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Co-founder of GraniteGrok, my concern is around Individual Liberty and Freedom and how the Government is taking that away. As an evangelical Christian and Conservative with small "L" libertarian leanings, my fight is with Progressives forcing a collectivized, secular humanistic future upon us. As a TEA Party activist, citizen journalist, and pundit!, my goal is to use the New Media to advance the radical notions of America's Founders back into our culture.

2014 NH GOP Annual Meeting – Candidates, Congress CD2: Marilinda Garcia, Gary Lambert

 

If there is a First Congressional District there has to be a Second District as well.  Continuing on with the candidate parade are the two folks running to unseat present US CongressCritter Annie Kuster:

  • Marilinda Garcia:  Brain Drain problem, Innovation economy, high tech, regulatory reform in healthcare, fight back from Federal intrusions into NH
  • Gary Lambert: All he knows is how to work hard, won’t take Congressional pension, Congressional subsidy for Obamacare, 6 years max in Congress, fight for opportunity, free market healthcare, and vets (as a retiring US Marine Col)

  

Marilinda Garcia                                               Gary Lambert

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2014 NH GOP Annual Meeting – Awards and Reports

 

Tucked into the Agenda were all of the reports that are presented at these types of affairs as well as service to the Party type awards

  • Awards:
    • Norris Cotton Award – posthumously to Stretch Kennedy (accepted by his daughter, Mildred)
    • County / City level Norris Cotton Awards
    • Gov. Mel Thompson “Principle above Politics” Award
  • Reports:
    • Federation of Republican Women
    • NH GOP Secretary
    • NH GOP Treasurer
    • NH GOP Chair

  

Awards                                                                    Reports

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2014 NH GOP Annual Meeting – Candidates, NH Gov – Walt Havenstein and Andrew Hemingway

Next up at the NH GOP Annual Meeting was the “meet and greet” of the candidates for the top State and Federal offices.  NH GOP Vice-Chair JP Marzullo (and now candidate for the NH GOP nomination in NH State Senate District 8)

  

Walt Havenstein                                                Andrew Hemingway

  • Havenstein pushed his Big Business expertise in being able to handle Big Government.
  • Andrew pushed his entrepreneurship and its required nimbleness and also his ability to attract a following that is all but impossible for other Republicans to do – the youth.  Along with Jim Rubens, the top two speeches of the day.  It is clear from both the introductory applause as well as the applause afterwards that Andrew was the clear favorite of the activists present at the NH GOP Annual Meeting.

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2014 NH GOP Annual Meeting – Candidates, US Senate – Scott Brown, Jim Rubens, Bob Smith, Karen Testerman

From the Corner Office / NH Governor primary race, the next set of candidates to have their three minute speech to the Party faithful were the four vying to be the NH GOP nominee for the US Senate and retire the Federal Government’s Ambassador to NH, Jeanne Shaheen.  A couple of quick observations:

  • Scott Brown – polite applause at introduction and ending.  Mostly railed against Shaheen vs telling folks what he is specifically for or what he will do in the policy arena – very open ended.  The only positive takeaway is that he would be the 51st Republican Senator (meaning that Republican would have the majority).  Did not say what would happen then,

Sidenote: Darn, I was so disappointed – not ONCE did he point at me like he did when he spoke at Mike’s house when talking about naysayers….and was up on the Press riser with my camera!

  • Jim Rubens – A big contrast with Brown in that he filled his speech with stuff that he WOULD be doing when he goes down there as well as a litany of accomplishments that he had legislatively here in NH.  Along with Andrew Hemingway, the top two speeches of the day.
  • Bob Smith: Slap at Brown for looking forward to debating the issues. Good defense of Principles that often times gets one “thrown into a corner somewhere, be quiet and shut up. That’s not right”. Who shows the clearest distinction – mentions other Conservative wing politicians: stand on Principles or lose. Urged folks to show the difference between them and us (another slap at Brown). Freedom! Republican are not always right – criticism is not negative, it is looking inward.
  • Karen Testerman: we have walked away from the best guides for the best life: our Constitutions.

