let that be a lesson for the rest of us!

"People who were already able to afford health care began to stop paying for it so they could get it for free," said Dr. Kenny Fink, the administrator for Med-QUEST at the Department of Human Services. "I don't believe that was the intent of the program."

D'uh! Really?

• Next Saturday brings the Second Annual Machine Gun Shoot, presented by the Pemi-Baker Valley Republican Committee to be held at the Pemigewasset Valley Fish & Game Club located in Holderness, NH. Jerry Thibodeau will give us the details of the day's events which features a multitude of shooting activities including pistol, cowboy, trap, silhouette, rifle, and of course, machine guns!

• Joe Kenney, the Republican candidate for NH Governor will join us once again to discuss his campaign against the an ever-popular John Lynch. With the aforementioned big budget woes , all is not peaches and cream. Can Kenney capitalize on Gov. Lynch's budget-busting ways that threaten to permanantly damage our NH Advantage? What would Joe do if he was in Gov Lynch's shoes?

• Warner Todd Huston runs the Publius' Forum blog. His work has been featured on townhall.com, renewamerica.us, opinioneditorials.com and many, many other websites. He wrote an interesting post based on the lead editorial that appeared in last Sunday's Toledo Blade, noting that it was

a seeming plea to institute in America a chief communist principle: the “right” to a job. As anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the Constitution knows, of course, there is no such “right.” Nor should there be. But this hasn’t stopped the Toledo Blade from pushing this anti-American notion and pleading for Barack Obama to take it up anyway.

We'll discuss how the suggestions put forth in the disgusting piece are based on vote-seeking ideas cooked up by FDR such as the so-called "second Bill of Rights". My Uncle Mike, a history teacher at a public school in RI, once told me (before I really understood such things) that we came very close to socialism during those days, with many of Roosevelts "progressive" schemes actually emulating facets of communism. Warner raises many interesting and scary points in his analysis of both the Blade editorial and Obama's "plans" for America.

• And of course, ===============>> Your calls are encouraged at 603 527 1490.

Wow! It all starts at 9AM EST Saturday. Tune in if you're in Central NH at NewsTalk 1490AM WEMJ or live on the 'Net here... The best radio (in our humble opinions) anywhere...

Posted by Doug at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For Immediate Release:                            Contact: Skip Murphy 603-524-4794
Release Date: Oct 17 2008                       Skip@GraniteGrok.com

GraniteGrok.com / Meet The New Press (radio) just learned that the Shea-Porter campaign is lamenting the loss of a debating opportunity and lambasting Jeb Bradley for denying the public that opportunity. Yet, the Shea-Porter campaign staff continues to ignore the opportunity offered since mid-September to come debate former Congressman Jeb Bradley on air in a free-wheeling format that would have been moderated by influential NH based bloggers from both the Right and Left.

The proprietors of GraniteGrok (New Hampshire's leading conservative blogsite) and Meet The New Press offered the Bradley and Shea-Porter campaigns the perfect chance to reach out to both Central NH broadcast listeners as well as to the NH blogging community (via a live Internet stream) after former Congressman Jeb Bradley suggested the event back in mid- September during an appearance. “The Central NH population is a large part of New Hampshire's First Congressional District. In addition, New Hampshire's Internet blogging community, both Right and Left, has become more and more important in informing and influencing the general public on all things political. Jeb Bradley has willingly allowed himself to be questioned by some of the sharpest bloggers in New Hamphsire; why is Carol Shea-Porter, and her campaign manager, Pia Carusone, refusing to do the same? To snub both populations shows an amazing lack of concern for these important constituents." said Skip Murphy, co-founder of GraniteGrok and Meet The New Press.

GraniteGrok.com / Meet The New Press stand ready to host the event in case Carol Shea-Porter decides to change her mind. Jeb Bradley has already agreed to paricpate at any time..

GraniteGrok can be found on the web at http://www.GraniteGrok.com and Meet The New Press (a show by bloggers about the blogosphere) broadcasts on WEMJ 1490 AM (live streaming from GraniteGrok) on Saturdays, 9-11am and is the leading conservative talk show in its time slot in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

Carol Shea-

Posted by Skip at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

....

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• Cornerstone Policy Research's Karen Testerman drops by to discuss the Title V abstinence program funding for CMC's W.A.I.T. Training Program.  CMC   has worked hard over the past 2 years with their training the trainers program featuring W.A.I.T. Training.  They have been working with Health and Human Services under a Title V grant that is specifically aimed at providing abstinence education.  The program has been very successful in measureable results, making a major difference for our young people.
    
