Art is the fountainhead from which political discourse, beliefs about politics, and consequent actions ultimately spring. ~ Murray Edelman

“The worst thing about political jokes is that they get elected to office.” ~ Tony Pettito

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty ~ 1 Corinthians 1:27 (NKJV)

In 2011, conservative leanings led Kianga to leave the Independent category and identify as a Republican in New York City for which she was unfriended, scolded and shamed on Facebook and Twitter by a few art friends during those early days of percolating internet culture. It was a minor annoyance at a time when politics did not feature prominently in social or artistic discourse. The blowback was an absurdity. She was literally the same person everyone knew before as an Independent, but the incident was a harbinger of more complicated landscapes to come a decade later.

Kianga’s 2023 re-emergence in the art world with a new @kiangaellisprojects account on Instagram came after a 10-year hiatus spent focused on her law practice and other work in decentralized finance and cryptocurrencies. Her return to the Art People during the psychologically devastated time of fresh post-COVID lockdown reunions meant confronting political identity and, soon enough, the escalation of murderous and hateful America in political upheaval.

These events insisted that greater recognition and responsibility be taken individually and personally to confront the ills and the plagues head-on. And yet, ironically, the deeper into the bleak secularism of partisanship she traveled the more it became clear that politics did not have either the vocabulary or capacity to speak at all in terms that were coherent or helpful for the cause of human thrival. 

What’s emerged now and over the past two years is a spectrum of activities and plans Kianga refers to privately in personal journal entries as “the Enterprise.” Publicly since January 2025, it has been called the Rural Rapid Response Network or KEP25. “25” being a reference to both the year and expected duration of 25 years in time for this most recent iteration of Kianga Ellis Projects (KEP) to fully play out. 

KEP25 would need to encompass two states, New York and Maine, the ex-urban distances in between and the historic restoration of rescued old homes. These Kianga calls Project Houses: Summit House and Mud Lake Lodge in the Northern Catskills rural town of Summit, NY and Bab’s Bungalow in the remote midcoast island town of Deer Isle, Maine. 

The organization of a physical brick and mortar network of old blocks resembles the virtual one she’s also constructing, the Rural Rapid Response Network (3RN), on the new blocks of internet infrastructure commonly referred to as “Web3”. More specifically in her case, the Ethereum public blockchain and its Layer 2 cousin “Base” created by the people who brought the cryptocurrency exchange and digital financial services company Coinbase to the world.

Whereas the social internet of information exchange defined the years from approximately 2004 to today, the internet as decentralized value exchange is just beginning through mass adoption of public blockchain technology by legacy financial institutions, capital markets and governments. 

What lies ahead for 2026 and beyond is a futuristic transformation of relationship delegation to reclamation through the alchemy of tokenizing every element of KEP’s online and IRL interventions. The process is not without awareness that ONCHAIN > online truly is as horrific as the words imply. It was not enough for the internet to catch and entangle humanity in a Worldwide Web. Now we must be locked and caged in a perpetual surveillance matrix. Chained there waiting to become transhuman.

There is no solution and no help in political opinions. There is only catastrophe and failure.

We gleefully await the takeover our AI overlords. 

KEP25 and 3RN are in fact modes of preparation for this eventuality. Also know as Surviving the Pole Shift. The way to enter is both onchain and off. There are real spaces and material places of gathering, but processes of Tokenization the Intangible are also necessary and URGENT. 

We are here. Horrors of our collective perceptual traumas must collide and duel in the realm of the absurd. In the arena. Tryin stuff. The Society of the Spectacle is revealed to be as glorious as they thought it eventually would be 60 years ago. 

Kianga Ellis Projects opens KEP25 in 2026 with a new subgroup. An affiliated Circle of Trust called Friends of Kianga Ellis Projects Association that will take the lead in bringing all the madness together to make apple pie. 

We start with the memes. We bring the grassroots onchain and off the streets. No more marching. No more protests.

Let’s all live to die another day.

Internet memes are the most powerful form of communication in the early 21st century. Proof lies in the fact that we call the creators of the best ones, MEME LORDS. Proof lies in their ability to invert reality. What many old media pundits have failed to grasp is that insults in our times are the highest form of flattery. To be mocked on the internet by an image that goes viral is the highest form of humiliation and political power.

