Mediaboss Marketing

Whether theyre discussing refugees attempting to take their money across a dangerous border or supporting unruly truckers occupying a key bridge between the U.S. and Canada, coiners have increasingly come to see their holdingsespecially bitcoin, the ur-cryptoas an essential tool for securing their own freedom. Last year much of the talk around cryptos value was as a hedge against rising inflation. Now its something much more: a last backstop against governments depriving citizens of the one right that matters: the right to transact. For some libertarian-minded coiners, the right to freely trade crypto takes precedence over opposing a Russian invasion of a sovereign nation. In the most fundamentalist corners of crypto, the individual is sovereign, and the state has no authority to limit what a person can do with their assets, digital or otherwise.

While crypto culture is far from monolithic, recent political upheavals have made some coiners more certain that traditional forms of governance cant be relied upon, that they can only count on themselves. Not your keys not your coins, goes one common crypto meme, meaning that coiners must self-custody their own coins, without handing over their private keys (passwords, essentially) to exchanges or other third parties. In the arch-individualist world of crypto, trustless is a bywordin the sense of eliminating even the need for trustwith the hard certainty of code and so-called smart contracts replacing the messiness, and autonomy, of human intermediaries and traditional, regulated financial institutions.

In the eyes of crypto observers like David Golumbia, the author of The Politics of Bitcoin: Software as Right-Wing Extremism, recent events have revealed the illiberal politics and self-interest at the heart of crypto. All forms of libertarianism use the rhetoric of freedom and democracy to cloak the raw pursuit of personal power, wrote Golumbia in an email. Critics of political libertarianism have long pointed out that quite a few of its leading figures ([Friedrich] Hayek, [Ludwig von] Mises, Milton Friedman) ended up supporting right-wing dictators, most notably Pinochet. Others note that the elevation of what libertarians call economic freedom at the expense of all other values and rights very quickly leads to dictatorial politics.

Under this ideological framework, a war that tears apart the democratic fabric of society is a validation of coiners beliefs. It reinforces the commonly voiced idea that contemporary political systems cannot possibly guarantee the financial liberty thats supposedly the precondition for all other rights. Whats most troubling, then, is not just the primacy that some coiners place on the freedom to transact above other, more pro-social rights. Its that they have given up on politics entirely and will switch sides in a war based on how it affects their wallets. When nation-states are invaded and economies teeter toward collapse, they find a moment of opportunity, a time to invoke another core crypto mantra: This is bullish.

Read more from the original source:
Bitcoin Goes to War - The New Republic

Heres the final list of candidates for races on ballots in Lincoln County for the May 10 primary election. An (I) denotes an incumbent.

If a recognized Nebraska political party doesnt appear within this list in partisan races, it means no candidate filed for that partys primary by the deadline.

All local races are shown here, but only school board and North Platte City Council races with more than two candidates per open seat will appear on the primary ballot. Candidates otherwise will advance to the Nov. 8 general election.

U.S. House, 3rd District Republican: Adrian Smith, Gering (I). Democratic: David J. Else, rural Overton; Daniel M. Wik, Norfolk. Legal Marijuana NOW: Mark Elworth Jr., Omaha.

Governor Republican: Donna Nicole Carpenter, Lincoln; Michael Connely, York; Charles W. Herbster, rural Falls City; Brett Lindstrom, Omaha; Lela McNinch, Lincoln; Jim Pillen, Columbus; Breland Ridenour, Omaha; Theresa Thibodeau, Omaha; Troy Wentz, rural Sterling. Democratic: Carol Blood, Bellevue; Roy Harris, Linwood. Libertarian: Scott Zimmerman, Omaha.

People are also reading

Secretary of State Republican: Bob Evnen (I), Lincoln; Rex Schroder, Palmyra; Robert Borer, Lincoln.

State Treasurer Republican: John Murante (I), Omaha; Paul Anderson, Omaha. Libertarian: Katrina Tomsen, Upland.