Videos after the jump: 

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2014 NH GOP Annual Meeting – Candidates, Congress CD1: Frank Guinta, Dan Innis

And now onto the US House races.  As JP Marzullo (NH GOP Vice-Chair and now candidate for the NH GOP nomination in NH State Senate District 8) did the introductions, the US Congressional District One was the first up – two candidates at this time:

  • Frank Guinta:  As a unified Party, we will restore the fundamental principles that we all stand for not just as Republicans but as Americans.
  • Dan Innis: Two weeks after announcing to run against CSP, he got a letter from the IRS that he owes money.  Coincidence?  He knows how to get things done.

  

Frank Guinta                                                          Dan Innis

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2014 NH GOP Annual Meeting

Well, being a State Committee member, yesterday had an obligation to attend to (and a primary reason why there was no GrokTALK! yesterday as Steve mentioned) – the NH GOP Annual Meeting.  Being the “off year” and with no amendments being offered for anything, it was a rather quick meeting when compared others, especially in … Read more

2014 NH GOP Annual Meeting Keynote Speakers – Kelly Ayotte, Joe Scarborough

There were two main keynote speakers at yesterday’s NH GOP Annual Meeting were US Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and former US Congressman (and current MSNBC host) Joe Scarborough).  Kelly talked about Obamacare and its effects on NH, tax code, foreign policy, the Benghazi coverup:

Note:  A lighter moment right at the beginning of her speech.   Heh!  I thought lawyers were taught to already ask questions (in court)  to which they knew the answer to in court – I guess she was out that day

“What I want to talk to you about today is what I’m hearing and I’m sure what you are hearing the same thing from the people of NH and why it is so important why we win in the elections this year. I know when I stood before you when I ran for office, in 2010, What was one of the main issues in that election?”

What was yelled out in response was not what was expected – and a bit embarrassing: “Immigration“.  She QUICKLY said “Obamacare” (and it seemed that the whole crowd laughed, recognizing the problem).   But the moment was set.

Joe Scarborough’s speech after the jump:

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2014 NH GOP Annual Meeting – RNC Committee members Steve Duprey and Julianna Bergeron

As always, the RNC Committee folks we send to NH gave their report from the Republican National Committee:

  • RNC State Committeeman Steve Duprey: Number of field workers,  Primary,  taking charge of the Prez debates
  • RNC State Committeewoman Julianna Bergeron: helping to build the field organization here in NH, tech work, ONE positive message for ONE people (and not identity groups)

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2014 NH GOP Annual Meeting – NH State Senate President Chuck Morse and NH State Rep Laurie Sanborn

At Party meetings, there are reports galore and this year’s NH GOP Annual Meeting was no different.  After hearing from NH’s RNC Committee folks, it was the turn of those in leadership in the NH State Senate and NH State House.  For the former, it was NH State Senate President Chuck Morse and because NH House Minority Gene Chandler had other priority event (grandson’s baseball game), NH State Rep Laurie Sanborn gave the report.

  

NH Senate President Chuck Morse                               NH State Rep Laurie Sanborn

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Notable Quote – Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black

“in the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection is must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. The Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.”

– Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black

And yet, from this Conservative perch, we see a mainstream media ideologically wedded to the Left which does put them in the “bias bubble” where because they are all in it, they either cannot see that they are, or worse, don’t care.  I watch them interview Conservatives, report on Republicans, and opine concerning those other than in that LeftSphere and it is remarkably different than when

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“reflects the majority opinion of the United States”

I thought this was rather amusing concerning the cloture vote (a vote to stop debate) in the Senate on raising the minimum wage : White House press secretary Jay Carney accused Republican lawmakers of voting “contrary to the wishes of the American people.” “The fact is there is a bill that was voted on today in … Read more

Best Interest – for who?

From the Union Leader concerning the MET / Hospital tax ruled unconstitutional (emphasis mine, reformatted):

CONCORD — Senate President Chuck Morse says a short-term fix is needed to address a recent court ruling that the state’s tax on hospitals is unconstitutional.  Speaking Tuesday at a Senate Ways and Means Committee meeting, the Salem Republican said lawmakers need a long-term solution that phases out the Medicaid Enhancement Tax assessed on hospitals’ patient services.

“Avoiding major disruptions to the state budget is in the state’s best interests and in the hospitals’ best interest,” Morse said. “I also believe that responding to the recent court decisions will require changing the MET in the short-term and phasing it out in the long-term.”

Morse suggested hospitals and state tax officials need to agree what services are subject to the tax. He said hospitals’ uncompensated care will be reduced when more state residents are insured under Medicaid expansion, which will reduce the state’s need for the tax.