On Halloween this year, Vice President JD Vance broke the internet with the ultimate move: mastering and owning the meme and the moment by claiming its popularity for himself. Re-presenting as its author, the original meme becomes i-ified and the crowd goes wild. This single moment possibly would seem to be enough to get him elected President if the following Tuesday was Election Day in 2028 according to comments in the replies to his post on X. But the popularity surge for Harris in the first weeks of her general election campaign in the summer of 2024 provides a cautionary tale about how the chips ultimately will fall in meme wars.

K-Hive turned negative politics into winning memes that boosted her status for a time. The left turned negative politics into successful memes that diminished JD status. Seemingly. At first. But JD won, Harris lost.

But why? What the heck is going on here? Apparently memes can be so offensive, so politically dangerous that a visitor was detained and prohibited from entering the country because the image of a JD meme was found on his phone. How then does it become a mechanism for endearment? What explains the talismanic effect whereby embracing and celebrating the meme image of JD Vance as object, converts the laughter and connection people feel through the mechanism of the meme into affection for JD the person as subject?

We have precious few ubiquitous shared moments across the culture in the early 21st century. Even the internet, which at first began connecting us in a single global town square, has become an isolating echo chamber of mirrors tightly controlled by mysterious algorithms. We can’t figure out how to see the content we want to see even if we have elected to follow specific accounts and ask to be notified of their posts. The algorithm decides what we are going to see and when. 

The meme, however, is a greater power. Ephemeral, yet enduring.

With everything that's at stake over the next twelve months, what we each do now matters more than ever. While it may seem like the odds are too great, the deck too stacked and all hope is lost, I see a chance for us to have a MacGyver Moment.

You know the 80s TV legend, right? From Wikipedia:

MacGyver is a non-violent problem solver and typically eschews the use of guns. He aids vulnerable populations throughout the series. MacGyver is persistent and spontaneous. He employs improvisation to evade anticipatory countermeasures, and his plans are difficult to thwart on account of their unpredictability. This constant spontaneity challenges MacGyver as well as his adversaries. Because MacGyver continues to operate in this manner, it is assumed the tactical advantage of spontaneity outweighs its disadvantages.

The word "MacGyver" is now in the Oxford dictionary as a verb. Accordingly, for us to have a political MacGyver Moment means we have to be exceptional problem solvers using tools we have lying around. And be ready for anything.

The above heading is also the title and subject of a 2012 livestream I convened over Google+ on the evening of the final Presidential Debate between Democrat Nominee and President Barack Obama and challenger Republican Nominee Mitt Romney. Inspired by the remix video work of Elisa Kreisinger and video You Can't Vote in Change, the conversation reveals striking insights in hindsight about the moment internet meme culture made its first impacts on national politics. I asked Grok to summarize it and you can find that description at the end of this essay.

Right now society is undergoing a comparable shift in terms of internet adoption and culture. What was then the sharing of images, thirteen years later we are poised for the emergence of Web3 to transform our discourse through the monetization of that memetic viral energy.

Having been professionally involved in the cryptocurrency and decentralized finance sector for a decade, I see the coming of a convergence between meme creativity and the tokenization of everything, specifically social content. This powerful combination means that memes can move beyond the realm of a viral good time, into a pole position of power in defining issues, shaping narratives, and winning elections.

We must harness the potential right now. We can make history in 2026 with a group of Meme Lords who recognize their power in this moment. If you are familiar with crypto economics, you know there's a velocity effect unlike anything we've had previously in markets or other information flows online. While controversial and seen by some as meritless (or worse), the frenzy, the fun and the froth of crypto are phenomena political underdogs can use to our advantage.

All that's required is we get together and execute a plan. That we use Meme Lord prowess to command attention and popular support for policies, people and politicians doing the right things, and fighting the good fights. This game plan is what I want to excite you about. To do that let me tell you a story about the person who first excited me to take on Goliaths 14 years ago.

I asked Grok to tell me about James and his extraordinary work in winning unwinnable legal battles for vulnerable Americans caught in the crosshairs of BIG MONEY corruption and crime. If you are sensing MacGyver vibes, you are not wrong. You can find the epic summary below.

