Category: Opinion

Opinion videos and articles from our contributors.

  • Three reasons the 2024 presidential election is a sign of the times

    Three reasons the 2024 presidential election is a sign of the times

    Three reasons the 2024 presidential election is a sign of the times

    The current collapse of political norms was inevitable. It is apparent the neolib/neocon movement, the lukewarm attempt at “centrism,” has imploded and the parties are unwilling to create leaders with honest idealogical standards. It should surprise no one that many have concerns over possible black mail party leaders and lobbyists have over the octogenarians in DC. Factoring in the internet and how could you not end up with movements like MAGA and the BLM. There are three main symptoms that outline the failures we are seeing in 2024.

    First, the Republican party is trapped by populism and exhaustion of the corrupt political system.

    Trump is a mirror to the problems of our society. We didn’t end up with the orange middle finger because things were going well. Social media, legacy press, boomers refusing to be mentors and gripping to power, an evolutionary technological period, and a population that lacks purpose brings us here. He speaks in a way everyone understands, jokes about the craziness of it all, and makes no bones about his “screw you” attitude. A stand-up comedian that understands the system because his family has played in the world of the elites for generations. He is vulgar, upsetting, entertaining, and a product of the times.

    Second, Democrats prop up individuals that are empty vessels of the winds of popular opinion and the Democratic party machine.

    Biden is the stooge. The last man standing from the old guard. An easy, corrupt target for the MAGA and anti-establishment movement that allows Trump and RFK, Jr. to steal from his lack of momentum. Between his lackluster return to post-COVID normalcy, weak stances around foreign conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, persistent inflation, and obvious physical decline he is no longer able to make the argument that he the “return to normal.” Stir in familial corruption to just spoil the pot in ways that I can’t be bothered to unwind here.

    Third, hypocrisy is the rule of the day and idealogical consistency is dead.

    The “shall not be infringed” crowd celebrates Hunter Biden’s conviction while the alleged “anti-gun” crew calls it a miscarriage of justice and abuse of the legal system. The “democracy above all else” gang celebrates Trump getting nailed for a federal charge the feds didn’t charge him with while the “drain the swamp” cult think some old rich guy that has funded Democrats for decades is their only hope. Republicans are captured by populism and Democrats by the woke progressives.

    What’s next?

    Anyone that believes black and white political stances are going to fix anything at the national level is deeply mistaken. The Overton window in the legacy press has anyone right of AOC as a fascist and online media having anyone left of Ben Shapiro is a socialist. A recentering will take years, if ever. Federalism is the only way out. 

    We have to recenter politics on the state and local level. The majority of the Granite Staters will not agree with the Golden Stater, let alone the average Angelino. Them crazy Texans can go as crazy pro-gun and pro-life as they want while them New Yorkers can infringe away while their goofy governors promote infanticide. The great resettlement can continue, so long as the transients understand the culture of their new homeland. The Constitution should return to being the guardrails, something an allegedly conservative SCOTUS should celebrate. 

    I stand behind the concept that most Americans should not care about what the slime balls in DC are up to 99% of the time. It is their job to make the sausage and work with the weirdo on the other side of the aisle you will never agree with and lobbyist you want to pretend doesn’t exist. It has to happen. Maybe if we took some time to focus on the statehouse, we can feel like the wheels of democracy aren’t running us over most of the time.

    The leaders we vote for at the bottom of the ticket in 2024 are often the future of Concord and DC. Make sure they have your best interests in mind and not whatever the party establishment  tells them to vote for.

  • Scouting is a Victim of Corporatism

    Scouting is a Victim of Corporatism

    A scout is Brave. This is why I feel that I must speak out. I care about this program deeply. I am a proud Scouter that works with a curious and hilarious group of Cub Scouts. The change of “Boy Scouts of America” to “Scouting America” could not take place in a worse political climate, and the national leadership is to blame for the ensuing public relations nightmare.

    The name is fine. The implications are problematic.

    In an Associated Press interview, CEO Roger Krone shows that he has lost the mission of scouting when he says “They [the scouts] can bring their authentic self. They can be who they are.” That is the literal opposite of what scouting is about. I can’t do my “duty to God and my country” by thinking about what is best for myself. I can’t be a reverent scout by ignoring higher ideals, when even the Unitarian Universalists are about a greater thing than themselves. A scout should learn to be a better person, thinking beyond through development and sacrifice. The goal is to reflect on how one fits into society and acts as a leader.

