Category Archives: Libertarian

MANCHESTER, N.H.Tulsi Gabbard wasnt present.

Not physically, at least. But in the small, half-filled Rex Theatre in downtown Manchester, it didnt seem to matter. While seven of her top Democratic rivals prepared to hit the stage in Los Angeles for the sixth primary debate, a group of Gabbards most ardent loyalists were glued to a large-screen projector, where a livestream of Gabbards face, fixed between panels of tulle wrapped in twinkling lights, beamed in from Washington, D.C.

I really wish I could be there to hug you, she said, to no one in particular.

Citing a conflicting House vote in Congress, the Hawaii Democrat wasnt in Manchester for her campaigns much-hyped party alternative to Thursday nights debate, for which she failed to qualify. The party, and the debate, came the day after Gabbard had set Washington ablaze by voting present on the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, which occurred for only the third time in the countrys history.

Aides to Democratic presidential candidates often say the topic of impeachment rarely comes up on the campaign trail. Voters, the thinking goes, prefer asking about kitchen table issues, like jobs. But here, it was the first question.

My decision to vote present was a decision to actively protest this zero-sum mentality that rules over our politics today, the four-term congresswoman told a skeptical attendee of her vote on the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress.

On top of being a self-proclaimed act of protest, Gabbard explained, to delayed applause, her present proclamation was an attempt to stand for our people, our county, and our future.

Were going to continue to see this spiraling downward, she said.

During the two-hour event, Gabbards fiercest fans praised her dovish foreign and liberal domestic policy, a hallmark of her nearly year-long campaign, and asked whether she would ever ditch the Democratic Party, with which she frequently clashes. No, she strongly implied, brushing off naysayers who speculate she may launch a third-party bid, an idea that she has routinely shot down.

Still, at multiple points in the night, she praised nearly every other conceivable party, in addition to her own.

I appreciate the voice the Libertarian Party brings to this conversation, Gabbard said. It is necessary.

Richard Manzo, the vice chair of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, was in attendance, and had mixed reactions about Gabbards impeachment move.

I wish she would have taken a stance one way or another, Manzo told The Daily Beast. But it wasnt enough to change his likely primary vote on Feb. 11. Im leaning towards voting for her, he said.

Mark Colvin, one of Gabbards most passionate supporters who drove from Boston to see her video conference through the projector, had no such reservations. Shes the only one who got it right, he said about her stance. Shes a patriot.

Gabbard has made New Hampshire a top campaign priority in recent weeks, and there are early signs her work is resonating with segments of the electorate, particularly independent voters. As The Daily Beast recently reported, pollsters argue there is evidence to believe Gabbard is already poking holes at the independent bloc that helped sweep Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to victory here in 2016. In a Suffolk University survey conducted in November, Gabbard receives five times as much support among independents as she does among Democrats.

But Thursday nights set up hardly seemed poll-tested. In fact, the lines between substance and style frequently blurred, with campaign aides moonlighting as singers and poets, and a professional Trump impersonator taking cracks at the commander in chief.

At times, the vibe felt like multiple genres of YouTube were merging on loop: Gabbards sister Vrindavan, also known as V, performed a virtual hula dance, while Gabbard and her husband Abraham Williams reminisced about when they were first dating.

Looking forward to hearing your song later! Gabbard told a volunteer, one of several she publicly acknowledged from a lengthy roster. At one point, a guitarist with long curly blonde hair wearing a pink lei serenaded audience members.

Tul-seeeeee, Tulsi 2020, he sang to attendees, who clapped along enthusiastically. Everyone! Were backing Tulsiiiiii, shes the onlyyyyy choice.

If youre not sure if youre on keyI would say sing louder! Gabbards Deputy Campaign Manager Caitlin Rose Pomerantz instructed the crowd.

Shortly after, lyrics titled, We, The People appeared on the screen, replacing Gabbard. After that, her aide recited a poem with the identical name.

