Skip, Author at Granite Grok

Blogline of the Day – on socialism

September 26, 2018December 19, 2012 Skip

Asking a socialist to embrace austerity is like asking a prostitute to embrace chastity: it’s simply not part of the business model. I still like Steve‘s, involving “eunuchs at a fertility festival.” (H/T: Instapundit)

And so the “caving in” begins over Sandy Hook and Political Correctness and lack of a backbone

September 26, 2018December 19, 2012 Skip

First it was private equity house,Cerebus, unloading its Bushmaster gun company – I merely noticed it knowing that the California Teachers Retirement fund was vested in Cerebus and therefore, a part owner in Bushmaster. Such a PR faux pas was not going to last long – and it didn’t as it is now set for “divestiture”. Then Dick’s, a major sporting goods retailer, decided to pull all of its “black rifle” inventory off the shelves nationwide after the news came out that kiddie murderer Adam Lanza had tried to purchase a rifle there (which failed as Dick’s personnel followed the law, started to do the background check, and Lanza didn’t complete the transaction when the seller behind the counter told him there was a 3 day wait via CT law). What they should have done is spotlight the employee AND themselves for doing the right things according to the Law.

Well, I needed a few things, so before work this morning, I went to Cheaper Than Dirt, an internet retailer of firearms and lots of other stuff, to buy them. I’ve used them in the recent past, bought quite a bit of stuff, and their shipping and accuracy was spot on. Well, imagine my surprise to what I found and the email I dashed off to them:

Quick Thought – Role of the State; what about Liberties?

September 26, 2018December 19, 2012 Skip

From Tim’s post:

the New Deal settlement has been reshaping Americans’ expectations about the nation-state’s reach and role. Consequently, the U.S. federal government will continue to provide a social safety net, regulate the economy, and shoulder a substantial share of responsibility for safeguarding the social and economic bases of political equality.

The State is responsible for two things:

Respecting and protecting our Rights and Freedom
Protecting individuals

Even with some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation,

A new arrow has been added to the Citizen’s quiver: make’em pay!

September 26, 2018December 18, 2012 Skip

We here at the ‘Grok have used RTK requests( NH’s RSA 91-A, the Right To Know law which is better known elsewhere as FOIA – Freedom Of Information Act) a few times in the past (Richard De Seve, the DES employee blogging on NH taxpayer dime, getting emails from the NH Water Commission that is looking to revoke private water rights) and we have a new project coming up soon. I have also used this in my own town, and have given advice to others trying to get information from recalcitrant public officials and department at town, county, and State level.

One thing we have ALL found out is that when these recalcitrants decide to truly be recalcitrant (as in “Who do these subject believe themselves to be? You’ll get it IF I feel like it and when I get around to it”), there was little recourse that the normal citizen had except to take their valuable time and spend their hard earned cash to sue in court to get data that they have already paid for via their taxes. Elected officials and bureaucrats could just wait them out or stymie the requestors by withholding data – without worrying about any consequences .

BUT! not any MORE! Thanks to Bob Guida, who had a hand in HB 1223, Citizens now have a way to make Big Government come to heel come January:

Notable Quote – George Will: observation and advice to Progressives

September 26, 2018December 18, 2012 Skip

Many liberals who, with solemn self-congratulation, call themselves “pro-choice” become testy when the right to choose is not confined to choosing to kill unborn babies. They say the right to choose is not progressive when it enables parents to choose their children’s schools or permits workers to choose not to fund unions’ political advocacy. Democrats … Read more

Liberals: Treat guns like drugs…

September 26, 2018December 18, 2012 Skip

(H/T: Townhall )

OK, let’s relax a tad….I found this highly amusing!

