Skip, Author at Granite Grok

I KNEW there had to be a reason – thanks, Chris “a tingle up my leg” Matthews!

September 26, 2018June 1, 2018 Skip

Ah yes, yet again the double standard: how DARE you extremist Righters sterotype “marginalized communities” – instead, let me show you how it’s done, GOPpers! “Republicans are told to ‘read the Wall Street Journal, play golf, and talk about pro sports.’ The men especially are all programmed a certain way. They don’t have too many … Read more

Data Point – “Staggering DOJ study: 83 percent of prisoners re-arrested within 9 years of release”

September 26, 2018June 1, 2018 Skip

Overall, 68 percent of released state prisoners were arrested within three years, 79 percent within six years and 83 percent within nine years. The 401,288 released state prisoners were arrested an estimated 2 million times during the nine years after their release, an average of five arrests per released prisoner. On an annual basis, 44 … Read more

No successful model of Socialism

September 26, 2018June 1, 2018 Skip

True. VERY true: (H/T: Susan)

Blogline of the Day: Progressive Double Standard because she likes Trump

September 26, 2018May 30, 2018 Skip

BURBANK, CA - MARCH 23: Roseanne Barr attends the premiere of ABC's "Roseanne" at Walt Disney Studio Lot on March 23, 2018 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) — BURBANK, CA – MARCH 23: Roseanne Barr attends the premiere of ABC’s “Roseanne” at Walt Disney Studio Lot on March 23, 2018 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

SHOT: BREAKING: ABC cancels Roseanne after ‘abhorrent, repugnant’ tweet.

CHASER: Question for investors: Should you risk your money on a network that will trash its most valuable property over a tweet?

So Hollywood, that pack of hypocritical moralizers that has constantly preached to we Normals how bad we were (and their actual beliefs gave rise to the #MeToo movement), decided to be like Progressives everywhere – see an existential threat to their agenda (e.g., NOT a Trump hater!) and search high and low for a reason, any reason at all, to get that person torched out of existence. Sure, she GAVE them a reason but no amount of apologizing will suffice. That’s their M.O. The cherry on top is that she’s KNOWN for this kind of outburst – except it used to be from the Left.

And another SJW at work (that is, making herself feel good about herself) but…

September 26, 2018May 30, 2018 Skip

…hurting the ones she professes to believe to be oppressed and MUST be set free by Government Decree (emphasis mine):

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker recently held a gala to raise funds for the One Fair Wage campaign which is designed to raise wages for those in the restaurant industry. Some tickets went for $50,000 and each dinner cost $500. This is did not sit well with many who happen to work in the restaurant business. Many within that industry fear that an increase in the minimum wage will result in job losses.

For heaven’s sake, that’s NEVER happened before! Just ask those in San Francisco and Seattle and other places where they’ve “lifted up the oppressed by making SURE they earn more”.

In fact, Joshua Chiasson, a representative for the Restaurant Workers of America, had this take on the gala:

Let’s keep him…

September 26, 2018May 30, 2018 Skip

…and not just because he’s earned the bags under his eyes; when he uses that word “annihilated“, it’s like Patton all over again. Not mincing words – boffo! Or as the Left says, speaking truth to power. Sidenote: what does the German Defence Minister actually do? Hardly anything military of theirs even works! (H/T: Powerline)

A Boost from Ed’s post: “So, Governor, You Want to Talk About the Constitutionality of HB 1264? Let’s Talk.”

September 26, 2018May 30, 2018 Skip

I thought these comments get to the nub and heart of the problem – seemingly, Progressives can’t understand it at all. I guess it’s the same bigotry of low expectations when they scream and holler that requiring “oppressed, minority, and underrepresented communities” can’t do the same things to get an ID like everyone else. What is so dang hard about out of state tuition?

Liberal Conservative • 2 days ago
This is not complicated in any way. Here’s the test: do you pay out of state tuition? Yes. Then vote via absentee ballot from your state of residence because you can’t vote in NH. I just don’t understand what is so difficult about this.

Bryan W Liberal Conservative • 6 hours ago
It’s not difficult. I know I’ve posted here before – when my daughters decided to become Utah residents so they could get in-state tuition there, the process there was simple, but could take up to a year: 1) Establish yourself at an address. 2) Get a Utah drivers license or non-drivers ID. 3) Register your car(s) in Utah if you have any. 4) Register to vote using that ID. 5) Pay in-state income tax or property tax (even if you don’t owe anything). You have to satisfy 3 out of 5 tests, then you can get in-state tuition. Gaining residency for voting purposes here should be no less stringent.