    Examining the board and ‘Key 3’ of the national scouting office was an epiphany. Oil and business executives that have bought into the pernicious ESG vision, with firm names that hide what interests they actually represent. You don’t have to be an InfoWars fan to question whether this latest change is in the best interest of our children or “corporate governance” norms. The new leadership even goes so far as to offer segregated affinity groups based on ethnic and LGBTQ association within the national organization (https://bit.ly/3WEAVOY). The hypocrisy of this is not lost on me in light of the program they are forcing down the throats of the scouts. 

    YouTuber ScouterStan, a Unit Commissioner in Florida with a large online following, asserted that “politics is not a part of this,” despite being unable to refute the obvious DEI influence on the name change. The “Citizenship in Society” merit badge, added in 2021, is literally an introduction to corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion, as stated in the introductory overview (http://bit.ly/3UxGHPK). The program is rife with busy work that involves no interaction with the society it alleges to help scouts exist in. As someone who has been force-fed corporate HR training, I can confirm that this merit badge is nothing more than typical employee DEI orientation watered-down for teenagers. The badge is entirely centered around feelings, and even requires units to invite someone who had a “significant positive impact in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion” to speak. 

    In moments like this I am unbelievably grateful for the decentralized nature of the scouting program. Councils, districts, and units hold the most responsibility for what the scout does when they show up to an event or meeting. Tips are given to help leaders navigate the extensive curriculum, but there are many online resources we rely on that expand upon that base. Indeed, I question how many scouts actually complete the DEI program in the way our corporate overlords envisioned. In my humble opinion, this sort of ‘jury nullification’ should be more widely considered by councils.

    Many who have spoken about the reforms of the scouting program have fallen into the populist right side of the debate; but I have not. I think there is a tremendous value in allowing females to join in the fun and embrace the values of scouting. The Venturing program has been highly successful at offering co-ed programming for teenagers, dating back to when I was a youth. The values contained in the Scout Oath and Law are not gender specific; although I do understand the desire of some units to remain gender-specific in order to keep their focus away from intersex relations (a perennial problem with teens).

    Look, it’s not our fault that Girl Scouts isn’t as awesome as Boy Scouts, and they want to join us! (I’m kidding, relax.)

    In my experience, councils, districts, and units are not a reflection of the nonsense we see at the national level. Scouting America will continue to be the corporate arm of one of the best citizenship and community building programs in the world. I will stay involved to make sure sanity is not lost in my little corner of the program, while hopefully raising the awareness of those who have not fully considered the implications of what this programming means.

  • New Hampshire needs to pass #DefendTheGuard, NH Senate needs to get HB229 done NOW!

    New Hampshire needs to pass #DefendTheGuard, NH Senate needs to get HB229 done NOW!

    A. J. Kierstead and Dexter Tarbox discuss Defend the Guard and NH HB229, which the New Hampshire Senate might send to Interim Study. People like NH Rep. Tom Mannion, and other liberty lovers are, doing their part to make sure this gets done!

    Read the letter: https://x.com/TroopsHomeUS/status/1783167418035999043

  • Don’t be a dick.

    Don’t be a dick.

    No, seriously…

    Watch Lauren Southern’s Conservative Sensitivity Training: https://youtu.be/PBIBKdGENf8?si=Wyp4iaGhxsQlXekW

    Watch Sargon of Akkad’s The Wretched Old Lion: https://youtu.be/keHeiMWnnB8?si=Y8Rg9RqvpyXByAQm

  • STOP MASKING FOR NO REASON, the science is not on your side! Leftists ignore reality.

    STOP MASKING FOR NO REASON, the science is not on your side! Leftists ignore reality.

    A. J. Kierstead dives into how leftists are hurting emotionally at risk people by pushing masking, even though it is obvious it doesn’t work and hurts more than helps.

    Granite Grok, “State Rep Shows Up Late and Masked for Expert Testimony on Why Masks Don’t Work”: https://granitegrok.com/blog/2024/04/state-rep-shows-up-late-and-masked-for-expert-testimony-on-why-masks-dont-work

    Slides from Stephen E. Petty, P.E., C.I.H., C.S.P.: https://granitegrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Petty-State-of-New-Hampshire-Presentation-March-15-2024.pdf