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October 26, 2021

I was a registered Democrat for 35 years, most of my voting life. Like many Democrats, I was drawn to a party that promised to help my community in areas of critical need, including education, health care, food insecurity, and voting access. I found a community of Democrats that felt the same. Yet after years of involvement, I saw little progress in these important areas. Instead, our party's focus was increasingly aimed at maintaining bureaucratic power, and I found myself at odds with this direction.

The party started to shift control to the professional politicians and away from the people. National focus took precedence, and these top-down priorities were often in conflict with the concerns of our local community. My apprehension grew when I realized that my own expertise in areas like education and community policing carried little weight once the party decided that bureaucrats knew more than constituents.

At first, it was just party leadership. But then I witnessed the rise of adversarial politics at the individual level. I watched members of my party shun those who disagreed with party politics, labeling them simply as bad people with bad opinions. In our local community, residents with "Hate Has No Home Here" signs in their yards took to social media in a manner that directly contradicted that motto.

It boiled down to something very simple. Principles.

The principles that first drew me to the Democratic Party became less represented in the party's objectives. Rather than serving as the party's compass, these principles became flexible and subject to bureaucratic power.

In the local Libertarian Party, I discovered something I had been looking for during all my years as a Democrat: A group of principled individuals who lead the party from the bottom up, with an unwavering focus on non-aggression towards others and respect for the individual and their rights. I found meetings that were open to all, where visitors from other parties are welcomed and discussion is encouraged. I found support for transparency and voter choice in politics. I found an attitude of volunteerism and of working for positive change in the community, without waiting for someone else to do it. I found a place where my own principles fit, those very principles that first drew me to the Democratic party.

So I joined this growing body of people who keep their sights on positive change and who respect the views of others. I am still the same person I was when I joined the Democratic Party. My guiding principles remain my compass: Standing up for people who need help, improving community relations, listening to others, and respecting others' rights and property. But now I've found my place in a party that has remained loyal to these same principles, the principles that make our community and our country the wonderful places that they are.

The Delaware Valley Journal provides unbiased, local reporting for the Philadelphia suburbs of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. For more stories from the Delaware Valley Journal, visit DelawareValleyJournal.com

Link:
ROSICA: I Found My Democratic Ideals In The Libertarian Party - Patch.com

Peter Thiel, co-founder and chairman of Palantir Technologies Inc., speaks during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019.

Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images

LONDON Tech billionaire Peter Thiel believes that people should be more worried about "surveillance AI" rather than artificial general intelligences, which are hypothetical AI systems with superhuman abilities.

The venture capitalist, who co-founded big data firm Palantir, said at an event in Miami on Wednesday that on the path to AGI, you get surveillance AI, which he described as a "communist totalitarian technology."

Those that are worried about AGI aren't actually "paying attention to the thing that really matters," Thiel said, adding that governments will use AI-powered facial recognition technology to control people.

His comments come three years after Bloomberg reported that "Palantir knows everything about you." Thiel has also invested in facial recognition company Clearview AI and surveillance start-up Anduril.

Palantir, which has a market value of $48 billion, has developed data trawling technology that intelligence agencies and governments use for surveillance and to spot suspicious patterns in public and private databases. Customers reportedly include the CIA, FBI, and the U.S. Army.

AGI, depicted in a negative light in sci-fi movies such as "The Terminator" and "Ex Machina," is being pursued by companies like DeepMind, which Thiel invested in before it was acquired by Google. Depending on who you ask, the timescale for reaching AGI ranges from a few years, to a few decades, to a few hundred years, to never.

Hype around AGI has diminished recently as people realized there's still a long way to go despite some promising breakthroughs. The most advanced AI systems remain relatively "narrow" and unable to perform "general" tasks. An AI that can play the board game "Go" can't also paint a picture, for example.

Thiel, a well-known libertarian who also co-founded PayPal and holds a board seat at Facebook, said Silicon Valley isn't talking about AGI as much today as it was six or seven years ago.