When we get bitter, thats when they win, Rose Pomerantz said. We are the people who are still alive inside.

See the rest here:

Tulsi Gabbard Beamed in to Her Debate Night Alternative Event - The Daily Beast

You may love your CBD gummies from Verma Farms, but most of the CBD products you enjoy sit in a gray legal area. The laws are complicated and confusing, and the history is even more complicated and confusing. With the rising popularity of CBD gummies, and hundreds if not thousands of brands cashing in, the government has taken a very relaxed attitude toward the gray areas, as will likely continue until the full lift on prohibition of cannabis finally happens.

Hemp and its products were made illegal outside of medical use with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. It became prohibitively expensive and difficult to grow, harvest, or use any part of any hemp plant. At this time, all hemp plants were seen to be in the same category of marijuana plants, and there was little known about the difference between the types of hemp.

The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 made all use of marijuana completely illegal, and put it on the list of Schedule I Controlled Substances. Types of hemp were still undifferentiated, and all hemp plants were illegal to cultivate. The term, The War on Drugs, was coined by Richard Nixon in a press conference in 1971, and since then, the Federal Government has taken a hard-line stance on all things related to cannabis.

In 1996, California legalized marijuana for medical use. In 1998, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington followed suit. Over the next decade, states began to recognize the medical benefits of cannabis products. They all set up their own laws regulating the use, in defiance of the Federal Government, which still classified hemp and hemp products as a Schedule I controlled substance (this category is reserved for substances that have no medical value, come with significant health risks, and are highly addictive).

More and more states began decriminalizing marijuana. Prohibition had not been completely lifted in these states, but penalties were not as strict as they were before. States recognized the financial and social benefits of not imprisoning everyone who got caught with a small amount of the green stuff for their own personal use.

By 2012, Colorado and Washington voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults, with actual legal sales beginning in Colorado in 2014. They have seen major financial gains ever since, and Colorado reached $1 billion in tax revenue in just over four years. Crime rates have not been affected, as the bills opposers originally feared, and the benefits have far outweighed the cost.

As of 2019, 11 states have legalized the use of recreational marijuana for adults over 21. Medical use of marijuana is legal in 33 states. A total of 44 states are in direct defiance of federal law, but the Federal Government has decided not to pursue action.

Hemp has been a source of food, textiles, and building materials, for thousands of years. Historical references note its use in Ancient China and Rome as medicine. Early American settlers used hemp to make ropes, oil, and clothing. Even Henry Fords original Model T prototype was fueled by hemp.

The Marijuana Tax Act was likely a matter of corporate competition, and it became illegal in the US to use hemp for anything. What was once an important crop that nearly everyone grew and cultivated, became outlawed. By the 1970s, there was no distinctinction between the stuff people used for food, medicine, and fuel, and the stuff people used to get high.

With global warming becoming more of a reality every day, and solutions to the problems that come with this crisis few and far between, the interest in hemp is growing once again. Hemp is a crop that is easy on the earth. It acts as a biofilter that can clean the soil and the air in its surrounding environment. It is easy to grow, and is one of the most beneficial crops in existence.

Hemp is an excellent source of food, containing essential amino and fatty acids, it can be used to make almost any product that we use petroleum to make now, and it is an efficient source of energy storage. Food shortages, the non-renewable energy crisis, and rising medical costs, can all be mitigated with the hemp plant.

In 2014, the distinction was made between the marijuana plant and industrial hemp. Industrial hemp contains less than 0.3% THC, and cannot get anyone high. A bill passed through the Senate, allowing research to take place on industrial hemp under very restrictive circumstances.

Hemp farming became an important part of Kentuckys economy again, and in 2018, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell slipped an expansion of the legalization of farming industrial hemp into the Farm Bill.