Attorney General Republican: Jennifer Hicks, Peru; Mike Hilgers, Lincoln. Legal Marijuana NOW: Larry Bolinger, Alliance.

Auditor of Public Accounts Republican: Larry Anderson, Lincoln; Mike Foley, Lincoln. Libertarian: Gene Sladek, Omaha. Legal Marijuana NOW: L. Leroy Lopez, rural Cortland.

Legislature District 42: Mike Jacobson (I), North Platte; Chris Bruns, rural North Platte; Brenda Fourtner, North Platte.

State Board of Education District 7: Robin Stevens (I), Gothenburg; Pat Moore, Litchfield; Elizabeth Tegtmeier, North Platte.

University of Nebraska Board of Regents District 7: Nolan Gurnsey, rural Sutherland; Matt Williams, Gothenburg; Kathy Wilmot, rural Beaver City.

Public Service Commission District 5: Mary Ridder (I), rural Callaway; Dakota Delka, Red Cloud; Kevin Stocker, rural Scottsbluff.

Mid-Plains Community College Board of Governors District 4: Ben Lashley (I), rural North Platte. District 5: Tricia Schaffer, rural North Platte.

Middle Republican Natural Resources District board Subdistrict 5: Daniel Nelsen (I, Subdistrict 1), rural Stockville; Dan Estermann (I, Subdistrict 2), rural Wellfleet.

Twin Platte Natural Resources District board Subdistrict 1: Jon Walz, rural Stapleton. Subdistrict 2: Joe Wahlgren, rural Brady (I). Subdistrict 3: Jake Tiedeman, North Platte (I). Subdistrict 4: David Colvin, rural North Platte (I). At-large: Eric Brown, rural Hershey (I).

Nebraska Public Power District board Subdistrict 4: Larry Linstrom, North Platte; Bill Hoyt (I), rural McCook; David Gale, North Platte.

County Commissioner, District 2 Republican: Kent Weems (I), rural Stapleton; Todd Roe, Brady; David P. Huebner, rural North Platte. District 3 Republican: Micaela Wuehler (I), rural North Platte.

County Clerk Republican: Becky Rossell (I), North Platte.

Register of Deeds Republican: Lois Block (I), North Platte.

Clerk of the District Court Republican: Deb McCarthy (I), North Platte.

County Treasurer Republican: Alex Gurciullo (I), North Platte.

County Sheriff Republican: Jerome Kramer (I), rural Stapleton.

County Attorney Republican: Rebecca Harling (I), rural North Platte.

Public Defender Democratic: Bob Lindemeier (I).

County Surveyor Republican: Boni Edwards (I), rural North Platte.

County Assessor Republican: Julie Stenger (I), rural North Platte.

City Council Ward 1: Jim Nisley (I), 802 Russian Olive Road. Ward 2: Ty Lucas (I), 3510 Tyler Court; Kelle Dikeman, 2502 Cedarberry Lane. Ward 3: Jim Carman (I), 1401 West A St.; Brian Flanders, 3301 Maplewood Drive. Ward 4: Ed Rieker (I), 916 N. Emory Ave.; Tracy Martinez, 1003 W. Ninth St.

North Platte Airport Authority: Randy Billingsley, 520 E. Ninth St.; Corban Heinis, 716 E. 10th St.; Daren Wilkinson, 1920 W. Leota St.

North Platte Ward 1: Marcy Hunter, 237 S. Maloney Drive; Anna Junker, 202 Prairie Road; Cynthia OConnor, 1131 Tomahawk Road. Ward 2: Jo Ann Lundgreen (I), 2108 Burlington Blvd.; Thomas Hagert II, 1115 W. Fifth St. Ward 3: Mark Nicholson (I), 2204 W. First St.; Suzanne Donnally, 2820 Wright Ave.; Emily Garrick, 1118 W. Fifth St.; Mitch Wagner, 3404 West A St.

Brady: Ryan Stearns (I), DeAnn Vaughn (I), Sara Gentry, Necole Miller, Kathy Welte.

