Always be prepared to talk with the "invisible" people - they aren't Deplorable at all! - Granite Grok

Always be prepared to talk with the “invisible” people – they aren’t Deplorable at all!

MAGA Hat As Free Speech

I missed it – last month marked our 13th year anniversary!  Starting out, as I’ve oft said, Doug and I expected that other than our families, maybe 5 or 6 people a week might read our opinions – and we weren’t sure about our families, either!  Since then, Doug has left and GraniteGrok went from a duo, to a single, to a group blog.  We’ve also sharpened our focus and what / how we’re writing as well.  Increasingly, we are being asked to help out where the NH MSM refuse to go.

And today, I was at a local Big Box Home/Hardware store as after those 13 years (actually, starting about 3 years ago), I’ve realized the tough shape my house is in from “benign blogging neglect” – replacing windows, new garage roof, new wiring, a total re-org of our garage, and a whole host of small and large projects to bring up the curb appeal and enjoyment of our home.  One focus is our, well, those places that have some little green things growing out of the ground.  Some of it is grass and some is, well, a lot of non-grass stuff. So I walked in and started to get some lawn moss killer (yep, one of those “green” things that I mow once in a while among other assorted weeds) and in heading to the Garden area, this older lady that was pushing a barrel sized watering unit on a cart did a double take as I walked by, looked up at me, and said “have you been getting into trouble with that red hat….oh, that’s a different front”.  I smiled as I knew she meant a MAGA hat instead of a red GraniteGrok hat. I dipped down so that this senior citizen could see the hat and got a quizzical look in return.

So I spent more than a few minutes with this charming lady. She came to America from Canada and fell in love with our Freedom and Liberty – and became a naturalized Citizen (and I certainly made sure to thank her for all that effort).  She, as a transplant, is concerned about our future.  She watched the Kavanaugh hearings, she listens to the hate that the Left has for ANYTHING or ANYBODY on the Right, and the creeping incrementalism that is forcing behavior and language engineering on a “free” people. She is scared that we are losing what our Founders gave us and the environment our Founders bequeathed us. And, she said, she talks to her co-workers all the time about these issue.

I explained what GraniteGrok was, where our stances are based from, and what we do.  She started to search for a piece of paper on which to write GraniteGrok.com down but became a bit flustered when she couldn’t find one.  So, I told her “wait a second” – took off my hat, undid the WDLNH and brass casing pins, and handed it to her and said -“there’s the URL for the ‘Grok”.  After listening to her story, it was the least I could do. Here was a person that most people would have just walked past without a thought – just the person who waters all of the plants in the building. That’s all, no big deal.  But that’s the kind of person I want to meet – just an ordinary person who studies the issues, knows what she believes, and is concerned that the traditional NH, the tradition values of America, are being swept aside for, well, she didn’t know exactly what but she’s frightened at all of the changes that have happened in such a short time and those changes haven’t been organic – they are being forced upon us by those that won’t take no for an answer and won’t leave us alone.

We call this person “a high intelligence” voter.  And how is the GOP reaching out to these folks?  But I digress a bit.

I had no answer for her other than “you’re not alone” – there ARE others just like you.  Join us. I’ve met wallpaper hangers, janitors, truck drivers and have been blown away by their love of country and their knowledge OF our country.  If you will only stop and talk with someone that you otherwise wouldn’t give the time of day to.  You might be quite surprised.

And  “H” (I won’t use your name to protect the innocent), I hope you’re reading this – you made my day! Thank you!

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