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US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

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Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#421

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a shame that he took these actions or that he was punished for them?

For me personally the second. But I am sure that regardless of what we think regarding what he did, we can all agree that it's a shame that someone like that won't be around to work on cool tech due to his sentencing, kinda like with Hans Reiser.

He always had the option to work on cool tech. What he instead chose to do was go to North Korea and educate them on how to use Ethereum.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#422

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Five years seems pretty mild when you consider the chief purpose of sanctions is to provide an alternative to war as a means of settling disputes. And this man is willfully undermining the ability of his country to levy sanctions. Surely actively undermining the security of ones country is a serious offense.

> as a means of settling disputes As a means of forcing someone to unwillingly settle a dispute in your favor that is. I have no sympathy for North Korea, but sanctions are not an alternative to war. Sanctions are an alternative to bullets.

"Sanctions are Economic Weapons of Mass Destruction, We Must Carefully Consider their Consequences": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFCpMOCVdAw

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any sources for this?

Fidel Castro, Kim jong Il, and Vladimir Putin.

Those are the only three instances where sanctions were used "ever in human history"?

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#424

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've read it as a time reference. He got trialed after the conference.

there are certainly others commenting on this post who didn't read that way. They're posting as if he was literally sent to prison for just talking about crypto.

Yeah, the author of the article could have just as easily titled it "US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after multiple conversations on evading sanctions".

You can draw your own conclusions as to why they went with the title they did.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#425
post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is so obviously true that denying it is like denying evolution. If we had one of the those shields from Star Trek, we wouldn't have to worry about NK.

You should look into MAD, and why the USSR and USA signed a treaty restricting anti-missile defenses. If any country was close to getting ironclad missile shields, it's adversaries would probably act preemptively.

Also look into Jason P Lowery, and Mutually Assured Preservation concept. PoW Cryptocurrencies, specifically Bitcoin, will end all war. Modern war can only be perpetual with loose monetary policy. Fix the money, fix the world. Post MAD, the strategic battle was over post 70s. The tactical, hash warfare battle is the next phase we will have to live through. Eventually we realize we are all on the same Planet Earth team and explore the stars. But for now, this is humanities best hope for peace.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#426

I met Virgil at an academic workshop back in 2014. We went out in Amsterdam. He was a weird guy, to say the least (he’d probably be the first to agree). He was generally quite affable and obviously highly intelligent. He’s an idiot for this fiasco. But it’s also sad to see him in jail; I don’t see how this benefits society in any way. Five years in prison seems like a disproportionate punishment for an arguably victi…

Personally, I support imprisoning anyone who helps subvert sanctions against a despotic state pursuing nuclear weapons.

Let's put emotions aside and look at the situation. This man is an expert in his field and possesses a lot of knowledge. He doesn't have to share this information with anyone, but he does so for the advancement and progression of society. Sharing information in this scenario was evidently a crime.

How did we get to the point where knowledge sharing lands you in prison? It's because we have mindless shells of human beings in society, the type of people that would call this man a traitor. Let me set something straight: if you are a citizen of a country, it doesn't imply that you love and support your country. You are likely a citizen simply because you were born and trapped there. If you have an urge to defend and protect an imperialistic, globally-dominating sack of shit like the United States Government, you're part of the problem.

Nationalism is a disease.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#427

I met Virgil at an academic workshop back in 2014. We went out in Amsterdam. He was a weird guy, to say the least (he’d probably be the first to agree). He was generally quite affable and obviously highly intelligent. He’s an idiot for this fiasco. But it’s also sad to see him in jail; I don’t see how this benefits society in any way. Five years in prison seems like a disproportionate punishment for an arguably victi…

Yeah, a victimless crime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_North_Kor... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_North_Korea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwalliso https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea_and_weapons_of_mas...

interesting. let's see the CCP's human rights record

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#428
post #405
post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The sanctions are intended to exacerbate the destitution and starvation in North Korea in order to provoke political upheaval. They are also just the current strategy, and have been ineffective from a humanitarian perspective. I wouldn’t undermine them personally, but I understand how a rational person could come to believe it was even a moral obligation to do so.

Quoting one of the lawyers who helped draft sanctions law: https://freekorea.us/sanctions-nkspea-faq/ """ Section 207 of the NKSPEA contains broad exemptions for food imports and humanitarian aid, and provides for waivers for humanitarian reasons, or when a waiver is important to the national security or economic interests of the United States. The Treasury Department has also published general licenses permitting hu…

And yet they still starve, it is almost like crippling economic systems but allowing shipments of rice is not humanitarian at all, but more a "face saving" position so they can claim they are not the baddies

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#429
post #317

I met Virgil at an academic workshop back in 2014. We went out in Amsterdam. He was a weird guy, to say the least (he’d probably be the first to agree). He was generally quite affable and obviously highly intelligent. He’s an idiot for this fiasco. But it’s also sad to see him in jail; I don’t see how this benefits society in any way. Five years in prison seems like a disproportionate punishment for an arguably victi…

“ I don’t see how this benefits society in any way.” The law breaks down when you start giving exceptions to the law arbitrarily

If it's not arbitrary, then why stop there?

Why not imprison every cryptocurrency developer?, they are all enabling a new way to avoid sanctions, some much better than others

Where do you draw the line so that it's not arbitrary?

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#430
post #316
post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The santions are resposible for starving women/children. Should he be in prison for helping children eat?

> The santions [sic] are resposible [sic] for starving women/children. This is a lie, and if you think NK leadership is going to be spending crypto on food for their populace you're deluded.

If you think the Sanctions will either change the NK government or slow their weapons program I have an apartment in Shanghai to sell you
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