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Leo Morris

In the current political context, I am more traditional than progressive, although with a few liberal skeletons in my conservative closet.

But in my philosophical soul, I am a libertarian, with a fervent belief in individual rights and a tolerance for only the minimum government necessary to protect those rights.

A libertarian, not an anarchist, though it can be an admittedly fine line between them, a line I swear the government is making every effort to drag me across.

That is the thought uppermost in my mind as I note the disappearance of the Great COVID-19 Epidemic from the news. Have you noticed that, after two years of raging like a blazing inferno, COVID is now drifting away like the smoke from a dying campfire?

Certainly, one reason is the relentless onslaught of newer fascinations and anxieties. At home, we have spiraling inflation and our race and gender struggles; abroad, there is a war with global implications and real heroes and villains to admire and despise.

But there is also an element of crisis fatigue. We can keep our alert level only so high for so long, so finally we just let it go. Those still dying from COVID will no longer be icons, just victims, like those succumbing to the flu or perishing in one-car accidents on a rural road at night.

We finally just got tired of the whole thing. At least I did, since I should be careful not to project too much.

Tired of being lied to. Tired of being manipulated. Tired of being treated like a child one day, a prisoner of war the next, and a pawn on a chess board every day.

My respect for authority, marginal at best, was stretched to the breaking point. The government, always citing the unchallengeable truth of the great god science, issued contradictory edicts we were all expected to follow. The economy was upended, our schools crippled, lives lost or damaged not by disease but by stupidity. And when the mistakes in judgment became obvious, those in authority doubled down.

And the press, which we should have been able to look to for objective reporting and analysis, took sides and became just another player in the circus. COVID became one more manifestation of the red state-blue state battle to the death, angry mobs inflamed by media cheerleaders.

So, the question we should all be asking in this soon to be post-COVID world, is: What will we do next time? When there is an even greater crisis and there will be one, perhaps with the survival of humanity in the balance to whom should we give our trust?

The answer is what it has always been, forgotten though it may be. We should trust ourselves. We take in all the information we can from every source available, process it based on our own knowledge and experience, and use our own best judgment.

Thats the foundational principle of the United States, is it not? We are not ruled by the majority, nor by the wisdom of our best and brightest. We give public servants the ability to use their best judgment, and limit the authority they have in myriad ways, because we know that power is the greatest threat to individual autonomy, and the protection of individual autonomy is the only way to thwart tyranny.

We wont find our salvation in our groups, whether they be defined by race, sex, gender identity, religion or even political-opposition-in-exile advocacy. One tribes advance is often another tribes retreat, with those in power defining the favored tribe of the moment.

Rights inhere in the individual. That is the great truth that makes our constitution the greatest document of freedom in history. And it is the truth we were in danger of abandoning even before Covid and that seems almost beyond reach today.

And we have to get it back. Without a firm belief in ourselves as individuals, we cannot summon even the minimal trust we must give the government, so we will forever cross another of those fine lines, from skepticism to cynicism. Even libertarians cannot survive long in that arid environment.

See original here:
OPINION: We can trust ourselves - Daily Journal

LENOIR Primary elections give voters the opportunity to decide from a pool of candidates who should ultimately be nominated by either political party to run in the general election.

Friday, April 22 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for Caldwell County citizens to register to vote or to change their party affiliation.

May 10 is the last day for residents to request an absentee ballot by mail by 5 p.m. Election Day is on May 17, when the polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Registered voters across the state can vote in the primary, said Director of Caldwell County Board of Elections Chad Barnes. However, voters affiliated with any political party will be given a ballot of candidates for their party. Unaffiliated voters may choose the ballot of candidates for either the Republican or Democrat party primary. Therefore, unaffiliated voters in Caldwell County in the May 17 primary may choose only a Democratic or a Republican ballot.

For early voting, or One-Stop voting, there are two locations where individuals can vote early: the Resource Center (lower level of the library), located at 120 Hospital Ave. in Lenoir, and the Shuford Recreation Center, located at 56 Pinewood Rd. in Granite Falls. Early voting starts on April 28th and ends May 14th. Residents can come by to submit their votes each weekday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., as well as Saturdays April 30th, May 7th, and May 14th from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In Caldwell County, the Democrat Party does not have a primary for Clerk of Court, County Commissioners, Board of Education, N.C. House of Representatives, N.C. Senate, or U.S. House of Representatives District 5, N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justices, or N.C. Court of Appeals Judges. Any Democrat who properly filed for office will therefore appear as the partys nominee on the general election ballot in November.

Right now, the total number of registered voters in Caldwell County is 53,999. The total number of registered Republicans is 26,267, and the total number of registered Democrats is 10,418 people. There are currently 16,939 residents who have registered as unaffiliated, and 375 people have registered as Libertarian.

In 2022, the Libertarian Party does not have any primary elections because there are no contested Libertarian nominations for any office. Any Libertarian candidate who properly filed for office will therefore appear as the partys nominee on the general election ballot in November.

Continue reading here:
Deadline to register to vote in primaries is April 22 - Lenoir News-Topic

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) An outcry was heard across the City of Buffalo, as Seneca groups took over Buffalo's Niagara Square, Friday morning.

