Steve MacDonald

Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, an award-winning blogger, and a member of the Board of Directors of The 603 Alliance and the National Heritage Center for Constitutional Studies. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor, Executive Editor, assistant editor, Editor, content curator, and more (yes, there's more) at GraniteGrok.com. Steve is also a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, the Republican Volunteer Coalition, and has worked for or with many state and local campaigns and grassroots groups, and is a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

What more do they want?

In today’s Union Leader, we learn that a group of "retired generals, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and peace activists are taking aim at Sen. John Sununu" It is part of an ad campaign criticizing Sununu and other Senators and House members for supporting President Bush’s Iraq policies. Oh really? Sununu? Now, don”t get me wrong, I … Read more

Democrats: “Fixing” the Granite State

“This is the number one issue for us as we move forward.”

.
NH Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley
.

Those were the words of NH party chair Ray Buckley at the April 14th meeting of the Belknap County Democrats. What was he referring to? Property taxes? The state budget? Perhaps something to do with the environment? Was he talking about protecting children against predators? How about improving education in general? No, we could only wish that one of these matters was what Chairman Buckley was speaking about at the crowded meeting featuring presidential aspirant Joe Biden. No, what Buckley was referring to, accompanied by thunderous cheers from the attendees, was civil unions.

.
That’s right—the newly-minted leader of the majority party here in the Granite State has declared this to be the burning issue of our time. Even though I was at a meeting of Democrats and knew that I would hear much that I would disagree with, watching those gathered so loudly and excitedly cheering and applauding for this new special right for same-sex couples was disconcerting.
.
Following the chairman’s pep-talk rallying the forces in favor of state-sanctioned homosexual relationships, state representative Gail Morrison produced a petition for all to sign urging Gov. Lynch to support the measure. I thought someone was going to get hurt in the ensuing stampede of those wanting to sign. My wife and I, in attendance to hear Sen. Biden, were incredulous at the spectacle. While we knew that Democrats were favorable to this matter, we had no idea of the extent and depth of the support.
.
Is this what voters bargained for when they chose Democrats to run our state? Do Joe and Jane Sixpack really believe that New Hampshire should be one of a small handful of states that officially recognizes gay relationships? Do you agree that it is the single, most important issue facing the state as we move forward? When voting back in November, were you thinking that we just have to fix this unfair situation in which men can’t marry their boyfriends or girls can’t legalize their relationship with their same-gendered “partner”? Me neither. Yet, here we are.

Read more

Ah, Sweet Technology …

My friend Doug sees technology as the ultimate disinfectant against “funny business” in local government and elsewhere.  He’s been known to bring his shiny new digital camera around with him to various political events and public gatherings and subsequently post the video online.  Doug has never suspected corruption on the part of his or any … Read more

Free speech on campus? Not so fast…

.
In this previous post, I reported on a story from the University of Rhode Island concerning free speech on campus being replaced with "coerced" speech. After offering the "WHAM Scholarship (White Heterosexual American Male) during its "Coming Out Conservative Week", that campus’ College Republicans group, chaired by Ryan Bilodeau, found itself in hot water. As punishment, the university’s student senate ordered the College Republicans to write a letter of apology to be published in the school’s newspaper. Taking a stand in defense of the freedom of speech, the URI College Republicans refused. Now, they find themselves "derecognized", in effect, banishing them from the campus. (One could imagine many liberals dreaming of ways to do this on a larger, more national scale)
.
The story is beginning to get some national attention, with the group F.I.R.E. (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) stepping in to help. The following press release was issued by that group last week. The chairman of the URI Republicans, Ryan Bilodeau, will join us on our radio program, Meet the New Press, this Saturday to give us the latest. You would think that of all places, the university setting would be the most welcoming of free speech. Think again…
.