Maxwell: Monica Breinig (I), Todd McKeeman (I), Shaun Pagel (I), Justin Falcon, Levi Gosnell.

Hershey: Jason Bode (I), Jodi Seamann (I), Amy Wolfskill (I).

Sutherland: Janet Mueller (I), Eric Peterka (I), Tom Kelly.

Wallace: Joshua Friesen (I), Seth Hasenauer (I), Heather Strawder.

Gothenburg: Ryan T. OHare, Cozad; Blake Ristine, Gothenburg.

Sutherland: Janie Rasby, Harry Stewart.

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Read more:
Wondering who will be on the ballot? Here's the final list of candidates for the May 10 primary - North Platte Telegraph

Nicole Fuentes

After filing a Freedom of Information request with the Suffolk County Board of Elections, enrollment numbers based on party lines in our area was found:

Numbers were rounded to the whole for clarity.

BROOKHAVEN TOWN

With over 334,000 registered voters, Brookhaven Town has a total of 106,767 Democratic voters and 106,838 Republican voters. It also has just over 7,000 conservatives, 1,400-plus working party, 41 green party, 14,000 independent and 20 and 2 libertarian and SAM voters.

ISLIP TOWN

With over 212,000 voters, Islip Town has just nearly 77,000 Democratic voters and 63,500 Republican voters. It also has 4,000 conservative, 770 working party, 300 green, 7,770 independent, 350 libertarian and 14 SAM.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1

Congressional District 1, which will see an open seat this year due to Rep. Lee Zeldins announcement in running for Governor, has a total of 164,500 Democratic voters to their 166,000 Republican voters, 11,350 conservative, and 21,900 independent voters.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 2

Congressional District 2 has 130,450 Democratic voters, 96,950 Republican voters, 12,000 independent voters and 6,200 conservative voters.

SENATE DISTRICT 3

Senate District 3 has 69,900 Democratic voters, 57,250 Republican voters, 7,450 independent voters and 4,000 conservative voters.

SENATE DISTRICT 4

Senate District 4 has 75,000 Democratic voters, 64,250 Republican voters, 7,700 independent voters and 4,000 conservative voters.

ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 3

Assembly District 3 has 27,700 Democratic voters, 25,500 Republican voters, 3,450 independent voters and 1,850 conservative voters.

ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 7

Assembly District 7 has 27,300 Democratic voters, 34,000 Republican voters, 4,050 independent voters and 2,400 conservative voters.

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 3

Legislative District 3 has 17,000 Democratic voters, 15,100 Republican voters, 2,100 independent voters and 1,100 conservative voters.

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 7

Legislative District 7 has 17,700 Democratic voters, 15,100 Republican voters, 2,250 independent voters and 1,150 conservative voters.

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 8

Legislative District 8 has 17,000 Democratic voters, 22,750 Republican voters, 2,600 independent voters and 1,450 conservative voters.

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 10

Legislative District 10 has 17,300 Democratic voters, 19,990 Republican voters, 4,050 independent voters and 2,180 conservative voters.

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 11

Legislative District 11 has 18,000 Democratic voters, 19,700 Republican voters, 2,300 independent voters and 1,150 conservative voters.

2021 November election assessment:

Suffolk County Republicans came out in full force, taking control of the Suffolk County Legislature, unseating the Democratic majority leader Rob Calarco and taking control of the 18-seat body.

Republican candidate Dominick Thorne unseated Suffolk County presiding officer Rob Calarco with 54 percent with 6,611 votes, to Calarcos 45 percent of the vote, 5,627 votes, for District 7. This would have been Calarcos final term as legislator after serving a total of 10 years in the seat.

Also, special election incumbent Republican James Mazzarella took the win for Suffolk Countys 3rd district against former Legis. Kate Browning with 66 percent of the vote and 7,525 votes to her 32 percent of the vote, and 3,708 votes.

Trish Bergin, a former councilwoman for Town of Islip, won in a wide margin against Carla Simpson in former legislator Tom Cilmis term-limited seat in the 10th Legislative District. Bergin had gained 7,260 votes, or 67.07 percent, compared to Fidelias 3,559, or 32.88 percent.