This means that it is now legal to farm and cultivate industrial hemp, and manufacture hemp products. For certain farmers. Under certain circumstances. With special licensing. And under strict supervision. All CBD produced must be under the guidelines of the Farm Bill of 2018, and the USDA is now in charge of overseeing all regulatory processes related to the plant.

It took more than sixty years, and direct defiance from 44 states, to even begin to clarify key differences between marijuana and hemp. These clarifications have led to a few more gray areas. Now that the USDA is in charge of regulating the farming of hemp, the FDA needs to bring its policies into alignment. Which will likely take quite a bit of time.

As of right now, the FDA is in charge of regulating interstate commerce related to any CBD product marketed as a medicine, supplement, food, or cosmetic. It has determined that CBD cannot be added to food, and it recently released a statement indicating that it will pursue legislation against any company purporting CBD to treat, mitigate, or diagnose serious illnesses like diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimers.

Where does this leave CBD gummies? It seems as though they fit directly in the gray area. Which seems to be where most CBD products fit. 92% of cannabis businesses operate in the gray area. Only 4% are fully legal, and 4% are clearly violating the law.

Brands selling CBD gummies are in the gray area, but there are thousands of brands in it together. While the amazing health benefits of CBD gummies are apparent, it will likely be several years before they can be marketed as a supplement, or to treat medical symptoms. In the meantime, the best thing CBD companies can do, is use their blogs to educate people and point them in the direction of the research that backs their claims.

CBD gummy brands take heart! Legislation is moving fast, and changing in favor of the hemp industry every day.

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How CBD Gummies Gray Areas Should Be Handled - The Libertarian Republic

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has added two Republican presidential challengers to Donald Trump on the March 3 primary ballot, the organization said Friday.

The State Board -- composed of three Democrats and two Republicans -- voted unanimously to add Joe Walsh and Bill Weld to the ballot after requests from those campaigns, it said in a news release. North Carolina GOP had submitted just one name for the ballot -- Trump.

Other states have taken steps to prevent candidates from appearing on the ballot to challenge Trump, and South Carolina has canceled its GOP primary altogether.

North Carolina's State Board said it has the authority to place additional candidates on the ballot if at least three Board members find the candidate is "generally advocated and recognized in the news media throughout the United States or in North Carolina as candidates for the nomination by that party."

Walsh is a former congressman from Illinois who has been critical of Trump. Weld is a former Massachusetts governor.

Just unanimously confirmed to NC Republican Presidential ballot as nationally recognized viable candidate by @NCSBE, reversing yet another attempt to fix the primaries by @realDonaldTrump and state party bosses.

Why does Trump fear free and fair elections?

Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) December 20, 2019

The primary presidential ballot will also have 15 Democratic Party, 16 Libertarian Party, two Constitution Party and one Green Party candidate.

Originally posted here:

Trump To Have Two GOP Challengers On NC Primary Ballot - WFAE

Falling levels of trust in our public institutions have become the backing track for the demise of the progressive political project and the rise of populist strongmen who promise to take back control.

Government becomes a problem to be solved, a bubble, a swamp of compromised technocrats and bean-counters operating against the interests of hard-working common folk, the quiet Australians whose will for a simple life is constantly being frustrated.

One of the drivers of this collapse has been the impact of technological change on our body politic, the anger-driven echo chambers of social media, the fake news and disinformation, the increasingly sophisticated targeting designed to reinforce what we already think.

Numerous benchmark surveys, including Essentials own, document this decline, which tracks closely the destruction in traditional media models at the expense of these platforms.

But as two reports released in the past week show, when it comes to thinking through the impacts of technology on the future, government leadership is more important than ever.

The first, the governments response to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions digital platforms review, is to the point.

On one level the report, initiated as part of the deal to water down the media ownership laws that saw the Nine takeover of Fairfax, is an attempt by media giants to restore the natural order.

But somewhere along the way the ACCC inquiry became more than that. Someone inside the agency seriously put their minds around the existential challenges of Facebook and Google, setting out a detailed framework that would have ended the conceit the social networks did not carry responsibility as publishers.