University of Rhode Island Student Senate Dumps College Republicans, Defies University President’s Order to Follow First Amendment

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Displaying a dramatic disregard for students’ constitutional rights, a committee of the University of Rhode Island (URI) Student Senate voted on Monday to derecognize the College Republicans student group. For months, the Student Senate has demanded that the group publicly apologize for advertising a satirical $100 “scholarship” for white, heterosexual, American males. The College Republicans refused to apologize and contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help. FIRE is now calling upon URI President Robert Carothers, who has already informed the Senate that it could not compel student speech, to reverse the decision to derecognize the group.
.

Read more

Less Work. More Money!

Again I ask, "Why?" Who wanted this? Was there a mass-mailed flyer I missed? A TV ad? I did not know that MY state senator ran a campaign that included making welfare easier to get and keep getting here in NH. Chris Dornin, writing for Golden Dome News in the Laconia Daily Sun (unavailable online) has … Read more

Words of advice

Bob Jones of the Northeast Network POW/MIA forwards the following, noting that "This was sent to me by a gent who retired from the Marine Corps as a Colonel and now a defense lawyer in NC. When I knew him he was a Marine Lt. in command of a Company of Marines in Vietnam."

Political Wisdom….

1. Never, ever, refer to this or any war as “unpopular”. I defy anyone to give one example of a “popular” war, especially among those who have to fight. It is empty and vicious rhetoric used by foolish politicians. War is a cruel, ruthless, ugly endeavor that once committed to, is a life and death struggle for those fighting. War has only three possible outcomes: Victory, Defeat or, Postponement.
.
2. Hold politicians accountable for their decisions. There is no “Do Over” for their decision to commit the lives and futures of our youth to a deadly conflict. Lives sacrificed can never be regained. There is no excuse for them being “misled, uninformed or pressured” to vote “for” war and have regret later. They can “abstain” if unsure in any way. They have a duty to investigate, debate and decide before they vote. Those who play political games with the lives of our citizens are the most despicable among us. There is absolutely no room for error for them on the issue of war. Any politician who regrets their vote to commit to a war should be asked to resign. They obviously have little awareness of the gravity of their decisions or the meaning of the concept of commitment.

Read more

200 NH Guardsmen Activated for Statewide Flooding

Soldiers from the NHNG survey flood damage in Alstead NH on Oct. 13, 2005. . CONCORD – Gov. John Lynch today activated 200 N.H. National Guardsmen in response to statewide flooding and road closures across New Hampshire. . As of noon, 125 soldiers and 75 airmen were deploying to at least seven communities including  Greenville, … Read more

Another remake of an old story…

According to Wikipedia, on the act of treason, The United States Code at 18 U.S.C. § 2381 states "whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall … Read more

A conservative case for Rudy

Being the lone blogger in attendance at Monday evening’s Rudy Giuliani house party was a treat, indeed. As citizen journalists representing GraniteGrok, my wife and I were granted complete access right along side Tiffany Eddy and the WMUR NewsNine crew, NECN, Fox News Channel, and other major media. That speaks volumes to the level of respect and importance the major campaigns are starting to assign the New Media. Prior to the start and during the event, I had the added treat of meeting Rich Lowry of National Review (the only magazine I subscribe to) and NROnline. Watching him check out GraniteGrok on his Blackberry was pretty exciting.
.
As I noted in a previous post, the house party had the air of a rock show. And why not? It sure seems as though Rudy has become the apparent Republican “rock star” of the moment. The crowd was somewhat more energetic than what I have grown accustomed to in local GOP circles.
.
The most immediate first impression of Rudy, the man, is that he exudes a vibrant air of confidence. Not in the cocky sense, but in a way that comes from a history of success and accomplishment combined with a lack of fear of the unknown. He is comfortable with speaking and fielded unscripted questions from those in attendance and from the media with apparent ease.

“Yeah, so what, Doug. This is all good, but not one bit of what you’ve said is about anything of substance.”

