Links added: From the Laconia Daily Sun (P 12):
GILFORD — Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Foundation has named David “Skip” Murphy of Gilford, who hosts the conservative political blog GraniteGrok and the radio talk show GrokTalk, as its “Activist of the Year” for 2011. The award was presented at the fourth annual RightOnline Conference in Minneapolis, which was attended by some 1,200 conservative and libertarian activists last week.
Each year AFP honors an individual for their effective use of online media to further personal liberty and economic freedom. GraniteGrok describes itself as “fire-breathing, Mtn Dew powered, extremist, right-wing, hard-charging, gun-toting, opinionated, outspoken, rabble rousing, letter writing, radio microphone stomping, buying ink electrons by the Gilford blogger honored by Americans for Prosperity barrel Conservatives and Rational Libertarians!”
A technical analyst for a software firm headquartered in California, Murphy was drawn to local politics by Doug Lambert, with whom he shared the blog and microphone until Lambert withdrew after intemperate insults about New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman Ray Buckley reached the public. Murphy stayed the course, allying himself with the Tea Party and drawing contributors from the libertarian wing of the Republican Party, to become a strident voice in conservative circles.
Murphy has served on the Gilford Budget Committee since his election in 2006 and is the father of two sons serving in the United States armed forces.
— Michael Kitch
I humbly thank Americans for Prosperity for the unexpected honor given to this ordinary schlub from central New Hampsha. If no one had mentioned it, I wasn’t going to either, but I felt that the error-prone article had to be corrected.
But really – strident? The corrections:
Actually, I got my start when local Liberal, Karen Barker, wrote what I thought was a rather insulting Letter to the Editor where she impugned that Conservatives sent the sons to war, so I answered it ("Three Questions Asked and Answered"). I was then asked onto The Advocates, hosted by Neil Young (betcha he rues THAT day!) concerning it. It wasn’t until much later that I met Doug during a later show. When Neil couldn’t make up his mind to start a "The Advocates blogsite", I asked Doug (who was again on one of those periodic banishments that Neil imposed when he judged someone to be unmentionable) if he would join forces and thus, GraniteGrok was created back in 2006.
As far as "drawing from the libertarian wing" is concerned, I would say that only Grokster Tim truly fits that mold of Big "L" Libertarian; the rest of us are Conservatives / Constitutionalists with some small "L" libertarian political leanings (e.g., financial and social conservatives). However, GraniteGrok was one of the original co-founders of the NH TEA Party Coalition.
And I only have one son currently serving (101st Airborne and just returned from Afghanistan). While the other son did serve a tour in Iraq with the Marines, he is now back in civilian life.