September 26, 2018December 18, 2012 Skip

Yeah, this should go over well on a political site: “To break some of the office blues, I decided to tell the worst geek joke I know: ‘Why did the Comp. Engineer get X-mas and Halloween mixed up? A: Because Oct(31) == Dec(25)!’ I can count on at least 4 of the geeky Groksters getting … Read more

Notable Quote – – Daniel Webster

September 26, 2018December 18, 2012 Skip

“There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.” – Daniel Webster “but they mean to be masters” – They be called “Progressives”

Blogline of the Day – blame game

September 26, 2018December 17, 2012 Skip

“Wait. So Eric Holder isn’t to blame for Fast and Furious, but the NRA is to blame for school shootings? Got it.”

Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA): “The Rights of the few…”

September 26, 2018December 17, 2012 Skip

Every Sunday, I DVR the talking head shows. This week was more arduous than most because we already knew what the topic du show were going to be: Newtown and the horrific event that happened there. Knowing, too, who was going to be on the shows, I heard exactly what I thought I would – call for increased gun control under the stereotypical Progressive rubrics of “Nobody needs that” and “I don’t know anyone that…” as if on their worldview, only their “acceptable” items should be purchased under some strange definition of “Freedom”. But that wasn’t the worst of it – my eyes nearly popped when I hear Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA, San Francisco) say the following on “Meet the Press” (emphasis mine):

Is this the way we want America to go? In other words, the Rights of the few overcome the safety of the Majority? I don’t think so! I think America is ready (on her intent to submit a gun control bill on the first day of the next session).

The “Rights of the few” – funny, I always thought that Rights were an innate part of the ALL simply because they are US Citizens. Perhaps I am just too old school for these fascist Progressives – I do believe in what the Founders wrote that our Rights are given to us by our Creator and Nature’s God and not just a bunch of legislators yammering away. Sadly, she is from the philosophical Left that only believes that when it is conducive to their argument of the day.

No, Ms. Feinstein, it is NOT the “Rights of the few” –

Progressives truly believe that laws change EVERYONE’s behavior – and ignore everyone’s nature.

September 26, 2018December 16, 2012 Skip

What a rather silly notion, Skip. Why, if Progressives actually believed Law, we Conservatives would never have had a (sad) hoot of a time with Sec. of Treasuery Timothy “Turbo Tax” Geitner, Sec of Labor Hilda Solis, Cabinet wannabe Tom Dashle and the other assorted current denizens of the White House staff who have “under obeyed” well known and understood tax Laws. All it took, as they derided “the rich for not paying their ‘fair’ share”, was to just not bother to whip out their checkbook or credit card. Paying THEIR fair share to the Govt that they administer? Doing the right thing? Those are just laws for the masses…

..just not for them, the “enlightened” ones. Or so it seems.

They just don’t get it – people watch so-called leaders. They look for consistency – will they stay the course or do they fold? Do they do things and pass laws that are truly for the “common good” (whatever that means anymore) or just for some special interest group? Do they say one thing to one set of people, and another to yet a different group? Does their public persona match that of the private one?

Or their morality? Or how they have changed what sets our public morality?

Who IS responsible for someone else’s sexual habits?

September 26, 2018December 16, 2012 Skip

Once again, we see an employer asking the Right question – and defending his answer in the face of the HHS mandate with a lawsuit. and this is an employer “of means” (reformmated, emphasis mine):

The founder of Domino’s Pizza is suing the federal government over mandatory contraception coverage in the health care law. Tom Monaghan, a devout Roman Catholic, says abortion and contraception aren’t health care but a “gravely immoral” practice. He filed a lawsuit Friday in federal court. It also lists as a plaintiff Domino’s Farms, a Michigan office park complex that Monaghan owns. Monaghan offers health insurance that excludes contraception and abortion for employees. The new federal law requires employers to offer insurance including contraception coverage, or risk heavy fines.

But Monaghan says the law violates his rights, pointing out that it is not his responsibility to pay for the sexual habits of his employees, and is asking a judge to strike down the mandate. There are similar lawsuits pending nationwide.

Progressives have long pushed their version of communtarianism for years – often, we hear “we’re all in this together” from Obama (as if he has to keep saying it to reassure himself that it is true). Problem is,

There’s a coupla reasons this gun grabber petition isn’t going anywhere….

