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GraniteGrok

Public Unions – “Why yes, we do use union dues to buy politicians”

From a press release from James O’Keefe and Project Veritas via RedState:

“This is significant because labor unions are some of the biggest beneficiaries of taxpayer-funded jobs,” says O’Keefe. “If they’re intentionally propping up paper jobs, then they’re complicit in the fleecing of taxpayers.”

The latest video from Project Veritas captures Newark SEIU President Rahaman Muhammad laying out in explicit terms the nature of the relationship between his union and lawmakers like Democrat Senator Robert Menendez.

Project Veritas: “So that means you’re going to get the union dues…”

SEIU: “Exactly!”

Project Veritas: “…to your campaign.”

SEIU: “Exactly! It benefits them.”

So, why do I think that this is no different than the announcement (Laconia Daily Sun, (10/4, page 15)that the Gilford firefighters union endorsing the Democrats in all of the races that touch my hamlet (e.g., NH House, NH Senate),

Er, I don’t.

The latest James O’Keefe video is after the jump

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From ‘Grok friend Chan at WeekendPundit: Use the backup site!

WeekendPundit is in a slow fail.  He uses Moveable Type (newer than what failed us, but still MT).  No new posts possible, so go to his backup site at WeekendPundit.blogspot.com.  As a favor to an old blogging friend, this will stay at the top of the front page for a few days.

Data Point – annual Presidential deficits since 2000

What is startling is viewing this from the promise that Obama made that he would reduce the annual deficit by half. He didn’t.  Not even close.  And ask yourself – how much credence do you now give the Obama Administration’s guesses? (H/T: Instapundit)

Data Points – Presidential Executive Orders

Update: I stand corrected: William Tucker (in Comments) is correct; the proper value for Executive Orders issued by President Obama is not 923.  I looked it up at the NationalArchive – the proper number is 135.  It is still, however far higher than all of his predecessors combined.  Also changed were Bush II (from 62), … Read more

Some observations on affirmative action…

Affirmative action vs color-blindnessOnce again during this Presidential season, we see the three main weapons of Progressivism on display: gender, class, and race.  Take those three away, and they don’t have much, do they?  Anyways, the last of those three is under attack in the Supreme Court as the University of Texas use of affirmative action in admissions and whether it still fulfills a “compelling” reason for the State to force “color-blindness” or continue skin color discrimination.  That is the question – in the quest for a color-blind nation, at what time do we really start to do as we preach?  In my lifetime (and the grey hairs are becoming more prevalent such that they are the majority color now), much wrong has been seen, many many of those wrongs have been righted, and attitudes have been changed for the better.  Yes, there is still more to be done, but I ask, in a tangental fashion: other than the usual race baiting suspects (e.g., the Al Sharptons and David Dukes of the world), are we close to closing down affirmative action?  Or are we doomed forever to have the spector of race overhang much of society (e.g., when does color-blindness actually disappear – when those that  profit from race-baiting can no longer do so?)?  When do we really go more than skin-deep?

Anyways, here are some thoughts from Roger Clegg at The Corner (reformated) listing why affirmative action (with around 60 years of having affirmative action):

How, then, can they possibly be “compelling” (which is what the law requires them to be), especially when they must be weighed against the many and undeniable costs of racial discrimination:

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Well, it’s about time somebody warns Karzai

Heck, it’s about time that a high ranking US official tell this two-bit Stone Age nation head this:

101st In AfghanistanLIMA, Peru (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lashed back at Afghan President Hamid Karzai Friday, saying the Afghan leader should say thank you now and then to the allied forces who are fighting and dying there, rather than criticizing them.

Panetta was responding to Karzai’s complaints Thursday that the U.S. is failing to go after militants based in Pakistan, and instead is concentrating on the insurgents in Afghanistan.

“We have made progress in Afghanistan because there are men and women in uniform who have been willing to fight and die for Afghanistan’s sovereignty,” Panetta snapped, as he spoke with reporters traveling with him to South America. “Those lives were lost fighting the right enemy not the wrong enemy and I think it would be helpful if the president, every once in a while, expressed his thanks for the sacrifices that have been made by those who have fought and died for Afghanistan, rather than criticizing them.”

