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Once again, GraniteGrok has embarked on another citizen journalism project – a request to the Lakes Region Planning Commission (“LRPC”) for certain materials between it and other governmental agencies, especially those funded by taxpayer monies.  There has been much discussion about the nine RPCs here in NH – we are asking for materials so that we can sort fact from fiction from source materials.

The following is the email that I sent to the new Executive Director of the LRPC, Jeffrey Hayes.  After that email is the formal RSA 91-A request.  We should have our first answer no later than five business days from this morning.

Good morning, Director Hayes,

Please consider this a formal RSA 91-A request for certain documents that the Lakes Region Planning Commission (“LRPC”) should have in its possession and should be available.  Our democracy is dependent on open and transparent processes, one of which is that any citizen should be able to to see information that resides at any level of New Hampshire governance and agencies given that his or her tax monies have helped to fund such.  As you may well know, there is a lot of discussion happening in and around the activities of the LRPC and its sister organizations within the State of New Hampshire.  Studying the source materials will enable me to sort fact from fiction.

Attached is my request in the following formats: 

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I am writing today to express my overall heart-felt disappointment I have for the Republican Party. In the past I have been content to sit on the side lines, letting the people who know more than I do take care of things.  I now know that cannot happen any longer. I know it is not every one that claims the Republican party as their own that is responsible for the debauchery of our Party; some still fight hard for the core values on which it was founded. As for the rest, you have indeed let me down, and made me ashamed to call myself a Republican.

I have tested my mettle, and found that I am a man of action, not so much of words. I heard the call, and answered it. I fought for your freedoms, I have sweat, bled, and cried to protect our  Constitution, our  Bill of Rights, your Rights, and in the end you have failed me. Our founding document that cost so many Americans their lives to protect are being trounced upon while you bury your heads in the sand.

I call you cowards.

I, along with my fellow brothers and sisters at arms, have done our part with some giving the ultimate sacrifice to protect us all. Now I call you to the line: where have you been? What have you done? I swore an oath that I will continue to honor regardless of my duty status to defend the Constitution from foreign and domestic threats. I have gone to war to defend it. At the risk of sounding like a stuck up prude I will say this: I do not want your thanks. I do not want your appreciation. I did not serve for the glory, for there is none to be had. I did it because I wanted to stand up for what I believe in. 

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California Democrats will push background checks for ammunition

“Anyone can walk into any gun store, a bait and tackle store, and purchase all the ammunition they want to, no questions asked,” Sen. Kevin de Leon (D), the bill’s lead sponsor, said in an interview. “The ammunition is the fuel that feeds the violence. The gun itself, the hand gun or the long gun or the high-powered weapon is the delivery device. The gas, the fuel, is the ammunition, and no one knows who buys it.”

Progressives / Democrats / Liberals always are on the lookout for victims and almost anyone is or can be a victim unless they happen to be a Conservative, a TEA Partiers – or a gun owner.  Let’s face it – any combination of the three are basically the face of Satan in the Hatred Hall of Fame for them.  How DARE they believe that Government is not the answer!  How DARE they believe that the key to success is individual achievement, motivation, skill, and talent!  How DARE they believe they can live their lives without Progressive ministration!  How DARE they demand the implements by which to defend themselves, to have fun in sports, or bringing home food for the family.Such bogeymen we are – don’t we know that some pieces of metal and chemicals should be banned because bad people can use them to hurt or kill others? 

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Emphasis mine:

In boring fact, Empire keeps the peace and spreads civilization. The end of the Roman Empire introduced the Dark Ages. The end of the Habsburg Empire was the prerequisite of European war and revolution. Various lands and populations were destabilized at the fall of the Mughal and Ottoman Empires, and again at the fall of the British and French Empires.

The administration of President Barack Obama has already created the chaos and bloodshed bound up in the end of Empire. Withdrawal of the American presence in the Middle East fits perfectly into the Left Wing fantasy that whole populations will be happy if only they can do things their way. What actually happens is that ruthless thugs see their chance. The United States is allowing Iran to build its rival Empire, and into the political vacuum of the moment rush the Muslim Brothers, Hezbollah, the Taliban, al-Qaeda and the many other jihadi groups.

“If we could only go back to Eden – oh wait, we can build that!”.  The main fallacy of Progressives is that they can turn back the clock of time, wrap it up in a modern bow, and by surreptitiously taking stuff from others, recreate Eden in their own image.  And I also have to add, some Libertarians have this same fallacy, except they impose Empire on no one but believe that the magic bullet is free trade among all and all would turn out peachy.  Each fails to account (in part or in complete) the Fallen Nature of Man, the Greediness of Man, and the overwhelming need by some to grab for control over others.

