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.

Un-Breaking News: Laughton Un-Resigns….Decides to Serve in NH House

September 26, 2018November 28, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Stacie Laughton has now changed her mind again, and decided that she will accept the House seat won on November 6th, according to an updated article at unionleader.com Earlier this morning we reported that Laughton was planning to step down. Now she is stepping back up. Although it is not final. Laughton is seeking guidance … Read more

White Meat Equals Racism

September 26, 2018November 27, 2012 Steve MacDonald

In case you didn’t know it having a preference for white meat at Thanksgiving makes you a racist. Warner Todd Huston, on Breitbart, has an entertaining piece about the rantings of one Ron Rosenbaum at Slate, who makes the case that white bread, the other white meat (Pork), and even a preference for white Turkey … Read more

Future New Hampshire House Democrat?

September 26, 2018November 27, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Political parties never stop recruiting “qualified” candidates for future races and I think I’ve identified a potential Democrat contender for 2014. Eighteen year-old Tyler Murray of Manchester New Hampshire was recently charged with Fraudulent use of a credit card: Murray is accused of using a credit card belonging to another to purchase $258.58 worth of … Read more

S’Preme Court Revives Challenge To Obama Care…

September 26, 2018November 27, 2012 Steve MacDonald

…on religious grounds.

S’Preme credit first to Hot Air, whose title I have assumed as my own. And second, how about a do-over?

Liberty University had challenged the law on religious grounds courtesy of the insurance mandate itself, the HHS’ contraceptive mandate, and the retarded left-wing notion that the government can prohibit any and every exercise of religious expression the moment it steps outside the four walls of the place of worship.

SCOTUS overturned a lower courts dismissal of that case –giving it new life

What Stacie Laughton Wants People to See is That She is Just Like Everyone Else.

September 26, 2018November 27, 2012 Steve MacDonald

On June 8th 2012, the Nashua Telegraph did a community piece on then candidate for the New Hampshire House Stacie Laughton. It opened like this.

NASHUA – What Stacie Laughton wants people to see is that she is just like everyone else.

This theme was repeated throughout the article, but nowhere in the Nashua Telegraph’s reporting, or in any Telegraph content after it that I could find (until a few days ago), is there any mention of her extensive criminal history. Laughton has previously been charged with felony misuse of 911 services, conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, conspiracy identity fraud, theft of services, misdemeanor criminal mischief, and served a suspended sentence for at least one felony conviction.

Would you be surprised to hear that she was elected to the New Hampshire House in Nashua, New Hampshire anyway?

On A Path To Less Government or More?

September 26, 2018November 26, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Mind if I smoke a doobie - medical marijuana in New Hampshire — Maggie Hassan says she’d consider supporting Medical Marijuana

Newsmax reports that New Hampshire’s new governor (gag!) Maggie Hassan is open to the idea of legalizing Marijuana.

Pro-pot advocates in New Hampshire are excited about the possibilities.

Medical marijuana, the gateway-drug -policy to broader decriminalization efforts, is generally considered to be an issue with bi-partisan support. Supporters of legalization at any and every level have also long insisted that the cost to taxpayers of policing pot is excessive. But when the new governor (gag!) says ‘yeah, we’ll seriously consider support for the right bill’ while some folks are getting ready to pass the big fat doobie, I’m asking myself….”If New Hampshire Democrats are really interested does legal pot in any form put us on a path to more government or less?

The New Up and Coming Scourge of Our Nations Youth: The Bouncy House?

September 26, 2018November 26, 2012 Steve MacDonald

The danger of bounce houses — Danger Will Robinson – DANGER!

The number of U.S. children hurt while using inflatable bouncers, such as bounce houses and moonwalks, is 15 times higher than in 1995, according to a new study.

That’s the lead from Reuters.

I didn’t look past the dead link at the bottom of the article but I’d love to know who the ‘researchers’ are and who paid them to figure this out because as I understand it the increased use or access to anything by the human animal will result in an increase in injuries.

“Groups should take a look at these data, help us get the word out and make sure parents are making informed decisions,” said Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The number of kids being brought into emergency rooms (ERs) for the injuries increased from 702 in 1995 to 11,311 children in 2010.

Informed decisions…?

Franklin NH – The Most Expensive Voter Checklists in the State?

September 26, 2018November 26, 2012 Steve MacDonald

I just got confirmation that the clerk for Franklin New Hampshire requires not just $75.00 for the complete citywide voter checklist used for the election, but another $75.00 for the updated checklist after all the new names have been added. My udder is sore just thinking about it. Is this where I say that having … Read more

Egypt’s New Boss Same as the Old Boss…with a Side of Arab Winter?

