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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.

So, flying is a “Privilege” according to the TSA?

Really?  Flying is now a privilege?  Yup, this kinda sums up the situation – and states the problem:

ABC News’ Huma Khan reports: Transportation Security Administration head John Pistole today defended controversial new security procedures and argued that if passengers want to get on a plane, they have to undergo new screening procedures.

“I see flying as a privilege. That is public safety issue so the government has a role in providing public safety and we need to do everything we can in partnership with the public to inform them about what their options are,” Pistole said at a breakfast with reporters organized by the Christian Science Monitor. “Passengers have a number of options as you go through screening. Bottom line is if someone decides they don’t want to have screening, they don’t have a right to get on the plane.”

Driving a car is a privilege.  Riding in a car is not (unless my son is driving – then it is more akin to an "A" ticket at the Rock Horror / Freddy Kruger / NASCAR theme park.  Most of us are not looking to drive the plane, just use it as the flying bus that it has come to be.  Who gave Mr. Pistole, supposedly a public servant, the authority to declare a mode of transportation to be a ‘privilege‘? Isn’t this something that our legislators should be determining, rather than a bureaucrat in the Executive Branch?  Is this not yet one more example of the "Administrative State" overreach in determining how Americans in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" will live their lives?  Is this not something that we decide? 

The effect, if one is not one of the hoi-polloi that can afford private aircraft (in whole or in part), to make it more unpalatable to freely travel large distances in short time frames.  Does that mean that trains, cars, and bicycles are next?  Taken to the absurd – "walking to work today?  Yes, sir, it’s heart healthy!  Yeah, gimme those shoes; I got this hand held scanner right here…..".

I have to grimly chuckle at the "…do everything we can in partnership with the public…" line as well.  In my thinking, …

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So, James has changed his tune?

Fist Bump, please!

 Most of The NHPoliticalScoop is behind a paywall of $400 / year.  Most of what is there can be seen (after googling a bit) a bit later and for free unless it is exclusively by James Pindell.  The following was sent by a loyal reader who knows of the Seacoast Republican Women Post Election Panel. James kept insisting that the upcoming (and now, almost settled) race for NH Speaker was going to be between the old vs new House GOP members.  Both Jeff Chidester and I kept trying to hammer home that the reason WHY there were so many New Republicans in the NH House was not because of the electorate response to the Democrat overreach.  Most of these new folks are there for a reason – and more TEA Party sympathy than not.

Thus, the battle was not going to be Old vs New, but rather Establishment wing vs New TEA Party / Constitutionalist / 912er / Libertarian wing. 

I feel vindicated.  Jeff – fist bump (emphasis mine)!

Analysis: Why O’Brien’s probable rise to Speakership is the biggest victory for NH Tea Party movement

There has been a lot of discussion about the role that the so-called Tea Party movement has played in politics this election year. Around the country Tea Party supporters can point to a number of high profile victories. In New Hampshire, however, it has been much harder to point to a single high profile Tea Party win over the establishment.

On this point, I would have to mostly agree with James.  The biggest reason was the disasterous decision by the NH TEA Party Coalition to not do what many other TEA Party groups did around the country did.  They adapted from the protests, sign waves, and rallies to getting ready to make a difference by organizing, vetting candidates, raising money, and then pushing for like minded candidates.

However, what saved the day is the decentralized nature of the movement…

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An observation of “Gravitas”

From Instapundit comes this observation about when politicians and pundits talk about how important "gravitas" is to an administration, policy wonks, or politicians: Remember, when you hear about how important it is that the next Republican nominee for President have “gravitas,” the following have been designed by people with gravitas:     * The TSA’s scanning … Read more

“Fix Bayonets”

 

I did not write this – but YOU need to go read this; the whole thing at Stop Shouting. Emphasis mine.

My Rebuttal to a Progressive who Admonished Me to Play Nice ….

…I am tired of being told to sit down and shut up.

I am tired of being told what I can and can not say.

What is “acceptable”, while my ideas and values are mocked and trampled.

Enough. I have had enough.
…
I have been silent long enough. I have bent, I have yielded, I have endured slander, dishonesty, ad hominem attacks and actual physical threats.

Anger is a powerful motivator.
…
I was called a liar.
…
I was called naïve.
…
So we took your tools and began to employ them against you. And you don’t like it very much. Except we don’t have to pay anyone to come to our rallies, and that just infuriates you further.
…
I donated money to outlier Tea Party candidates who were mocked by the “all knowing” media and had been dismissed by the Establishment. Some of them actually won. They are the hired mercenaries of the Tea Party. Do not underestimate or misunderstand their mission and their support.
…
You have seized the public schools and the universities and conducted a purge of any non-compliant conservatives; a massive re-education for the faculty was in order. You believe you can turn our children against us. Unfortunately for you, all it takes is one look at their first paycheck as working adults for them to question the validity of your wealth redistributive economic policies. Homeschooling, constitutionally upheld, is on the rise; Ron Paul now fills college auditoriums, while the Won struggles to fill them without piggybacking on the coat tails of a free pop concert.

