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GraniteGrok

Guest Post by Ken Eyring – Why the Henniker Zoning Board believes it owns your property

“If someone else controls your private property, you do not own it.”  – Skip Murphy.  Six days ago, Steve had this post concerning the trouble that Stephen Forster (Forster’s Christmas Tree Farm) is in with the local zoning members concerning the way he wishes to use his own property (to hold weddings as “Agro-Tourism”, a perfectly legal use of his private property with respect to State law).  He asked, in that post, that you go support Stephen keep his innate freedom to use his own land for his own purposes.  Well, a bunch of people showed up with their virtual flashlights to show their support – and made the Henniker Zoning Board rather uncomfortable.  You see, when we, the citizens, hold elected and unelected officials to account, they become very uncomfortable – they hate being held to account for things that they are not allowed to do.  Here is the  message from Ken concerning that meeting (emphasis mine):

Dear Friends,

Here is a link (at GovernmentOversite) to the Henniker Zoning Board meeting on Nov. 15th — and I urge you to watch and pass it onto others.

[Note from Skip – watch the closeups very carefully;  see how uncomfortable they are, knowing that they are being watched because of their actions?]

Why? Because it represents the type of attack on our property rights that will be coming from elected people that don’t respect our Constitution — but have unfortunately been empowered to make decisions as to what we can and can’t do on our property.

As you view this video, you will find that it is painful to listen to the Zoning Board search for a reason to justify how they can place a restriction on Steve Forster regarding the usage of his farm property. The board’s struggle occurs after it is clear they agree that holding weddings on a farm (the issue at hand) is considered to be agri-tourism… and that agri-tourism is included in the definition of agriculture. The board also agreed that the practice of agriculture is allowed on a farm under state statute.

So where is the problem you ask? They wanted to overturn the citation that was issued — which threatened fines if Mr. Forster held any events, but at the same time… they wanted to attach restrictions even though the activity in question has been occurring on Mr. Forster’s farm since the early 80’s.

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Facebook Doodlings – really, Christian Shariah?

There’s a whole lot of yakking going on in the Right side of politics – what went wrong and “what went wrong” but really different.  And of course, the various nostrums of what to fix and what to leave alone will be as numerous (at the least) as the number of folks yakking (EVERYbody’s got to get their two cents in, dontcha know?).  For me, the standard of “never less speech but MORE speech always applies.  Especially when this popped up from a Libertarian:

There also needs to be a question of “which conservative”? Conservatism as in “God hates Gays” and Christian Shiara law, or Conservatism as in small government and leaving the people alone. There is a huge difference between Westboro Conservatism and actual Conservatism.

Now, did you really think I’d leave that hanging in mid-metaphysical space?  Hah!

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Quick riff off Scott: Secession By Atrophy

He is right – we are seeing patches of America that are degenerating into some kind of ThunderDome dystopia.  We do have places, especially in our urban areas, that rival any banana republic or third world nation landscape.  Victor Davis Hanson, a professor of the Classics and military history in the California university system, has been chronicling how the parts of California ignored by the elites have been degenerating into geography indistinguishable from parts of Mexico, where a lot of the illegal aliens are coming from.  Assimiliation? Not even a concept to these Johnnie-come-latelies; what’s worse, many of the American citizens there don’t have a clue as to their history and the underpinnings of what made America great – they wait only on the monthly check and hope that the roving bands leave them alone.

Democrats are like Feminists in believing that they can have it all – all it takes is a bit more money from those, as Obama has famously declared “who don’t need it”.  Really, Mr. President – you win election to be our head employee and that gives you the right to say who needs what just on your say so?  How unAmerican is that? Yet, we see from many on the Left that same message; from the rafters, they scream “America is a wealthy nation – why should the poor suffer when these few have more than they should have”?

Problem is, Democrats / Progressives have made three fundamental errors:

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Who killed the Twinkies??

Yep, Twinkies are about join the dodo birds and the woolly mammoths in the great waste can of history – and we have greedy union bosses to blame for all of the panic looks that the stoners are about to start getting when they realize that Twinkies are gone (not to mention a staple and major food group of State farm attendees everywhere – deep fried Twinkies!).

Yup, that favorite of kids everywhere and an adult guilty pleasure, has met its match.  The Left’s boots on the ground have decided that they will stick with the principle that they are owed the whole loaf and won’t settle for the half loaf (yeah, intentional, as Wonder bread will never get sliced again either).

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When you put the cross-hairs on yourself, Alida….

