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I guess this is one of those Libertarian leanings I have as a Conservative – if a territory such as Puerto Rico wants to leave, well, have a nice forever (emphasis mine, reformatted):

Puerto Rican Activists Seek Help from The Hague for Reunification with Spain

A group of activists in Puerto Rico unhappy with the current status of the island as a United States commonwealth is demanding a separation from America and reunification with Spain. The group plans to contest the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which handed Puerto Rico to the United States, at the International Court of Justice.  According to Fox News Latino, the group, the Puerto Rico Reunification With Spain organization, is seeking to be annexed into Spain given the ethnic history of the island and its separation from Spain through war. Unlike its neighbors Cuba and the Dominican Republic, which fought wars of independence to assert their sovereignty from Spain and Haiti respectively, Spain lost Puerto Rico in 1898 as part of its loss in the Spanish-American War as declared in the Treaty of Paris. Puerto Rico became an American territory and its residents United States citizens, but the territory never became a state.

The US does not formally recognize the ICJ so I’m not sure that would be all that persuasive (although, given the transnational / post-Constitutional elites in DC, anything is possible with this Administration).  Yes, I know that our Civil War was formally fought over, not slavery, but 

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I listened to WMUR at 6 today as they ran a spot on Maggie’s filing for re-election for NH Governor.  What I heard for being “hypocritical” was her taking credit for implementing Medicaid Expansion and the gas tax.  Absolutely WRONG – she had nothing to do with it.  There is no way she ehould be taking credit for it.  Or any other Democrat either.

Republicans are responsible for them.  Specifically NH State Senator Chuck Morse, NH State Senator Jeb Bradley, NH State Senator Nancy Stiles, and NH State Senator Odell, who did the heavy lifting for this Democrat issue.  And yes, NH State Senator Rausch did the lifting for raising the gas tax.  Both items are contra the NH GOP Platform.  Which is why this email missive is so exasperating.  Consistency, this ain’t:

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We’ve seen this before – but that’s the problem with Progressives – no sense of history and repercussions in trying to repeat it with success.  And it would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.  You know, with Ramadi, Fallujah, Mosul, and Tikrit falling to Al Qaeda style affiliates (hey, they’re ALL jihadi Islamists, Obama!), this is a disaster.  The air base, too,  that the Eldest was deployed to with the Second Marine Air during the Iraq War, Al Asad, is in the process of being lost (and even though he was not a door kicker like his brother in the 101st, he still lost friends there).

We spent a lot of our treasure, both financial and in human terms – and Obama’s mind that all he has to royally decree “It is over” and all would bow to him (at least, those to whom he wasn’t bowing to instead).  And now ISIL has established a caliphate in Syria and Iraq that is larger than any other Islamist organization has ever captured.  Speaking of captured, they are also the richest, having walked through the door of the Iraq Central bank and walked back out with $425 million.

I just keep wondering when it would sink in for him that it takes TWO sides to end a war: 

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“Different employees address whipping, gagging, tree tying, asphyxiation, “dominatrix stuff,” handcuffs and rope, along with the resulting “welts across the back” and “maybe some blood.” …To a “15-year-old,” one staffer insisted, “Kinky sex, dominatrix stuff, it’s very popular”

That would be PPNE employees, courtesy of the Obama Federal Ambassador to NH Jeanne Shaheen’s feckless overriding / going around of the NH Executive Council’s vote a couple of years ago.  They voted to not fund PPNE – she grinningly sent them millions of taxpayer money from DC instead.  She kept them alive – they made Porn for Teens. She circumvented   I call that “Jeanne Shaheen Morality” along with Jeanne Shaheen Progressive Democracy” – just think, in circumventing what NH Officials thought was right with our money, she funded instructions on sex role playing that would be considered to be statuatory rape if these teens were to be hauled into court.

And done without the knowledge or consent of Parents – nice respect you have for parents, Jeanne.  Actions have consequences and your actions have certainly given us some spectacular results – who’da thunk your actions delved into possible X-rated teen rape. Let’s pretend – just for a moment – to believe Planned Parenthood when the nation’s largest abortion mill maintains that the taxpayer money it receives doesn’t go toward the abortion side of its business. We’re still left with the following question:

How much of the $540.6 million in government grants Planned Parenthood received in 2013 went to educate teens on the pleasures of “torture sex?” 