True—but if you believe, as I do, that one of the biggest problems for our Nation today is a lack of leadership ability on the part of President Bush, then all of the above is, in fact, very important. As I commented to Rich Lowry during the event, politics in the modern era (and probably every other one too, now that I think about it) is as much perception as it is substance. One must seem to be presidential, in order to be president. The issues? Of course they’re important, but they aren’t the primary consideration of many voters. How else can one explain a Barack Obama?
.
The good thing about Rudy Giuliani is that he happens to be good on a great many issues. Let me explain…

Read more

President Bush slams the Dems

In this week’s radio address, President Bush discusses the passage of the outragous suplemental appropriations bill passed by Democrats over the objections of many people who believe we can win the war. He also talks about Democrat spending and looming tax increases that will result. He really slams the Dems hard in thiis one. If only he had been doing this for the last 6 years, he might be working with a Republican Congress instead of what we have now…
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. In recent days, the House and Senate each passed emergency war spending bills that undercut our troops in the field. Each of the Democrats’ bills would substitute the judgment of politicians in Washington for that of our generals on the ground. Each bill would impose restrictive conditions on our military commanders. Each bill would also set an arbitrary deadline for surrender and withdrawal in Iraq, and I believe that would have disastrous consequences for our safety here at home.
.
The Democrats loaded up their bills with billions of dollars in domestic spending completely unrelated to the war, including $3.5 million for visitors to tour the Capitol, $6.4 million for the House of Representatives’ Salaries and Expenses Account, and $74 million for secure peanut storage. I like peanuts as much as the next guy, but I believe the security of our troops should come before the security of our peanut crop. For all these reasons, that is why I made it clear to the Democrats in Congress, I will veto the bill.
Hear hear! I must admit that the President, along with other Republicans like McCain et al, have done a pretty good job at pasting the Democrats on the so-called "pork" loaded in the bill. He continues:

Read more

Sound the alarm!

It’s Saturday, which means it’s time to Meet the New Press 2 – 4 PM EST NewsTalk 1490AM Laconia, NH Bringing the newsmakers via the "New Media" and visa-versa every week. First, two big announcements: Starting next week, April 7th, we will broadcast from 11AM to 1PM– through lunch, which we hope makes it more … Read more

It’s about parental rights, not abortion.

In the Sunday Union Leader, Tom Fahey, writing in the "Under the Dome" column reports that the bill to repeal NH’s parental notification law will come up for reconsideration.

The parental notification issue isn’t going away soon. Just one day after the House passed a repeal of the law requiring a parent to be notified before a child has an abortion, Rep. Edmond Gionet asked for the bill to be reconsidered. That means more debate in the House, more roll call votes and more spotlight on everyone.

"They’re gonna feel the heat," said Rep. Fran Wendelboe.

As I’ve said before, this is not about abortion– it’s about a medical surgical procedure on a minor child. Several months back, I dropped my son at the dentist to get a cavity filled without going in. As he is only 15, when I got back to my nearby office, I got a call indicating I needed to go back in to the dentist’s or fax a note giving them permission to fill a cavity. If it were my daughter murdering my unborn grandchild… no problem. No permission needed.

Oh, and in case you’re inclined, as I first was, to blame this on the new Democratic rule, think again. Consider the record of the votes right here in Belknap County, where I live. Here’s the roll call:

Read more

Romney wows ’em at CPAC

With the ’08 presidential nominating season seemingly in full swing, the wannabees from both parties are deep in the hunt. As I’ve noted several times in prior postings, Mitt Romney is not really my cup of tea. This is mostly based on my review of his past actions, statements, and his governorship of that infamous liberal state south of NH’s border. I have a real hard time with his denial of Ronald Reagan during his now famous 1994 debate with Ted Kennedy.
.
Despite all of this, Mitt continues to charge forward, unabashedly claiming to be THE conservative that can win the race. As I noted in this prior posting, he certainly talks the talk. The question is whether the talk is real or just politically expedient. I will give Mitt credit– unlike George W. Bush, who spoke in couched codes and hints about being conservative ("compassionate conservatism"), and then revealed himself as not very conservative at all in many areas– Romney speaks very plainly and openly about his chosen positions.
.
This past week at the CPAC event in DC, Mitt gave a speech that played well with conservatives. It contained many points that certainly got my attention. He talked about presidential actions and positions that I have long waited for in a Republican President. Friend Rich Killion, who works for Romney, was kind enough to forward the full text of the CPAC speech to share with GraniteGrok readers. I have highlighted my favoriite points…