According to Suffolk County Board of Elections data, residents who just recently enrolled to vote include a total of 810 new Democratic voters and 166 new Republican voters in Brookhaven Town, and 121 new Democratic voters and 48 new Republican voters in Islip Town. Legislative District 7, which saw an upset, had a total of 31 new Democratic voters and 10 new Republican voters. The 3rd Legislative District saw an almost equal number of new voters at 24 and 17, respectively, and the 10th Legislative District had 25 and 19 new voters as well.

VOTER TURNOUT

Taking an overall look at some of the 2021 voting numbers, voter turnout was extremely low.

There were barely 11,000 voters in the 10th Legislative District compared to the over 56,500 registered votes. Legislative District 7 had over 12,000 voters with over 51,500 registered voters, and the 3rd Legislative District had over 11,000 votes with over 51,100 registered voters.

The rest is here:
Insight into last year's voting enrollment - The Suffolk County News

Candidates for Mississippis four congressional seats are now set as the qualifying deadline was 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 1.

Once eligibility is confirmed by the Mississippi Secretary of States office, candidates will be placed on either the November 8 general election ballot or a party-held primary race, which will be on June 7.

Below, you can find a rundown of candidates for each district.

Trent Kelly (Republican)

Incumbent Trent Kelly is seeking a fifth term after winning a special election runoff in 2015. Kelly has spent 36 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard, currently serving as Major General. In Congress, the Union native serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Agriculture Committee, and the House Budget Committee.

Mark D. Strauss (Republican)

Mark Strauss moved to Olive Branch after losing in Iowas 2nd Congressional District race in 2018. He ran as a Libertarian then but has now switched over to the Republican party. Strauss is a Donald Trump supporter, who firmly believes the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen. He says he is running for Rep. Trent Kellys seat as he does not believe Kelly has stood up for Trump.

Hunter Avery (Democrat)

Hunter Avery of Belmont is running to truly Make America Great Again by cutting poverty and expanding the middle class, as well as focusing more on climate change.

Dianne Black (Democrat)

Dianne Black has run her own hair salon in Olive Branch for 40 years. She is now the first Black woman to run for Mississippis 1st congressional district and is seeking an endorsement from the Biden-Harris Administration. Black lost to Kevin Blackwell in the general election for Mississippi State Senate District 19 in 2019.

Bennie Thompson (Democrat)

Incumbent Bennie Thompson is the states longest-serving member of Congress at 29 years. Since being elected in 1993, Thompsons congressional achievements include authoring legislation to create the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities, being selected as the first Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, as well as serving as a member on the on the Agriculture, Budget, and Small Business Committees. The former Bolton mayor will be seeking his 14th term this year.

Jerry Kerner (Democrat)

Jerry Kerner is slated to be Thompsons primary challenger on the Democratic side. The small business owner from California who now lives in Clinton is running on the promise to keep [America] governed by the Constitution, instead of being attacked by the hoity-toity wannabe tyrants that think they are in charge now.

Michael Carson (Republican)

Michael Carson does not have a congressional website as of now. However, a post on his personal Facebook says he is against government mandates and believes all borders should be secure.

Brian Flowers (Republican)

Brian Flowers, a veteran of the Navy, describes himself as a fiscal and social conservative. The North Carolina native who now lives in Clinton is running on the notions that the Constitution should be upheld, congressional members should maintain fiscal responsibility, and overall government should be limited with a strong military. He also promises to never sway in the fight to protect and defend the unborn.

Ronald Eller (Republican)

Like Flowers, Ronald Eller is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. Following his time in the Army, Eller and his wife moved to Mississippi, where he began working in the medical field. Eller currently works as a cardiothoracic physician assistant at St. Dominics Hospital in Jackson. He is also the founder of a manufacturing company called Buck Warrior Enterprises. Eller is running on what he calls the E-3 Plan.

Stanford Johnson (Republican)

Stanford Johnson does not have a congressional website or Facebook set up currently.