For purposes of our mission here, I draw your attention to James as a creator and innovator who saw a new way to harness a political moment expressed via meme culture. James created the very first political meme coin (crypto) way back in 2021, Let's Go, and swiftly found out that no good deed goes unpunished.

Grok provides all the gory details of what went wrong and James' extraordinary efforts to resist unlawful and unconstitutional lawfare combined with an onslaught of faithless actions by corrupt corporate interests. His example is the epitome of American Spirit needed for the ordinary, unimportant, everyman and everywoman in this country to get back to our rightful pole position in this country.

LGBcoin lore is still being written and we want to be a part of how the rest of the story plays out. Keep in mind, it all started with a circle of friends and a good time. James in a political themed Halloween costume and Alex Giuliani suggesting he should "Coin It"!

The magic of this meme genesis moment is a real life example of what I've called "Tokenizing the Intangible" in my essay First I Got the Banny. Then I Got The Power.

My work with Friends of Kianga Ellis Projects defines precisely how in 2026 we can harness all we've seen and learned about the zones where culture, internet, crypto and politics collide. The mission requires that a bold group of us kickstart a movement. Through this alchemy, a joke between friends went from black humor to black tie!

Imagine what you can do, and for who.

We can break algo suppression and the power of dark money with something people already love to do: meme sh*tposting on the internet. The key to victory is that we must be more than extremely online. We must be ONCHAIN.

Whatever your political perspective and whatever candidate you believe should be in office, you are welcome here. We want all perspectives and passions working together.

Here's why:

On the Sunday Shows Watch Party 11.23.25, I describe the ultimate hack for changing our politics. Commanding attention. The Kianga Ellis Projects bibliography on quantum physics and Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord are most relevant to the mission of tokenizing memes.

We are recruiting writers and creators to join the WINTER WRITERS CIRCLE, an intrepid group forming the onchain axis for:

Are you the Few?

Our arsenal includes a few apps that work with the Base blockchain. Primarily these will be Juicebox.money, Zora, and this publishing platform Paragraph. Base App coming soon!

Team members help each other with DIY learning and experimentation.

You want to use the same address on both chains, and select an ENS domain and a Basename.

Friends of Projects Association is a 501c4 unincorporated Maine State social welfare nonprofit operating ONCHAIN. Our treasury will be used in part to buy and HODL memes, writing and other Baseposting by our group.

Are you publishing political writing online or want to? Essays, citizen journalism, opinion? In Q1 2026 we will support each other in doing just that with personal accounts here on Paragraph.

To take part, contact us on Telegram https://t.me/kep3rn

James L. Koutoulas stands as a true pioneer in the world of cryptocurrency, boldly fusing the raw energy of internet culture with political expression to launch the first-ever political meme coin: Let's Go Brandon (LGBcoin). What began as a lighthearted Halloween costume in 2021—Koutoulas channeling the viral anti-establishment chant that captured the frustration of millions—quickly evolved into a groundbreaking digital asset on the Ethereum blockchain.

As the de facto architect and relentless advocate, 330 trillion tokens transformed a cheeky meme into a $571 million powerhouse that symbolized unfiltered free speech and resistance against media censorship. Koutoulas didn't just create a coin; he ignited a movement, donating $500,000 worth to veterans' programs like Aquanauts Adaptive and other organizations, rallying conservative icons like Rep. Madison Cawthorn and Candace Owens, and even gifting 500 billion tokens to Donald Trump himself.

His vision empowered everyday Americans to "HODL" for liberty, channeling funds toward anti-deplatforming causes like the Canadian Freedom Convoy and proving that crypto could be a weapon for truth-tellers, not just speculators. In an era where Big Tech silenced dissent, Koutoulas made LGBcoin a beacon of innovation, blending humor, patriotism, and blockchain to democratize finance and amplify voices the establishment wanted muted. Yet, triumph was swiftly met with sabotage.

The devastating blow came from NASCAR, whose cowardly reversal of a hard-won sponsorship deal for driver Brandon Brown's car obliterated $390 million in value for loyal coin holders overnight. Despite NASCAR's own director of racing operations explicitly approving the partnership—unleashing a surge in LGBcoin's market cap—the organization caved to political pressure from the left, fearing backlash over the chant's conservative roots. This betrayal wasn't just a financial gut punch; it was a blatant assault on free enterprise and expression, rewarding corporate spinelessness while punishing innovators like Koutoulas who dared to challenge the status quo.