"Elon's not talking about it anymore and Larry (Page) is off to Fiji and doesn't seem to be working on it quite as hard," he said, before going on to question why the AGI discussion hasn't completely collapsed.

Murray Shanahan, a senior research scientist at DeepMind, said on Twitter that Thiel had an "interesting take" on AGI. He did not immediately respond when CNBC asked him to elaborate.

In the same talk, Thiel pitted AI against cryptocurrencies, saying that he'd prefer to see the latter one succeed.

"If we say crypto is libertarian and that it is fundamentally a force for decentralization, then I think we should also be willing to say that AI, especially in the low-tech surveillance form, is essentially communist."

"If you want to frame it as a technological race I want the crypto decentralized world to work," he said.

Thiel added that he feels "underinvested" in bitcoin just hours after the world's most popular cryptocurrency climbed to a new all-time high of just over $66,000 per coin.

Continue reading here:
Palantir's Peter Thiel thinks people should be concerned about surveillance AI - CNBC

Voters in most Connecticut communities face a traditional choice between Democrats and Republicans on Election Day, but in West Hartford the town council race features four political parties and a petitioning candidate.

The outcome could be as few as two parties sharing power, and but theoretically could end up with an unprecedented five-way split: Democrats, Republicans, A Connecticut Party members, a Libertarian and an unaffiliated councilor.

Fifteen people are vying for the nine town council seats, and the Election Day outcome could leave the winners trying to put together a coalition government for the next two years.

Democrats have held control of the council for the past 21 years, and are the only party that could come out in this years election with a majority: Theyre running six candidates. If five or more win, the party keeps power.

Republicans are fielding just three candidates, and the A Connecticut Party ticket has only four.

Because theyre not running full slates, neither the GOP nor the ACP could win a council majority. That means even if one of them wins on Nov. 2, theyll still have to work with another party and possibly two to pass anything on the council.

The possibilities become even more complex because of two contenders who are running alone: petitioning candidate Aaron Sarwar and Libertarian David Dehaas.

If Sarwar or Dehaas wins, for example, while Democrats, Republicans and the ACP each get only two to three seats each, the major-party winners might need cooperation from Sarwar or Dehaas to pass controversial measures after they take office.

And on matters where the charter requires a super-majority - six votes - for approval, the negotiations could get even more complex.

In all, this years ballot will have the second most council candidates in more than half a century. In 1979, Republicans and Democrats each fielded six while, and six more people ran on the Independent line, said Town Clerk Essie Labrot.

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This is the first time from 1969 to present that we have had two major parties, two minor parties and one petitioning candidate on the same ballot for town council, Lebrot reported.

Only one petitioning candidate won in that time: Barbara Carpenter, whod previously been elected to the council as a Republican.

Among the new councils first tasks will be choosing a new mayor; traditionally the dominant party makes that decision, but this time around it could be very different.

Most of the complexity this year results from a huge fracture within the local Republican Party in the spring. At the time, Democrats held a 6-3 majority, the largest any party is allowed.

Minority Leader Lee Gold, the top voter-getter from the Republicans ballot in 2019, announced he was leaving the GOP along with party Chairman Mark Merritt and residents Rick Bush and Roni Rodman.

They said the national Republican Party had swung too far right, and declared theyd resurrect the dormant A Connecticut Party - founded by Lowell Weicker 31 years earlier. All four renounced their GOP registration, and are running on the ACP line.

Local Republicans leaders claimed Gold had sided too often with tax increases and spending measures, and the party produced a more conservative slate for this fall. Incumbent Mary Fay along with Mark Zydanowicz, a school board member, and Al Cortes, who previously ran in 2019, are running on the GOP line.

Democrats are running Mayor Shari Cantor and incumbents Liam Sweeney, Ben Wenograd, Leon Davidoff and Carol Blanks along with Adrienne Billings-Smith.

Labrot is encouraging residents who vote by absentee ballot to carefully check that theyve voted for no more than six candidates in the council race. Ballots with too many selections are disqualified.