Michael Guest (Republican)

Incumbent Michael Guest will be seeking reelection to the position he has held since 2018. Since being elected, Guests congressional achievements include authoring the Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2019, as well as serving as Vice Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee. Additionally, Guest serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Ethics.

Michael Cassidy (Republican)

Michael Cassidy, a veteran of the Navy, describes himself as a pro-Trump and pro-American worker who wants to create a nation in which citizens can raise a family on a single income. Cassidy is also against any COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.

Thomas Griffin (Republican)

Thomas Griffin of Pearl does not have a congressional website as of now. However, a post on his personal Facebook says that he is running on common sense values such as implementing Christian teachings in all public schools, banning courses that teach critical race theory, and securing all borders.

Rahim Talley (Democrat)

Rahim Talley is a small business owner in Ridgeland who has 20 years of service in the United States Army and National Guard. Talley wants every Mississippian to have access to affordable healthcare. He also wants to restore the pre-COVID status of small businesses.

Shuwaski A. Young (Democrat)

After serving in President Barack Obamas campaign, Shuwaski Young was appointed to the position of external engagement coordinator by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. In this position, Young managed the If You See Something, Say Something campaign. Some of Youngs goals if he were to be elected include investing more in underserved communities, providing funds for social advancement programs that focus on racial equality, and creating a diversity pipeline for increased investment in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and agricultural growth.

Steven Palazzo (Republican)

Steven Palazzo is the current representative of Mississippis 4th congressional district and has been for more than 11 years. Palazzo has been under fire during his most recent term as it was revealed that he had used $61,000 of campaign funds in December 2020 to pay for legal expenses to the Watkins & Eager firm. The legal fees came from an ethics investigation into whether Palazzo used campaign money to pay for personal expenses. During his time in Congress, Palazzo has served on the House Appropriations Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Homeland Security Committee.

Brice Wiggins (Republican)

The Mississippi Senator for District 52, Brice Wiggins, has held his position since 2012 and is now running for Congress. Wiggins has also recently been under fire for using campaign funds improperly in December 2021 when it was revealed that the senator used his state office campaign account to pay for congressional ads. This is prohibited by Federal Election Commission regulators, and the $1,180 Wiggins used was reported to be reimbursed back to the state in December. Wiggins is running on a long list of conservative principles, all of which can be viewed here.

Raymond N. Brooks (Republican)

Raymond Brooks is a veteran of the Gulfport Police Department and announced his running in 2021 during Palazzos ethics investigation. In addition to his tenure with Gulfport PD, Raymond has previously served as a School Resource Officer, Warrants Officer, Marine Patrol Officer, S.W.A.T. Sniper, and Patrol Rifle Instructor. Notions that Brooks is running on include finishing the Mexico-United States barrier, putting a halt to taxes going towards abortion, as well as the implementation of term limits.

Mike Ezell (Republican)

Mike Ezell, who has served as the Jackson County Sheriff for the last 14 years, has over 40 years of law enforcement experience. Ezell is running to ensure that our families live in a country that still believes in public safety, law and order, individual rights and liberties, ethics and integrity, and a free market economy that rewards hard work.

Clay Wagner (Republican)

With his platform containing numerous conservative principles, Clay Wagner is running for Congress without prior political background. Wagner has expressed that he does not support critical race theory in Mississippi schools, but that STEM should be emphasized instead. He also supports increased border patrol and the implementation of a simpler legal immigration process.

Kidron Peterson (Republican)

Kidron Peterson does not have a political website or Facebook set up currently.

Carl Boyanton (Republican)

Carl Boyanton, the owner of Farmer Fresh Produce, LLC, ran for the representative position of Mississippis 4th congressional district in 2020. In recent years, Boyanton sparked the allegations of Palazzos improper spending of both Congressional funds and campaign funds and asked for the congressmans resignation in 2021. Boyantons campaign pushes changes to the term limits of Congress and the Senate, better sex education to eliminate the need for abortion, elimination of federal departments, and changing the cost of college loans.