This was to voice their frustration over what they call "economic injustice" by New York State, to what they said are "aggressive tactics" by Governor Kathy Hochul's Administration.

Here is the timeline of events leading up to Friday morning:

"Our compact, the Seneca compact is one of the worst compacts in the United States," Alleghany Territory resident and former comptroller of the Nation, Odie Brant Porter said.

For years, members of the Seneca Nation have been working to fight for a better compact agreement.

"Right now, New York State is getting a significant portion of any of our revenues," Porter said. "We have what is considered a net slot drop. We have money going into a slot machine. We pay our customers, and whatever is leftover, 25% of that goes right to New York State. Whatever is leftover, we pay 4,000 employees or 4,500 employees. We pay all the vendors in our area."

Dozens of Senecas from the 8,500-member nation came out to share their frustration with the New York State government.

"What we want you to understand is that in the Gaming Compact Dispute, the moneys that were in question were always, for five years, was in a restricted ESGRO account. They are protected. The money was always there. The problem with this is that Kathy Hochul, the Governor, reached in to freeze all of the Nation's account, threw us in a state of economic paralysis, and could not make payroll by the end of that week," Mothers of the Seneca Nation member, Leslie Logan said.

"The Mothers are wanting a better deal. We are going to fight for a better deal and sometimes people, the media will say, 'You made a lot of money, didn't you?' So what, it's still an improper portion to what we should be making. We're going to keep fighting," Porter said.

Mothers of the Seneca Nation member, Leslie Logan, said if there is going to be a revenue-sharing agreement with the State, the Seneca Nation needs something in return.

"We need to make sure that there is a fair and equitable amount of a quid pro quo. We give you something, you give us something," Logan said.

"We contribute significantly to Western New York, and what has New York State given us? Have they given us $1 in investment? No. No. We have gotten 0 from New York Statem" Porter said.

Erie County Libertarian Party chair, Duane Whitmer, also rallied in support.

"She[Gov. Hochul] sees your bank accounts and took your money. Why? To pander for votes by building a stadium for Florida billionaires[Pegula Family]," Whitmer said.

Whitmer plans to pursue any kind of lawsuit against the state's budget.

"I find it fitting we are here on April 15th, which is considered Tax Day. A day where you reconcile how much the government is going to take from you at gunpoint. If you don't believe me, stop paying your taxes and men with guns will come and take your stuff. They'll put you in jail and they'll make you a criminal. Our wonderful Kathy Hochul has expanded her criminal enterprise into bank robbery," Whitmer said. "I find it weird as I drive through Buffalo. We have the Ukrainian flag and a lot of local politicians were quick to say, 'We stand with Ukraine, we support Ukraine.' A foreign entity invading a smaller sovereign area is a problem. Why are they ignoring similar situations in our own backyard. What NYS did is considered an act of war. It is a financial blockade."

"The fight isn't over. We're going to continue to fight and we're looking at other avenues, as a grassroots community organization to ensure that we do get justice," Logan added. "Clearly, this was an act of aggression, we felt. We're still, that Monday, the Nation determined to surrender more than $540M to the state, and here is where we're at today."

Pheben Kassahun reached out to the Governor's office for a response and received this statement:

-- Spokesperson Statement

Portion of funds to be paid to host communities, these amounts are what is due after accounting for advanced payments from the State, according to the Governor's Office.

Read more:
'We need to make sure that there is a fair and equitable amount of a quid pro quo': Seneca Nation rallies in Niagara Square over "economic...

The survey was carried out in 27 Turkish provinces between March 2 and 26, 2022 by means of face-to-face interviews, with 2,180 respondents representing Turkeys adult population.

Turkey-EU relations have been marked by political crises. As a result, Turkeys EU accession process has more or less been put on the back burner. However, since the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean began to decline in Autumn 2020, several high-level dialogue meetings have taken place between the two sides and relations have started to ease. Nevertheless, establishing a stable relationship and a positive agenda has yet to be achieved.

Similarly, after years of tension between the United States and Turkey, the relationship has struck a more positive tone over the last year, particularly since the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan. While high level political dialogue is still lacking, there has been close dialogue on bureaucratic level.

While not one of the key drivers, public opinion has increasingly become an important factor impacting foreign policy in democratic countries. The field study of this years survey was conducted during Russias invasion of Ukraine, making the results even more interesting.

Within this framework, we hope that this survey will provide a valuable resource for policymakers, media, think tanks, and academics who are searching for ways to put the EU-Turkey or EU-Western relationship back on track.

See more here:
Turkish Perceptions of the European Union 2022 | Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation - German Marshall Fund

As the war in Ukraine continues, households across the world are feeling the heat with prices of common food items like wheat, vegetable oils and sugar soaring.

According to the the Black Sea Region is a global breadbasket and Russia and Ukraineaccount for 29% of global wheat exports, 19% of maize exports and 78% of sunflower oil exports.