While limited in scope to exploring the market dominance of the platforms as opposed to the broader social consequences of technological change, the inquiry positioned Australia as a world leader in grappling with the market power of big tech.

The governments response this week may fall short of realising the ACCCs ambition of enforceable standards, opting instead for the sort of voluntary codes that any industry lobbyist yearns, but the intent from the prime minister in launching the report is clear: The rules that exist in the real world need to exist in the digital world.

You can quibble with the ambition, and we have, but when a conservative government invests behind the ACCC to build its capacity to monitor the market operations of the platforms and get to the bottom of their algorithmic marketing model, something interesting is going on.

The second report is, if anything, even more ambitious in its vision of governments need to lead us through profound technological change. The Human Rights Commission discussion paper into AI technology calls for the establishment of rules around the way automated decisions and data-matching develop in Australia.

The report calls for all AI to be subject to scrutiny around its design and impact on users before it is unleashed on to the public, ensuring it complies with existing laws covering both direct and indirect discrimination.

Commissioner Ed Santow argues that human accountability cannot be automated and that facial recognition technology in particular needs to be tested and thought through before it is unleashed on the Australian public. And that this should be the role of a new government body, the AI Safety Commissioner.

In doing so, Santow is challenging some basic tenets of the information economy: that its OK to disrupt, move fast and break things; that the benefits of tech advancement outweigh its cost; and that the role of government is to adapt to change rather than step up and shape it.

Research that Essential has conducted around this report shows Australians are looking for government leadership on the issue, with the majority of the public concerned about the automating of decisions.

Santow argues that placing guardrails around how Australia develops AI will ultimately serve the national interest not just protecting citizens but also developing a uniquely Australian AI that is fair by design and can become a compelling global export.

But to get to that point, government needs to lead: not just being more assertive in taking on the recommendations of its expert bodies, but in the way it too uses its citizens information.

In an era of declining trust in government, it is hardly surprising that the My Health Record program has stalled, with millions of Australians not prepared to share their medical records, especially under a model where entrepreneurs would have been encouraged to access this data to innovate.

More profoundly, the failure of robodebt has reinforced every latent instinct that government is not to be trusted with sensitive information. That the first big government data-matching project was used to chase poor people deemed to have been overpaid says it all.

Imagine the difference in trust dividend if the first application had been to find people who had not claimed benefits they were entitled to and send them a cheque to make good; or to chase down unpaid super; or ensure workers were being paid the right amount of money.

The challenges of rapid technological change provide an opportunity for government to win back public trust, by setting rules that ensure technology serves the public interest and by being a best-practice custodian of our personal information.

As a social democrat thats what I want my government to be doing, regardless of its partisan colours. The alternative is a libertarian free-for-all that will only ensure the disruption, division, distraction and displacement of the times accelerates unabated.

Peter Lewis is executive director of Essential Media and the director of the Centre for Responsible Technology, a new initiative of the Australia Institute.

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The government must make sure technology serves public interest. The alternative is a libertarian free-for-all - The Guardian

Rep. Justin AmashJustin AmashThe Hill's Morning Report - Busy week: Impeachment, Dem debate and USMCA First-term Democrats push Amash as impeachment manager: report The 'Green' new deal that Tom Perez needs to make MORE (I-Mich.), who left the Republican partyover thesummer, reiterated his support for articles of impeachment during debate on the House floor shortly before the historic vote took place.

"I rise today in support of these articles of impeachment. I come to this floor not as a Democrat, not as a Republican but as an American who cares deeply about the Constitution, the rule of law and the rights of the people under our system of government," he said in his speech.

"Impeachment is not about policy disagreements or ineffective governance, nor is it about criminality based on statutes that did not exist at the time our Constitution was written. Impeachment is about maintaining the integrity of the office of the presidency and ensuring that executive power is directed toward proper ends in accordance with the law," he added.