Your side knows you can not prevail on the battlefield of open and honest ideas, so you retreat behind the fortification of expanded regulation, unelected czars who rule by decree and diktat, and a boy-king who is being urged by the janissaries to complete the transformation to a totalitarian state by executive orders.
…
Your side has chosen to engage in a low-level, asymmetric campaign for decades. Deceit, dishonesty and exploiting the mechanisms of state have been your weapons.

Unfortunately for you,…

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So, the Empire wishes to strike back?

Is this a rumor, or is this a plan?  From a loyal reader that is connected to the GOP (emphasis mine): I am continually hearing word that a number of the "good old boys" in the GOP are working with the Democrats to put a candidate up against Bill O’Brien on Dec. 1st. …I’ve heard … Read more

He who has the Gold makes the rules (or, the bribe / lure of free money)

Part 1: The "lure" of free money – all the politicians jump for it, thinking that they can "give" something to someone and it doesn’t cost local taxpayers anything.  During yesterday’s show, we got this from Dan (using GrokTALK@GraniteGrok.com): Using the 16th amendment the federal government takes our money, then turns around and gives a … Read more

Another example of Progressive thinking…

While the thrust of my last post seemed to be about the money, it really is about the attitude: "you should do what what WE ALL need to do".  In that case, it was "we will protect you, even if you won’t protect yourself" in a life-safety issue.  Here, the Liberals wants to keep his … Read more

As the 2010 campaign season ends…

We are now in the tail end of the campaign season – clean up and tidying of the campaign houses.  For the winners, plans for the next few months and what should be tackled first and for the not-quite-winners, it’s a time of consideration of things that might have been and what maybe / should be happening for them in the future.

In both cases, sometimes the questions is "er, we spent a lot, didn’t we?".  Sometimes, the till is still not quite empty and sometimes, a hole has been discovered – and the situation is both on the Right and the Left, winners and losers.

This past Wednesday, the friends of Jack Kimball had an event to help retire some of his debt from his campaign, and there were a number of notables there to speak on his behalf.  Master of Ceremonies was conservative radio talk show host Jeff Chidester; the following  are some of the speakers in order!

That said, the first notable was the tribute Jeff offered was to all spouses who allowed their "other halfs" make runs for office, knowing that family life will be almost non-existent for months on end – in this case, Jack’s wife, Donna Marie!

Inside joke- start counting!

After the jump: other speakers were Bill Binnie, John Stephen, Bill O’Brien, Jennifer Horn, and of course, the guy NOBODY wishes to follow after he has spoken, Jack himself.

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GrokTALK! – Podcast page for 11/20/10

Podcast – week of 11/20/10   GrokTALK! Streaming Live!from GraniteGrok To play (or "stream") a clip now, just click on it.  To download it to your PC, right click on it and tell the process where to save the file for you. (Click here for the promo page) Only "snippets" this week – no "Hours" … Read more

Breaking – The new Speaker of the NH House is Bill O’Brien

Breaking – The Republican Caucus Nominee for Speaker of the NH House is Bill O’Brien “I’m looking forward to working with Republicans and Democrats in the New Hampshire House to fulfill the mandate for a new direction that the people of New Hampshire voted for on November 2,” Voting Tabulation: Round  1 Gene Chandler: 129, … Read more

A Presentation of Ideas Concerning New Republican Leadership in the NH House of Representatives – Part 3

Part 3 of a three part series of Guest Posts by the Honorable Paul Mirski, member of the NH House of Representatives (and one of the Fathers of Conservatism here in NH). He is seeking to be the Majority Leader in the NH House of Representatives.

  •  Part Three suggests five or six overriding legislative themes and then goes on to provide a basket of  choices for legislative action that are drawn directly from our current Republican Party Platform.  If members consider all of the media focus on Tea Party initiatives over the last 18 months, they will see that those Republicans who began rewriting our platform eight years ago were well ahead of the curve.We’re ready right this minute to create change. We don’t have to go searching for ideas.

Previous sections: Part 1,  Part 2

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PART 3

Proposed Republican Initiatives for the 2011 – 2012 Legislative Session:

The idea that all individuals ought to be able to seek and achieve their unique destinies is our core belief.