From the Laconia Daily Sun:

Millham declines nomination to GOP committee amid criticism of her endorsements of Dems

Yep.  This headline pretty much sums it up, eh?  This could have fit as well: “Milham finally dropkicks herself out of bounds“.

…However, later she recalled that conservatives targeted moderates in GOP primaries and, describing herself as “one of the targeted people,” urged her listeners “to take a look at how people in the partite [sic] are treated. ” Quoting economist Paul Romer, she remarked “a crisis s a terrible thing to waste” before taking her seat to scattered applause.

And I chose not to waste it, Alida. Regular readers of the ‘Grok know that she has graced (disgraced?) the pages of the ‘Grok multiple times – I have followed her votes and made sure that she (along with others in my formerly larger district like Peter Bolster and Doc Pilliod) were well recognized for their votes that enlarged (and never lessened) the size and scope Government, and showed the arrogance of the State making decisions where individuals should be making them instead.  Her philosophy is not that of govt as umpire…but as ruler.

Sure she was targeted – but she was far from being the innocent victim that she wants people to believe she was.  She wanted to be able to vote the way she wanted (pretty much against party principles and platform) without having that dreaded word “accountable” dragged out of the dictionary.  Sorry, Alida, but decisions (and votes) have consequences and you manufactured this one all by your lonesome – I merely shined a flashlight on it.

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Notable Quote – Thomas Paine

Another thought worth remembering; Thomas Paine wrote in his Revolutionary pamphlet, The American Crisis: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” … Read more

Notable Quote – T.S. Eliot

“If we take the widest and wisest view of a Cause, there is no such thing as a Lost Cause, because there is no such thing as a Gained Cause. We fight for lost causes because we know that our defeat and dismay may be the preface to our successors’ victory, though that victory itself … Read more

“What is moral about the free market?”

One of my favorite economists is Dr. Walter E. Williams, Professor of Economics at George Mason University.  He is always able to take the complicated, boil it down, and make it easy to understand.  Given that the whole notion of what capitalism and the free marketplace can do (versus the socialistic turn we seem to … Read more

The real cost of Obamacare – one individual’s lament at being hurt, not helped

Emphasis mine – and I thought that “Progressive Government” is supposed to solve problems – not make things worse?  It’s like I have said for years: The Bigger the Government, the smaller the citizen.  In this case, my friend sees himself getting smaller thanks to Government decisions “for him”. Skip, The numbers were posted yesterday. … Read more

Give a man a fish…

…and you feed him for a day.  Teach him how to fish and he feeds himself forever.

Here’s a bit of a reality check for the expanded ObamaUSA welfareland that wants everyone to be equal in income and that you, Mr. / Mrs. / Ms Obama Voter decided to have over the alternative.  Enjoy that social justice – fish for everyone!  Progressives surely want to give you that daily fish.  All you have to do is go to their welfare office, fill out the forms in triplicate, bring in verifying documentation (that you forg0t – go home and get it), have a social worker come out and visit to verify things, and they will allocate you a fish as soon as possible.  Once the computer system has been updated and the government logistics (er, the same logistics system that FEMA has been using for the last two weeks in NY and NJ – you know, that Obama department that closed down during the Nor’easter as it was too dangerous to help the folks that have lost their homes, lost their power, and don’t know where their next meal is coming from?) has you in its system, you will start to get your daily fish.  Just remember, we either use the politically connected or the lowest bidder as the supplier.

And you may well have to to qualify again – no fair getting the Government issued fish if your “life circumstances” lifestyle changes.

Summary:  Sure, you get the fish at no expense to you BUT

  • You have to go to Government for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
  • You have to comply their requirements for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
  • You have to follow their rules  for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
  • You have to settle for what they give you for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
  • There is no upside to receiving a single, solitary fish for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)
  • You have little or no control for your daily sustenance (but at no expense to you, Government provides)

You are the ward of the State – they will make sure you get the fish from the union fishermen just like the folks on Staten Island are getting their electrical wires replaced by union electrical workers (and no non-union help allow even if you still are hungry and there’s lots of fish in that warehouse).

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Guest post – Merrimack school district – salary portion of the budget

It can be fun when you see what you might have thought was a passing comment turn into a real outcome.  Gary Krupp writes:

Ever since we spoke at the Defending the American Dream Summit down in D.C. [sponsord by American for Prosperity  -Skip] and you mentioned that InfoGraphics were all the rage, I had been trying to make one to convey some school policy stuff. I didn’t like any of them until I spent a couple of weeks making the attached one. It goes along with my education blog entry for this week (http://schoolboard.ggkrupp.net/). I wanted to thank you for puting the splinter in my brain to head down a new path.

