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ThursdayJun25,2020at6:00AM

This years presidential election (scheduled for November 3rd) happens to fall on my 18th birthday, so I just barely make the cutoff to vote. After looking at my options for the election, I feel that I cannot support Trump or Biden.

I sympathize with those who either dont vote or vote begrudgingly for the lesser of two evils. Thankfully, theres a third option who will be on the ballot in all 50 states: Dr. Jo Jorgensen of the Libertarian Party.

Jo is a psychology lecturer, grandmother, and lifelong freedom fighter. Her campaign is all about moving away from the constant encroachment of big government and instead allowing society to flourish under the principles of personal and economic liberty.

Jo wants to disentangle the U.S. from its dangerous foreign conflicts and bring our troops home. She wants to end the failed, costly War on Drugs that treats addicts like criminals instead of fellow people who just need help. She wants to work towards reining in our outrageous $26 trillion national debt. She wants to remove the stranglehold lobbyists and bureaucrats have over our healthcare system. She wants to treat immigrants humanely, as individuals and families searching for better lives. She wants to slash income taxes across the board, so that hard-working Americans can keep what theyve rightfully earned.

Jo Jorgensen is in this race for you and me, and I hope youll take her into consideration.

James Ketler

Lakeville

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Letter: Libertarian candidate offers an alternative to Trump and Biden - SouthCoastToday.com

Chad Elwartowski, an American software engineer turned Bitcoin trader, is one of the leading lights of the "seasteading" movementa libertarian drive to build independent floating cities on the high seas. Right now, he's constructing a prototype for the worlds first 3D-printed, smart, floating home, off the Caribbean coast of Panama. A prior effort, in Thailand, was towed off by the Thai navy in 2019.

Interest in seasteading is enjoying a renaissance among libertarian, tech millionaires, keen to escape the threat of increasing government surveillance. The movement has come a long way since entrepreneurs Peter Thiel and Patri Friedman (grandson of eminent economist Milton) launched the Seasteading Institute in 2008.

Coronavirus is an opportunity to show the world that what were building is actually going to be very useful in the future, said Elwartowski, in a recent video update on his project.

But Elwartowskis vision has changed since his first attempt at seasteading in Thailand, when he and his Thai partner Supranee Thepdet were forced to flee, dodging Thai patrol boats. He was tipped off that the authorities had determined that the fiberglass cabin, on top of a floating pole, posed a threat to the country's sovereigntypunishable by death.

Now, theyve settled in Panama and joined a local business called Ocean Builders, which is creating 30 "seapods," and selling them on the open market for between $200,000 to $800,000 each. The pods will be registered as boats under the Panama flag for legal purposes.

Its somewhat ironic that staunch libertarians are now asking for government permission to complete their utopian dreams. But the fact is that attempts, over the years, to set up floating societies have flounderedeven those sanctioned by national governments.

In 2017, the French Polynesian government approved the Seasteading Institutes plans for an autonomous community near the French Polynesian coast, using a cryptocurrency called Varyon. However, the authorities rescinded its approval a year later, in response to objections of tech colonialism by the residents of Tahiti, the nearest well-populated island in the archipelago.

Friedman is now involved in the Marshall Islands scheme to introduce a sovereign digital currency. He said recently that, in the past month, he is seeing a lot of inquiries from peers who want to know wheres best to move.

He and Thiel have moved on to self-governed "charter cities" in developing countries, allowing international firms to set up shop in the semi-autonomous zones. The project takes the form of a venture fund, bolstered by $9 million in funding from Thiel, as well as investors and Bitcoin heavyweights Marc Andreessen, Roger Ver, and Balaji Srinivasan.

Seasteaders have found out it is probably better to make an agreement with the government, said Titus Gebel, CEO of Tipolis, another startup developing semi-autonomous cities run by private companies.

It may not be the original libertarian dream but it'll do for now.

See more here:
This libertarian Bitcoin trader wants to build a city on the sea - Decrypt

Libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie (RKy.) has crushed his opponent in the Republican primary for the Northern Kentucky seat he's represented since 2012. It was one of two notable victories for GOP primary candidates against more overtly Trump-aligned challengers.

By early evening, Massie had racked up 88 percent of the unofficial vote against Todd McMurtry, a lawyer who represented Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann in his lawsuit against media outlets. The official results won't be released until June 30, when election officials have had enough time to count mail-in ballots.

Massie's libertarian streak and willingness to buck Republican leadership have earned him explicit rebukes from President Donald Trump in recent months, something McMurtry did his best to capitalize on.

When Massie held up the passage of the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in Marchinsisting that the pricey legislation receive a roll call voteTrump called him a "disaster for America" on Twitter, and demanded his expulsion from the Republican Party.

Massie, in turn, made much of McMurtry's own social media activity. The lawyer had made several comments that were critical Trump. He'd also approvingly tweeted out a blog post primer on the alt-right and called for resistance to the "demonization of white people."

Those posts saw several Republican House members withdraw their endorsement of McMurtry, and cleared the way for Massie's victory.

Former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath is also leading in Kentucky's U.S. Senate Democratic primary against progressive challenger Charles Booker. Provided she maintains her lead once all the mail-in ballots are counted, she'll go on to face incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell (RKy), who also won his primary tonight.

