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Debate

Democrats ignite race debate in Central NH’s Lakes Region. Part One: “Negro 101”

Democrat Seal

An interesting debate about the "presumptive" Democratic nominee taking place here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire in our local papers and in cyberspace has escalated into a full blown debate over race, language, and political correctness. It all started when one of the local wags– a Democrat "seasoned citizen"– submitted a letter to several local papers. It’s author, Mr. Jack Stephenson, is well known to me and is someone I’ve always found thoughtful, humorous, and honest almost to a fault– he speaks his mind, and makes no apologies. Well, except when he puts forth his thoughts and later concludes he was mistaken… then, unlike most, he goes out of his way to admit it, and lets everyone know he was wrong with whatever previous mistaken position.

Here’s what Jack had to say in the letter printed in the Citizen and Laconia Daily Sun newspapers earlier this week. Keep in mind, he has long been known for his not-always PC, but truthful letters, always with a touch of Yankee humor:

To The Editor,

It is clear that IF we all had the knowledge about Obama which we have heard since he got the "nomination" (not confirmed until their convention), Hillary would be the Democrat candidate. But back then we didn’t know that brilliant Obama could not speak intelligently without his staff prepared cue cards. Back then we didn’t know that he opposed any increase in safe, clean, cheap energy sources (long proven nuclear, wind, solar and clean coal). Back then we didn’t know that he would propose the biggest tax increase ever in the US! Back then some of us thought that he was the same as most USA negros, but he is NOT, and he has become a total insult to our great successful negros in the USA. Back then we didn’t know that he was both against the Iraq war and for it, both against battles in Afganistan and for it, and wants to greatly increase number of our troops in Afganistan (the most dangerous place on earth). He is totally for WAR and totally against war, totally for outrageous taxes and totally against taxes, totally for 100% control of all medical care, and totally oppossed to government control of health care.

It is absolutely clear that Obama is totally for and totally against every issue which Americans are concerned with. IE, he is the ultimate politician, as his Church Pastor long ago told us!

Honesty, practicallity, need, usefulness, has nothing to do with Obama. Clearly, Obama is trying to steal from Clinton the title of the world’s best LIAR! Hillary tried that, but Obama beat her out for that title.

We must encourage Hillary to take the nomination away from misleading Obama, and give the nation a chance for a fair election. It can happen, and if it doesn’t, we are in for a "Hollywood style" president!

Jack Stephenson

Gilford

Well… You just know that that letter certainly caught the eye of the readers locally, including that of the local Democrat Party leaders, most of whom, like their hero Obama, cannot accept the slightest bit of criticism, and immediately cry foul when it occurs. Call Obama unfit to lead? Bigotry! Question his qualifications? How dare we doubt his patriotism! Note his liberal record? Racist! The chair of the Laconia, NH Democrats sounded the alarm in the daily emailed communiqué:

By the way, I don’t know how many of you saw the letter to the editor in the Laconia Citizen yesterday from Gilford’s Jack Stephenson complaining about Obama.  An excerpt:  Back then some of us thought that he was the same as most USA negros, but he is NOT, and he has become a total insult to our great successful negros in the USA.  Personally, I find that extremely offensive and I’m writing a letter in response.  I encourage each of you to do the same.

This was followed by a later email and blog post reiterating his request to take "Mr. Stephenson to task." And so they did, including none other than NH Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley. But first out of the gate was another local lib (known to ‘Grok readers, perhaps) who fancies himself intellectually superior  to most folks, once again seeking first to dazzle readers with his "vast knowledge" of matters of great importance, in the hopes they’ll believe his recollection of history and culture. This week, he gave us HIS version of history– "Negro 101", if you will:

 

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“Safe” risky behavior? What’s maddening is that I’m among the enablers. So are you.

More thoughts on the “Teen Family Planning” poster found pinned to the bulletin board in the Gilford, NH Post Office. That would be the one enticing teens to seek various “services” that cater to continued sexual carelessness and promiscuity:

Teen Family Planning

For those that missed my point, let me just say that while I feel that there are alternatives that caring adults should employ to dissuade kids from engaging in such behavior, in the end, I would not dare to step into a family’s private, personal business, other than to put forth my opinion as to what I believe to be right. If some misguided parent or grandparent wishes to encourage their own flesh and blood to participate in risky activities, so be it. It is NOT their right, however, to encourage others to do so. It may be their belief that society must enable the “safe” practice of bad behavior, but I disagree.

While certain individuals would, given their way, seek to deny myself and others the chance to speak our minds, I have no plans of stopping. The busybodies and purveyors of “services” for wayward teens do so in the name of “society.” Guess what? I’m a member of society too, and have a different point of view. Last time I checked, this is America and that is something to which I am entitled, should I choose.