Well, of COURSE a disruption in the budget is not a good thing for The Plan, for The Plan must be followed.  I detect a whiff of

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Voter Fraud – what’s the over/under that it is happening here?

Wait for it……it’s not a home.  Wait for it…..it isn’t just a few!  From Dr. Rich Swier: (emphasis mine, reformatted)

Florida: 3,000 Voter Registrations List a UPS Store as a Residence

Voter Fraud? If they’re not catching the easy stuff, what else are they “missing”?

Are some of Florida’s Supervisors of Elections skirting the law? Supervisors are tasked with maintaining an accurate voter roll. One of the requirements on the Supervisors is to ensure that voters provide a legal residence address. Yet a December 2013 analysis shows more than 3,000 voter registrations statewide listing their residence address at a UPS store, potentially illegally.

Potentially?  He is being much, much too kind – it straight up is! Here’s why: 

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“America” – the trailer; America’s haters in their own words

The film, D’Souza says, seeks to “answer the central moral challenge of America’s critics, which is that America’s greatness is based on theft, plunder and oppression.” Which, I believe, includes Obama – why else does he go around the world apologizing to them for the actions of the US?  Why else would he have said, … Read more

Sustainable Communities Initiative – “we’re all in this together and you WILL love it!”

The nuance of this “WILL” is more of a command versus describing a level of future emotions to come.  Sustainable Communities Initiative – the Federal Government’s way (e.g. HUD, EPA, DOT) to federalize local zoning ordinances to result in their idea for a more “efficient” society (remember, Progressives are all about “efficient” societies – planned from the top down, it is their version of a Utopia that never mentions “Freedom” or Liberty”).  Once again, my favorite pincushion Treehugger has a post on how to make cities “better”.  All they have to do is to have “Smart People” design it for us using a set of new principles called “Transit Oriented Development” (TOD):

  • WALK | Develop neighborhoods that promote walking
  • CYCLE | Prioritize non-motorized transport networks
  • CONNECT | Create dense networks of streets and paths
  • TRANSIT | Locate development near high-quality public transport
  • MIX | Plan for mixed use
  • DENSIFY | Optimize density and transit capacity
  • COMPACT | Create regions with short commutes
  • SHIFT | Increase mobility by regulating parking and road use

Once again, I dryly note: not designed around the idea of “people”?  Or are they merely chess pieces that have no minds, attributes, or needs of their own?  Now the author, Lloyd Alter and I have had some tiffs in the past (probably why I’m still banned from commenting) and he certainly is one that believes that we MUST live with less and we MUST live “urbanely” (he certainly loves the urban setting and doesn’t understand why the rest of us don’t – and I lived in one of the most walkable cities in the Nation: Boston).   He keeps sneering at those of us who believe there is a “conspiracy” around Agenda 21.  Yet, in this post he certainly lets the cat out of the bag with part of this post (emphasis mine): 

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Once again, a “Gun Free Zone”

The arrow points to a “Gun Free Zone” sign at the FedEx facility in Kennesaw, GA.  It looks like the criminal who wounded 6 others (allegedly with Joe Biden’s choice of weapon – a shotgun) before killing himself really obeyed that sign. (H/T: Big Government)

I will not apologize for my Values

I will not apologizeWhy should I apologize for my Faith?  Why are my Family Values wrong?  And what is so dang wrong with having our NH Government govern within the bounds of the NH Constitution?  And why do our national politicians ignore the rather clear values enumerated in the US Constitution when they come up with laws that the rest of us have to obey?  If I reject my Faith, I lose my salvation.  If I ignore my Family, I will lost it.

Do you wonder why we are losing our State and Country?

Values matter – they are what drive us.  Yet, we who are traditionalists are told, over and over, that they no longer matter.  That they are outdated and are of no value and that we must adopt Progressive values that will lead us “forward”.  My question is “to what does that forward lead to?” – and there never is an answer. 

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Data Point – Economy screeches to a stop?

  I do have to laugh at the speculation from the notorious butt kissing CNN over the poor performance of the US Economy: The U.S. economy stalled in the first three months of 2014, but don’t panic yet as it’s probably just the winter weather effect. Yeah – it was a rough winter – just … Read more

IRS: Rules for Thee and Bonus for Me!

 “The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.” – President Barack Obama, Inauguration, 1/20/09 Right – who is it working for, again?  Again, … Read more

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