Trump's endorsement of businesswoman Lynda Bennett also failed to prevent her stunning loss tonight to 24-year-old real estate investor and motivational speaker Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District.

That seat was vacated earlier this year when former Rep. Mark Meadows (RN.C.), one-time head of the House Freedom Caucus, resigned to take up the position as Trump's chief of staff. Despite endorsements from Trump, Meadows, and Sen. Ted Cruz (RTexas), Bennett received 35 percent of the vote in the two-person run-off election.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Meadows' apparent manipulation of the process to make Bennett his handpicked successor angered local Republicans. Cawthorn re-framed Bennett's many high-profile endorsements as proof that Bennett would be beholden to Washington elites.

Provided he beats Democratic candidate Moe Davis in November, Cawthorn will become the youngest member of Congress.

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Trump Wanted To 'Throw Massie Out of Republican Party!' but the Libertarian-Leaning Congressman Just Won His Primary Anyway - Reason

Go Green Montana first appeared in May and spent money to support just one candidate, Wendie Fredrickson of Helena. Shes a former auditor in the state health department and ran against Lolo resident Dennis Daneke, who had implied hed drop out of the race if he won the primary.

Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock is running against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines in the race, which is already drawing national attention and millions in advertising to the state.

The PAC did not report the source of its funding before the June 2 primary, in which it spent $27,000 on advertising, mailings and a website supporting Fredrickson and opposing Danake.

CSG did not return an email asking for comment Wednesday. The groups president and founder is Mark Meckler, who was the national coordinator and co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots. Its chairman of the board is Eric OKeefe, who has worked with U.S. Term Limits, the Campaign for Primary Accountability and other groups.

The Green Party qualified for the ballot in Montana this year after a signature-gathering effort paid for by the Montana Republican Party.

Third-party candidates can draw votes from the major parties, with the Green Party seen as siphoning votes from Democrats while Libertarians, who are qualified to appear on the ballot already, can take votes that might otherwise go to Republicans.

Third-party candidates playing a role in Montana elections is not a new concept: In the 2012 U.S. Senate race featuring Democratic incumbent Jon Tester and former U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Libertarian candidate benefited from $500,000 worth of advertising from a group that also supported Tester.

Theres not currently a Libertarian candidate in the U.S. Senate race. Eric Fulton, of Bozeman, filed but later withdrew. He had previously run as a Republican for the state Legislature. The spot was filled by Susan Good Geise, a Lewis and Clark county commissioner and former chair of the state GOP, who also dropped out of the race in May, citing a need to focus on the countys response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Montana Libertarian Party has until Aug. 19 to pick a replacement candidate.

To see what else is happening in Gallatin County subscribe to the online paper.

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PAC backing Green candidate funded by conservative group - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Yesterdays preview of Novembers General Assembly elections considered only Republican and Democratic candidates. While its likely voters wont stray from the mainstream, there will be a few other names on the ballot.

Independent Marcus Throneburg is running in the 37th Illinois Senate District against Win Stoller, a Germantown Hills Republican, to succeed retiring Sen. Chuck Weaver, R-Peoria. In the 78th House District, Libertarian Joshua Flynn is challenging veteran Democrat Rep. Camille Lilly. They might not be alone, but that future is immediately uncertain.

Rules for circulating nominating petitions while the state is under emergency orders related to COVID-19 have been hashed out in court. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer initially extended the petition deadline from June 22 to Aug. 7, while allowing electronic signatures and reducing requirements by 90 percent. The Illinois State Board of Elections asked her to roll her deadline back a month, citing ballot preparation, but she settled on July 20. The state wants a federal appeals panel to overturn Pallmeyer, but Throneburg suspects the matter is dead.

Throneburg is an experienced politician a former Bureau County Board member as well as a former pastor who has a lot of personal connections in and around his hometown. As a true independent he doesnt have the resources of the Green or Libertarian parties, though he is involved with the lawsuit.

Yet without the changes, Throneburg said in a Monday phone call, there was really no practical way to get on the ballot while abiding by state health guidelines. Now, instead of 4,630 petition signatures he needs only 463. Hes collected most by mail and a few online and in person.

We talked at length about his candidacy, discontent with Springfield The system is bad and its providing bad results and how winning a two-person race is one challenge while being on a Statehouse island is its own daunting task.

Victory, he said, would send an important message about voter frustration and perhaps inspire other candidates. The campaign itself is significant, but unless establishment politicians lower ballot access thresholds, all third-party candidates will continue to be heavily disadvantaged even as constituent dissatisfaction escalates.

Will they? Doubtful.

Earlier this decade the Libertarian Party of Illinois sued the state regarding a 2012 Kane County election in which it couldnt nominate a coroner candidate without also challenging for every other county office. That matter was fought up to the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which in 2017 ruled the full slate requirement unconstitutional.

Lasting structural reform far exceeds occasional third-party campaigns. Truly independent voters would have to wield and exert influence. Expect a lot of resistance from power brokers usually an indication good work is being done.

Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media Illinois. Follow him on Twitter at @sth749. He can be reached at [ mailto:sholland@shawmedia.com ]sholland@shawmedia.com.

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EYE ON ILLINOIS: Lasting structural reform far exceeds occasional third-party campaigns - Bureau County Republican