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.

Jesus and the Democrat

JESUS AND THE DEMOCRAT

Jesus in a Coffee shopA Republican, in a wheelchair, entered a restaurant one afternoon and asked the waitress for a cup of coffee. The Republican looked across the restaurant and asked, “Is that Jesus sitting over there?” The waitress nodded “yes,” so the Republican requested that she give Jesus a cup of coffee, on him.

… The next patron to come in was a Libertarian, with a hunched back. He shuffled over to a booth, painfully sat down, and asked the waitress for a cup of hot tea. He also glanced across the restaurant and asked, “Is that Jesus, over there?” The waitress nodded, so the Libertarian asked her to give Jesus a cup of hot tea, “My treat.”

The third patron to come into the restaurant was a Democrat on crutches.

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#Occupy New Hampshire Update 12-29-11

Democrat Party support of the occupy movement has inspired yet another local citizen to redistribute the wealth.  While standing in line at the Burger King in the Steeplegate Mall Food Court, an unknown man decided to ‘have it his way’ and redistributed a pair of $180.00 Oakley Sunglasses from atop the undeserving head of some … Read more

Anyone Object To A Vice President Ron Paul?

Ron Paul for...Vice PresidentI think everything Ron Paul stands for deserves as much oxygen as it can get (for good or bad).  But no matter what the effect of that vetting, no matter how well he does in Iowa and New Hampshire, I still don’t see a path to the nomination.  (This does not make me a neo-con, by the way.)

Gary Johnson has gone third party-ish (Libertarian), taking that avenue from the esteemed Texas Congressman, and we have to wonder if there is a Huntsman independent bid, a Donald Trump Fifth column party, or any number of other players vying for “most arrogant attention seeker in a hopeless endeavor destined to give Obama four lame duck years to finish the country off for good” category.   Ron Paul not getting the nomination is a part of that conundrum.  In fact, he may well turn out to be the Justice Anthony Kennedy of the GOP Primary.

His fans are legion in their support and willing to do anything to see him find a way to the White House. Many are already promising to stand by and risk Obama getting re-elected rather that vote for some McCain retread, risking what amounts to a protest-fast that will probably end in the death of liberty before we get another shot at the oval office.

But does Ron Paul as VP change the game?

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Be A Force Multiplier For Freedom

As important now as ever, whatever the results of the New Hampshire primary and beyond, is that Republicans, Conservatives, Libertarians, and Independents coalesce at the state and local level to greet our opponents on the field of battle.  Our opponents are the institutional left and their mobocracy agenda.  To that end I offer a link … Read more

LEGO Civil Unrest Collection

Need a last minute Christmas gift? Get the new LEGO “OWS Riot Brigade” play set with “authentic Zuccotti Park Smell.”  Though I think my favorite line has to be “Occupy my night stick.” Check it out.  

#Occupy Policy Goal = 35 Years in Jail?

Redistributing the wealth, and blaming banks at the same time, must be sending a mixed message to “American’s” who are committed to redistributing the wealth.  Take James Karahalios for example.  He ‘liberated’ wealth from several banks, motels, and greedy business owners, and what did he get for it?  Thirty-five years in prison for armed robbery. … Read more

Shaheen’s “No-Bid” Contract?

On more than one occasion I have pointed out (correctly) that Democrats elected to Federal office are nothing more than the Democrat parties ‘regional governors.’  They are representatives from the central government to New Hampshire, taking orders from DC’s progressive leadership.  Their goal is to ensure that funding streams into the nations capital, then back … Read more

Doctor WHO: All of it, on one Large Graphic.

Doctor WHO Fans will find this fascinating; a timeline graphic covering the entire series.  Every one else can just move along then.

It is far to immense to post on the front side, and requires special consideration on the back side, so you’ll have to “jump” to see it, and then scroll down a bit…but if you are a fan of the show, it is worth the trouble.

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I’m Drivin’ In Your Car…

Use of state vehicles for non state purposes has received some much needed scrutiny and three state liquor commissioners have lost their state vehicles a a result. Now all we need is some scrutiny that reduces the number of state liquor commissioners, and while we are at it, gets the state out of the liquor … Read more

NLRB closes Santa’s Workshop

So I’m musing about Obama’s NLRB shutting down Santa’s Workshop becasue–you know–it’s not a union shop, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but  video about Obama taking over Santa’s Workshop. Personally, I’d have gone with the Pelosi quote about empowering bureaucrats to close any “business” that wont unionize, but this is funny enough. … Read more

Defying Global Warming Since 1980

For the Environmental extremist on your Christmas Holiday Winter Solstice Gift list we have an ideal Florida property, one that has been defying the scourge of our dependence on fossil fuels for over thirty years. It’s called The East Sister Rock Island Retreat Off the Florida Keys, and if  you are felling lucky, and you’ve … Read more

O’Brien to Endorse Gingrich; Horn will Endorse Romney

The Manchester Union Leader is reporting today that House Speaker Bill O’Brien plans to formally endorse Newt Gingrich today.  This was noted last week but not formally stated.

“I want a candidate who has a clear understanding of conservative philosophy. I look for someone who has good instincts, someone who is intelligent and has great leadership and an ability to articulate the philosophy of our party and his own goals.