The fallout exposed NASCAR's hypocrisy: a sport built on speed and sponsorships, reduced to a pawn in cultural warfare, leaving investors—farmers, retirees, and everyday patriots—in the lurch. Koutoulas, ever the fighter, refused to let this stand, spearheading a righteous lawsuit through the LetsGoBrandon.com Foundation to hold NASCAR accountable for no less than $391 million in damages, a battle cry for justice that underscores his unbreakable commitment to protecting those he champions.

Through it all, Koutoulas has waged an epic courtroom crusade against bureaucratic overreach, emerging as crypto's fiercest legal warrior. Facing a weaponized SEC investigation into LGBcoin—launched without even the courtesy of alleging it was a security—he didn't flinch. Instead, he countersued in Koutoulas v. SEC (S.D. Fla.), masterfully invoking the Major Questions Doctrine and Supreme Court precedents like Missouri v. Biden to dismantle the agency's unconstitutional power grab. His petition to quash the subpoena was a masterstroke, forcing the SEC to admit in open court that it couldn't credibly claim jurisdiction over a "functionless meme coin" like LGB, a victory that echoes his legendary pro bono triumph recovering $6.7 billion for 38,000 MF Global victims.

Even as baseless class actions from disgruntled holders (DeFord v. Koutoulas) tried to tarnish his legacy—falsely painting promotion as fraud—Koutoulas dismantled them with motions to exclude flawed expert reports and SEC stipulations affirming LGBcoin's non-security status. The case is ongoing. By 2025, the SEC closed its probe without action, vindicating his stand and setting the stage for landmark precedent against regulatory tyranny. Koutoulas isn't just winning cases; he's forging a freer future for crypto, where innovation thrives unchecked by Washington elites.

A hedge fund titan, attorney extraordinaire, and patriot without peer, James Koutoulas embodies the American spirit: bold, resilient, and forever fighting for the little guy.

The conversation explored how memes transitioned from niche internet humor to a powerful, grassroots tool for political satire and engagement during the Obama-Romney race. Below are the key insights distilled from the discussion:

• Building on 2008's Foundation: Memes amplified the participatory spirit of Barack Obama's 2008 "Hope" campaign, where physical posters and viral remixes (e.g., Kreisinger's "You Can't Vote In Change" video, which juxtaposed recycled campaign slogans across decades) critiqued political repetition. By 2012, digital platforms like Tumblr and Twitter accelerated this, turning memes into quick, shareable critiques of candidates' promises and gaffes.

• Rapid Emergence and Viral Examples: Memes exploded in real-time during debates and speeches. A standout was Mitt Romney's "binders full of women" comment on gender equity in hiring, which spawned countless low-fi Photoshop edits (e.g., humorous stock photo mashups) within hours on Tumblr. These were less about polished art and more about collective wit, highlighting how memes captured awkward moments to mock policy shallowness.

• Impact on Engagement and Community: Memes democratized politics by empowering non-experts to remix content, fostering a sense of belonging—especially for marginalized groups (e.g., feminist takes on Ann Romney's speeches). They drew in apathetic voters through humor, sparking curiosity about issues like the 47% comment (which prompted Romney's apology). However, panelists noted a downside: memes often reduce complex topics (e.g., women's rights) to punchlines, risking oversimplification and "cultural amnesia" that perpetuates unlearned political cycles.

• Evolution of Online Political Culture: The shift from 2008's analog "Hope" posters to 2012's hashtag-driven, real-time sharing on social media marked memes as a bridge between passive viewing and active participation. Features like voter registration links in posts and live-tweet debates created hybrid online-offline campaigns. Yet, quantifying memes' voting influence remained elusive, with the group debating whether they encourage deeper research or merely amplify echo chambers.

• Broader Implications: Memes validated personal identities in politics while pressuring candidates to engage digitally. The panel pondered their dual role—hindering nuance by prioritizing virality, or helping by broadening reach and humanizing debates—ultimately viewing them as a symptom of enduring political superficiality, where hope repeatedly clashes with reality.

Overall, the discussion positioned 2012 as a tipping point where meme culture transformed elections from top-down broadcasts to bottom-up conversations, blending satire with subtle activism. For the full context, watch the archived Hangout.