There are have a number of occasions that the Afghans, including Karzai, have criticized US / NATO (ok, let’s be real here, the brunt is being borne by the US) when thinks have not gone well – Afghans have done the double-cross, turn turncoat, and within the fog of war, innocents have suffered and died and collateral damage has occurred.  I oft think that Karzai fogets that if the US had not gone after the Taliban that had given safe quarters to Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, Karzai would not be sitting there with that peculiar hat and mantle.  Yet, he has been quick to beat up on the US and Nato, demanding apologies and money and enhancing the anti-American rhetoric that serves us poorly.

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Anti-Semitism rearing its head in the Lakes Region?

Road side signs of the plastic type on short wire frames are popping up all over the place – a fair number during the Primary last month but exploding in number as the election draw neigh.  Being a news / political junkie, I pay attention to them: whose signs are placed where, are they Democrat, … Read more

“Mostly Free” and “Here to shut you down”: Scott & Mike have an economic point to make….but it really isn’t about economics!

It’s about Freedom, plain and simple. Scott has the simple example – a childhood lemonade stand; Mike has the ramifications – do we have Economic Freedom anymore?  If a child can’t even open a side-walk-side homemade drink stand that almost ALL of us have tried at one time or another (or if not personally, someone who has, or has bought such from the same), ask yourself – have we gone overboard?  Have we the type of society that has become all that insistent that every tittle and jot of a bureaucratic rule making insane asylum?

We have prided ourselves, as a country, as being the Land of Opportunity.  What does is say when our children are denied that opportunity at the get-go?  What does it say when adults masquerading has “our protectors” can’t see the difference between a commercial venture and a kiddy stand (who most often, get shamed into backing down)?

Even worse, that these “inspectors” have the chutzpah to believe that they NEED to be there in that child’s face saying “YOU didn’t follow the rules!”.  And lots of rules are being generated quickly, ruthlessly, and without a view to the cost (reformated, emphasis mine):

Last week, 1,571 new pages of regulations were published in the 2012 Federal Register, bringing the total for this year to more than 55,300 pages, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute.  In those pages, 76 new final rules were approved, up from 51 final rules during the shortened Labor Day holiday week. That figure is equivalent to a new regulation being published every two hours and 13 minutes, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.  Those new rules bring the total number of pages of regulation to 55,324, with the government set to have 79,463 pages of regulations at its current pace.  Thirty-six economically significant rules published this year have combined compliance costs of more than $17.4 billion, though CEI estimates the true costs are actually higher.

And then we wonder why the US is now only 18th in the world for Economic Freedom.  Those of us who believe in entrepreneurial activities, and that it starts early.  No, it doesn’t mean that the lemonade stand then goes to to something bigger (although a boyhood friend of mine turned his into a little hut that then began to sell candy, then added hot dogs and soda, then ice cream treats….you get the idea.  He now owns several restaurants).

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We need to get them relocated to NH……….

In his first Annual Message to Congress in 1790, George Washington said:

”A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well digested plan is requisite: And their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories, as tend to render them independent on others, for essential, particularly for military supplies.”

Another example of Economic Freedom as measured by the crush of regulation without regard to cost – the story from  Hot Air:

Gun microstamping could close American factories

I understand that gun owners’ rights and the Second Amendment haven’t really been a touchstone in this year’s elections, but that doesn’t mean that the battle isn’t still being waged. One story out this month hits pretty close to home for me, both figuratively and literally. It involves the Remington Arms plant located in Ilion, a village in upstate New York. They are currently battling a pending move by the state government which would force them to put laser etched microstamps on the firing pins of all their weapons, driving costs through the roof.

Microstamping, or ballistic imprinting, is a patented process that uses laser technology to engrave a tiny marking of the make, model and serial number on the tip of a gun’s firing pin to allow an imprint of that information on spent cartridge cases. Supporters of the technology say it will be a “game changer,” allowing authorities to quickly identify the registered guns used in crimes. Opponents claim the process is costly, unreliable and may ultimately impact the local economies that heavily depend on the gun industry, including Ilion, N.Y., where Remington Arms maintains a factory, and Hartford, Conn., where Colt’s manufacturing is headquartered.

