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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.

GrokTV Event: Lakes Region TEA Party hosting Michelle Bachman – Signing “The Pledge”

On the Conservative side of the NH political scene is Tom "The Axe Man" Thomson who is famous for his pledge on behalf of NH (and American) taxpayers.  He has traveled the length and width of NH, going to a lot of the political events, to publicize the benefits of the pledge and confronting those that will ultimately be deciding what to spend of the taxpayers’ money – or not.

And yes, Michele Bachmann signed the pledge.  Two takes on the signing – one from the camera angle of all of the rest of the event (ably manned by TMEW)….

…and another strange attempt from me and the trusty FlipCam. Apologies in order – I thought I had gotten into the right position for the signing, and it turned out that she could not have cared more where I was sitting.  So, in signing the second version, I took my monopod (FlipCam attached) and just stuck it out there (and there is no "angling" with it).  I was pleased to get what I did – except it was sideways.  With a software assist, the rotation was accomplished but a wee bit "strange" in one spot.

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Grok TV Event: Grafton County Republicans – Presidential Candidates

Last night, the ‘Grok was asked to cover the Grafton County Republican Committee‘s Columbus Day Dinner which ended up having two of the candidates roaming around the State, and a few surrogates (i.e., stand-ins); here they are in alphabetical order (of candidate) except for Jon Huntsman (who was the keynote speaker – will be in a separate post):

Charlie Spano for Herman Cain:

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Grok TV Event: Grafton County Republicans – Ovide Lamontagne

At last night’s Columbus Day Dinner, Ovide Lamontagne was there.  Although I got the sense that he was there to give the Invocation (yet to be posted), he was also given the opportunity to address the crowd as he is currently the only Republican who has entered the race for NH Governor (actually, the only … Read more

GrokTV Event: Lakes Region TEA Party hosting Michelle Bachman – her speech

Yesterday, the ‘Grok was invited by the Lakes Region TEA Party (based mostly in Moultonborough, NH) to a meeting that hosted Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) as she is seeking to be the Republican nominee for President.  THE LRTP is a relatively new group that started out with just a handful of folks a few months … Read more

GrokTV Event: Lakes Region TEA Party hosting Michelle Bachman -Questions 1 – 4

In addition to speaking at the Lakes Region TEA Party meeting yesterday, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) also took a number of questions from the crowd: Question 1: How will you deal with leaders of rogue nations as they look down upon women…and stand up to them with boldness? Question 2: Underground economy pays no taxes … Read more

GrokTV Event: Lakes Region TEA Party hosting Michelle Bachman -Questions 5 – 7

Continuing on from Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann’s (R-MN)  talk and questions 1-4 from yesterday’s Lakes Region TEA Party meeting held in Moultonborough, NH, here are the next set of questions from the crowd:   Question 5: Governor Perry is not securing the borders; an illegal came into my house (visitor from Texas) Question 6: Tort reform … Read more

GrokTALK! – Special Interview: Ed Black


Earlier this week, I received a press release concerning the IRS.  Now, getting a "presser" is not all that unusual, but this one was prefaced with a link back to a post I had written back in 2008 ("Sure – I’LL let the IRS do my taxes for me") where then US Senator John Sununu was advocating for a small, easier understood tax code while current US Senator Jeanne Shaheen decided that "making it easier" was not to change the underlying tax code, but laughably, to have the IRS computer your taxes for you (yeah, the agency that has had its competency shown to be suspect by having its own agents answer specific questions – and they all answer them differently).

The Presser from Stop IRS Takeover:

NEW POLL SHOWS NEW HAMPSHIRE REPUBLICANS OVERWHELMINGLY REJECT PROPOSAL TO HAVE IRS PREPARE INDIVIDUALS’ TAX RETURNS

85% of New Hampshire Republican Residents Said They Would NOT trust the IRS to Prepare Their Returns, Determine Their Refund or How Much They Owe in Taxes

WASHINGTON, D.C.  ­ Today, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) released the findings of a new Public Policy Polling survey which found overwhelming opposition from voters to the expansion of the IRS’s involvement in preparing individuals’ tax returns, a potential backdoor plan to raise taxes on Americans.