Just because a segment of today’s youth might come from broken homes or other severe familial situations, it does not mean that society cannot try to steer them onto the right path in life. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the cycle of abuse, poverty, and other types of “normal” life-destroying actions is extremely difficult to break away from. When a child (in many instances of yet another child) grows up knowing little to nothing else other than what he or she has been witnessing, the chances are good that they will seek to emulate what to them is “normal.” It is precisely because of that type of situation that society must not waver in promoting what is good in an open and never ending fashion. Such children must get positive messages and influences from someplace, if not from the home. And yes, they must understand that, rather than getting a pass for making bad choices, there are instead consequences.

“Oh but Doug, that’s so mean! The scarlet letter went away a long time ago!”

Please don’t misunderstand– I’m not lacking in compassion, but I think that we have a growing problem precisely because of what we are doing as a society. Look at what’s happening in Gloucester, MA. There are a large number of that town’s high school students that have become pregnant.

 

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Forget about parents. Teens need “someone with reason in a public health environment.”

The following letter appeared in several local newspapers responding to my weekly Laconia Daily Sun column (page 4) where I ran the story about the teen clinic poster I found hanging in the local post office.

teen family planning

I was going to "fisk" the letter, but then decided that the informed GraniteGrok reader needs no such "help" with understanding the content of the writer’s tome, which is nothing more than the classic liberal-view of the world. You know, the one where ALL children are having sex anyway, and ALL parents refrain from teaching their children about such things until it is too late and they become pregnant and the parent throws the child out, or worse… Yeah, that describes my childhood and my children’s alright…

You’ll note the classic liberal mantra that if we don’t pay to prevent and abort before babies are born, we’ll just have to pay more after, assuming that the child will automatically need "services" that, again thanks to the writer and his comrades, we’ll have to provide. Like some good Nazi from a supposedly bygone era, he advocates killing those he deems undesirable in order to save money (many elderly in German nursing homes were euthanized for "the good of the Fatherland"). To the letter writer, teaching morality and fostering the difference between right and wrong, and applying consequences for actions doesn’t enter into his worldview. Rather than seeking to change risky behavior, he simply enables it…

Lambert doesn’t know difference between contraception & abortion
To the editor,

Once again, Doug Lambert should stick to fabricating metal and not anatomy and physiology. His opine on Teen Family Planning is fraught with errors from a reproductive biology point of view.

While perusing the FBI’s Most Wanted List for Terrorists in the post office he was drawn to a poster — R.E.S.P.E.C.T., a positive teen program of the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) — that he takes issue with.

The valuable program, which is educational for teens (in four regions of N.H.) regarding their bodies and sexual health, is chided as being a program where “Lambert’s taxes” are funding abortion. Nowhere on the poster that Lambert lifted from the post office to scan for his Sun article, does it refer to “abortion.”

As I am a reproductive biologist (MS and Ph.D. in that fi eld and worked for J&J Ortho), Lambert should be re-educated as to what “emergency contraception” is all about. It is not abortion as he suggests. The “emergency contraception pill” is a pill that has nothing to do with a fetus, conceptus or implanted embryo. It prevents ovulation after “unprotected sex” and is administered the day or so after intercourse up to 72 hours. Since ovulation has not occurred, there should be no conceptus and the emergency pill prevents the egg from being released if a woman is mid-cycle. It is basically “a large dose of the daily oral contraceptive.” Does Lambert not like the birth control pill either?

 

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Flag Flap Update: This guy just won’t stop stepping in it!

Wolfeboro flags

The following letter was sent by the flag-removal lawsuit filer Claude Roessiger’s lawyer to one of the veteran activists expressing displeasure over what he tried to do to Wolfeboro’s public display of Old Glory. You’d think the guy would have simply crawled back under the rock from whence he came following his withdrawal of the suit. But nooooooo…

Writes the letter’s recipient:

Believe it or not I got an email this morning from Roessiger’s attorney trying to convice me that his client is a Patriot, and that the displaying of American Flags in Wolfeboro was a partisan display. Here is Attorney William Chapman’s actual comments:

Mr. Howe-

I am the attorney who represented Claude Roessiger in the now-terminated suit against Wolfeboro. He brought suit because the town refused either (1) to remove the American flags it is permitting a resident to display on town utility poles or (2) to allow Mr. Roessiger to display his own banner on those poles containing advice from George Washington that our country should avoid foreign entanglements.

Please be assured that Mr. Roessiger is a patriotic American who believes in what our flag stands for. What he objects to is someone using the flag and town property – public property – to advance a particular political viewpoint: support of the Bush Administration invasion of, and continued troop presence in, Iraq. It is clear from minutes of the meeting at which the selectmen approved the display of flags that they both understood and agreed with the reason for displaying the flags.

Mr. Howe, who is organizing tomorrow’s American Legion Flag Day motorcyle ride through Wolfeboro, replied, putting the whole thing in context:

 

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Tyranny of the [NH Democrat] majority. Guest Blog Post

  The following was written by Representative Greg Sorg. Can you imagine if the Republicans had pulled this stunt? Citizens of New Hampshire who fail to follow the activities of their state government do so at the peril of their freedom and property. A stark demonstration why took place this week. On Wednesday, June 4th, … Read more

Interview with Doug. Sorry– I don’t worship space aliens….