“Mandatory microstamping would have an immediate impact of a loss of 50 jobs,” New York State Sen. James Seward, a Republican whose district includes Ilion, said, adding that Remington employs 1,100 workers in the town. “You’re talking about a company that has options in other states. Why should they be in a state that’s hostile to legal gun manufacturing? There could be serious negative economic impact with the passage of microstamping and other gun-control laws.”

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How to start a Fight – Part 10

Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, and slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the van and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing 50mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the … Read more

Nothing says real volunteer grassroots like “pay is $12.00 an hour”, eh Mark Fernald?

From a reader comes this missive from Mark “I WANT AN INCOME TAX on NH workers!!” Fernald.  I guess it is a NH Democrat Value that “Grassroots” doesn’t mean what it does to Conservative activists – not just the passion about an issue or candidate, nor for the feeling of banding together voluntarily to get something done.  That’s all that most Conservatives want.  It seems, however, that not enough Progressive activists have the will – I guess “being passionate” comes with a price tag (emphasis mine, reformatted to be more bloggish):

From: <mark@markfernald.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 3:37 PM
Subject: PAID canvassing!
To: <redacted>

Dear Readers:

Here’s an opportunity to do some paid canvassing in the next five weeks.

Mark Fernald

Grassroots Solutions ((www.grassrootssolutions.com), a national political field organization, is looking for dedicated individuals to join its New Hampshire Democratic Canvass Team 2012 and go door-to-door to talk with New Hampshire voters in Manchester and other areas in New Hampshire about the upcoming election.  Maybe you are a student with no afternoon classes, a parent whose children are off to college, or someone who works the night shift in your current job but would like to earn extra money. If you are at least 18 years old and enjoy talking with people about important issues that affect their lives and the lives of their families and community, then we are interested in hearing from you.  This is a fantastic opportunity for someone looking to gain experience in the world of politics. It is a fast paced and dynamic job in a Presidential election year.  The pay is $12.00 an hour and you have the potential to gross over $2,500 between now and the November election. You will be paid either by check or direct deposit every two weeks.

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Here’s a “Thank’em” for Papa Smurf for playing with Andrea Mitchell’s head

Also known around these parts as TGOTN (“The Gnome Of The North“).  Well, our official motto IS “Thank’em when they’re right and spank’em when their wrong”.  We’ve been hard on him since the manuver to install Julianne Bergeron as his handpicked success as Chair of the NH GOP (hey, how’s that Wayne MacDonald doing, eh, since the second Act of this tragedy – we’ll see what the final tally is come November; but I digress).

Anyways, in the light of the absolutely disaster of a performance by Obama in last night’s debate John Sununu was on with the uber-sour puss Andrea Mitchell.  She did not take well to to what he called Obama in a quite uppity way:

He earned this “Thank’em”.

(H/T: Hot Air, who also has the transcript)

And of course, all the other Democrat Operatives With Bylines have their panties in a wad:

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How to start a Fight – Part 9

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver’s License to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would … Read more

And now Axelrod is calling out the Progressive troops – Democrat Operatives with bylines

“To you and your whole crew have a powerful influence on the political scene,

you have an obligation as well to check some of these allegations”

Axelrod – Obama’s svengali of campaign, is probably STILL shaking in his boots.  How could that know-nothing, that businessman turned politician, that CAPITALIST, outsmart the country’s best Community Organizers whose head is forever encased in the Holy Light of Progressive Thought (Peace be upon Obamessiah) that has been so effective in dismantling America As We Knew It.  My GOSH, that usurper even bowed to the words in the Constitution and Declaration – BLASPHEMY!

And yet, the CAPITALIST kicked my guy’s butt all up and down the stage – did he know who he was talking to?  Where was the respect for the First Black President Of The United States (er, Bill Clinton aside).