September 26, 2018December 16, 2012 Skip

Here is the White House petition that the “Security and Safety comes before Freedom” gun-grabbers have put up:

The goal of this petition is to force the Obama Administration to produce legislation that limits access to guns. While a national dialogue is critical, laws are the only means in which we can reduce the number of people murdered in gun related deaths.

Powerful lobbying groups allow the ownership of guns to reach beyond the Constitution’s intended purpose of the right to bear arms. Therefore, Congress must act on what is stated law, and face the reality that access to firearms reaches beyond what the Second Amendment intends to achieve.

The signatures on this petition represent a collective demand for a bipartisan discussion resulting in a set of laws that regulates how a citizen obtains a gun.

“ the only means in which we can reduce the number of people murdered in gun related deaths” – Really? That presumes that the only thing that can be done is to establish more and more laws – external governance. Why is it that the real underlying cause is the Culture (under Progressive manipulation) has been a desensitizing towards the value of a human life? Are they saying inculcating a real reverence for life, strengthening the internal values, is a worse way to solve the problem? Or does that interfere with that other Progressive value – killing of unborn babies upon demand?

If the Political Class is terrified by a lobby group, we know their priorities are screwed up

September 26, 2018December 16, 2012 Skip

On the Piers Morgan show was an exchange with the Congressional Progressive Caucus member, Nadler (D-NY):

REP. JERROLD NADLER (D), NEW YORK: What are we most angry about? It’s that every poll shows that by massive majorities, Americans agree with what you just said. Yet we have a lobby, the leadership of the NRA, who function as enablers of mass murder. And that’s what they are. They’re enablers of mass murder, because they terrify the class of political people. And even though polling shows that most NRA members would support reasonable gun controls, every time someone proposes it, they come in. They lie. They say they will take your guns away. And they stop any kind of legislation to prevent that.

First, I want to see that poll of NRA members and what they agreed to what ‘reasonable’ is defined as. Certainly, keeping firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill and deranged and of those of violent felons is a given. But many gun owners DO believe that there are those, such as Nadler himself and certainly Nanny NYC Mayor Bloomberg would have no problem in taking each and every gun and bullet if ever given the slightest chance.

But I really chuckled at “They’re enablers of mass murder, because they terrify the class of political people“. What is that phrase again by John Basil Barnhill? Ah yes:

“Where the people fear the government you have tyranny. Where the government fears the people you have liberty.”

Perfect –

Notable Quote – Don Boudreax

September 26, 2018December 16, 2012 Skip

On commenting upon De Tocqueville’s The Old Regime and the French Revolution (emphasis mine) By the time their ancient love of freedom reawakened in the hearts of the French, they had already been inoculated with a set of ideas as regards the way the country should be governed that were not merely hard to reconcile … Read more

Why not the teachers?

September 26, 2018December 16, 2012 Skip

Fox News Sunday:

On the program earlier, Illinois Democrat senator Dick Durbin argued that arming school employees would be the wrong way to tackle the matter.

“I honestly think that that argument just doesn’t hold water,” Durbin said, “When you think about it, are we talking about arming teachers, arming principals? Is that going to make us a safer America? I don’t think so. Too many people are harmed by firearms, their own firearms, accidentally misused or turned on them.”

Well, we’ve armed pilots on planes, to good effect in the skies (along with air marshalls, and no one is complaining that they are armed). Sometimes, when I used to fly often, it was easy to pick out the A.M. as they joked and talked too much with the flight crew and if they stood just right, you could see they were carrying. If I could do it, so could the bad guys. Thus, the pilots are the last line of defense against evil.

Durbin has no basis to assert what he does – he doesn’t know that it wouldn’t make schools safer. In the first few moments of a tragedy like CT, people are going to get hurt and, unfortunately, die. But given some short amount of time (as the national average is about 23 minutes for law enforcement to arrive), those willing to be trained and willing to be that ‘go to” person could stop others from being involved in that tragedy.