Amash went on to say he believed it is lawmakers' "duty" to impeach President TrumpDonald John TrumpWhite House counsel didn't take lead on Trump letter to Pelosi: reports Trump endorses Riggleman in Virginia House race Lisa Page responds to 'vile' Trump attacks: 'Being quiet isn't making this go away' MORE, arguingheviolated the public's trust with his dealings with Ukraine andmisusedhis power for personal gain.

President Donald J. Trump has abused and violated the public trust by using his high office to solicit the aid of a foreign power, not for the benefit of the United States of America but instead for his personal and political gain, he continued.

His actions reflect precisely the type of conduct the Framers of the Constitution intended to remedy through the power of impeachment, and it is our duty to impeach him.

The Libertarian-leaning Michigan congressman has long been a vocal critic of Trump. He announced he was leaving the GOP in a July 4 op-ed in The Washington Post,saying was "disenchanted with party politics" and believed the president demonstrated impeachable behaviorbased on former special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) Swan MuellerSchiff: Trump acquittal in Senate trial would not signal a 'failure' Jeffries blasts Trump for attack on Thunberg at impeachment hearing Live coverage: House Judiciary to vote on impeachment after surprise delay MORE's report. The move sparked strong backlash from members of his former party.

The House is expected to pass two articles of impeachment one charging the president with abuse of power and a second pertaining to obstruction of Congress largely along party lines on Wednesday evening.

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Amash says it's Congress's duty to impeach Trump | TheHill - The Hill

Back in the dark ages when mandatory seat belt use was relatively new in Indiana, I had a colleague who liked to say that she never nagged people about buckling up when they were riding with her. In fact, she never mentioned it to her passengers.

Why? she was inevitably asked.

Natural selection was her answer.

I like to use that story as a good analogy for what I consider proper government. She gives people the information needed to make good choices, sometimes offers incentives for making good choices and can even provide the mechanisms to make good choices easier. But if people insist on making poor choices anyway, well, thats on them.

Of course, our government driver (to continue the analogy) seldom stops when she should. She employs various coercive tactics to get those passengers in line. (Yes, I am being deliberate in the choice of pronoun; were talking about the nanny state, after all.)

Such as, buckle up or this car isnt moving. Or, if you dont buckle up, I will harangue you mercilessly for the whole trip. Or, the penalty for not buckling up, payable at the end of the journey, will be a hefty fee that I will send collectors out to get from your childrens children into the 10th generation.

In my experience, people who advocate for government solutions, and even bigger and more expensive government when those solutions fail to materialize, seldom have to justify themselves. They are merely following the spirit of the age, no explanations required.

But those of us who advocate government restraint or, heaven forbid, limited government, are always put on the defensive. We are either insensitive to human misery to the point of heartlessness or hopelessly ignorant of the need for immediate action to avert imminent disaster.

In all the response I get to these columns (thank you very much), by far the most common form of criticism is from readers who misinterpret, either carelessly or deliberately, the libertarian thrust of my government critiques.

I always mean, in those pieces, the least government necessary, which, believe it or not, was a founding principle of this country. They always insist I really meant, no government at all, then proceed to deliver the Gotcha! they think I deserve.

What about the fire department when your house is burning down, they will ask, or the police department when youre robbed? What about that pothole you want filled in?

Arent those all socialism, you self-serving hypocrite?

Actually, no, theyre not. They are legitimate government functions.

My favorite Gotcha! showing up in my email with tiresome regularity is, So, I guess youve refused your Social Security payments, huh?

No, I have not. Had I the opportunity to opt out and use the money for my own retirement investments, I would have done so. But participation was mandatory. To whom am I trying to prove what if I dont take money out of the system I was forced to put money into?