Art is the fountainhead from which political discourse, beliefs about politics, and consequent actions ultimately spring. ~ Murray Edelman

“The worst thing about political jokes is that they get elected to office.” ~ Tony Pettito

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty ~ 1 Corinthians 1:27 (NKJV)

In 2011, conservative leanings led Kianga to leave the Independent category and identify as a Republican in New York City for which she was unfriended, scolded and shamed on Facebook and Twitter by a few art friends during those early days of percolating internet culture. It was a minor annoyance at a time when politics did not feature prominently in social or artistic discourse. The blowback was an absurdity. She was literally the same person everyone knew before as an Independent, but the incident was a harbinger of more complicated landscapes to come a decade later.

Kianga’s 2023 re-emergence in the art world with a new @kiangaellisprojects account on Instagram came after a 10-year hiatus spent focused on her law practice and other work in decentralized finance and cryptocurrencies. Her return to the Art People during the psychologically devastated time of fresh post-COVID lockdown reunions meant confronting political identity and, soon enough, the escalation of murderous and hateful America in political upheaval.

These events insisted that greater recognition and responsibility be taken individually and personally to confront the ills and the plagues head-on. And yet, ironically, the deeper into the bleak secularism of partisanship she traveled the more it became clear that politics did not have either the vocabulary or capacity to speak at all in terms that were coherent or helpful for the cause of human thrival. 

What’s emerged now and over the past two years is a spectrum of activities and plans Kianga refers to privately in personal journal entries as “the Enterprise.” Publicly since January 2025, it has been called the Rural Rapid Response Network or KEP25. “25” being a reference to both the year and expected duration of 25 years in time for this most recent iteration of Kianga Ellis Projects (KEP) to fully play out. 

KEP25 would need to encompass two states, New York and Maine, the ex-urban distances in between and the historic restoration of rescued old homes. These Kianga calls Project Houses: Summit House and Mud Lake Lodge in the Northern Catskills rural town of Summit, NY and Bab’s Bungalow in the remote midcoast island town of Deer Isle, Maine. 

The organization of a physical brick and mortar network of old blocks resembles the virtual one she’s also constructing, the Rural Rapid Response Network (3RN), on the new blocks of internet infrastructure commonly referred to as “Web3”. More specifically in her case, the Ethereum public blockchain and its Layer 2 cousin “Base” created by the people who brought the cryptocurrency exchange and digital financial services company Coinbase to the world.

Whereas the social internet of information exchange defined the years from approximately 2004 to today, the internet as decentralized value exchange is just beginning through mass adoption of public blockchain technology by legacy financial institutions, capital markets and governments. 

What lies ahead for 2026 and beyond is a futuristic transformation of relationship delegation to reclamation through the alchemy of tokenizing every element of KEP’s online and IRL interventions. The process is not without awareness that ONCHAIN > online truly is as horrific as the words imply. It was not enough for the internet to catch and entangle humanity in a Worldwide Web. Now we must be locked and caged in a perpetual surveillance matrix. Chained there waiting to become transhuman.

There is no solution and no help in political opinions. There is only catastrophe and failure.

We gleefully await the takeover our AI overlords. 

KEP25 and 3RN are in fact modes of preparation for this eventuality. Also know as Surviving the Pole Shift. The way to enter is both onchain and off. There are real spaces and material places of gathering, but processes of Tokenization the Intangible are also necessary and URGENT. 

We are here. Horrors of our collective perceptual traumas must collide and duel in the realm of the absurd. In the arena. Tryin stuff. The Society of the Spectacle is revealed to be as glorious as they thought it eventually would be 60 years ago. 

Kianga Ellis Projects opens KEP25 in 2026 with a new subgroup. An affiliated Circle of Trust called Friends of Kianga Ellis Projects Association that will take the lead in bringing all the madness together to make apple pie. 

We start with the memes. We bring the grassroots onchain and off the streets. No more marching. No more protests.

Let’s all live to die another day.

Internet memes are the most powerful form of communication in the early 21st century. Proof lies in the fact that we call the creators of the best ones, MEME LORDS. Proof lies in their ability to invert reality. What many old media pundits have failed to grasp is that insults in our times are the highest form of flattery. To be mocked on the internet by an image that goes viral is the highest form of humiliation and political power.

