GraniteGrok

A while ago, we changed the blogroll to list some of the conservative leaning blogs here in NH.  One of my goals is to sweep through and see what they are talking about on a fairly regular basis, so here's the first try!

Amy Kane from Atlantic Ave brings back a fond memory for me:

When I was young, my Dad owned a 45 ft. Custom Chris Craft fishing party boat with a flying bridge and room for 3 "fighting chairs" home ported in Cohasset, MA.  Growing up, there were a lot of one or two man boats like this in the harbor and my Dad knew them all.  Even if a bit rough around the edges, these guys pretty much had hearts of gold.  Our politicians could learn much from them.

*****

From Moultonboro Speaks, a bit of news concerning the effects of SB2.  Oh wait - they DON'T have SB2 (which changes a town from voting on Town affairs in person to a ballot form)!

Meredith Public employees to form union...but Meredith is not an SB2 Town, how can that be?

Meredith Public employees to form union...but Meredith is not an SB2 Town, how can that be?
Remember all the scare tactics thrown around by public officials before ballot day about how town employees do not get raises and lose benefits under SB2? That SB2 encourages public employees to unionize to protect their jobs and benefits?

Well, it's very interesting that some public employees in Meredith (where voters narrowly defeated SB2 in the past two years) are in the process of forming a collective bargaining unit. Imagine that. Unions in non-SB2 municipalities......what's this world coming to.

*****

Lori from ConChrist has some news that caught my interest:

Possible End To "Anchor Babies?"

A Georgia lawmaker is proposing a law that would close this loophole.

U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, a Republican candidate for governor of Georgia, has proposed changing the long-standing federal policy that automatically grants citizenship to any baby born on U.S. soil, a move opposed by immigrant rights advocates.

Supporters of Deal’s proposal say “birthright citizenship” encourages illegal immigration and makes enforcement of immigration laws more difficult. Opponents say the proposed law wouldn’t solve the illegal immigration problem and goes against this country’s traditions of welcoming immigrants.

    ...

Deal and his supporters say the 14th Amendment wording was never meant to automatically give citizenship to babies born to illegal immigrants.

“This is a sensible, overdue measure that closes a clause that was never meant to be a loophole,” said Bob Dane, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which seeks tighter immigration restrictions.

The article states that the law was meant to apply to freed slaves, but that illegal immigrants today are making it harder for INS to deport them if they have a child born here in the states. According to the proposed law, the only way someone could be a citizen here if they were born here is if at least one parent is already a citizen.

I say go for it.

*****

Moultonboro Speaks also talks about

Continue reading "Roundabouts from some of NH's Conservative bloggers" »

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Update:  And Atlas is doing more than writing Letters - Atlas Shrugging, Atlas Fighting, and here are some Protesting!  Kansas just saw HUNDREDS converging on their Congresscritter to protest his voting for the Porkulus (aka, the Pelosi-Reid-Obama Generational Theft Act) bill.  Earl's got pictures!

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Quote of the Day

"My husband and I always discuss, 'Why do we try to better ourselves, when it seems if you do nothing, you get all the help in the world?'”

Filed under Appreciation - actually, this is a post where the Appreciation for what Americans are and do is not being honored by our President, his aides, or the legislators that are enabling his behavior and aim to "transform" America.  In fact, the first month has been nothing less than a blitzkrieg in attempting to overwhelm tradition American values - work hard, take care of your family, act responsibly, respecting others, and live within your means; values that the VAST majority of Americans actually use in living their lives.

Victor Davis Hanson pens a letter a letter to President Obama from Mr. & Mrs American (emphasis mine):

I am meeting a few battered Americans these days. There are not many left, but those that are seem to sound alike. Yes, I think I am beginning to understand Mr. Battered American, and he sounds tired and a bit like this.

“I’m sorry Mr. President, but we are just not dictatorial in the Middle East. You said the Saudis, not America, showed courage over there. But, Mr. President, the Saudis, they live under Sharia law! And my God!—they once engineered crippling oil boycotts against our nation. And wasn’t it they who produced 15 of the 19 killers on 9/11? So no, Mr. President, those Saudis—they simply are not courageous. Now Mr. Biden, there is no reason to set the reset button on foreign policy, as you promised all those Europeans. None at all. Tell that resetting stuff instead to Ahmadinejad, Chavez, that Korean nut, Putin, and all the other thugs who kill and cause misery, but not to our America that saves and feeds and helps.