The rest of the press is after the jump.  Ed Black, President and CEO of the CCIA gave the ‘Grok an interview on the subject:

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“He said if the Selectmen do not do something he will go to the newspapers.”

This is funny as all get out – once again, we have a flaming liberal demanding something be done by other people to satisfy his needs (or ego)!  Just cracks me up!  I’m on my hamlet’s Budget Committee and this is now budget season here in NH.  Thus, we have started our meetings with the Town departments and (soon) the School Board to create the budgets that will be voted upon by the folks in town.  So, what’s the beef?

It seems that Leo Sanfacon, a spending liberal who (in my previous run-ins with him) is only concerned with "the quality of life" (and not always the cost thereof) contacted the Town Administrator who relayed a message:

Today I received a phone call from Leo Sanfacon.  He is requesting the Selectmen take steps to make sure the Budget Committee meetings are broadcast on cable TV.  During this conversation I suggested that he submit his request directly to the Budget Committee because the Board of Selectmen and Budget Committee are independently elected bodies and neither has any legal authority over the other.  He said if the Selectmen do not do something he will go to the newspapers.  He then indicated he would like a call-back from Chairman O’Brien to ensure that his message was delivered.

Heh!  It seems that the kerfuffle from last week’s brush up between a few of the members of the Committee over conflict of interest finally reached the space between his ears, and I bet that he is some upSET over some of what happened as the dustup hit the papers ("oh, the ignominy of it all, we just don’t behave that way in this town….").

You know, I really do wish that he goes to the newspapers – and show himself to be of the classification "moroon".  You know…

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“Applicant must have college degree”; overblown need?

If you walk around the Right blogosphere, you will see a lot of folks talking about the "education bubble" – lots of folks who were told to go to college, took on lots of debt, and now are either unemployed or underemployed.  The overriding problem seems to be the overemphasis on the credentials to do … Read more

Data Point – It’s looking worse for Obama

Pretty much every day gets a visit to Rassmussen’s Daily Presidential Approval index – the number of folks that Strongly Approve of the President vs those that Strongly Disapprove. All this week, the overall rating has been in the low -20s: the spread between the supporters vs opposers.  Today completes the week: It must be … Read more

A GraniteGrok Endorsment – Herman Cain for the 2012 Presidential Primary

We here in NH are at Ground Zero of the Primaries that will help to select the next Republican nominee for President.  New Hampshireites take this responsibility seriously and demand that the prospective candidates  work the retail end of the political spectrum.  We have done likewise – we have gone to the big and small … Read more

Steve Jobs, R.I.P (1955 – 2011)

An icon, and an iconic era, has just passed on.  And the obligatory "I was there" moment. Yes – one of those "where were you?" moments that I will always remember the place and the circumstances.  Yes – TMEW and I had purchased an Apple II+ a couple of months after it came out. And … Read more

Alinsky’s Rule #5 can apply to President Obama

Not a bad idea! A reader writes to me, “I have a suggestion. Instead of the formulation ‘If you believe X, I have a bridge to sell you,’ let’s say, ‘If you believe X, I have a shovel-ready project for you.’ I’m hoping for a one-term Obama presidency, but I hope he is forever memorialized … Read more

You know, I expect this kind of thing from Michele “LetsMove.gov” Obama, Dietician-In-Chief

We all know that Michele has taken it upon herself to save the US from epidemic of childhood obesity (as if it were really communicative in the traditional epidemic sense of the word).  Setting up new dietary standards for us all, "suggesting" that the entire food industry should follow her "guidelines" (restaurants, food manufacturers).  I dunno who deserves my despise more, her or NYC Mayor Bloomberg, for determining how the rest of us should eat just because they know better what is best for us than we do ourselves.

Well, there’s a new recruit to the hectoring industry!  Who would have believed that TEA Party (you know, the folks that believe in self-responsibility) supported him as he agreed with that seemingly quaint notion?

I "discovered" this PSA after this past Saturday’s Granite Oath PAC event with Governor Rick Perry – decided to see if I could get another "tall" tripod and not having had breakfast or lunch, I spied a Taco Bell and pulled in.  Just as I was ready to get out, I heard a familiar voice…

Narration after the jump (if you didn’t recognize the voice).   I know that I didn’t use my vote to get lectured…

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