But Progressives say “that’s too HAAAaaarrdd” for college students to do. After all, a WHOLE YEAR?? Oh wait – they’re here for four, right? So let me get this straight:

I think this would be a GREAT idea – no more having to pay for rental space

September 26, 2018May 30, 2018 Skip

And given the latest policy from Starbuck as they go all out self-flagellating over “unconscious bias and latent racism” by ALL their employees:

The Women’s Defense League should hold meetings at Starbucks

That would be the Women’s Defense League of NH. Remember, Starbucks made “a request”, not a demand and not a policy of “get out”. What, they want another PR Black Eye?

Sidenote: Hmmm, pun wasn’t intended as I was typing it, but why not pile on Starbucks right now? After all, by requiring ALL of their employees to attend this meeting, and telling their baristas a while ago that Starbucks was a place for them to engage their customers in talks about race (Huh? Trying to have it BOTH ways. Again?)

Go in and have a great meeting on the finer points of REAL gun control

Notable Quote – Prof. Don Broudreau

September 26, 2018May 28, 2018 Skip

Economic competition is the most reliable and incorruptible form of regulation. If in free markets that are unsullied by government favoritism an airline mistreats its passengers or a bank is careless with its customers’ deposits, the market punishes these firms with losses and, if they don’t mend their ways, with bankruptcy. In other words, when markets are free, the ability of consumers to withhold their spending is a source of what I believe to be the most strict means of regulation.

In contrast, so-called regulation by government has the opposite effect. Although sold as government efforts to ensure that businesses better serve the public, far too many government “regulations” are really devious schemes to give politically powerful industry incumbents protection against competition from upstart entrepreneurs and politically weak firms.

Quick Thought: These headlines now beg the question:

September 26, 2018May 27, 2018 Skip

“Beyond the Stigma: Residential recovery centers offer refuge to NH moms struggling with addiction”

and

“NH gets federal approval to fund syringe services programs“

And we’ve all seen the stories about “Free the Nipple” and lately that Trump has come under fire, by Progressives, for calling MS-13 gang members “animals”. Hollywood sensationalizes bed hopping, our educational system has done a dastardly job at sexualizing our children at earlier and earlier grades, drugs are bad but recovery system marketplace has become a huge industry in its own right (the first headline) even as government supports drug usage (the second headline). More and more babies are born out of wedlock. Our educational system churns out uneducated students (e.g., “not proficient”). Traditional values and morality (e.g., “melting pot”, hard work, honesty, duty, honor, self-discipline, frugalness, modesty, respect for others, speech not composed of swearing, a sense of politeness and chivalry by both sexes, a belief in God (or if you prefer, a Higher Power greater than one’s self) are continuing to be ground down into the dirt.

Boy Scouts to Scouts BSA – like I said

September 26, 2018May 27, 2018 Skip

…traditional values being stigmatized… (H/T: Powerline)

Blogline of the Day – This is not, as the Progressives would have you believe, “jingoism”.

September 26, 2018May 27, 2018 Skip

Preamble:

Yesterday, President Trump addressed the graduating class at the U.S. Naval Academy. He told the incoming naval officers, “you are winners, you are warriors.” Trump praised the resolve of the U.S. armed forces and America’s achievements, stating:

Our ancestors trounced an empire, tamed a continent and triumphed over the worst evils in history. We are not going to apologize for America. We are going to stand up for America.

This is shameless nationalism. Isn’t it great?

The Line:

Show me a nation or a people that has prevailed over determined adversaries without this sort of pride in its ancestors and its history.

The Question:

Now if only the GOP were smart enough to pound on this all campaign season long

September 26, 2018May 25, 2018 Skip

But that would be giving them the benefit of a very large doubt. Unlike Trump, they want to be “liked” by their political opponents. Who, as we all know, hate their guts to the core. Yet, to steal a phrase from The Resistance, “~~she~~ they persisted” in not taking ahold of a perfect political meme (seriously, the Democrats ARE defending the MS-13 gang members from South America!) and running with it. Sure, a handful that are that are not going along with the GOPe insistence on using the Marquis of Queensberry boxing rules against the Dems adopting MMA rules (or put another way,

Tales from the BudComm – Starting with “hats off”

September 26, 2018May 25, 2018 Skip

Ah yes, the budget season begins in earnest and the table was set early on by the new Chair (effectively installed by the four Progressives that the “school community” voted into office during our “second bad blizzard in a row on town election day”) Sean Murphy with his Agenda Item #1:

Call the meeting to Order & Determination of a Quorum. Please have all electronic devices on vibrate or shut off, also have all hats off during the meeting.