Mrs. Clinton..stop apologizing for America’s recent behavior—unless you think the world would be a better place with the Taliban, and Saddam and his two boys in power. Or maybe Europe should have Schroeder and Chirac back, or Libya with nuclear weapons, or Khalid Sheik Mohammed freed from Guantanamo. Or maybe America shouldn’t have given that $15 billion for AIDs relief in Africa, or helped with earthquakes in Pakistan and tsunamis in Indonesia...

As he thinks about this apology business, the battered American always gets a little angrier, “...Mr. Holder, I’ve never said or done a racist thing in my life, not one. Always supported equal opportunity, always will. So don’t call me a “coward” or my countrymen “cowards,” not when you’re my Attorney General...

...I think this battered American would also say, “Mr. President, I passed on buying that bigger house. ...I never missed a mortgage payment;...don’t tell me that the 93% of us that played by our grandfathers’ rules are obligated to come to the rescue of the 7%, who did the exact opposite...

...“Just a bit for tuition and such. But when I did, my kids no longer qualified for loans, and scholarships and federal help....

“And Mr. President,” the battered American would add, “When I add up my federal income tax, my state income tax, my Medicare, and my Social Security taxes, I am paying half my income to the government. Wait— far more than half my income, when I figure in my sales and property and car taxes. And, oh, Mr. President I am so tired of all those taxes, so tired, but I am so lawful as well. And so I pay the bill, all of it....

...“I played by the rules, and put a little away in my 401(k)... And I lost 30% of it. I will live by that too. But please, don’t tell me I must pay for AIG, and the state of California, and all those who charged too much on their VISAs. ...please, no more lectures that I have to, that I must, that I am obligated to. And no more of your team’s lecturing me about being patriotic in paying my taxes, and unpatriotic in not wanting to borrow more trillions that my kids’ kids will have to pay back.”

Like I said, most (heck, the VAST majority of Americans) are decent people.  Obama and his crew, I believe with this Stimulus bill and the utterances of him and those around him, have stirred the pot and it is now coming to a boil.  For years we've taken the guff, we've been hammered for the lack of sensitivity to accusations of political incorrectness.  And now, that patience may well be wearing thin as we see our kids, our grandkids, and great grandkids futures clouded by the cost now being incurred (as well as the "social justice") to bail out those that haven't "played the game" straight as we have - politicians on the other side of the country, local governments everywhere but here (ok, my state of NH has not behaved well at all!), and citizens who make bad decisions that now have now claim on my money just because Obama says so.

We've no problem in helping others - at times, I have needed that help, and have offered such help to others.  Sometimes, even to those that neither deserved it nor (in our estimation) would take such to benefit themselves (e.g., a wasted effort).

What you are starting to hear is the beginnings of Atlast Shrugging in some cases, and in others, Atlas starting to fight back.  CNBC's reporter, Rick Santelli, got it right - helping is one thing but after a while, why should we continually bail out parasites and layabouts that refuse to work hard and play it straight themselves. 

That's the problem with socialism - socialized costs of bad decisions mean no consequences for those that make them and no one is responsible except for those that end up actually paying for it.  The problem is that it then becomes far too easy to just shrug and say "why should I keep on penalizing me and my family when others are getting stuff for free?".  No, it is not helping others are Obama would have have us believe - it is aiding and enabling bad behavior.

And that is wrong.

Just as it is wrong to continually tell the vast majority of Americans that we are bad people (as the President's own Press Secretary castigated Rick Santelli for publicly saying what the rest of us feel).

We're not.  And we will remember that we and our country were called that in 2010 and 2012.

(H/T: Instapundit)

Posted by Skip at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From the King James translation:

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

John 14:6 

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 19:16-17,30

Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Matthew 28:5-6(a)

And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.

Despite what we may think at times from the current events that swirl around us, there is much to be thankful for at this time of the year.  Although we write about things political and cultural, never mistake, it is from our faith that we drives us.  Yes, and indeed, a babe was born two thousand years ago for a purpose - that we might have life and that life, eternal.  While we write about the here and now, it is for the future that we look to when our bones and flesh grow weary and it is time to lay down life itself.  For we are assured that His promise holds ever true "I am the way, the truth, and the life" and through that belief we will see the Father.