“Speaker Gingrich has all of that,” O’Brien said.

Former CD-2 Congressional candidate Jennifer Horn will endorse Mitt Romney today, and has been selected as co-chair of Romney’s national grass-roots committee.  (Let’s see – Ayotte is on the VP list, endorses Romney; Horn gets national committee co-chair, endorses Romney– Oh, did I write that out loud?)

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Rep Leishman Lawsuit Tossed; Pan Am gets Revenge?

Railroad Track - Pan Am and Milford Bennington sparing match continuesDid Pan Am Railway just get some major payback on an ethics challenged State Rep who owns a competing Railroad company?

The Nashua Telegraph is reporting that Rep. Peter Leishman (D – Milford-Bennington Railway), recently re-elected to the NH House, just had his lawsuit thrown out by Judge Paul Barbadoro of the U.S. District Court in Concord.  Leishman was suing Pan Am Railways for allegedly violating a contract by refusing to let him operate on their track.  But apparently Pan Am can block Milford-Bennington from using their track and no amount of fussing by Rep Leishman will be able to change that.   The judge noted that he did not condone Pan Am’s conduct in barring Milford-Bennington but there was no legal reason to allow Leishman’s lawsuit against them to proceed.

Pan Am has to be excited about the ruling.  Keeping Milford-Bennington off their track sounds a lot like payback to me.  Payback for what you ask?

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Israel cannot return to the Pre 1967 Borders

Obama reads things off his TelePrompTer.  Things like Israel returning to pre-1967 borders.   This is an indictment of his incompetence as a leader, not just becasue he said it, but because he chose the people who thought it was a good idea, wrote it down, and then gave it to him to read. So maybe … Read more

Internet Pirates ‘Aaarrrrgh!’

Is the Federal Government’s move to pass the Stop On-line Piracy Act, intentionally or not, putting another foot in the door for federal censorship of the online universe? Here’s the actual text of the thing. (No, I have not read it yet.) As with all Federal legislation intent should be considered irrelevant.  Potential is what … Read more

Add A Half-Mil to Norelli’s Debt Tab

RGGI deficit spending by NH democrats leaves us another 600K in the holeNew Hampshire Watchdog is reporting that up through 2010 the Democrat controlled New Hampshire State government overspent RGGI revenues to the tune of about $600,000.00 dollars.   They just assumed we’d have more revenue.  Hmmm..where have we seen that before?   SO much like their regular budgeting they spent (more)  money we didn’t have, leaving someone else with the hard work of fixing things.

NH Watchdog’s Grant Bosse reminds us of the RGGI tab, the sad state of the Cap and Trade scheme,  as well as the Democrats taking 3.1 million dollars out of that scheme to (cough-cough) ‘Balance’ the State budget.

So Teri ‘ Billion Dollar Deficit’ Norelli strikes again.

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Remembering The Cornhusker Kickback

Ben Nelson, Senator from Nebraska, dropped any pretense at principles two years ago, and took a $100,000,000.00 dollar carrot to get away from the Democrat leadership stick,  allowing the passage of the economy-crushing-bureaucratic crap-storm euphemistically referred to as ObamaCare. To celebrate, the NRSC has produced a nice little video, commemorating the two-year anniversary of the … Read more

MAD Magazine Cover

May have to buy this one.  You know, for the history and junk.  Anyone want to bet on whether it turns out to be one of their best selling issues ever?  

Do You Get Tim Tebow?

Tim Tebow in contemplation, how Tebows outward faith has excited a nations interest .I’m listening to Michael Graham on the way home last night.  It is at most a 15 minute drive so there isn’t much exposure to the program and I frequently tune in in the middle of some topic.  Last night I caught part of a segment on Tim Tebow,  the sudden attention he has attracted, and of course his faith.

One caller in particular caught my ear, not based on his feelings about Tebow but due to his complete lack of understanding about the nature of faith, and in this case Tebow’s public expression of it.  The caller kept saying that he thought it was a bit goofy because there was no way God would really care about the NFL or the outcome of a football game.  So his understanding of Tebow’s faith relationship was limited to a supernatural interest in sports and Tebow seeking divine intervention to affect an outcome in his favor.

I think I would have to agree…that God is not betting on the Broncos.  But then that is probably not what Tebow is praying for.

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Increased Cell Phone Use Coincides With Fewer Fatalities

The paper pushers at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), would like to ban all cell phone use in motor vehicles.  That includes hands free, hand-held, all of it.  But after looking at the collision and fatality statistics, and skimming through the NHTSA’s Dec 2011 report on distracted driving,  the thing most likely to accomplish the stated goal of reducing distracted driving injuries and deaths would be to ban passengers altogether, prohibit talking, and then move the legal driving age up to 25.

From the NHTSA Dec 2011 Report exevutive summary key findings.

The most commonly performed potentially distracting behaviors while driving are talking to other passengers in the vehicle (80%) and adjusting the car radio (65%). Other common behaviors include eating/drinking (45%), making/accepting phone calls (40%), interacting with children in the back seat (27%), and using a portable music player (30%).

What is even more amusing is that if you look at the national data, deaths, accidents, and injuries have all declined as cell phone use has increased. 

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