On Halloween this year, Vice President JD Vance broke the internet with the ultimate move: mastering and owning the meme and the moment by claiming its popularity for himself. Re-presenting as its author, the original meme becomes i-ified and the crowd goes wild. This single moment possibly would seem to be enough to get him elected President if the following Tuesday was Election Day in 2028 according to comments in the replies to his post on X. But the popularity surge for Harris in the first weeks of her general election campaign in the summer of 2024 provides a cautionary tale about how the chips ultimately will fall in meme wars.

K-Hive turned negative politics into winning memes that boosted her status for a time. The left turned negative politics into successful memes that diminished JD status. Seemingly. At first. But JD won, Harris lost.

But why? What the heck is going on here? Apparently memes can be so offensive, so politically dangerous that a visitor was detained and prohibited from entering the country because the image of a JD meme was found on his phone. How then does it become a mechanism for endearment? What explains the talismanic effect whereby embracing and celebrating the meme image of JD Vance as object, converts the laughter and connection people feel through the mechanism of the meme into affection for JD the person as subject?

We have precious few ubiquitous shared moments across the culture in the early 21st century. Even the internet, which at first began connecting us in a single global town square, has become an isolating echo chamber of mirrors tightly controlled by mysterious algorithms. We can’t figure out how to see the content we want to see even if we have elected to follow specific accounts and ask to be notified of their posts. The algorithm decides what we are going to see and when. 

The meme, however, is a greater power. Ephemeral, yet enduring.

With everything that's at stake over the next twelve months, what we each do now matters more than ever. While it may seem like the odds are too great, the deck too stacked and all hope is lost, I see a chance for us to have a MacGyver Moment.

You know the 80s TV legend, right? From Wikipedia:

MacGyver is a non-violent problem solver and typically eschews the use of guns. He aids vulnerable populations throughout the series. MacGyver is persistent and spontaneous. He employs improvisation to evade anticipatory countermeasures, and his plans are difficult to thwart on account of their unpredictability. This constant spontaneity challenges MacGyver as well as his adversaries. Because MacGyver continues to operate in this manner, it is assumed the tactical advantage of spontaneity outweighs its disadvantages.

The word "MacGyver" is now in the Oxford dictionary as a verb. Accordingly, for us to have a political MacGyver Moment means we have to be exceptional problem solvers using tools we have lying around. And be ready for anything.

The above heading is also the title and subject of a 2012 livestream I convened over Google+ on the evening of the final Presidential Debate between Democrat Nominee and President Barack Obama and challenger Republican Nominee Mitt Romney. Inspired by the remix video work of Elisa Kreisinger and video You Can't Vote in Change, the conversation reveals striking insights in hindsight about the moment internet meme culture made its first impacts on national politics. I asked Grok to summarize it and you can find that description at the end of this essay.

Right now society is undergoing a comparable shift in terms of internet adoption and culture. What was then the sharing of images, thirteen years later we are poised for the emergence of Web3 to transform our discourse through the monetization of that memetic viral energy.

Having been professionally involved in the cryptocurrency and decentralized finance sector for a decade, I see the coming of a convergence between meme creativity and the tokenization of everything, specifically social content. This powerful combination means that memes can move beyond the realm of a viral good time, into a pole position of power in defining issues, shaping narratives, and winning elections.

We must harness the potential right now. We can make history in 2026 with a group of Meme Lords who recognize their power in this moment. If you are familiar with crypto economics, you know there's a velocity effect unlike anything we've had previously in markets or other information flows online. While controversial and seen by some as meritless (or worse), the frenzy, the fun and the froth of crypto are phenomena political underdogs can use to our advantage.

All that's required is we get together and execute a plan. That we use Meme Lord prowess to command attention and popular support for policies, people and politicians doing the right things, and fighting the good fights. This game plan is what I want to excite you about. To do that let me tell you a story about the person who first excited me to take on Goliaths 14 years ago.

I asked Grok to tell me about James and his extraordinary work in winning unwinnable legal battles for vulnerable Americans caught in the crosshairs of BIG MONEY corruption and crime. If you are sensing MacGyver vibes, you are not wrong. You can find the epic summary below.