From a baby, life for us all; a promise fulfilled.  

From all of us here at the 'Grok, we wish all of you a very Merry Christmas; shut off the screen, put the mouse and keyboard away, and shutdown the computer (it won't hurt THAT much!).  Spend this time with your family and friends.  Trust us - when it is all done and over with, that's what it is all about.

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Merry Christmas to you all, and thank you for allowing us to keep the lights on!

-Author Unknown

(H/T: Sue)

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Filed under Appreciation.

At our last Town's Budget Committee this past Thursday, the BudComm Chair read a letter from our Town Clerk / Tax Collector that nearly had my jaw dropping onto my laptop keyboard:

“Recreation Center of New Hampshire”

Telephone: (603) 524-4713                                       Denise Morrissette, NHCTC

47 Cherry Valley Rd. Gilford, New Hampshire 03249     Town Clerk - Tax Collector

EMail: dmorrissette@gilfordnh.org

Memo:

To:       Board of Selectmen; Budget Committee
CC:       Town Administrator; file
From:    Town Clerk – Tax Collector
Date:     December 10, 2008
Re:        2009 Budget Adjustment Request

This memo serves as a request for a reduction in salary in the amount of $2,173.00 (3.75%) of the Town Clerk – Tax Collector (line item #01-4140.1-100) for the 2009 proposed budget.

This memo serves as a request for a reduction in salary in the amount of $2,173.00 (3.75%) of the Town Clerk – Tax Collector (line item #01-4140.1-100) for the 2009 proposed budget.

As this budget was due back in August of 2008 the original request was being made inline with the overall budgeted request for town employees.  However, due to the economic downfall I am requesting that the line item remain the same as budgeted in 2008 at $57,952.00 and appreciate having my job and benefits currently provided to me by the Town of Gilford taxpayers.

THAT is an elected official putting the needs of the taxpayers first.  Here is an elected official that shows appreciation for her job when others in the private sector are losing theirs.  She didn't have to do it; no one asked her to do it.  But because she and her staff deal with the taxpayers every day, she related to me (I called her the next day) how some of those come in almost in tears of not being able to pay their property taxes, or having to really choose between paying and other important issues in their lives.

This is why I get SO mad at politicians that seem to be so cavalier about spending taxpayer money on things that are wants, or even vanities to the politician's ego, instead of only those things that are the proper role of government.

Well done, Denise, and thank you! Just like another elected official who is turning down HER raise:

A new state commission appointed by [Sarah] Palin recommends boosting the governor’s pay from $125,000 to $150,000. The State Officers Compensation Commission says the lieutenant governor, department heads and legislators need more money too.

But if the commission pushes ahead with a pay raise, Palin won’t accept the money, said spokesman Bill McAllister.

“Her view is, it’s just not appropriate to accept a pay raise in the middle of the term.”…

It’s unclear if Palin would give the money to charity — as commission chairman Rick Halford predicted Tuesday — or simply not receive the extra pay.

Sarah - WAY to go, ma'am!

How about you folks out there - have any of your elected officials deciding to "help out the taxpayers"?

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One of the main themes of the Left is that our soldiers are either victims because of economics or culture and have not other choices.  And, once in theater and as that dirtbag Murtha said, the Left then  proceeds from victim to killer and baby murderer.  And they tie this to yanking all of our troops back home.

On that background, it was nice to see what some of our allies, who we have been led to believe that they hate our troops too, really think of our soldiers.  From Serendipitous Altruism comes this view of our troops in the eyes of French soldiers serving among them:

“We have shared our daily life with two US units for quite a while - they are the first and fourth companies of a prestigious infantry battalion whose name I will withhold for the sake of military secrecy. To the common man it is a unit just like any other. But we live with them and got to know them, and we henceforth know that we have the honor to live with one of the most renowned units of the US Army - one that the movies brought to the public as series showing “ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary events”. Who are they, those soldiers from abroad, how is their daily life, and what support do they bring to the men of our OMLT every day ? Few of them belong to the Easy Company, the one the TV series focuses on. This one nowadays is named Echo Company, and it has become the support company.