So know he’s going to the shock troops for Democrat purposes – the Media (H/T: The Corner):

But Axelrod already has a BIG problem – they’ve been on this case, this Mission for Liberalism, for months now. They’ve painted Romney as

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So Commenter and Govt school teacher Hunter Dan is all bent out of shape over the ‘Grok: predictable Govt Employee hissy fit ensues

So, ‘Grok commenter Hunter Dan (real name, Dan Williams, public school teacher all enamored that music is the only hatch upward to success) has been picking fights with one of our funniest and insightful (as long as you READ his stuff and THINK about it – something Dan Williams is having great difficulties in doing) commenters, C. dog. e. doG

Sidenote: I just wish C. dog take me up on my offer to write here instead of just commenting – imagine how many Lib heads would explode on a daily basis!

although with these words in describing Dan Williams (“a whining self-abusing flautist flood the internets with his bitter tears.”), I’m not entirely sure he really needs my assistance but I digress.

Well,  Dan Williams decided to boast of his high perch over at Pravda-on-the-Merrimac as part of being on the Board of Contributors (or sum such poo-bahness, which means absolutely nada here) and put in a few mal-mots about the ‘Grok and claimed that classrooms were not centers of liberal indoctrination (and of COURSE it is behind a paywall (like that worked so well at the NYT and their opinion writers like Krugman and Dowd – maybe we’ll all get lucky and the Concord Monitor will keep Dan Williams on the other side of the wall)).  Anyways, I sent this to him – it took all of 15 seconds to find an example of that which he claims to not exist:

Well HERE is a great example of liberal indoctrination (emphasis mine):

Philly teacher: Student’s Romney T-shirt like wearing a KKK sheet

Last Friday was dress-down day at Charles Carroll High School in Port Richmond — a day for students to leave their uniforms at home and wear whatever they liked.

One young woman chose to wear a shirt showing her support for Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential candidacy.  Her geometry teacher didn’t like it, the girl’s father said on a radio call-in show on IQ 106.9 FM today

The teacher allegedly told the girl to take off the shirt, saying it was like wearing a Ku Klux Klan sheet. The teacher allegedly threatened to use a marker to cross out Romney’s name and that of Rep. Paul Ryan, his running mate.  The teacher also allegedly tried to throw the student out of class.

The teacher also allegedly said that Carroll was “a Democratic school.  Her parents were livid.

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A palate cleanser – Still The Greatest Country EVAH!

Lots of people on the Left still absolutely hate the United States; they see us as a flawed country birthed by old, white, rich men that hated everything and everyone around them (hmmm, think about that cognitive dissonance).  One man, a black man, who has succeeded beyond most peoples’ wildest dreams, answers these twerps back: … Read more

Data Point – Data for Grid Parity for Solar PV keeps going into the future

solar-grid-parity(H/T: Business Insider)

I have said often that I am not against Solar Energy – I bought a solar hot water heater and solar hot air solar collectors (home heating).  But I paid a pretty penny for them and once the subsidies dried up, so did the companies that could no longer service the companies.  BI pulls from another source for this chart – Catherine Wood of AllianceBernstein:

The coming of grid parity keeps receding into the distance like a desert mirage. Over the last six years, executives at solar energy firms and their consultants have projected repeatedly that solar energy will reach grid parity—become cost competitive with other power sources—in three to five years—only to push its expected time of arrival further into the future…

…To understand the concept of grid parity, imagine you’re an electric power company executive poised to invest in new generating capacity. You can invest in any technology you want, using any kind of fuel. All you care about is whether the net cash flow from selling the electricity would provide a reasonable return on invested capital. Your first order of business would be to see what price you’d have to charge for the electricity you produce to justify the investment.

Today, you’d need to charge $375 per megawatt hour to justify investment in new solar equipment—nearly four times the average US retail price of electricity. That’s why solar energy requires steep subsidies.

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LIVE Blogging – er, tweeting

Final thought for the night: How would YOU like to lose this bad and then have to face Moochella and say “Happy Anniversary, honey” to her? OK, I am going to lose the next hour of my live…so be it.  Follow us on Twitter for pithy comments (or snark – you know us!). Update:  I’ll … Read more

How to start a Fight – Part 8

My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, ‘Do you want to……?’ ‘No,’ she answered. I then said, ‘Is that your final answer?’ She didn’t even look at me this time, simply saying, ‘Yes..’ So I said, “Then I’d like … Read more

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