For purposes of our mission here, I draw your attention to James as a creator and innovator who saw a new way to harness a political moment expressed via meme culture. James created the very first political meme coin (crypto) way back in 2021, Let's Go, and swiftly found out that no good deed goes unpunished.

Grok provides all the gory details of what went wrong and James' extraordinary efforts to resist unlawful and unconstitutional lawfare combined with an onslaught of faithless actions by corrupt corporate interests. His example is the epitome of American Spirit needed for the ordinary, unimportant, everyman and everywoman in this country to get back to our rightful pole position in this country.

LGBcoin lore is still being written and we want to be a part of how the rest of the story plays out. Keep in mind, it all started with a circle of friends and a good time. James in a political themed Halloween costume and Alex Giuliani suggesting he should "Coin It"!

The magic of this meme genesis moment is a real life example of what I've called "Tokenizing the Intangible" in my essay First I Got the Banny. Then I Got The Power.

My work with Friends of Kianga Ellis Projects defines precisely how in 2026 we can harness all we've seen and learned about the zones where culture, internet, crypto and politics collide. The mission requires that a bold group of us kickstart a movement. Through this alchemy, a joke between friends went from black humor to black tie!

Imagine what you can do, and for who.

We can break algo suppression and the power of dark money with something people already love to do: meme sh*tposting on the internet. The key to victory is that we must be more than extremely online. We must be ONCHAIN.

Whatever your political perspective and whatever candidate you believe should be in office, you are welcome here. We want all perspectives and passions working together.

Here's why:

On the Sunday Shows Watch Party 11.23.25, I describe the ultimate hack for changing our politics. Commanding attention. The Kianga Ellis Projects bibliography on quantum physics and Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord are most relevant to the mission of tokenizing memes.

We are recruiting writers and creators to join the WINTER WRITERS CIRCLE, an intrepid group forming the onchain axis for:

Are you the Few?

Our arsenal includes a few apps that work with the Base blockchain. Primarily these will be Juicebox.money, Zora, and this publishing platform Paragraph. Base App coming soon!

Team members help each other with DIY learning and experimentation.

You want to use the same address on both chains, and select an ENS domain and a Basename.

Friends of Projects Association is a 501c4 unincorporated Maine State social welfare nonprofit operating ONCHAIN. Our treasury will be used in part to buy and HODL memes, writing and other Baseposting by our group.

Are you publishing political writing online or want to? Essays, citizen journalism, opinion? In Q1 2026 we will support each other in doing just that with personal accounts here on Paragraph.

To take part, contact us on Telegram https://t.me/kep3rn

James L. Koutoulas stands as a true pioneer in the world of cryptocurrency, boldly fusing the raw energy of internet culture with political expression to launch the first-ever political meme coin: Let's Go Brandon (LGBcoin). What began as a lighthearted Halloween costume in 2021—Koutoulas channeling the viral anti-establishment chant that captured the frustration of millions—quickly evolved into a groundbreaking digital asset on the Ethereum blockchain.

As the de facto architect and relentless advocate, 330 trillion tokens transformed a cheeky meme into a $571 million powerhouse that symbolized unfiltered free speech and resistance against media censorship. Koutoulas didn't just create a coin; he ignited a movement, donating $500,000 worth to veterans' programs like Aquanauts Adaptive and other organizations, rallying conservative icons like Rep. Madison Cawthorn and Candace Owens, and even gifting 500 billion tokens to Donald Trump himself.

His vision empowered everyday Americans to "HODL" for liberty, channeling funds toward anti-deplatforming causes like the Canadian Freedom Convoy and proving that crypto could be a weapon for truth-tellers, not just speculators. In an era where Big Tech silenced dissent, Koutoulas made LGBcoin a beacon of innovation, blending humor, patriotism, and blockchain to democratize finance and amplify voices the establishment wanted muted. Yet, triumph was swiftly met with sabotage.

The devastating blow came from NASCAR, whose cowardly reversal of a hard-won sponsorship deal for driver Brandon Brown's car obliterated $390 million in value for loyal coin holders overnight. Despite NASCAR's own director of racing operations explicitly approving the partnership—unleashing a surge in LGBcoin's market cap—the organization caved to political pressure from the left, fearing backlash over the chant's conservative roots. This betrayal wasn't just a financial gut punch; it was a blatant assault on free enterprise and expression, rewarding corporate spinelessness while punishing innovators like Koutoulas who dared to challenge the status quo.

