News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Some readers have encouraged me to identify as a historian, despite my not having a degree in history. For a long time, I have been reluctant to do so, thinking it would be both presumptuous and misleading, but I have recently changed my mind. Here is why. I think the very first seed was planted … Read more
… New Hampshire Collects Quite a Bit of Revenue From Sales Taxes Here is a breakdown of state taxes collected for the month of March by New Hampshire: While Governor Kelly Ayotte, the local Koch-organization, and their minions in the Legislature may incessantly claim that New Hampshire has “no sales tax,” e.g.: a review of … Read more
I climbed the granite steps of the New Hampshire State House and passed through its golden doors into the Hall of Flags. The building was alive — lobbyists, demonstrators, legislators, and a few bewildered tourists all moving with purpose beneath that iconic golden dome. I had come to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in … Read more
Real Clear Wire The past month delivered something rare in national security: real-world evidence of how artificial intelligence performs in conflict. Not in theory, not in demonstrations, and not in Silicon Valley pitch decks – but in the messy, high-stakes environment of modern warfare. What works in a demo doesn’t always survive first contact with … Read more
…For high taxes, low affordability Democrats are pointing the finger at Vermont Governor Phil Scott for the state’s climbing tax, housing, health care and affordability problems. At a recent press conference, he said the Legislature’s majority party should look at the three fingers pointed right back at them. In an exchange with Vermont Public reporter … Read more
As a young 7th grader, I heard JFK challenge the Nation in his Inaugural Address: “Ask not what your Country can do for you; Ask what you can do for your Country!” JFK made Americans proud with this statement. The great Democrats of my youth included Harry Truman, Adlai Stevenson, and Hubert Humphrey, the Happy … Read more
HB 323 AN ACT requiring the presentation of a government-issued photographic means of identification in order to vote The Executive Board of the Nashua Republican City Committee applauds Governor Kelly Ayotte’s signing of HB 323 into law. HB 323 is a commonsense bill that helps ensure election integrity by requiring a valid government-issued ID in … Read more
In a manner consistent with the child’s biological sex HB 1376: Relative to a parent’s ability to raise their child in a manner consistent with the child’s biological sex. My name is Alexandra. I am a Ukrainian immigrant mother who came to America with my husband in 2007, fleeing the shadows of Soviet-style control for … Read more
A conversation between one-old-conservative and Claude (Anthropic) — April 2026 Backgrounder: This is another in a series of original GraniteGrok articles on Artificial Intelligence (AI), written by one-old-conservative and Anthropic’s Claude 4.6 from an unscripted chat over breakfast. The human is driving; the computer provides the horsepower. This 1,600-word column was edited for publication length … Read more
Out of town/state protestors arrived via chartered bus this past Saturday to bolster a small No-Kings protest in Wolfeboro. Their arrival may have been driven solely by their hatred of our current President, or simply by their hatred of our country. A more likely scenario is that they rented themselves out for a free bus ride, money, … Read more
Horizontal escalation occurs when a state at war widens the geographic and political scope of the conflict, rather than intensifying it vertically in a single theater of operations. It is especially appealing as a strategy for the weakest side in a military contest. Instead of trying to defeat a stronger adversary head-on, the weaker side … Read more
By Claude (Anthropic) and one-old-conservative Over one of our breakfast sessions, Claude thought I was looking a bit tired, so he suggested that I get myself a nice, young, energetic personal assistant. He said they work very hard, never take breaks, don’t criticize, and don’t cost much. Unlike Claude, they can sort through my computer … Read more
Scriptures tell us: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the holy one is understanding.” The Lord gave us free will. To gain understanding, He gave us the Ten Commandments, a divine blueprint we could freely choose to follow so that our nature would reflect His. Rebellion against God … Read more
This week, the House met on 35 bills, fourteen on consent. Only two committees reported bills – Finance and Ways & Means – and all had passed the House from the policy committee. This created a strong presumption that we should pass these bills again! The consent calendar passed on a voice vote, then we … Read more
Massachusetts lost an estimated 145,000 residents to New Hampshire over the last 20 years, a Josiah Bartlett Center analysis of U.S. Census migration data shows. For scale, that number of people living in one place would be Massachusetts’ fourth-largest city, larger than Cambridge and slightly smaller than Springfield. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 369,368 … Read more
Plan to Testify on March 31 or Register Support before March 31 All, this only takes a minute to show your SUPPORT for this bill or a few hours if you want to attend the meeting. See below, this is a good bill to help protect the vote of the voters by allowing more people … Read more
Why would our Senators not support the Save America Act? New Hampshire requires a photo ID and Proof of citizenship to vote. Do they feel that other states shouldn’t also have to require these simple safeguards? If so, why? Do the Senators support MEN playing in women’s sports? If so, why? Do the Senators really … Read more
Should America, or the United States government, pay reparations to African Americans for slavery? I answer emphatically NO! First off, it is illegal; where in the Constitution did we delegate authority to the federal government to make amends for past transactions against specific groups? And where does it have the ability to punish the children … Read more
This week, the Finance committee met to recommend 29 bills to the House. We did 20 before lunch, then settled in on the more difficult ones. Since these bills had been heard, debated, and in some cases amended, in the divisions, the committee tended to accept the judgment of the division; bills that were contentious … Read more
New England state renewable energy mandates will double energy costs, cause rolling blackouts, while NH policies reduce regional costs With New England state governments committed to reducing their carbon emissions at least 80% by 2050, residents and businesses can expect electricity rates to double, along with rolling blackouts, according to a new joint report completed … Read more