The Republican Party was founded by abolitionists to end slavery. We should be proud of our Party’s freedom legacy.  We must re-dedicate ourselves to our Party’s originating ideas and ideals if we’re to grow and thrive once again as a political force.
 
In conformance with the broad range of ideals, goals, and objectives outlined within our Republican Party Platform, here’s a presentation of numerous legislative initiatives that have been suggested by legislators, candidates and activists that could form the nucleus of a 2011-2012 Republican legislative agenda. The first six address money issues and were drawn from the expanded list below their listing. The first year of the coming session should focus primarily on spending and taxation.

Six Initiatives to get control of State spending:

  • Prioritize ALL functions of government and analyze costs accordingly.
  • Repeal all unwarranted increases in size and cost of government enacted during the 2007–2008 and 2009-2010 sessions.
  • Repeal all related tax and fee increases enacted during the 2007–2008 and 2009 2010 sessions.
  •  Initiate Sunset Review for all state agencies.
  • Reform New Hampshire’s State Employees’ Pension System
  • Return oversight and control over curriculum, administration, and funding of education to the smallest forms of political subdivision capable of educating New Hampshire’s children.

Education Reform:

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Bill O’Brien: Have you offered NH House Committee Chairs to anyone?

I ran into Bill O’Brien at the Jack Kimball’s campaign debt retirement event in Portsmouth tonite.  Given the rumor that is flying around the state, and the fact that GraniteGrok has put its credibility on the line by endorsing him, I confronted Bill with the question: "Have you offered ANY NH House Representative a Committee … Read more

NECN, TEA Party, “Dancing with the Stars”, and Sarah Palin

OK, life can be bizarre at times – got an email from my friend Steve asking "would you be willing to go on TV and talk about the influence of the TEA Party on "Dancing with the Stars?" Riiiiggghhhhtt!  You ARE putting me on, right?  While TMEW is a fan, I pretty much am just … Read more

A Presentation of Ideas Concerning New Republican Leadership in the NH House of Representatives – Part 2

Part 2 of a three part series of Guest Posts by the Honorable Paul Mirski, member of the NH House of Representatives (and one of the Fathers of Conservatism here in NH). He is seeking to be the Majority Leader in the NH House of Representatives.

  • Part Two discusses how  the Republican Caucus ought to be organized in order to use and enhance the array of skills represented within our caucus and in a way that will encourage each and every member to play a constructive and satisfying part.
  • Part Three suggests five or six overriding legislative themes and then goes on to provide a basket of  choices for legislative action that are drawn directly from our current Republican Party Platform.  If members consider all of the media focus on Tea Party initiatives over the last 18 months, they will see that those Republicans who began rewriting our platform eight years ago were well ahead of the curve.We’re ready right this minute to create change. We don’t have to go searching for ideas.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Part 1 is here.

___________________________________________________________________
PART 2
 
Reforming The Republican Caucus in the N.H. House

To succeed in passing and implementing an agenda the 2011-2012 Republican Leadership must become focused.

If we want to restore New Hampshire as the preeminent state for economic growth, personal freedom, development of personal wealth and individual opportunity then our guide ought to be our Republican Party Platform.

Republican Caucus unity. 

We’re rich in bright, intuitive, imaginative, and dedicated members. Each member’s skills and abilities must be enlisted and applied to accomplish specific objectives if we’re to achieve our common goals. Unified, we can restore a vibrant entrepreneurial environment, preserve our treasured natural environment, create the best schools, produce the most able and well prepared graduates as well as encourage the growth of the most motivated and well rewarded workforce of all the states.

The Republican caucus must be made relevant.

Where, in the past, the “Republican Caucus” simply referred to the aggregate of elected Republicans in the House and where, in the past, Republicans were for the most part, only called together on infrequent days during session so that leadership could inform its members of the House on how to vote on session day, our new caucus must meet regularly and frequently so all members can help organize, develop and flesh out leadership goals and then help coordinate and achieve our unified, legislative objectives.

ORGANIZATION:

Our Republican Leadership Team must immediately organize a set of what it feels are generally achievable Goals and Objectives for Year One and Year Two of the forthcoming session that will in turn, generate legislation reflecting the ideas, goals and objectives articulated in the Republican Party Platform.

Republican Leadership must then organize a set of long and short term initiatives on the following suggested format.

FIRST YEAR – FIRST TIER BILLS:

Legislation having to do with the looming state budget deficit must take precedence over all other considerations, and would comprise the core of the first year – first tier legislative effort.

Legislation having to do with reorganizing government, promoting efficiency, and reducing waste that would help reduce the cost of government must be promoted within that first year – first tier initiative as well.