  The beauty of W.A.I.T. Training  is that it teaches our young people that they are more than a physical or sexual being.  They have emotions, intellect, social and spiritual sides to who they are and what they want to become.  Our children are learning that HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS ARE POSSIBLE. However, the results have been too successful according to Planned Parenthood.  The supporters of "safe sex" mounted a well organized letter writing campaign to Governor John Lynch in an attempt to derail renewal this year's funding. Thankfully, they failed. Karen will fill us in on this, and other family-friendly topics. We'll also get her take on the upcoming Sarah Palin  
  

• Jeb Bradley will check in with an update in his campaign to recapture NH's 1st CD seat from the incumbent Democrat Carol Shea Porter. We'll trash her for refusing our offer of a blogger-hosted debate here on MTNP radio, despite the agreed-to participation of our counterparts at BlueHampshire.com. We'll also get his take on the unfolding economic crisis and what, if anything, Congress should be doing.

• K. Mark Primeau is the President and CEO of the Laconia Savings Bank. He will join us in studio along with Steve Loughlin, Senior Vice  President in charge of the commercial lending team in the Lakes Region to talk about the ongoing financial turmoil and how it affects us and our economy at the local level. Thankfully, their bank remains strong, as it avoided many of the pitfalls dogging larger banking institutions at the national level. In an open letter to customers and depositors, the Mr. Primeau writes,

We do not have any of the toxic securities that have caused much of the recent troubles. We do not make subprime loans. We have no Fannie or Freddie preferred stock and we do not invest in speculative, high risk, securities.

We lend to Main Street, not Wall Street. Our deposits are invested in the local communities we serve in the form of loans to individuals and businesses.

Despite all the news of a “credit crunch”, Laconia Savings Bank has money to lend. You can count on us to be there when you want to purchase or improve your home, finance a car or an education, or expand your business.

During this difficult period, I hope it is reassuring to know that there is a bank with the financial strength to weather the storm. Although we cannot predict the future, I am hopeful that an effective and reasonable solution to today’s problems will be implemented to restore calm to the financial markets and restore America’s confidence.

And indeed, it IS reassuring to know that all is not lost everywhere, that there are bright spots in the mix.

• Joe Kenney, the Republican candidate for NH Governor will join us to discuss his campaign against the an ever-popular John Lynch. With big budget woes appearing on the horizon, all is not peaches and cream. Can Kenney capitalize on Gov. Lynch's budget-busting ways that threaten to permanantly damage our NH Advantage?

• ===============>> Your calls are encouraged at 603 527 1490.

Wow! It all starts at 9AM EST Saturday. Tune in if you're in Central NH at NewsTalk 1490AM WEMJ or live on the 'Net here... The best radio (in our humble opinions) anywhere...

Posted by Doug at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

....

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• We will review Sarah Palin's debate performance with Jane Swift, the former Governor of Massachusetts. A Republican, she was the only woman to ever hold that position, serving from 2001 to 2003. At the time she became governor, she was the youngest person in the country to hold the position. Previously she was Lieutenant Governor. In 1990, at the age of 25, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Massachusetts Senate. Surely she will have some interesting insight given her similar background at the state govenment level.

• Skip and Doug will continue the discussion about the debate and the campaign in general. It's hard to believe the election is now just one month away. What WILL we talk about after?

• Governor Lynch is asking state workers, according to the Union Leader, to point out ways New Hampshire can save money in order to help close a $100 million dollar budget deficit.

Top ranking state officials have three weeks to come up with ways to save money in their departments, Gov. John Lynch said yesterday.

Lynch met with heads of state agencies yesterday in a first round of talks aimed at closing an estimated $100 million budget deficit for the fiscal year that ends in nine months. Lynch said he wants to get ideas into practice as soon as possible, but will present a package to the full Legislative Fiscal Committee in November.

State Employees Association president Gary Smith and his staff met with Lynch, too. Smith said Lynch wants to see money-saving ideas from workers who know the details of their jobs.

Hmm. I'm sure the union will be a great help! We'll try to see if we can come up with some ideas of our own that we can suggest to the Governor... We'll also analyze his lame-o definition of the NH Advantage...

• The "bailout" and the economy. No experts, Skip and Doug will give their take, anyway, as they will be among those paying for it. That entitles them to an opinion, if nothing else...