[snip]

Heavily built, fed at the earliest age with Gatorade, proteins and creatine - they are all heads and shoulders taller than us and their muscles remind us of Rambo. Our frames are amusingly skinny to them - we are wimps, even the strongest of us - and because of that they often mistake us for Afghans.

Here we discover America as it is often depicted : their values are taken to their paroxysm, often amplified by promiscuity and the loneliness of this outpost in the middle of that Afghan valley. Honor, motherland - everything here reminds of that : the American flag floating in the wind above the outpost, just like the one on the post parcels. Even if recruits often originate from the hearth of American cities and gang territory, no one here has any goal other than to hold high and proud the star spangled banner. Each man knows he can count on the support of a whole people who provides them through the mail all that an American could miss in such a remote front-line location : books, chewing gums, razorblades, Gatorade, toothpaste etc. in such way that every man is aware of how much the American people backs him in his difficult mission. And that is a first shock to our preconceptions : the American soldier is no individualist. The team, the group, the combat team are the focus of all his attention.

And they are impressive warriors!

Continue reading "If you think our soldiers are vilified by our allies, think again" »

Posted by Skip at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When a disaster occurs anywhere in the world, America is there.  Without a lot of fanfare, without a whole lot of chest-thumping, we just go and do the job.  And more times than not, the might of our military is there to do the grunt work and the logistics work.  And a lot of times, we get no thanks at all.

And when disasters happen here, many times we are on our own - not even a token display of help even from our closest "friends" (and if we did receive aid, I wish it was made more widely known).  So when I read this, there was a "thank you" to their "thank you" that passed by my lips.  From Op-For:

BESMAYA RANGE COMPLEX, Iraq, Nov. 20, 2008 – A group of Iraqi soldiers stepped up to help California residents victimized by recent wildfires raging throughout the state.

Iraqi army Col. Abbas Fadhil, Besmaya Range Complex commander, and his team of “Abbas’ Eagles” raised $500 for wildfire relief.

“We want to send a message to the American president and the American people,” Abbas said. “We feel that we are a family — one body. When one part of the body suffers, the other parts suffer, too.”

This is the fourth donation the soldiers of Besmaya have sent to the American people recently. In September, they raised $1,500 for victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The Eagles also donated $500 to the National Sept. 11 Memorial.

Five hundred bucks in Iraq is a lot of money. Folks, this money came from people who can ill afford it, yet they gave anyway.

Shukran, brothers.

Not a lot of money to US.  But, as with the widow with two mites (Mark 12:41-44), it is the intent and follow through that counts.

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There is no doubt that the Big Three automakers out of Detroit are hurting puppies right now.  Now, I'm no car maven and I'm no devotee to one particular kind of manufacturer.  That said, now that I am on my  third Saab (a 9-5 Aero) and the first two were each long term, I might fit that bill.  Given, however, that GM now owns Saab, I don't think it is the same car or company as when it was a standalone Swedish company).

And that does says, in part, why GM may well be in trouble.  This, to this driver, is another.

Chevy Volt - Concept car

Lots of potential, new technology, sexy and wonderful styling.  I would have bought this car an 8 to a 10.

Chevy Volt - Production car

New technology.  Pedestrian styling; boring.  A 6.

I know, I know - cost to manufacture, manufacture for efficient running.  Still doesn't mean that it isn't still boring.  

(H/T: Planet Gore)

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Often, we are confronted with superstar (and lesser beings) athletes acting badly.  They can be extremely self absorbed, selfish from being so pampared ("hey, it seems like the world revolves around me, so it must be true!").

THIS is a story of athletes upholding true sportsmanship even when it may cost them - big time:

With the game scoreless and two runners on base, Tucholsky had given Western Oregon the lead in an important game.

But as she rounded the bases, she collapsed with a knee injury.

For the home run to count, Tucholsky needed to make it to home plate and touch every base along the way. She also couldn't be assisted by players from her own team; otherwise, she would be considered out and the home run would not count.

Two players from Central Washington unexpectedly picked up Tucholsky and carried her around the bases, helping her touch each bag to complete the three-run homer.