Notable Quote – William Burroughs

September 26, 2018December 16, 2012 Skip

“After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn’t do it.” – William S. Burroughs, author Isn’t that always the way – punish the innocent? (H/T: Instapundit)

Sadness – of many things

September 26, 2018December 15, 2012 Skip

As I remarked to TMEW as we went out for a quick bite to eat “This is not a problem with guns. This is a problem with morality and culture if everything we are hearing is true”.

And we have to remember – we don’t know all the details. We do know that Adam Lanza was a troubled young adult. We know that the guns were owned by his mom whom he shot at their home in the face. What evil must have been present in his heart, or conditioned by our culture, that he felt he could take out his anger, his evilness, perhaps a sense of having been wronged in some fashion, to have executed every innocent 4 & 5 year olds in her class? Complete innocents at the mercy of a deranged person – for who can kill mere children except for a deranged defective person?

I hear journalists nowadays long for the days that “our shared” news was presented by the same kind of newscasters / newspapers. I grew up in that time. Shared values.
I hear from historians of a time when our outlook as a society was more homogenous – we shared similar values. I grew up in that time. . Shared values.
I heard from older family members that our social order was that of Civil Society – that social mores kept people “in line” without the need for external governance. Shared values.
I heard and saw that self-restraint and self-sacrifice were of high social values – a more polite society was a given. Shared values.
I heard and saw that the rules were the rules – present, reliable, knowable and enforced. Shared values.
I heard that people that were a danger to us and to themselves used to be kept out of normal society – to protect us against them.

Times have changed. I blame the 60s. I blame my generation for deciding it knew better than all other generations combined….without their experience, knowledge, or wisdom. Such hubris

im41 has some rules for Bloggers to defeat Libs

September 26, 2018December 15, 2012 Skip

He asked a number of bloggers what they believe the “rules” are to help recover what happened in November and in the culture in general. Here are a few of them:

Of course: Andrew Breitbart: War!

Atlas Shrugs: A complete reevaluation of the opposition strategy is needed. The Republicans have failed. The Republican Party has failed…..

Moonbattery: Be relentless. Liberalism is like rust; it never stops corroding every aspect of society. That’s we why can never stop fighting it…

(It’s BigFurHat) – There is no denying that American culture is on the decline. Most people. left and right, agree. Where we split politically is which way the finger of blame points. I think it’s important to be able to lay all societal ills at the feet of progressivism, where it rightly belongs…

(Zilla of the Resistance) – Don’t be afraid. Just tell the truth as you know it to be, because if you are thinking it the odds are that someone else is also thinking it and wishing someone would say it, so say it…

Tim will love this one:

Guess the USDA doesn’t like contrarian points of view left in comments on their blog

September 26, 2018December 15, 2012 Skip

USDA: Americans aren’t doing what they’re told

Well, that was the headline of a post over at the Washington Examiner. Any combination of a Federal agency and words intimating that our Overlords ain’t happy with what their subjects are doing with “their” suggestions ABSOLUTELY gets my attention:

When Americans go to the grocery store, they rarely do what they are told by federal nutrition guidelines, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“Many of our diets aren’t what they should be,” Richard Volpe, part of the USDA’s Economic Research Service, wrote today. “Americans eat fewer fruits and vegetables than Federal nutrition guidance recommends, and we over-consume fats, added sugars, and refined grains.”

So I went on over to read the whole thing. I learned that they can be snippy (emphasis mine), so in the end, I was snippy back:

Many of our diets aren’t what they should be. Americans eat fewer fruits and vegetables than Federal nutrition guidance recommends, and we over-consume fats, added sugars, and refined grains. Health professionals warn us that the less-healthful food choices are showing up on our waistlines and in our health, contributing to increasing cases of overweight and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Knowing how far we stray from good dietary patterns, and whether the diets of certain segments of the population are more misaligned, can help in designing more effective programs and consumer education.