Merrimac School system Salary InfoGraphic - top

I love infographics – we are visual beings and a well done one tells an enormous story in a short pithy picture!  Brilliant!  Gary kept going – more after the jump!

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We let Democrats define the terms of our defeat

When Democrats set the terms of the 2012 campaign for state and federal offices, Republican leaders blew their horns about jobs and the economy and counted on their position of strength and the glaring weaknesses in their enemy’s lines to secure victory. Republicans lost because they forgot to tell the troops about the Democratic weaknesses. Democrats took advantage of the oversight and rolled over the field.

Democratic victories last Tuesday quite simply reflected a tactical failure of top-ticket Republicans to defend the party’s message. This wasn’t a failure of Republican principles, but a failure to define and defend Republican principles. Democrats successfully distracted voters with complete fabrications of reality, and Republicans let them do it without response.

Predictably, Republican Party leaders assumed that the people had enough of the social issues and wanted to focus on the economy instead—and by in large, Republicans successfully governed on economic recovery issues during the past two years. Democrats understood the visceral nature of social issues and successfully tarnished liberty as the enemy of their carefully crafted relationship between business and government. Republicans didn’t respond, despite the prescient need. They thought that by ignoring the problem it would go away.

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Voter Fraud, Kathy Sullivan? Really, you?

First of all, THANK YOU Kathy Sullivan for the opportunity to bring up a relevant subject about “winning” elections:

How many out of state voters were living in your private home this election cycle?

The one glaring example of vote stealing in NH, and how it really works, is your home where you let Geoff Wetrosky, a non-resident vote with your address. Wetrosky was paid for by Candidate John Kerry, to help Mayor for Life Bob. Did you get any RENT from Wetrosky? Did he have HIS name on your electric bill? How is a non-resident campaign thug able to call YOUR home, home?

Now Kathy, in this cycle, did you let any non-residents use your private home as their MOBILE DOMICILE and steal a Manchester vote?

How about signs, did you use your voter fraud motel as a drop off point for stolen signs like you did in 2005 when the Manchester cops showed up and caught you and Wetrosky?

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Update: Email Doodlings – “Who for NH House Minority Leader”

As the saga continues – two updates on who will be the face of the NH GOP in the NH House:

  • At a gathering this weekend, the consensus was that the Party would be ill served; given how Obama and Dems have characterized the GOP, methinks he’d be called by the Dems and the Media “the old white guy”.  And would be hammered for that plus other stuff.  Not a great perception (which is worst, that or what they kept calling Bill O’Brien?).
  • Pam Tucker has announced that she has 70 House reps that are supporting her run (updated at this gathering to 80).

“Old white guy” doesn’t apply here for Pam – but would the Dems pick on one of their special interest group members (women)?  Oh, silly me -of course they would!  It is only Democrat women are special – they can call Republican women anything that comes into their silly little heads.  It only matters when it is Sandra Fluke talk-alikes.  That said, it would be like waving a red flag at bulls; we’d have a lot of fun here if they do so.

But there is another member of the Special Interest Minority Group group whose name popped up,

Sidenote: if women are 51% of the  population, how can they be a minority?  And since they are the majority gender, and according to Democrat philosophy only minorities can be oppressed, why are they still a special interest minority group?  Lack of consistency for mere vote getting?

Laurie Sanborn.

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So, will the NH GOP Executive Board do as the requestor asks?

To the NH GOP and Chairman MacDonald: I respectfully request that Chairman MacDonald and all of the executive staff of the NH GOP resign their seats immediately.  The returns from this past Tuesday are disgraceful and reflect a Party and Leadership completely out of touch with constituents. For the first time in my life, I … Read more

Blogline of the day from Patterico

Another demonstration of Democrat values – sore losers: When good Democrats are pushed to the point where they have no choice but to express their political views by slaughtering a defenseless animal and dumping it at their opponents’ front door — well, it really says something about the GOP. On a post talking about a … Read more

Email Doodlings – “Who for NH House Minority Leader”

“I have a question for RLCNH legislators. Gene Chandler, or Pam Tucker? What are your thoughts? They seem to be the only two running…” That was the question posed in an email list I’m in.  It was kinda interesting, as I had a phone conversation earlier this afternoon on this very subject and I spoke … Read more

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