I was recently asked to do an interview that ended up not being used by the requestor. It was a rather odd experience, as it turns out that the person is some kind of reverend, although not in the usual sense, I suspect. I went to the website he claimed to be affiliated with and … Read more

I get mail… [Caution, “salty” language!]

Between postings here at GraniteGrok, over at GilfordGrok, and the Thursday column in the Laconia Daily Sun, along with the Saturday radio program, Meet the New Press, there is little left to the imagination as to where I stand on the issues. And along the way, I pick up people who agree with me– and … Read more

Must See TV: Defending the New Hampshire Advantage on Political Chowder

With the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition’s silly "anti-pledge" warrant article appearing on 88 town warrants here in NH– a tool to begin the demonization process of our present system of government funding via the property tax– including ours right here in Gilford, we have decided that now is the time to stand up for the famed … Read more

Not a bad Wednesday night

Couch Potato

I had three reasons not to watch the CNN/YouTube GOP Debate last night:

1) The debates aren’t really debates. Debating requires two or more
people to exchange and refute ideas in a dialogue. What we have mostly
been watching are candidates giving sound bites, one after the other,
in front of a crazy backdrop of lights and TV network logos.

2) After seeing all the ridiculous antics in the first YouTube debate,
I was ready for somebody in a Chewbacca suit to ask a question about
the candidates’ positions on gender neutrality.

3) A couple of the candidates aren’t even well-known in their own
districts; they certainly aren’t going to become president. Sorry
Hunter, Gravel.

But I ended up watching it anyways.

Why?

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The Chaz and Skip Debate – Round 1 – Point

Ok Thanks for your patience Skip et al. As you may have noticed, I endorsed Hillary Clinton for President this week. That has kept me occupied on the blogosphere. That plus building and preparing for winter is keeping me in "catch up" mode. I do think this is a great project though and one that I will commit to. So let me start with a short opening statement.

In my endorsement of Senator Clinton I called healthcare my number one domestic issue. No matter your vantage point, its a big one that isn’t going away. I think we all agree on that, correct me if I’m wrong. Health care is of course a huge economic issue. Industries in the western world have a capital advantage over us because of either universal or single payer systems. All you have to do is watch what is happening in our auto industry to see how crucial the difference is.

Our hodgepodge system began when I was born shortly after World War two. Employers at that time were able to sustain health care premiums for its steady workers. That system became outdated thirty years ago, but we still use it. Lose your job, lose your healthcare. If you don’t work for a major corporation chances are you won’t have ANY healthcare. Most self-employed people can’t afford it, or if they are paying it their operating costs become so thin that its hard to stay motivated. These are just a few of the problems, but from where most Americans sit, this is a broken antiquated system that needs fundamental change.

I also believe that the American people, through the American government should be able to use the most powerful capitalistic tools available to bring down the cost of health care. In other words I don’t see "buying in bulk to drive down costs" as anything remotely socialistic. I’m happy to go into any of this in detail when the time comes. End of intro.

Let’s start with the question of whether I am a socialist.

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The Skip and Chaz Debate – Round 1 – Counterpoint

Well, my turn!  Chaz has started the debate off with two points:

  • He’s not a socialist
  • Universal Healthcare is not socialistic

Well, I tend to be a "fisker", so let me go through his thesis and let the air gently out of his ballon.  So let’s dive in!

Formatting note:  indented and bold is the person who has presented the Point (in this case, Chaz).  The person doing the Counterpoint will have the full width, regular text (me for now). 

As you may have noticed I endorsed Hillary Clinton for President this week.

Well, that doesn’t bode well for your argument!  But hey, given your earlier posts on Universal Healthcare, it is not unexpected.

That has kept me occupied on the blogosphere. That plus building and preparing for winter is keeping me in "catch up" mode. I do think this is a great project though and one that I will commit to. So let me start with a short opening statement:

In my endorsement of Senator Clinton I called healthcare my number one domestic issue. No matter your vantage point, its a big one that isn’t going away. I think we all agree on that, correct me if I’m wrong.

Oh no – on this point we do agree (uh-oh, does this bode well?).  I agree that healthcare is one of the biggest domestic issues, but I think that illegal immigration is the number one domestic issue.

Given that, healthcare is my third issue for the Presidential race.  In fact, a twofer:

  • Healthcare and how it should be managed
  • Government and its perceived role in society.

The combination of the two, and how they are handled, have tremendous ramifications on how our society undergoes its next metamorphasis. In fact, in a way, it may have a tremendous impact on personal choice and self-responsibilities.

Health care is of course a huge economic issue.

Indeed.  The economic make up of our GDP is 16% and will only grow, and grow faster, as the Boomers age and pass into retirement.  Costs will spiral as more advanced technologies come into vogue in keeping the most narcissistic generation ever.

Healthcare has always been rationed – no matter what road America chooses, this will remain constant.  The question is by "how".  We have two diametrically opposing models:

  • Free market capitalism
  • Government control 

Far be it for us to decide which will win out – but let us argue, rant, and rave as if we did. 

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