Yet the war has disruptedfood production and further inflated food prices. Russia has bannedgrain exports and Ukraine's harvest is uncertain.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) highlightedthat the global food price index hit an all time high in March this year,the highest since the FAO's establishment in 1990.

Food Price Indices in the EU

Within the European Union, the price of food, alcohol and tobaccoroseby 4.1% in February after a 3.5% increase in January.

"It's important to remember that the real threat to food security is in poor countries, particularly in countries very dependent on imports from Ukraine, like in the Middle East and North Africa," explainedAriel Brunner, farming expert withBirdLife Europe and Central Asia, an organization focussing on nature conservation.

"In Europe, it's more of an inflation issue," he told DW.

"Cereals, sunflower oil and a handful of other commodities will probably experience a supply shock. But it's important to understand that this is about the near future,"he said.

The EU has been a key trading partner of different agri-food products withboth Russia and Ukraine.

According to a report by the European Parliament, before the warthe EU sent 3.7% of its overall exports in agri-foodsto the Russian Federation and about 1.4% of it's imports came from Russia. While EU agri-food exports included soya beans, cocoa beans, oilseeds and honey, imports from Russia included oilseeds, wheat, feed ingredients and fertilizers for farming.

Meanwhile, Ukraine accounted for 36% of imports of cereals to the European Union and 16% of oilseeds. In turn, the EU exported more than 3 billion euros of agri-food products to Ukraine in 2021.

The price of vegetable oil has increased since Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Yet according to theEuropean Commission, the bloc can easily weather the instability caused by the war in Ukraine.

"The EU is largely self-sufficient for food, with a massive agri-food surplus, and the EU single market can once again be expected to prove its ability to absorb shocks," the commission saidin a statement. It published a report in early April, which includes measures to help EU farmers to increase domestic production of grains like wheat, maize and oilseeds.

Sommer Ackerman, a young farmer and climate activist currently based in Finland, also told DW that the EU does not need to fear food shortages due to the war.

"The EU is a net exporter of agri-food products. However, Putin's attack on Ukraine has led to inflation in food production prices. This also includes energy prices which are impacting the fuels needed to make and export food and agricultural products,"she said.

The Commission hadpreviously already warned that high input costs might continue to drive up food prices, hitting the EU's poorest communities.

Ackerman stressed that food security outside the EU was alsobeing impacted. "There are some countries in NorthAfrica that heavily rely on imports from Russia and Ukraine for their food security. The EU needs to redirect food supply to these regions as well," she said.

The war in Russia has also increased the price of fertilizers, making food supply costs even more expensive and angering farmers in many European countries.

Farmers in Greece and France have already held demonstrations demanding the EU should support them in tackling thehigh fertilizer costs, which many fear will impact food production.

While the European Commission has announced that farmers will receive more EU subsidies to handle the rising fuel and fertilizer costs,Pekka Pesonen, the Secretary General of European farm lobby groupCopa-Cogeca, told DW, "we have already seen that before the war, there was a huge increase in the prices of fertilizers, energy and cost of labor."

He added that these "additional higher costs have been very difficult to explain to the other parts of the value chain: the processing industry and retailers."

Birdlife's Ariel Brunner arguesthat while it is clear that farmers are struggling, this war has also exposed the problems of thecurrent farming system in the EU.

"The heavy dependence on fossil fuels is becoming an obvious problem and some farmers are now also starting to realize that they should be less reliant on artificial nitrogen fertilizers and use more agro ecological practices. It also shows the vulnerability of hyper specialization, where so many farmers have moved from mixed farming to only growing one type of product,"he told DW.

"It's very clear that a lot of our farming system has been driven into a corner where the farmers are extremely vulnerable, whether it is by these sort of geopolitical upheavals or indeed climate change, which remains the big real threat for food production."

Ukranian farmers are uncertain about yields from the upcoming harvest season due to the war.

Given that food security in European Union is not at risk, the bloc is in fact keen on tackling global food shortages far beyond its own borders.

The European Commissioner for Crisis ManagementJanez Lenarcic saidthat"rising food prices are putting the most vulnerable people across the globe in an even worse situation. Russias invasion of Ukraine increases the pressure on food systems and threatens millions worldwide with hunger. We are now at a turning point and urgent action is required."

He saidthe EU together with the UN would work to tackle food insecurity and provide humanitarian aid to vulnerable regions.

Last week, members of the European Parliament also called on the EU to increase its domestic productionand support countries outside of Europe facing food shortages because of the war.

Grocery bills increase in the EU due to the war in Ukraine

For Copa-Cogeca's Pesonen, the EU needs to learn from the past and become more resilient.

Speakingfrom his hometown in Finland, he explained how Europe had dealt with food shortages in the past.

About 100 years ago, Finland was part of Imperial Russia. And then due to the political difficulties and the revolutionary wars in Russia, our borders were closed. That meant that, especially in the south of the country, we actually had a lack of food," he told DW.

That experience has triggered a political willingness to ensure EU member states are actually working on what they call a preparedness plan, where in any kind of crisis, whether political, military or even natural, we must ensure that the population is well fed and we have stable supplies."

Original post:
As global food prices soar, will the EU face food shortages? - DW (English)