Johnny L. Dupree (Democrat)

A previous candidate for governor and secretary of state, Johnny L. DuPree, the former mayor of Hattiesburg, is running for the position of Mississippis 4th congressional district representative. DuPree was the mayor of Hattiesburg from 2001 to 2017 and is running to ensure that every Mississippian has a fair shot at the American Dream, to rebuild our economy, make government more accessible as well as more accountable to the people of our state.

David Sellers (Democrat)

A Hattiesburg associate pastor atParkway Heights and the spiritual director of Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services, David Sellers is running on a platform that supports increasing the minimum wage, equal pay, paid leave, and supporting police. Sellers also supports increasing awareness on mental health and the impact it has on drug addiction in the state.

Alden Patrick Johnson (Libertarian)

Alden Patrick Johnson is a lieutenant firefighter and a nationally registered EMT from Petal, who is running for the legalization of marijuana in Mississippi, decreasing taxes, and the removal of regulations on firearms. Johnson is also running on the belief that we have people incarcerated whose only crime was possessing cannabis. We are taxed at every turn. Our government prints billions of dollars, while simultaneously saying there is a coin shortage. Elected representatives vote yes on bills they dont even bother reading.

Updated congressional map finalized by Mississippi lawmakers

More:
Here are the candidates running for Mississippi's congressional seats - SuperTalk Mississippi

By Thomas L. Knapp

As part of the western response to Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, several regimes acted on February 26 to exclude certain Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network. As of March 1, Reuters reports, SWIFT says its awaiting a list of the sanctioned banks so that it can cut them off. SWIFT is a messaging service that connects banks worldwide. Its not a bank itself. Its not even, strictly speaking, a payment network. It carries instructions for transfers, but the transfers take place via other networks. Its just one moving part in the worlds complex finance and trade system.

As with most such measures, giving Russian banks the boot from SWIFT is certain to hurt the sanctioners along with the sanctioned. In this case, the potential victims with the most to lose are the issuers and holders of US dollars.

Dollars arent the only currency that gets moved using SWIFT, but the dollar is the de facto global reserve currency and thus the most affected by such moves. Nearly everyone accepts the dollar. Nearly everyone wants to have a fat stack of dollars on hand. In particular, global trade in oil has been powered by the petrodollar for nearly 50 years. If you want to buy a barrel of Brent crude from most sellers, you need to be able to plunk down (as I write this) 105.46 US dollars. Not 395.72 Saudi riyals. Not 7,983.35 Indian rupees. Not 665.78 Chinese yuan. $105.46 or no sale.

What happens when one of the worlds largest oil producers is 1) cut off from SWIFT; 2) doesnt want US dollars as much as it used to because other sanctions make those dollars difficult to spend; and 3) has trading partners who are watching these sanctions and fear they could be the next victims? Well, this:

A rupee-rouble trade arrangement may get a push now that Russia is out of SWIFT, reports The Times of India. China will presumably likewise increase its yuan-ruble trade with Russia. The Times of India article reveals that this isnt a sudden development: India had entered into a rupee-rouble trade arrangement with Russia earlier to shield the two nations from unilateral sanctions from the United States.

What makes the dollar valuable? The same thing that makes anything valuable: People wanting it. Between China and India, more than a quarter of the worlds population are in the process of wanting the dollar less than they used to. That, in turn, makes every dollar in your pocket worth less than it once was.

In the short term, the SWIFT kick and other sanctions may hurt Russia more than they hurt you. But the uncontested reign of the US dollar among global currencies seems to be nearing its end, in part because the US government is driving the world away from it with the constant threat of sanctions.

The smart move for Americans? Hold as few dollars as you can get by on. Trade your dollars for gold, silver, and cryptocurrency while theyre still worth something, to someone, somewhere.

Thomas L. Knapp (Twitter: @thomaslknapp) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.

Go here to see the original:
The West's SWIFT kick is aimed at Russia, but it will also hit the US dollar The Kansan - Newton Kansan