FIRST YEAR – SECOND TIER BILLS:

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Notable Quote – Fyodor Dostoevsky

On socialism: The socialists want to regenerate humans, to liberate them. They conclude that having forcibly changed the economic way humans live they will achieve their goals. But humans are transformed not from external reasons but only from moral changes…. Lacking any spiritual basis for human brotherhood, the socialists must resort to compulsion to establish … Read more

First the National Postal System…and now, our Nationalized Healthcare?

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 

So, what could go wrong? After all, we have this fine ongoing governmental sponsored enterprise that is but a smidgeon compared to healthcare, right (emphasis mine)?

United States Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service lost $8.5 billion in fiscal 2010 despite significant work hour reductions, and the agency could find itself out of cash in 2011, officials said on Friday.

During a board meeting, Postal Service leaders reported losses of $6 billion last year, plus $2.5 billion in workers’ compensation liabilities, despite lower operating expenses and workforce cuts. USPS lost less than half that total — $3.8 billion — in fiscal 2009.

Chief Financial Officer Joseph Corbett said the Postal Service was able to fulfill its financial obligations in 2010 thanks to higher revenue and reduced costs, but noted workers’ compensation and requirements to prefund retiree health benefits at more than $5 billion annually were out of the agency’s control.

It has been said that the USPS is in the same position as what GM was: a company whose main business was about health and human services that dabbled in selling plastic and steel.  In the case of the USPS, substitute in paper.  Both have been saddled with high union costs, burdensome work rules, and the dead weight of governmental oversight.  And we wonder about the results?

Amtrak continues to exist ONLY because of infusions of taxpayer subsidies. GM was rescued only with taxpayer money.  USPS will…

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We’re in the Best of Hands – the TSA’s, that is – literally!

"Homeland Security: We Get To Touch Your Junk"

(H/T:  Boing Boing)

I’ve been a long term frequent flier – over the years, I’ve racked up close to 500,000 miles in the air.  No, not as much as some, but WAY more than the vast majority of the folks that ever squeeze into that thin metal tube now called a flying cattle car.  I can remember when flying was still a bit elegant and when even Coach got a hot meal with real silverware. 

To be honest, I still miss going somewhere else on an occasional basis but given the outcry of the last few days over the "enhanced" security, I’ll stay planted on terra firma for as long as I can.   I’m QUITE sure that good old Ben was right:

They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security

I remember what it was like, right after 9/11, to watch the crowd getting on the plane, the eyes staring at me as I got on the plane, and where my eyeballs were as everyone else was getting on.  And I still do.  Racial Profiling may well be the accusation hurled at me for doing so, but I had a reason – like most everyone else, they wanted to be able to go home and hug their families.  Still do.

I’ve endured a number of pre-board searches – certainly have had to go "oops, …

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A Presentation of Ideas Concerning New Republican Leadership in the NH House of Representatives – Part 1

Part 1 of a three part series of Guest Posts by the Honorable Paul Mirski, member of the NH House of Representatives (and one of the Fathers of Conservatism here in NH).  He is seeking to be the Majority Leader in the NH House of Representatives.

  • Part One concerns our mission as Republican members of the House.
  • Part Two discusses how  the Republican Caucus ought to be organized in order to use and enhance the array of skills represented within our caucus and in a way that will encourage each and every member to play a constructive and satisfying part.
  • Part Three suggests five or six overriding legislative themes and then goes on to provide a basket of  choices for legislative action that are drawn directly from our current Republican Party Platform.  If members consider all of the media focus on Tea Party initiatives over the last 18 months, they will see that those Republicans who began rewriting our platform eight years ago were well ahead of the curve.We’re ready right this minute to create change. We don’t have to go searching for ideas.

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A Presentation of Ideas Concerning New Republican Leadership in the New Hampshire House of Representatives

The 2010 elections have given New Hampshire Republicans a great gift.  That gift is the chance to start over. New Republicans must lead. We’ve not been elected to fine tune state government.  We’ve been elected to reform it.  New Republican leadership must compel the legislature to rise and fulfill the obligations and responsibilities given it by our State Constitution.  We now have strength of numbers.  We have the passion – and we now have a mandate to accomplish great things.

PART 1

OUR MISSION:

Voters have given Republicans one last chance to end expanding government, runaway spending and ever higher taxes.

Republicans been charged with responsibility for repairing the harm inflicted by recent Democrat rule. We’d better perform. Activists who worked on our campaigns have told us that if we do not reform government this coming session that they’ll never vote for a Republican again. They mean it. If we fail, we’re done.

We know intuitively that rules, laws, taxes and penalties that inhibit competition and individual expression are wrong.

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