The tenet of libertarianism people seem to have the most trouble grasping, though itreally should be the easiest, is that government legitimately tries to keep us from hurting each other but risks overstepping its bounds when it tries to keep us from hurtingourselves. Autonomy should be sacred.

So, I find myself having to explain that, no, I do not object to Gov. Eric Holcombs proposal to ban Hoosier motorists from using their cell phones while driving unlesstheyre hands-free.

There are rules for the road that are open to challenge on libertarian grounds. There is no reason to require me to use seat belts when driving or wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle except to keep me from behaving stupidly.

But there are also rules that protect me from others stupid behavior, such as the one against driving while drunk.

Mandating hands-free-only cell phone use falls into the latter category. I am the one you might run into while youre fiddling with that stupid phone.

See? Simple.

Of course, there are a couple of potholes in the road an earnest libertarian should be aware of whenever he gives in and acknowledges that, yes, OK, fine, government should do this.

One is the maxim that by the time government acts, government action is usually beside the point. Most cellphones today have Bluetooth, and most new cars have systems that sync to it, so its likely that the moment you get behind the wheel your phone automatically become hands-free.

The other is that when government is given the legitimate inch, it will go the illegitimate mile. Setting reasonable speed limits is a legitimate function, but it requires local knowledge of local conditions. But few were shocked to see a national 55 mph limit that, for a time, was the most ignored law in America.

If Holcomb gets his way with cellphones, all sorts of distracted driving will be on the endangered list, everything from playing the radio to scarfing down those fries you got from the drive-through. Then dont be surprised if there are hefty fines for talking to your in-car companions and there are calls for hands-free nose-picking.

Government will always always, always, always go too far.

I know you might not believe that. But the evidence is plentiful if you choose to ignore it, thats on you.

I respect your autonomy.

And, you know. Natural selection.

Leo Morris, columnist for The Indiana Policy Review, is winner of the Hoosier Press Associations award for Best Editorial Writer. Morris, as opinion editor of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, was named a finalist in editorial writing by the Pulitzer Prize committee. Contact him at leoedits@yahoo.com.

More:

Holcomb and cell phones: The inch that becomes a mile - Journal Review

Radio: A name that almost we all have heard in our childhood, recently and will listen to it in the future also. Some technologies never get older and Radio is for sure one of them. Being developed in the 20th century, Radio is one of the oldest modes of communication that brings up the feeling of freshness whenever we listen to it. While going through the different landscapes of innovations, this part of technology has changed a lot yet. Woking of radio is quite simple. It just works by transmitting and receiving signals where part of speech and music are being delivered in the coded format.

Ture taste lies in the variety and that this wonderful platform also offers to its listeners. Ranging from serving those old melody songs to todays top numbers from providing information about agricultural tips to introducing you with the latest technologies, there is a huge variety of options that you can easily find out here. Users can easily enjoy 24 hours of streaming here without paying any charges or data packages here. Just get a radio and stay connected with your favourite channel, thats the only rule you have to follow here.

Explore the various types of radios

Right from the launch of radio in the 20s to date, a variety of radio options from various brands are being introduced into the market. Do you know how many kinds of radios are there being available in the market? The options are huge. Ranging from Conventional FM to the latest NXDN there are so many options being present there and if we start on counting the number of brands offering radio services, the list even gets increases more. Searching out one of the best table radios for your home has become quite easier now. You not only ask your buddies or family members for the same but go through various online options and can check out the reviews of your preferred ones as well.

If you are willing to get the best table radio for your home, it would be quite beneficial for you to know about the different types of radio you have in the market. Here are the top listed for you.

Utilization of radios

AM and FM is one of the oldest forms of wireless broadcasting that works on the process of modulation and demodulation throughout. This kind of radio option is quite good to provide fair sound quality but it is vulnerable to electrical noise also.

Shortwave radio works just above the AM radio frequency bands. The frequencies of this kind of radio somewhere lie in between 1.7 to 30 MHz. If you are looking for collecting news, commercial broadcasting, informative channels and sports channels globally, it is surely a great option you can try on.