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On the news that Mississippi voters voted for MS State Senator Chris McDaniel instead the 36 year incumbent US Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS)  in the Republican primary, Republican (mostly) political operative and “strategist” John Feehery tweeted:

I guess Mississippi doesn't want Federal money anymore. I betcha there are 49 states that will gladly take it.

— John Feehery (@JohnFeehery) June 4, 2014

Tim Carney at the Washington Examiner  has it right:

The tweet was perfect. In less than 140 characters Feehery had not only summarized Cochran’s reason for existence, he also helped reveal what the GOP’s K Street wing has at stake in its primary battles against Tea Partiers like Mississippi’s Chris McDaniel.

For political operatives, and a secondary member of the Political Ruling Class, it is ONLY about the Benjamins and how and where to keep them going.  It is all about who gets to direct the money to and dictate how it might be spent regardless if it actually does any good at all (other than holding up one’s names – like the late US Senator Robert Byrd whose name is seemingly on every other public building in West Virginia).  But is that really the Proper Role of Government, or just a bastardization of what once was, given how much money flows through DC as Democrats and Republican both have worked to centralize and Federalize the United States? 

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Mutual Aid Societies and Fraternal Organizations – before Progressives decided that ONLY Government could and should do charity work, there were mutual aid societies.  Groups of people banded together to help each other – family, friends, fellow immigrants.  And to the latter, I dimly remember stories from my Dad’s dad who came over to Southie (Boston) of the “Irish Diaspora” (stemming from the irish Potato Famine) and that he got help from those that had arrived earlier.  They had banded together, pooled their resources, helped him get started – and then expected him to do the same thing later on.  The quintessential “pay it forward” popular now was a way of life back then – because in many cases, life DID depend on it.  A snippet from The American Interest (via Instapundit) that recalls those entities:

The ACA is not the only game health care game in town. Either because they are opposed to the values embodied in the ACA or because they are unable to afford the costs it imposes, some people are dropping out of mainstream insurance altogether. WaPo looks at some of the health care programs they are opting into instead. Of particular note are groups like Christian Healthcare Ministries. Members of CHM pool money to pay for each other’s health care bills, out of pocket and unmediated by insurance.

We don’t know how many people are using this kind of system; the piece does tell us that CHM has 80,000 members, and the overall number is probably vanishingly small. But CHM and similar groups represent a kind of approach that deserves more attention than it is getting, for two reasons. First, it encourages responsible health care use. . . .

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Big Government reports on US Senators banding together to support, not the best candidate possible, but to keep their collective butts in those high paying seats in the US Senate.  Our very own Jr. US Senator Kelly Ayotte seemingly is on board with this. I guess this means that she’s gone DC – the “business as usual” model appeals with her, just like with Thad Cochran  (back to that “only DC money is important” tweet by John Feehery):

GOP Senators Scurry from NRSC HQ After McConnell’s ‘All In’ for Thad Cochran Fundraiser

While Shelby got away before this reporter could ask him why he’s supporting Cochran, he could be overheard telling another fundraiser attendee as he walked out the door: “I told them I delivered my money for him.” It’s unclear what the context of that statement was.

Ayotte similarly got away before this reporter got to her, but another fundraiser attendee mentioned how she had her own campaign event later Tuesday evening, and she shrugged back jokingly with a smile on the NRSC’s front steps: “Here to support Thad!”

Since she has been elected, I have seen multiple accounts describe her as having been a TEA Party candidate – nothing could have been further than the truth (the real TEA Party candidate, Ovide Lamontagne, lost only by about 1600 votes in the primary).  Backed by Papa Smurf and the rest of the NH Establishment Republicans, her voting record has been quite uneven these last four years.  Will she (can she) learn ANYTHING from:

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With words emanating from Obama, folks like Eric Cantor, Chuck Schumer, Luis Guttieriez, and yes, our own Kelly Ayotte, that amount to that America WANTS underaged illegal aliens to come to America – come NOW and you’ll get Amnesty!  All you have to do is get here and this formerly rich nation (now the brokest nation in history) will make your DREAMers streets of gold  come true – we’ll house you, feed you, clothe you, and courtesy of the Obama Administration, give you lawyers so that you’ll never have to go home.  And a whole bunch of new friends as roommates!  Tight, dudes…(as in space, that is)

And we will give you free healthcare – even better than what our Veterans get – this American President is already mobilizing them to come see us (yes, shots included). Speaking of Veterans, who are having to personally lawyer up out of their own pockets to get that care, Ayotte’s Amnesty Kiddies won’t have to worry about that at all – Obama’s and Ayotte’s Amnesty Kiddie Corp is rushing lots of lawyers to you – FREE (at the expense of those nativist Americans who don’t like line jumpers – such an old fashioned traditional American notion to cling to)!