September 26, 2018November 25, 2012 Steve MacDonald

On Thanksgiving the ~~Muslim Brotherhoods~~ Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi (Morsy) declared himself immune to judicial oversight (See also King, Dictator, Tyrant). In the name of protecting the revolution no judge may overturn, edit, retract, modify, overrule, or otherwise act in any manner to alter any edict the new King of Egypt utters…until the (cough cough) people’s assembly has been elected and a new constitution has been written….

So none of that overturning executive orders nonsense, judges can’t stop them, and any lawsuits directed at the folks at the top of the power pyramid are hereby vacated.

Some “animals” are again more equal than others.

Information Intimidation in Franklin NH?

September 26, 2018November 22, 2012 Steve MacDonald

While public document fees are not unreasonable for the purpose of covering the cost of the materials or labor required to meet a request, at what point do these sums become an obstacle for the average citizen? When does the sum begin to limit access otherwise protected by law?

In the case of voter checklists the state defines the allowable (optional) fee of $25.00 for the first 2500 names and an additional 0.50 cents per 1000 names after that. Using this formula a city the city of Nashua would charge less than $40.00 for their voter checklist, a sum that is already beginning to exceed what most people might be willing to part with for public documents, but not unreasonable in most cases where the list is already in electronic form and available with a click of a mouse.

In such circumstances where the documents are going to be converted into electronic form anyway (like for sharing with the Secretary of State), asking for no more than a few dollars for the entire list would make it accessible to anyone at any income level. Some towns already acknowledge this need for accessibility and provide access to their entire voter checklist for free, even providing a link online that is updated when the list is.

So why would the city of Franklin, New Hampshire ask for $75.00 for a copy of their city voter checklist?

Stephen Kruiser Gives Thanks…

September 26, 2018November 22, 2012 Steve MacDonald

…for MSNBC, Al Sharpton, and other Main Stram Media Fun. PJ Media

Obama’s New Rules For Golf

September 26, 2018November 21, 2012 Steve MacDonald

(I received this in my email this morning. It’s a bit clunky but you’ll get the point.)

President Obama’s new Golf Czar has announced that Major rule changes in the game of golf will become effective December 1, 2012.

The new rule book, estimated to weigh in at roughly 2716 pages is still being crafted but here are a few initial guidelines to go by.

Golfers with handicaps:

– Below 10 will have their green fees increased by 35%.
– Between 11 and 18 will see no increase in green fees.
– Above 18 will get a $20 check each time they play.
The term “gimmie” will be changed to “entitlement” and will be used as follows:

Seasoned Greetings

September 26, 2018November 20, 2012 Steve MacDonald

The Holidays are upon us. It’s that special time of year when atheism gets more Constitutional religious freedom than any actual religion, the lefts devotion to separation of church and state does not prevent union government employees from enjoying paid days off for…religious holidays, and we get to remind ourselves that what believing in a power greater than yourself really means is trusting a godless government that fears no power greater than itself to act as our moral compass.

I don’t have to give you examples, the social and economic decline that has paralleled my life (at least) is evident all around us….but I will anyway.

Are We at Their “Collective” Mercy?

September 26, 2018November 20, 2012 Steve MacDonald

The State Constitution says that you must be domiciled in New Hampshire to vote here.

The legal definition of domicile is your residence. By law you can only have one of these.

But Judge Lewis allowed the ACLU’s “love the one you are with” definition of domicile to supersede the common law definition. Anyone can claim to live here to vote without having to so for any other purpose. Until that is resolved there is nothing ‘technically’ illegal about it; this ruling is, as I have said before, legalizing the theft of elections for the purpose of indefinite one-party rule.

It is, for all intents and purposes, the tyranny of factionalism we were long ago warned about. It is a sanctioned left wing mob complete with the potential for a perennial lynching at the ballot box.

A Note On Absentee Ballots and Right to Know

September 26, 2018November 20, 2012 Steve MacDonald

New Hampshire’s Right to know Law, often referred to as 91-a, prohibits state and local officials from hiding ‘public’ documents. And while some parts of the bureaucratic machine are happy to give you what you request in a timely and even pleasant manner, others who can’t (or don’t want) be bothered by you pesky citizens will toss out responses to your queries that they think will send you packing.