Read more:
Crowded race for West Hartford council: 14 candidates from four parties plus an unaffiliated challenger - Yahoo News

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Mississippi Sen. Brice Wiggins has become the sixth Republican to announce his intention to challenge U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo for the 4th Congressional District seat in 2022.

Wiggins, a Pascagoula Republican, has spent 10 years in the Mississippi Senate, where he has been a leading member of the coast legislative delegation in Jackson. He was an assistant district attorney for Jackson County prior to his election to the Senate in 2011.

While never mentioning Palazzo by name, Wiggins made it clear -- both in a campaign video released Monday and in an interview with The Mississippi Press -- its Palazzos perceived failure as a legislator and leader that has prompted Wiggins entry into the race.

I think the fact this many people (are in the race) is a statement on the representation we currently have, Wiggins told The Mississippi Press. Since being elected to the Senate, I havent had anyone run against me and I appreciate the faith the people have shown in me.

In addition to the now six Republicans who will challenge Palazzo in the Republican primary, three other candidates -- a Democrat, a Libertarian, and an Independent -- have also announced their candidacies, bringing the total field to 10.

Our current voice in D.C. has failed, Wiggins said in the campaign video. Ive got the experience and determination to get things done.

One of the other Republicans running is Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell. Wiggins and Ezell worked together in the district attorneys office when Wiggins was an assistant DA; Ezell an investigator.

Sheriff Ezell and I have known each other a long time, Wiggins said. Hes a good man and a good sheriff. But this (campaign) is a job interview. Ill put it this way, I have my own law firm and I have to hire people. You hire people based on their skill set. This is not a judiciary job, its a legislative job.

Wiggins was asked what makes him different from so many other politicians who are seemingly more concerned with their own reelection than being an advocate for their constituents.

He responded that his record in the state Senate should answer that. He was one of the architects of the DMR Accountability & Transparency Act in the wake of the Department of Marine Resources malfeasance scandal, as well as the Early Learning Collaborative Act. At the time, Mississippi was one of only 10 states without an early education program. Now it ranks in the top five nationwide.

I also fought to get $10 million for the Port of Pascagoula, Wiggins noted. I fought to keep the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund money here on the coast. I was also one of the lead authors of the bill that brought bond money to Ingalls Shipbuilding, which currently employs 12,000 people.

Im the first one to say its a team effort, but I can also say Ive spearheaded many of those things.

He also points to the lead role he played in passage of both the early education bill and the bill which resulted in the changing of the Mississippi state flag as evidence of his willingness to stand on principle rather than partisan politics.

There were members of my own party who fought me on the early education bill, he said. But it was the right thing to do. And the flag bill -- if my first concern was my own reelection, I wouldnt have been a leader on that.

But I was willing to step forward and lead and thats what Im willing to do in D.C.

Palazzo was first elected to Congress in 2010, defeating Democrat Gene Taylor. In March of this year, the Office of Congressional Ethics issued a report saying it found substantial reason to believe Palazzo abused his office by misspending campaign funds, doing favors for his brother and enlisting staff for political and personal errands. Palazzo declined to fully participate in the investigation.

Wiggins, meanwhile, has outlined his position on various issues facing the federal government on his website, http://www.bricewiggins.ms. Among them: a push for Congress to spend less, tax less; protecting fundamental rights; correcting foreign policy mistakes; forcing Congress to address immigration policy; and ensuring national security through a strong, yet efficient, military.

Together, we can fight corruption, help families and small businesses, fight for those less fortunate, including the unborn, take on the D.C. establishment and demand that our public officials serve us honorably, Wiggins said in his official campaign announcement. Conservative principles with better results.

In addition to Wiggins and Ezell, other Republicans challenging for the seat are Carl Boyanton, Raymond Brooks, Louis Charles Hook and Clay Wagner, along with Democrat David Seller, Libertarian Alden Johnson and independent Jesse Graham Hudson.