Satellite radio is based on one of the latest broadcasting techniques where radio signals are being transmitted and received using satellites. The radio option does not include any kind of digital encoding. Users are not allowed to directly get tuned into any channels here. They have to pay what they are willing to get a subscription to. One of the best things about satellite radio is that it offers you amazing sound quality and nationwide coverage to enjoy on.

Ham Radio is a kind of radio option that provides broadcasting into a restricted area and to the set frequencies only. It is a great platform for all those who are willing to improve their operator skills. Moreover, this kind of radio option serves as a great help in case of natural calamities or emergencies.

Walkie-Talkie is one of the most favoured portable and handheld radio options that sends and receives signals in about a distance of a mile. This kind of radio option is usually being used by two persons to communicate with each other. Walkie-Talkie serves as a great help where the phone call services or net services are quite poor.

Original post:

What types of radios are there? - The Libertarian Republic

Mark Stewart is running for president of the United States, but he knows he wont win.

That said, hes officially on the ballot the Vermont Secretary of States office released its official list of presidential primary candidates this week, and Stewarts name is there, along with names like Biden, Bloomberg, Warren, Sanders and Trump.

Im on the ballot to try to make a stink in four states, Stewart said.

Vermont approved his ballot application he submitted a petition with 1,200 names on the list and hell be running in the Democratic primary for sure in New Hampshire and California. Rhode Island is still a hurdle, but hes confident hell make it on that states ballot, too.

Im not doing Connecticut, he said. The ballot access to too hard.

Stewart knows that winning the presidency is unrealistic, but his goal is not actually a victory.

What he wants is for an outsider, for a free-market Libertarian, to voice issues within the primary process, to roll back socialism and try to extinguish the leftist lurch that leaders in the democrat party have.

I dont believe your average Democrat voter really buys into all the big government promises that these televised candidates want, he said.

Stewart is also vying to be the Libertarian Partys choice for vice president, and hopes that running for president will help him be seen as a fighter.

If I have a little cred as a warrior it might help, he said.

But Stewart said his primary goal is to inspire other potential candidates.

I know there will be other candidates for state house seats and maybe even congressional seats that have until now felt stymied, he said. We need more people running for offices. if more candidates are in the mix we get better public servants.

Stewart whose full name is Mark Stewart Greenstein is originally from West Hartford, where he still calls home. He founded and runs an SAT-prep firm, and said he intends to spend no more than $99,900 on his own campaign.

This is not the first time hes run a long-shot campaign for national office. Four years ago, he was on the ballot in Rhode Island, for the sole purpose of beating Hillary Clinton. He received 240 votes, which put him in third place.

The main mission four years ago was not to run for president, but to stop Hillary, he said.

He ran for Senate in New York also for the stated purpose of beating Clinton in 2006. This year, he tried for the 5th Connecticut State Senate District, and garnered 0.5 percent of the electorate, a total of 51 votes.

In 2018 he ran an unsuccessful bid for Connecticut governor, against Ned Lamont. He qualified for the November ballot, but said it did not go well. He received only 0.1 percent of the vote.

In that race, he ran under the Amigo Constitution Party, but Stewart is currently trying to form a new political party he calls EPIC, an acronym for Every Politically Independent Citizen.

The new party will run a convention in August. Stewarts last primary in this election cycle will be when Rhode Islanders go to the polls on April 28, 2020, called the Acela primary. That will give his EPIC party enough time to register any candidates for office who have become disillusioned with the major parties, he said.

As for why hes running as a Democrat, in the Democratic primary, Stewart said its because they need the most help.

They are so wayward in their leadership, he said. They give rise to leftism, which I will define as people who want to take America down.

But the EPIC party will not be choosy when it comes to political affiliation.

This is a beautiful way to offer conservatism as a candidate and not be painted as pro-Trump, he said.