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY’S REMARKS AT CPAC

March 2, 2007
As Prepared For Delivery
.
It’s good to be with so many conservatives. In fact, I invited all the conservatives in Massachusetts to come hear me today and I’m glad to report that they are both here.
.
I’m happy to learn that after I speak you’re going to hear from Ann Coulter. That’s a good thing. I think it’s important to get the views of moderates.
.
The mainstream media is surprised that we’re here. They wrote our obituary last fall. Course, they’ve written our obituary before: after Watergate, after the 82 midterm elections, after Iran-contra, and after Bill Clinton’s election. The truth is that their wishful thinking reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, I predict that we’ll be around a lot longer than . . . say, newspapers.
.
No conservatism is alive and well. And it is needed more than ever. America faces a new generation of challenges, critical challenges. Today is similar in many respects to what we faced as a nation 30 years ago, looking at the menacing face of communism. 

Read more

This is just too delicious…

Every once and a while, a story comes along that just makes you go, "Yes!" You know- the one that that will be immediately understood for what it is… and what it says, by anybody that reads it. Consider this from the Tennessee Center for Policy Research: Al Gore’s Personal Energy Use Is His Own … Read more

Didn’t he get the memo?

I’m sure this guy will be out of a job before too long… Expert disputes storms’ link to global warming By Zane WilsonThe Sun News COLUMBIA – As population continues to grow on the coast and people build more structures, losses from hurricanes will go up drastically but it isn’t because of global warming, one … Read more

The World Needs Great Men Like Dick Cheney

 
One of my favorite moments in politics from recent times was when Vice President Dick Cheney dropped the "f-bomb" on Sen. Pat Leahey (D-VT) after the Senator slammed him with the "Halliburton as beneficiary of government" meme for the umpteenth time. CNN.com reported on the aftermath, following Cheney’s appearance on Neal Cavuto’s Fox News Channel program after the incident:
When asked if he had cursed at Leahy, Cheney answered, "Probably." "Do you have any regrets?," Neil Cavuto asked. "No. I said it," the vice president responded.
He further remarked, that, of those Senators who heard the exchange, some
"felt that what I’d said badly needed to be said, that it was long overdue."
He explained it this way:
"Part of the problem here is that instead of having a substantive debate over important substantive policy issues, he had challenged my integrity, and I didn’t like that. But most of all I didn’t like the fact that after he’d done so, then he wanted to act like everything was peaches and cream."
There you go. Like him or not, Dick Cheney calls ’em as he sees ’em. That was back in June of 2004. It’s now 2007, and Dick Cheney is still Dick Cheney. I, for one, am glad of that. This week has been a busy one for the Vice President, who demonstrated again why he continues to earn my respect and enthusiastic support…
.

Read more

Meet the New Press airs today…

Live in Central NH: It’s Meet the New Press on NewsTalk 1490 WEMJ at 2:00PM- 4:00PM EST and later on the podcast page. . Today: Question– Now that the NH Senate has passed a bill banning smoking in all bars and restaurants, Do you agree? Disagree? Does it go far enough? Guest Robert Shibley of … Read more

GraniteGrok was there…

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, long-shot Democratic presidential wannabee, paid a visit to Laconia, NH on Sunday, and the GraniteGrok team covered the event. While Skip and I are conservative Republicans, we decided that when ANY candidate of stature comes to our neck of the woods, we should go see him/her, regardless of the party. And, since the local county Dems were gracious … Read more

Share to...
BufferCopyFlipboardHacker NewsLineLinkedInMastodonMessengerMixPinterestPrintRedditSMSTelegramTumblrVKWhatsAppXing