Mississippis 4th Congressional District encompasses all of 13 counties in south Mississippi and part of another. Party primaries are set for June 7, 2022, with runoffs, if necessary, on June 28.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read the original:
After 10 years in state senate, Brice Wiggins ready to take on Palazzo, others for congressional seat - gulflive.com

Intellectual controversies can take on a life of their own, as ideological gambits cross into unanticipated issues and sometimes backfire on their progenitors. The 1990s science wars are an arcane example. Postmodern humanities scholars, mainly on the left, cast doubt on sciences capacity for objectivity, a critique that in time, as Michiko Kakutani has persuasively contended, fed into Trumpisms disdain for facts and expertise. Ive wondered whether such unexpected deconstruction effects might repeat with the current left-wing push to decolonize various institutions and locales. I can imagine near-future rightists claiming theyre decolonizing small towns or suburbs in opposition to liberal cities.

The right-wing assault on critical race theory, with a wide range of material lumped under that label, has had considerable political salience. Driving to a rec soccer game in New Jersey recently, I noticed someone had taken the trouble to print their own sign, Stop Critical Race Theory, and post it on their front lawn. But the push in state legislatures to ban ideas associated with CRT could have all sorts of effects. It establishes a degree of educational micromanagement from state capitals that conservatives may regret if they cease holding majorities in those bodies. It also makes a mockery of the push to include anti-evolution arguments in biology curricula on grounds of academic freedom.

In another manifestation of the unexpected, libertarian exaltations of property rights likely have helped pave the way for a new environmentalist aspiration to give property rights to animals. Such efforts are part of a broader push to establish rights of nature, exemplified recently in efforts to protect waterways and wildlife in Florida and wild rice, or manoomin, in Minnesota; the latter plant, as Ive written, has been named as lead plaintiff in an Ojibwe tribal court lawsuit against a pipeline project called Line 3.

Another area where strong belief in property rights might end up parlaying into novel positions is the efforts to establish the concept of universal property. That refers to natural or social resources that dont readily fit traditional categories of private or public property and accordingly may fairly be converted into individual payments to the public. Alaskas Permanent Fund to distribute the states oil wealth is one example, and another would be divvying up proceeds from charging for carbon emissions into the unowned sky. A financial-transaction tax may be similarly justified on the grounds that the overall infrastructure enabling such transactions was created by society broadly, rather than by specific institutions.

With inflation resurging, hard money may reemerge as a political priority. Traditionally, such efforts have focused on restoring a gold standard, a policy that was mostly eliminated in the 1930s with its final vestiges ending in the 1971, thanks to Richard Nixon. Recently right-wing Congressman Madison Cawthorn suggested cryptocurrency could serve as the new gold standard, sparking a backlash on grounds of the high volatility and huge energy use of crypto such as Bitcoin.

While one might argue that Bitcoin, having built-in limits on how much can be created, bears some resemblance to golds natural scarcity, any effort to stabilize a currency on the basis of an underlying asset, physical or electronic, faces a problem of credibility: Whats to stop a government (or other currency issuer) from reneging on whatever tight-money commitment its made? Insofar as radical monetary reform reemerges as a right-wing emphasis, this seems more likely to result in a marketing boon for dealers in precious metals or crypto, rather than any actual policy change.

However, intellectual trends that seem disconnected from practical outcomes are a feature of both left and right. The 1990s science wars receded, to some degree, after a physicist named Alan Sokal successfully submitted a nonsense paper about quantum gravity to a postmodern journal; revealing the hoax, he invited anyone who thinks gravity a social construct to jump from his high-rise window. In my work as a copyeditor, Ive dealt with manuscripts, such as a recent one about social justice and Star Wars, where I felt a need to check authors credentials carefully to be sure I wasnt in receipt of a Sokal-type hoax. People on either side of the ideological spectrum may take comfort in knowing some of whats preoccupying the other side.

Kenneth Silber is author ofIn DeWitts Footsteps: Seeing History on the Erie Canaland is on Twitter:@kennethsilber

Read more:
Backfires of Left and Right - Splice Today