The fallout exposed NASCAR's hypocrisy: a sport built on speed and sponsorships, reduced to a pawn in cultural warfare, leaving investors—farmers, retirees, and everyday patriots—in the lurch. Koutoulas, ever the fighter, refused to let this stand, spearheading a righteous lawsuit through the LetsGoBrandon.com Foundation to hold NASCAR accountable for no less than $391 million in damages, a battle cry for justice that underscores his unbreakable commitment to protecting those he champions.

Through it all, Koutoulas has waged an epic courtroom crusade against bureaucratic overreach, emerging as crypto's fiercest legal warrior. Facing a weaponized SEC investigation into LGBcoin—launched without even the courtesy of alleging it was a security—he didn't flinch. Instead, he countersued in Koutoulas v. SEC (S.D. Fla.), masterfully invoking the Major Questions Doctrine and Supreme Court precedents like Missouri v. Biden to dismantle the agency's unconstitutional power grab. His petition to quash the subpoena was a masterstroke, forcing the SEC to admit in open court that it couldn't credibly claim jurisdiction over a "functionless meme coin" like LGB, a victory that echoes his legendary pro bono triumph recovering $6.7 billion for 38,000 MF Global victims.

Even as baseless class actions from disgruntled holders (DeFord v. Koutoulas) tried to tarnish his legacy—falsely painting promotion as fraud—Koutoulas dismantled them with motions to exclude flawed expert reports and SEC stipulations affirming LGBcoin's non-security status. The case is ongoing. By 2025, the SEC closed its probe without action, vindicating his stand and setting the stage for landmark precedent against regulatory tyranny. Koutoulas isn't just winning cases; he's forging a freer future for crypto, where innovation thrives unchecked by Washington elites.

A hedge fund titan, attorney extraordinaire, and patriot without peer, James Koutoulas embodies the American spirit: bold, resilient, and forever fighting for the little guy.

The conversation explored how memes transitioned from niche internet humor to a powerful, grassroots tool for political satire and engagement during the Obama-Romney race. Below are the key insights distilled from the discussion:

• Building on 2008's Foundation: Memes amplified the participatory spirit of Barack Obama's 2008 "Hope" campaign, where physical posters and viral remixes (e.g., Kreisinger's "You Can't Vote In Change" video, which juxtaposed recycled campaign slogans across decades) critiqued political repetition. By 2012, digital platforms like Tumblr and Twitter accelerated this, turning memes into quick, shareable critiques of candidates' promises and gaffes.

• Rapid Emergence and Viral Examples: Memes exploded in real-time during debates and speeches. A standout was Mitt Romney's "binders full of women" comment on gender equity in hiring, which spawned countless low-fi Photoshop edits (e.g., humorous stock photo mashups) within hours on Tumblr. These were less about polished art and more about collective wit, highlighting how memes captured awkward moments to mock policy shallowness.

• Impact on Engagement and Community: Memes democratized politics by empowering non-experts to remix content, fostering a sense of belonging—especially for marginalized groups (e.g., feminist takes on Ann Romney's speeches). They drew in apathetic voters through humor, sparking curiosity about issues like the 47% comment (which prompted Romney's apology). However, panelists noted a downside: memes often reduce complex topics (e.g., women's rights) to punchlines, risking oversimplification and "cultural amnesia" that perpetuates unlearned political cycles.

• Evolution of Online Political Culture: The shift from 2008's analog "Hope" posters to 2012's hashtag-driven, real-time sharing on social media marked memes as a bridge between passive viewing and active participation. Features like voter registration links in posts and live-tweet debates created hybrid online-offline campaigns. Yet, quantifying memes' voting influence remained elusive, with the group debating whether they encourage deeper research or merely amplify echo chambers.

• Broader Implications: Memes validated personal identities in politics while pressuring candidates to engage digitally. The panel pondered their dual role—hindering nuance by prioritizing virality, or helping by broadening reach and humanizing debates—ultimately viewing them as a symptom of enduring political superficiality, where hope repeatedly clashes with reality.

Overall, the discussion positioned 2012 as a tipping point where meme culture transformed elections from top-down broadcasts to bottom-up conversations, blending satire with subtle activism. For the full context, watch the archived Hangout.