Well, I think is the end of this particular running saga – but politics is not rational. To recap, soon-to-be former Rep. Gregg Hough is trying is employ what Gunstock Area Commissioner Doug Lambert (of DGF Industrial) used on fellow Republicans and Gunstock Area Commissioners Peter Ness and Dr. David Strang.
Make something up and then get other people to believe it by repeatedly leveling it against the target.
That “make something up” doesn’t make it true but is a demagogue’s tool. In the case of Lambert, it was “THEY VIOLATED THEIR OATHS!” which I proved false, but there’s that old “a lie circles the globe twice before the Truth puts on its shoes” thing. Lambert and Commissioner Jade Wood (NH GOP Area 5 Vice Chair) eventually bullied the political novice into resigning (look at the number of videos here on GraniteGrok from the Gunstock Area Commission meetings). I’ll get back to that in a few minutes.
Hough Hough Hough
Gregg Hough sent an accusation to the BCRC Executive Committee demanding that GraniteGrok no longer be allowed to report on the BCRC meetings. Loyal readers also know that I had warned him, as my new Elected Representative, to not to be part of the Delegation August 1st meeting. He told me that he wouldn’t – and then did. I told him that I would work against his reelection – you don’t lie to constituents. It seems natural, then, to think that his action was a reaction to mine even though it had nothing to do with mine.. He also sent his accusation to the entire Belknap Delegation as well and making it a public issue by a public figure.
Conclusion? The starting up of the technique to make GraniteGrok (and me) toxic in a similar (but different) manner to Ness and Strang. Simply a revenge/PR play, especially as it continues on (just ask both Hough and Lambert and the attendees at the BCRC meetings last few meetings).
And I posted my rebuttal here. And in response, sent it also the Delegation.
Yesterday, I received the following. Note the word “unfounded” (emphasis mine):
BELKNAP COUNTY REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee of the Belknap County Republican Committee (the “BCRC”) met on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at 243 Mountain Drive in Gilford, to consider, among other matters, a request by General Member and State Representative Gregg Hough that the Granite Grok, a well-known political blog operated principally by BCRC General Member Skip Murphy, be barred or prohibited from making audio and/or video recordings at meetings of the BCRC.
Since January of 2021he Granite Grok has been the only press outlet permitted in BCRC meetings and allowed to make recordings of what transpires at such meetings.
Note: I actually consider we Groksters as all political activists, but we are a media outlet.
Representative Hough had presented a written request with his reasons for requesting the bar, and he was permitted an essentially unlimited time in which to make a verbal presentation to the BCRC Exec. Committee.
Skip Murphy had presented an extensive written answer to the Hough complaint including a justification of the continued presence of the ‘Grok at BCRC meetings. Mr. Murphy was also allowed an essentially unlimited time in which to make a verbal presentation to the BCRC Exec. Committee.
Mr. Murphy indicated that any time a guest speaker at a BCRC meeting requested that his or her presentation not be recorded or be edited in some fashion, he always agreed to such request without exception. He also indicated that if any participant in a BCRC meeting did not want his or her comments made openly in the meeting to be reported by the Grok, he would honor any such request.
After extensive discussion and due consideration by the BCRC Executive Committee, it was decided by a unanimous vote of all members present that the Hough complaint was unfounded and it was thus dismissed without further action being taken on it.
BCRC Secretary Priscilla Bean was absent and did not participate in the hearing or vote on this matter.
Norm Silber
Chair, Belknap County Republican Committee
This was delivered live during last night’s BCRC meeting. There was no protestation from Gregg Hough at that time:
Given that this was now public knowledge, I asked the Chair to be able to release the video of the hearing. I reasoned that if this went into a judicial matter, I wanted to be protected against a he said / she said. It would also protect Hough if that scenario was reversed; the cameras were allowed to roll.
Today, as this matter has become public, I asked for permission to post up those videos (from three different angles) in their entirety such that it could not be said that any deceptive editing had been done. Permission from the Chair was given:
Angle 1:
Angle 2:
Angle 3:
He and Lambert continue their effort to disbar GraniteGrok from reporting on BCRC meetings – and sully our reputation. They both continue to blame me for Hough’s loss in the Primary (I did state that I would work for his loss as he lied to me) even though:
- Gov. Sununu said he wanted him defeated
- The NH House Freedom Caucus believes he’s nuts for picking a fight with GraniteGrok
- The Democrat PAC Citizens for Belknap (even after doing their bidding) marked him for defeat in the Primary
- And Rep and candidate for NH Senate Tim Lang decided to vote for himself for Vice-Chair of the Delegation instead of voting for Hough.
Frankly, compared to the first three, any influence the ‘Grok had would have been minor. But Lambert’s upset at me for not taking a knee, either.
And there’s another entity that he has just royally ticked off. I get to post that video later as I got a tangential mention.
Going forward, IF they are successful in taking over the BCRC like they have the GAC and the Delegation, they will still have me to deal with. As you heard during the recordings of the hearing, the question was offered “what are you going to do if a registered Republican attends, takes notes, and write about the meeting later, can you stop them from doing so due to First Amendment Rights? They couldn’t even stop anyone from simply hauling out a smartphone and videoing the meeting on their own.
Think of that ramification…and last night was a doozy for clips to comment upon.