Are they just too busy doing the state’s business to be interrupted by curious taxpayers with troublesome queries? Are they ignorant of the statutes that define and limit both the kinds of documents to which you are entitled access and the manner in which you may access them? Will they purposefully mislead to prevent you from seeing public documents?

A little of each, or maybe all of the above, it hardly matters–the end result is the same; they are engaging in information intimidation and breaking the law, most without fear of consequence.

New Hampshire Democrats Stick With What Doesn’t Work

September 26, 2018November 17, 2012 Steve MacDonald

The New Hampshire Democrat House Majority has chosen their previous Democrat House Sepaker Terie ‘Billion Dollar Deficit‘ Norelli as their new Speaker for the 2013-2014 session. This is good for lots of reasons. Deficits, spending, taxes, accounting gimmicks, bathroom remodels, bathroom bills, and a dedication to back-benching and marginalizing anyone who does not pull the lever for her far-left agenda.

As a blogger, I couldn’t be happier. Nothing makes my hobby easier than the likes of Terie Norelli. I look forward to watching her repeat the same mistakes again.

Of course this time around she doesn’t have a completely compliant Democrat majority Senate to help cover her tracks. She has a slim and squishy potentialy compliant Republican majority in the Senate, with whom she may have to barter a bit. How much barter, as well as what the GOP willingly gives up, remains to be seen.

Wal-Mart Walk Out

September 26, 2018November 16, 2012 Steve MacDonald

I know where I am going to shop on Black Friday. Wal-Mart.

Why?

Because pro-union groups are agitating Wal-Mart employees across the nation to walk-out on Black Friday. Unions have been trying to ruin Wal-Mart’s price advantage for years, particularity since they got into the grocery business; grocers unions were pissed and still are.

Overall the complaints are the same. They claim the employer is unfair. Maybe they are. But I’ve been an employer. I’ve run business. I know what goes down during the application , interview and hiring process. In past jobs I’ve hired thousands and fired more than a few. And this relationship can be summed up with this pull quote from this Fox news article.

“If you come into a workplace knowing that’s an agreement you might have to make, then that’s your choice to have that job,” shopper Rae Luce told the station.

Bulls-Eye.

Ron Paul’s Farewell Address on the House Floor

September 26, 2018November 15, 2012 Steve MacDonald

It’s over 48 minutes so grab a beverage and a snack. Good speech. Compelling questions. (And yes, as a matter of fact I do expect Tim to re-post this having not noticed I put it up already. Dig!) Here’s a meat and potatoes RP quote for you to chew on… “I’ve thought a lot about … Read more

Obama Care is Coming, Obama Care is Coming…

September 26, 2018November 15, 2012 Steve MacDonald

There’s a great article at American Thinker about what you should expect with the rising bureaucratic tide that is the Patient Affordable Care Act. Read it. Share it with a liberal and watch the veins pop out of their foreheads. It is a very real world assessment of what we face.

For our purposes here, however, I wanted to post a snippet of the content, in the form of a list of taxes that are coming along side, that you can just heap on top of everything else bad that is in store for us in the coming months and years thanks to Democrats.

What you need to accept, regardless of what the screaming fairness harpies on the left try tell you, is that any and every tax the government imposes on so called big business, or declares as just making sure “they” pay their ‘fair share’ will find its way down to you as higher prices, fewer jobs, less access, or poorer service. And that’s before the corruption and abuse, the scapegoating, and the very shocking fact that spending trillions a year to give insurance to a few million may allow you to claim they are “covered” but because of all the other factors that come with that, they’ll inevitably end up have to look harder and wait longer for even the most basic care, the quality of which will. inevitably. decline.

The abbreviated list of new taxes is on the jump, some of them related to Obama Care, others are just the product of the negative side effects of Democrat rule, but all of them are coming…soon, and what you need to ask is–what will this do to both health care and a struggling economy?

Highway Robbery in Barrington New Hampshire? (Updated & Bumped)

September 26, 2018November 15, 2012 Steve MacDonald

Originally Posted 11/13/2012 (Updated below 11/15/2012)

It looks like the town clerk in Barrington, New Hampshire has a little side business going on the sly.

First, in a town with 5000 plus voters there were 630 new registrations for this year’s election. That’s in the neighborhood of the 10-12% increase we keep seeing all over the state (to clarify that, a lot of towns saw same day registrations equal to 10% or more of all votes cast on election day).

These 630 new voters piqued the interest of a Barrington resident, who decided that they wanted to get a copy of this public record, but when they asked the Town clerk said it would cost him $300.00.

Like I said, a little side business on the sly?