Yessir, this is the Amnesty Kelly Ayotte and company have been waiting for (down there in DC).  Can’t read?  Bringing in communicable tropical diseases? Want your Government to be your parents?  NO PROBLEM!  After all, we’ve got LOTS of Americans from which we can take even more so we can point to ourselves, pat ourselves on the back, and say “what good boys and gals are we!”

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“Consistency breeds Trust yields Votes” – I have been saying that for months now, trying to impress upon the Establishment Republicans (aka, the “Republican Republicans for the sake of the Party” – RRFTSOTP) that simply running campaigns for the sake of winning is insufficient.  Rather, winning is merely a necessary pre-cursor – it is what happens afterwards that is important.  But many have not listened – they say the words but then do otherwise.  As frequent GraniteGrok readers know, my prime Object Lesson was Frank Guinta.  As in “you promised us in the TEA Party that cutting spending was your #1 priority and promise – but then failed to vote down the Continuing Resolutions that increased spending”.  That lack of Consistency of deed to spoken word caused enough of us to vote down his second run – and Carol Shea-Porter reclaimed the seat.  Sometimes a message has to be sent (and thankfully, her votes were overridden by a Republican majority).

Eric Cantor got blindsided in his primary tonite and many have mentioned Amnesty being the reason.  Well, yes, but not just that.  Is Amnesty for illegal aliens a Republican platform issue?  Not on your life – unless you are a US Chamber of Commerce Republican (like Cantor was – listening Kelly Ayotte??).  But what did Cantor in was in violating “Consistency breeds Trust yields Votes” – he failed that first fundamental virtue.  Like the NH GOP, he burned his brand amongst his voters – and like the NH GOP, didn’t know it until the counting was over (for him, now, for the NH GOP, 2012).  Why?  A lack of Consistency:

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UPDATE: Heh – could this be Popcorn Time?  Seems like Hagel is claiming that he didn’t make the decision.  So, who did?

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Poor Chuckie – first he willingly, as the token bipartisan Republican, became Obama’s patsie to oversee the downsizing of the Department of Defense in compliance with Obama’s policy of Determined Weakness.  After all, the Left hates the idea that America is the lone superpower and blames much of the world’s ills on the US and its ability to project power.  So once again, as Obama continues to make our allies distrust us and our enemies laugh at us, we see that our military is less able to respond – to the point that if our interests are threatened (and Ron Paul should not fear, Obama is ensuring that we WILL have no offshore interests at all – until they start to come here), we will be unable to say “enough”.  Hagel is overseeing the process by which our forces will be as hollowed out as Western Europeans (which, I dryly note, that Obama is telling them they must up their military spending just as he is ramping ours downward.

And now, Chuckie is being made a patsie again in that the White House is saying, contra to what has been said before, that Hagel made the decision to release the Taliban Five:

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel – not President Obama – executed the administration’s final call to proceed with the prisoner exchange of five ranking Taliban detainees for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, administration officials told Congress today in a classified briefing today.

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It seems that the narrative of how Common Core came to be is now going off the rails.  Instead of the story that had it that it was a push outside of formal government processes, we now see that billionaire and tech mogul Bill Gates decided that money well placed at the right legislative times and to those at the right levers of powers basically hoodwinked people into thinking that this was an organic process.  Just the fact that it effectively came about out of nowhere should have had BS antennas whipping back almost fast enough to have liftoff that local control of education was to be superseded by a national agenda.  Now the smoking gun:

The pair of education advocates had a big idea, a new approach to transform every public-school classroom in America. By early 2008, many of the nation’s top politicians and education leaders had lined up in support.But that wasn’t enough. The duo needed money — tens of millions of dollars, at least — and they needed a champion who could overcome the politics that had thwarted every previous attempt to institute national standards.

So they turned to the richest man in the world.

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