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.

Night Cap: Inconvenient Science – Warming Leads to Fewer Hurricane Landfalls

September 4, 2025June 20, 2024 Steve MacDonald

Tropical Cyclone One is puttering about northwest of the Yucatan and projected to hang a hard left into the heart of Mexico. It’s not American landfall, and it’s not a real hurricane yet, so pooh on that. But it is as good a time as any to abuse a few Climate Cult articles of faith. … Read more

JUICE: Power, Politics & The Grid – Part II

June 23, 2024June 20, 2024 Steve MacDonald

Enron Corporation may have declared bankruptcy in 2001, but the company’s effect on America’s electric grid can still be seen today in states like California and Texas, where power prices are soaring and reliability is declining.

Op-Eds, Fundraising, and Updates

June 20, 2024 Steve MacDonald

If you submitted an Op-Ed and we didn’t publish it (yet), there’s a good reason. Our stable of contributors (Groksters) has been cranking out a lot of material. Last week, I addressed this (to some degree) by dropping a lot more content than usual, but I’m reluctant to do it again.

Montana and Idaho Got Cold Air and Up to a Foot of Snow This Week

June 20, 2024June 20, 2024 Steve MacDonald

It was in the low to mid-90s the past two days and will be the same today. Everyone around here is looking for ways to stay cool, checking on elderly neighbors, and keeping their pets indoors. But one thousand nine hundred fifty miles west of me, they got a foot of snow.

Midweek Memes … But, soft! what meme through yonder window breaks?

November 24, 2024June 19, 2024 Steve MacDonald

It is Wednesday, and time for another memeingful encounter with … memes.

Who Made Vermont Use Fossil Fuels in the First Place?

July 16, 2024June 18, 2024 Steve MacDonald

Last week, I took Vermont Democrats to the rhetorical woodshed over a new law to charge fossil fuel companies for the cost of climate change. It was a fun ride but long-winded, so I published it on Substack.

Despotic Facebook is Marking ‘Grok Posts as Spam – Are We That Close to The Election?

June 18, 2024 Steve MacDonald

Let’s open by thanking the handful of people who have reached out to tell me that Facebook is taking down the Grok posts they share. The Platform marks them as spam and removes them for violating community standards. It is expected, and we know, but we don’t just have to take it.

NH House Attendance Finale: 50 “Perfect” Republicans and The Whole House (6 of The Top Ten Worst Were Dems)

August 27, 2024June 18, 2024 Steve MacDonald

With the final day of the session past us, it is time to reminisce (cue misty dream sequence) about the past few months. We’ve been sharing – to the dismay of some – a weekly list of Republicans who missed roll call votes (and how many). Today, we have two lists. The Republicans voted in every roll call and then the full house.

Climate Depressions, Tropical and Otherwise [Updated]

June 18, 2024June 17, 2024 Steve MacDonald

While Climate Cultists pray for devastation – as if it will justify their faith in an irrefutable hypothesis – the lack of tropical depressions has been superseded by other bad news for climateers. New Zealand, for example, will no longer tax cow farts to save the planet.

Citizen Wanted to Commemorate The Battle of Bunker Hill – The City Raised a Pride Flag Instead

December 21, 2024June 17, 2024 Steve MacDonald

Today is the 249th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. It is a good day to raise a flag suited to the anniversary. One local resident and a contributor to these pages applied to have her city fly the Pine Tree Flag on this date, but it both refused the application and an appeal. They chose to fly a Pride Flag Instead.

Excessive Heat Warning Alert … But It Was Mild and Pleasant

June 17, 2024 Steve MacDonald

The weather app on my phone is as reliable as any other weather reporting app, including the people on the news. There have been lots of near misses and too many not right at all, but now it is propagandizing me. Last week was mild, pleasant, great sleeping weather, but throughout the week, the App was waving” a high heat warning in my face.

Hot Dog Eating Champ Could Still Compete If He Drops Vegan Weiners

June 16, 2024 Steve MacDonald

I don’t typically pay any attention to this sort of thing, but it was difficult to resist when the link landed in my inbox. A 16-time consecutive Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Champ got booted from the upcoming Fourth of July festivities after lending his face (for compensation) to a plant-based Weiner.

Whatever Happened to GEN Z GOP?

June 15, 2024 Steve MacDonald

In the run-up to the theft of the 2020 election (can you hear the creams?), a bunch of liberals posing as moderate Republicans (on college campuses, of course) created something called GEN Z GOP. Pro Climate, Anti-Trump, need I say more?

All Those Pine Needles on the Ground Are Not Your Fault … Yet?

June 15, 2024June 15, 2024 Steve MacDonald

The Climate Cult is so obsessed with how everything causes their thing that they frequently trip over themselves on the way to the supposed Climate Change Narrative Bank.

The Public Records Tax (HB1002) is Law – Goes Into Effect in 60 Days

June 14, 2024 Steve MacDonald

Gov. Snoonoo signed just 52 Bills into law, and I’m not familiar with all of them, but some look unpleasant. One, HB1002, is well known to us and our audience. It permits towns to charge fees if a records request takes too much time—the Public Records Tax.

Slippery Slope: Assisted Suicide Will Always Be Cheaper Than Treatment

June 14, 2024 Steve MacDonald

The Assisted Suicide Bill in New Hampshire got benched for the time being, but not the topic. And we’re not saying you can’t choose to kill yourself. We’re saying the government will inevitably abuse it to the detriment of people and public health.

Empty Chair allec-gomes-9xpnmt41NKM-unsplash

Your Final NH House Republican Attendance Report of the Session (Some Reps are Applauding)

August 27, 2024June 14, 2024 Steve MacDonald

In the blogging business, if someone is complaining, there’s a good chance you’re doing something worthwhile, especially when the unhappy people are in government. Reporting roll call vote attendance has had its fair share of negative responses, suggesting we must keep doing them.

JUICE: Power, Politics & The Grid – Part I

June 13, 2024 Steve MacDonald

Someone turned me on to this series, so I thought I’d take the opportunity of a missing podcaster slot to use it as filler.

More Bad News for The ‘Energy Transition’ – There Isn’t Enough Copper for EVs, Forget The Rest of It

June 13, 2024 Steve MacDonald

If you hear a politician or one of their fanatical followers mouthing off about net zero, the energy transition, or achieving some arbitrary reduction in emissions by a date earlier than, say, 2150 CE or 130 ACE (after the covid era), call bullsh!t. Don’t worry, we’ve got receipts.

Lia ‘Willy’ Thomas Banned from Competing in the Olympics…As a Woman

June 13, 2024 Steve MacDonald

The international federation that manages elite competitions in water sports told Lia’ William’ Thomas he couldn’t compete with the gals in the pool. Thomas appealed on the grounds that women can have a penis (I’m paraphrasing). World Aquatics said, Sorry, Billy, you’ve still got a willy and all the sporty benefits that come with it.