• J.D. Tuccille’s warnings that the folks tasked with protecting us may be just as worrisome as the people they're protecting us from have been quoted by media including Wired and the New York Times. Published by newspapers such as the Washington Times and the Denver Post, he has written professionally about civil liberties for over a decade, most recently for Examiner.com. In his latest piece he writes

We're in for a new round of business regulation, if the current political climate is any indicator. Both Democrats and Republicans are excoriating Wall Street, blaming the financial meltdown on business decisions made beyond the guiding hand of the state. Never mind that Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron points to "ill-conceived federal policies" and reminds us, "beginning in 1977 and even more in the 1990s and the early part of this century, Congress pushed mortgage lenders and Fannie/Freddie to expand subprime lending." Congress will take time off from the difficult task of running up the national debt to tell the business sector how to order its affairs.

And that's a problem not just for economic freedom, but for civil liberties too.

Yikes!  JD will explain. We'll also discuss TASERS, given the injured officer in Gilford and the NYC death as reported on GilfordGrok here, here, here , here and here. JD writes on TASERS

Intended to save lives, and with the potential to do just that as a less-lethal weapon that can be deployed in situations that would otherwise require the use of firearms, the Taser too often suffers from mission-creep. Instead of being used as a replacement for a gun, it too often becomes a hammer in a world full of nails, deployed in inappropriate circumstances that suddenly, through the introduction of thousands of volts, become lethal.

• Etcetera...

Wow! It all starts at 9AM EST Saturday. Tune in if you're in Central NH at NewsTalk 1490AM WEMJ or live on the 'Net here... The best radio (in our humble opinions) anywhere...

Posted by Doug at 5:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Is it over?

Is it really the end of the line for America?

"Over? Did you say 'over'? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!"

No! It's not over till WE say it's over!

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

....

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• Our friends at Granite Staters for Employee Freedom (GSEF) -- a group seeking to educate people on the dangers of passing the so-call "card check" legislation, the deceptively-named Employee Free Choice Act  (EFCA) doing away with secret ballot voting on the question whether or not to unionize-- have discovered a few interesting facts as they go about their work. Matt Murphy and Brink Slattery drop by the studio to tell us what it was like as they encountered union thugs at Carol Shea Porter and Jeanne Shaheen campaign events.
• As reported in this prior post, some of the more blatantly activist union members, among the most enthusiastic supporters of Jeanne Shaheen-- who favors EFCA-- clearly misunderstand the implications of what the law will do. When confronted and questioned about the ability to vote in secret versus in view of everybody, the union guys apparently still favor some option of secrecy. Don't they understand, their candidate will take this right away?
• They'll tell what it was like to have goons at a Shea Porter event remark they should be "thrown in a river" and then put their fingers in the GSEF camera.
• In his endorsement of Jeanne Shaheen the Head of the IAFF mentioned the Manchester Spending Cap. Could that be the reason this was kept off the November ballot?

• The NH SEIU sent out information in its newsletter to their members with the names of our steering committee members and attacking that right wing organization the NH Business and Industry Association. If this is how they treat people that oppose them in a debate imagine how they would treat employees who refused to sign a card...

• GraniteGrok has posted a number of articles recently involving law enforcement officers, agencies, and the use of power here in the Granite State. We'll review the various stories and explain that, while we always appreciate their bravery and the work they do in general, we get worried about the consequences when too much power is combined with too little oversight. When you add the notion that they can do no wrong and get away with things ordinary people do not, a glaring double standard begins to appear. It is up to citizens, ultimately, to check excessive power, especially when the politicians don't...

• Frequent MTNP guest Jen Rubin contributes to the American Spectator, Human Events, Commentary Magazine.com's Contentions blog, along with a host of other excellent magazines, websites, and news organizations. Rush Limbaugh mentioned her yesterday on his program. We'll discuss the financial crisis and some of the shenanigans going on in the halls of Congress as they work to "solve" things. Meanwhile, Senator Joe Biden and the rest of his comrades heap earmarks in a $630 billion spending bill being wrapped up. Can you believe it? And naturally, we'll discuss the presidential debate. Does she think McCain was right in "suspending" his campaign this week to deal with the fiscal crisis?

• Doug and Skip will continue the discussion. At the time it was announced, Doug thought the McCain campaign suspension was a good idea. Skip didn't. A few days on, where do we stand now?

• We'll give our take on the fiscal crisis and the bailout plan.

• MTNP goes to the movies! We'll discuss this week's opening of An American Carol and the interesting distribution of the film "Obsession" and who's not too happy about it.

• We'll also cover a couple of local issues as well. And of course, your calls are encouraged at 603 527 1490.

Wow! It all starts at 9AM EST Saturday. Tune in if you're in Central NH at NewsTalk 1490AM WEMJ or live on the 'Net here... The best radio (in our humble opinions) anywhere...

Posted by Doug at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Starting Saturday morning at 9 am!

....

As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)

• Last week on MTNP radio,