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An Extortionist Has Been Making Life Hell for Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters

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Re: An Extortionist Has Been Making Life Hell for Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters

#3

Post by pyre »

> police have been devoting a huge amount of resources to track down peaceful people engaged in voluntary trade like Charlie Shrem and the operators of the Silk Road Market

Um, the "operator(s) of Silk Road Market" allegedly attempted to hire a contract killer. I'm pretty sure that's the opposite of peaceful, if true.

Re: An Extortionist Has Been Making Life Hell for Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters

#5

Post by asocial » 

    The “police have been devoting a huge amount of resources to track down peaceful people engaged in voluntary trade     
    like Charlie Shrem and the operators of the Silk Road Market,” Ver says, “while evil hackers were busy terrorizing 
    quadriplegic Hal Finney and his family.”
"voluntary trade" makes it sound like said trade wasn't actually illegal (in other words, like something the police are actually supposed to stop, peaceful or otherwise.)

This is meant to suggest that the police were harassing innocent people while completely ignoring the actual crimes described, of course playing up the typical Bitcoin narrative of the violent, thuggish and incompetent police state.

Left completely unmentioned, is the fact that Bitcoin is designed, and intended, to make it infeasible to track users and enforce laws against transactors. It's an explicitly anarcho-capitalist system. Extortion rackets around Bitcoin are not a bug, they're a feature.

Re: An Extortionist Has Been Making Life Hell for Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters

#6

Post by [deleted] »

pyre wrote: post #3

> police have been devoting a huge amount of resources to track down peaceful people engaged in voluntary trade like Charlie Shrem and the operators of the Silk Road Market Um, the "operator(s) of Silk Road Market" allegedly attempted to hire a contract killer. I'm pretty sure that's the opposite of peaceful, if true.

[deleted]

Re: An Extortionist Has Been Making Life Hell for Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters

#7

Post by mycroft-holmes »

asocial wrote: post #5

The “police have been devoting a huge amount of resources to track down peaceful people engaged in voluntary trade like Charlie Shrem and the operators of the Silk Road Market,” Ver says, “while evil hackers were busy terrorizing quadriplegic Hal Finney and his family.” "voluntary trade" makes it sound like said trade wasn't actually illegal (in other words, like something the police are actually supposed to stop, pe…

> "voluntary trade" makes it sound like said trade wasn't actually illegal

Just because something is illegal doesn't mean it's wrong.

Re: An Extortionist Has Been Making Life Hell for Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters

#8

Post by Retric »

asocial wrote: post #5

The “police have been devoting a huge amount of resources to track down peaceful people engaged in voluntary trade like Charlie Shrem and the operators of the Silk Road Market,” Ver says, “while evil hackers were busy terrorizing quadriplegic Hal Finney and his family.” "voluntary trade" makes it sound like said trade wasn't actually illegal (in other words, like something the police are actually supposed to stop, pe…

Somehow I think you missed the whole "Every transaction is public" part of Bitcoin.

Cash is difficult but not impossible to track, Bitcoin is ridiculously easy to track by comparison.

Re: An Extortionist Has Been Making Life Hell for Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters

#9

Post by asocial »

mycroft-holmes wrote: post #7
asocial wrote: post #5

The “police have been devoting a huge amount of resources to track down peaceful people engaged in voluntary trade like Charlie Shrem and the operators of the Silk Road Market,” Ver says, “while evil hackers were busy terrorizing quadriplegic Hal Finney and his family.” "voluntary trade" makes it sound like said trade wasn't actually illegal (in other words, like something the police are actually supposed to stop, pe…

> "voluntary trade" makes it sound like said trade wasn't actually illegal Just because something is illegal doesn't mean it's wrong.

That is completely true.

But the police don't arrest people for breaking ethical principles, they arrest people for breaking laws.

So also, in context, not entirely relevant.

Re: An Extortionist Has Been Making Life Hell for Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters

#10

Post by drzaiusapelord »

The operators of Silk Road were mafioso's that ordered hits on competitors and people they didn't like. The whole, "we're just a bunch of gentle hippie libertarians and the evil police state can't handle how chill and peaceful we are" is both factually and morally false. Please stop repeating it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/silk-road-boss-ordered-6-assa...

I also support 90% of the drug laws out there. The argument that heroin and meth should be legal is asinine. I'm not the police state. I'm common sense. I don't care if the meth dealer is a hip and gentle guy. He's empowering others to destroy their lives, which very often leads to more crime as addicts will steal or even kill for their next fix.

disagree downvotes dont change the truth: Ulbricht ordered kills casually. Physically addictive drugs cause social harm. All the libertarian claptrap in the world doesnt change reality, sorry Rand Paul supporters!

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