Read this article:

Yes, there's a candidate for president from Connecticut - CT Insider

Democrats have Andrew Yang. Republicans have Zoltan Istvan.

Both men are running for the presidency as political outsiders and pitching radical, future-focused ideas to voters. For Yang, its universal basic income and a slew of other technocratic policy proposals.

Istvan also supports a form of universal basic income, but his primary focus is even wilder he wants the country to prepare for the transhumanist future.

Istvan defines transhumanism as the movement to upgrade human bodies and lives with technology. He predicts a future in which our bodies will be significantly augmented, such as with robotic arms or computer displays in our eyes.

He expects human life spans will drastically increase and robots will take on more humanlike characteristics, including consciousness.

Outside of science fiction entertainment, these are not ideas most Americans think about as public policy issues.

When I was traveling in Iowa and told people about it, they thought I was on some other space ship, Istvan told me during a phone interview last week.

Istvan ran for president in 2016 under the Transhumanist Party, and ran in the California gubernatorial primary with the Libertarian Party last year. Hes not a traditional Republican, but hopes to find allies among GOP primary voters.

As an entrepreneur Ive always been fiscally conservative. Totally socially liberal. Libertarian to the core when it comes to social ideas, Istvan said.

There is a great deal of disagreement about whether and how soon the huge technological developments Istvan discusses might be achieved. It might be 10 or 20 years as he predicts, but also could be more than 100 years away, or never.

Nevertheless, some form of transhumanism and an increasing level of artificial-intelligence-aided automation already are upon us. Istvan warns that the United States will be ill-equipped to manage social and economic changes.

Im worried were going to wake up in four or eight years and China will be the dominant player in the world both culturally and with innovation and with money and the economy, Istvan said.

To prepare, Istvan suggests several steps that will make many Americans uncomfortable.

As a few examples, the transhumanist campaign proposes mandatory college attendance for most people, licensure testing for parents and merging the United States, Canada and the European Union into a joined partnership.

Istvan wants to partially fund the government through leasing federal lands, vast spaces of which sit mostly unused in the western United States with trillions of dollars of natural resources. He has no affinity for nature, which he sees as antagonistic and immoral.

And Istvan would radically expand the use of police surveillance technology, including facial recognition and tracking devices. He generally wants to rollback privacy norms that inhibit technology.

I think these are ideas whose time might never come, but Istvan predicts the rest of us will eventually come around.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT

The transhumanist age will be upon us sometime. People will remember Zoltan has been out there talking about these ideas for a long time, he said.

(319) 339-3156; adam.sullivan@thegazette.com

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GOP candidate pitches robots and immortality to Iowa voters - The Gazette

NPPs will soon get a postcard that looks like this. Youll want to fill that sucker out and send it back.

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From the Humboldt County Elections Office:

In the next few days, HumboldtCounty Office of Elections will be sending postcards to vote-by-mailvoters who registered with No Party Preference (NPP). These votersare being asked to choose which ballot they want to receive for thePresidential Primary Election in March 2020.

NPPvoters can choose one of these four ballots: No Party Preference(with no presidential candidates), American Independent Party,Democratic Party, or Libertarian Party. The postcard must be returnedto the Office of Elections by January 10. The voter will receive theballot of their choice in February.

Ifan NPP voter wants to vote a Republican, Green, or Peace and Freedomparty ballot, they will have to reregister to change their partyaffiliation.

Nowis a good time for all voters to check their registration status tomake sure they are ready for the primary. Go tovoterstatus.sos.ca.govto check your voter registration, including your party. If you needto update your registration, go to registertovote.ca.govto fill out a new registration.

Contactthe Humboldt County Office of Elections athumboldt_elections@co.humboldt.ca.us or at 707-445-7481.

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Registered 'No Party Preference'? You're Gonna Have to Tell the Elections Office Which Ballot You Want in the March Primaries - Lost Coast Outpost