I have to admit, for the first time in all the years he’s been on the board, this is the best dressed I’ve actually seen him – business casual shirt and dress slacks. I also have to admit, as a matter of habit, I always wear my GraniteGrok hat when out of the house (and at the urging of the Grandson who seems to have a thing for hats, sometimes inside as well). At the time I read it, the thought was “well, I’m pretty much the only one that constantly has article of dress on”; I will leave the rest of the thought as an exercise for the reader. However, I forgot that another Conservative also wears a ball cap – a Navy one as he’s a Navy vet.

So, per usual, in saying the Pledge of Allegiance

So Gov. Sununu appoints an anti-gun high-schooler to be “Guv for a day”?

September 26, 2018May 24, 2018 Skip

Hey, Second Amendment supporters, tell me what the message is from Chris Sununu to y’all for this (reformatted, emphasis mine)?

Student Who Organized Anti-Gun Walkout Chosen To Be ‘Governor for a Day’

New Hampshire’s Republican governor has chosen a student who organized an anti-gun walkout at her high school in March as the winner of his “Governor for a Day” contest. Molly Robert, a senior at Kennett High School in North Conway, New Hampshire, was one of 100 girls in the state to submit essays for the contest. “Robert helped organize an orderly walkout” at her school and was subsequently interviewed on National Public Radio, according to Conway Daily Sun. The newspaper interviewed her by email. She mentioned a meeting she had with the governor, Chris Sununu, about school safety earlier this year.

Long distance calls to Scott Brown were not mentioned in the piece from the New Boston Post. But this was in the Conway Daily Sun:

“He is taking on, single-handedly, a Christian runner group, because, you know – Christians.”

September 26, 2018May 22, 2018 Skip

Or both. That’s from Ed’s post about Kevin Beck, a troll from Boulder who came out of his cave who, after deciding he was the most brilliant of brilliant, just HAD to show us his brilliance here at the ‘Grok.

#FAIL. He just wasn’t fast enough to deal with we Groksters and our equally nimble commenters so he left, head hung in shame.

Anyways, here’s a Press Release about his seemingly next stalking victim (note the criminal complaints filed against Beck (emphasis mine):

Blogline of the Day – well, gosh, who do you think he’s talking about??

September 26, 2018May 22, 2018 Skip

“I’m trying to remember a failed presidential candidate before now who made a second career out of whining about losing an election.” (H/T: Instapundit)

So, Tim Allen is going to try to out do Roseanne?

September 26, 2018May 22, 2018 Skip

Between the two of them, Roseanne’s reboot and the impending reboot of Last Man Standing, I know of two NETWORK shows I may actually watch with some regularity (actually, I did LMS because the writing was always quite good and the chemistry between the talent showed through in that they did like it each other). That said, even with Roseanne coming out as a Trump supporter (quite the thing in Hollywood – most actors and actresses would be blacklisted forthwith), Tim Allen let this fly in talking about his restart:

Let me amplify what Steve said for the Stupid Party that fails to listen to its own base

September 26, 2018May 22, 2018 Skip

Scott Brown, Kelly Ayotte, Walt Haverstein; remember them?

Sometimes, Steve buries the really good stuff at the bottom of his posts – let me haul a good nibblet from his latest post up from the deep (emphasis mine):

So, after Gov. Sununu signs HB1319, which we hear he has promised the local actors for the DC special interest that he intends to do, don’t be surprised when the Republican base and NH Trump voters (most of whom are probably independents) tell Republicans up and down the ticket to go to hell.

Don’t be surprised because you asked, were warned that this would happen, and you ignored the warnings anyway.

At a meeting that nobody went to because it never existed, he and his minions were warned by a number of the extremely influential “influencers” (who weren’t there because there was no meeting) that in no uncertain terms that this WAS a hill THEY were willing to die against. He and his minions were warned – DON’T! These were some of the most vocal, respected, and Trusted voices on the Right here in NH. Has he, and his “Smartest Political People In The Room” minions,

Yes, the Democrats have promised to do just this

September 26, 2018May 22, 2018 Skip

Chief among them is the US House Minority Leader (who may become Speaker again) Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team:

They have promised to roll back the GOP Tax Reform, proving once again that your money is really only a rebate from Democrats – they truly believe that your money should and will be taken from you in support of The Progressive State. One would think that with a message like the hat says would be a complete slam dunk for the GOP but you’d be wrong.