The home run turned out to be the game winner.

"That game actually meant something. We're both trying to go regionals," Tucholsky said. "She basically gave me another run; otherwise, my home run wouldn't have counted. In a very close game like that, they did an amazing thing."

[snip]

She said she's glad Central Washington is receiving credit for helping with her home run trot. Her story has appeared in the New York Times and on ESPN.com.

"I'm glad to get this story out because it is an awesome thing they did for me," Tucholsky said.

And the 'Grok is happy to do so!   How often do you hear of people, when important things are on the line, work against their own self-interests?  Sometimes on an individual basis, but on a team?  The actions of those two players may have put their team's season on the line - there could be bad feelings amongst their team mates for them having possibly "thrown away the season".

Yet, the display of sportmanship shown by these two young ladies (and they have certainly earned that title) has to account for much in this time of "out for number one" style society.

Brava, ladies! 

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In honor of the holiday, here is George Washington's magnificent first Thanksgiving proclamation.

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor— and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

 

Continue reading "Presidential Proclaimation for Thanksgiving" »

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We often take the day to day items of our lives for granted - we bumble from one thing to the next.  Most of the time, bumbling is fine....better than stumbling and doing a face plant, right?  The majority of us try our best to do our best (most of the time anyways) and attempt to "do the right thing". We take the good things in stride, believing that they are the norm...after all, life is good, right?  The little pebbles in our shoes?  Yeah, we all complain.  After all, there is that saying that states that people will find a way to get around, over, or under the big obstacles in life - we just sigh, shoulder the burden, and create solutions.  Small pebbles in the shoe of life?  A whole 'nother story - these we bitterly complain, honk, and mutter about them more often than the big things going wrong in life.

We lack (or lose) perspective and context in our busy lives.  And sometimes, events happen that jiggle everything back into a proper perspective - sweeping the pebbles aside and exposing the more important boulders in life for what they really are and how we should really prioritize the little from the big, from the silly to the important, from the important to the truly urgent.

Sometimes life does not go well...and sometimes not well at all.  The tragedy at Virginia Tech shows us that life is not fair, that bad things happen to good people.  We are so fortunate in our country that most of our lives are "good" - we pass from day to day almost without a care until such an event happens like this or 9/11.  These types of events shows us, too, that true Evil lurks in the world - and acts on whatever impulse it does and uses people to accomplish its goals.  Evil is real regardless of whether our philosophers or culture admits to that notion.  And when Evil strikes, it is them that have not the words or understanding that can speak to those events because they deny its existence.

And sometimes, "stuff just happens" to simple individuals too.  No, not just because of Evil, but just because stuff happens.  A good example is Captain Ed and the First Mate over at Captain's Quarters with the First Mate's trials and tribulations with her health - pray for them! And we all have experienced these kinds of problems, even here at the 'Grok - our relatives and friends are certainly not immune to "stuff" happening.

You know, I do feel sorry for folks that deny God's existence (just as they deny the existence of evil) .  I certainly disagree with that outlook, for I know that when things go wrong, there is a comfort in knowing that God is in control.  No, you haven't lost your way here on the 'Grok - while politics is high on the scale of things, we do acknowledge that there is a Higher Power in control of our lives and that He is concerned with all of us individually.  And when things go wrong, He is our Rock and our Refuge and that He listens to our prayers (and yes, sometimes we don't receive the answers for which we hope).

No, life is not fair - and we should never expect it to be such (otherwise, you are in for a world of hurt when things do go south).  We should, instead, rejoice and give thanks for when life does work according to our quaint notions of fairness. 

And give thanks to God in all things, big and small, good or not, for there is always a purpose in everything (note: yup - I've learned the hard way over the years that He just might not have clued me in on things yet - nor should I ever expect that He should). 

Posted by Skip at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We want to say thank you to the folks at both Anke Biting Pundits (Pat Hynes) and Right Wing News (John Hawkins) for their mentions of us as a "new blog" and as "web site of the day" (and apologies for not putting this up sooner - we ARE a new blog and the amazement that two of the "big dudes" would point us out (plain ordinary guys in central NH) made us forget our manners).

And Welcome to those that have come to visit!  

We hope you like what you see - have fun!

-Skip 

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