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Once again, Pindell sets them up and I oblige:

• Will Republicans have to choose between supporting either the gas tax or Medicaid expansion?

The keynote speaker was Jennifer Horn – here are her remarks:

That’s right – nothing.  Now to the good, she was to give a talk and then a few questions afterwards.  Instead, sensing the angst and anger of the activists that were present, she began to take questions after a very brief into. However, with the brouhaha over “private vs privacy”, she decided not to go on record.   Again, Joe Kenney showed that he believed enough in who he is and what he stands for to go on record.  I thought that Christopher Boothby was going to be that type of person – and then his courage failed him.  Props to Horn for taking the questions, but with the brouhaha over privacy vs public and her deciding not to go on record, I think she missed a great opportunity to talk to other activists here in NH.  Openness and transparency?

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“He was for it before he was against it”

The second Republican vying to be the Republican nominee to the seat formerly held by the late Ray Burton is former Belknap County Commissioner Chris Boothby.  Along with Joe Kenney, he was there to present his case to the members present:

Oh yeah, not happening.  While I’ll go into more detail of the “private vs public” bit later, I asked both Mr. Kenney and Mr. Boothby if it was alright to video their stump speeches.  Mr. Kenney said “sure” – he had nothing to hide (I guess being the Marine Corp for 30 odd years and 3 combat tours means that an itty bitty camera doesn’t scare him).   Mr Boothby made the same decision – and then just before it was time to speak, he reversed himself.  His right, to be fair, but I again, I do this “citizen journalism” (they speak and I don’t edit any of it) as lots of potential voters can’t get to the kaffeklatch / home meetings that are conducted during the day when regular working people are, well, working.  The regular media outlets won’t bother – but GraniteGrok does (or tries to; more later).

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No one would ever mistake General “Blood N Guts” George Patton (“L’audace, toujours l’audace”) with an Establishment Republican.  Why?  Maha Rushie nails it:

What they ought to do, the Republicans ought to just say, “Let’s just extend ’em for the rest of the year and put it off the table.” That’s the Republicans’ usual plan. Just agree with the Democrats and then get it off the table and then Republicans will say, “We’ll come back and we’ll nail ’em on the debt limit, or we’ll nail ’em on the debt ceiling, or we’ll nail ’em on the budget.” So if they were to stay in character, the Republicans would say, “In an attempt to steal the compassion issue –” In fact, I’m gonna suggest this right now.

Attention inside-the-Beltway Republicans. The way to deal with this is to tell the Democrats not three months, you want to extend these emergency benefits to the end of the year and get it off the table. Take the issue away from the Democrats so you can’t be hurt by it during the campaign. And I guarantee you if there are any inside-the-Beltway Republicans who just heard this, they’ll think it’s brilliant and they might actually propose it. “My God, if we got Limbaugh on our side on this what’s to stop us?” Well, it’s what they’ve been doing with every issue, agree with it, get it off the table so it doesn’t hurt us. That’s why they’re doing with amnesty, let’s just get rid of it. The issue’s killing us.

Seems right – the “get it off the table” Republicans.  So, too scared to stand up against the Democrat Political Club du jour?  Just take it off the table by going along with it.  How many times have we seen this just the last two years in DC?  It’s always “give in now to shut down the voices, and we’ll run away to runaway another day”.

Here in NH?  From today’s Laconia Daily Sun:

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Cringed is what I did when I saw this on WMUR 9 this evening – especially when the kid’s head was SLAMMED into the concrete / cinder block wall.  And the Seabrook, NH cops just laughed and smirked.  Even looking directly into the camera, just smiling away.  I guess they believed that the rumored “brotherhood omerta” was in play – they’d be covered:

Mike Bergeron was the guy in the video.  Drunk? High?  Sleep walking?  I dunno but he didn’t look like he was all there.  But then again, it doesn’t matter.  What these three of the thin blue line did was wrong.  Once in custody, they are responsible for his well-being.  Slamming his head against the wall does not heighten that well-being. From the YouTube description:  

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With all of the talk of free school lunches, the need to extend unemployment rates, and the absolute need (according to NH Speaker of the House Norelli (D)) to implement Medicaid Expansion NOW, isn’t it worthwhile to see how “poor” NH really is?

That’s right – we are ranked dead last – where dead last is really best!  Given the fact that LBJ’s Great Society’s “War on Poverty” is now 60 years running at a cost of $15 Trillion and the poverty rate flatlined, the phrase “the poor ye will have with you always”, we now know to be true (an eternal truism, much to the dismay of Progressives who can’t learn from history).

Going to the source, Louisiana is the worst with an official poverty rate of 21.3%.  NH is the nation’s leader 7.5% poverty rate (and coincidentally, one of the best unemployment rates too). 

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