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1441  Bitcoin / Bitcoin Discussion / Re: Permanently keeping the 1MB (anti-spam) restriction is a great idea ... on: August 20, 2015, 10:42:18 PM
What ever happened to DeathAndTaxes (OP of this thread)?

Last Active:   April 22, 2015, 11:53:28 AM


Sad to see him left. Too many reasons to suspect but i hope he didnt leave because of troll like iCEBREAKER

It could be worse, he got unlucky like you and put in jail? I know his business was like a brokerage for bitcoin trading. So i wish he's ok.

Maybe you should contact him? You might have tons of advices for him
I have made minimal effort to contact him.  I may try harder next week.  I think I have his personal email from some business we did a long time ago.

If he has been arrested like I was then his attorney is telling him to a) stay off the internet (here, reddit, etc.) and b) not to communicate with people that may be witnesses for or against him - which could be just about anyone.

I had to "drop out" from the time I was arrested until the case was finally dismissed.
1442  Bitcoin / Bitcoin Discussion / Re: Permanently keeping the 1MB (anti-spam) restriction is a great idea ... on: August 20, 2015, 12:09:36 AM
What ever happened to DeathAndTaxes (OP of this thread)?

Last Active:   April 22, 2015, 11:53:28 AM
1443  Bitcoin / Bitcoin Discussion / Re: BurtW arrested (update: charges dropped!) on: August 19, 2015, 05:35:45 PM
Very well written article about the case, and civil asset forfeiture in general:

http://coinjournal.net/burt-wagner-localbitcoins-case-shows-danger-of-overbearing-government

If you are in the Boulder/Denver area I will be speaking:

http://www.meetup.com/Colorado-Bitcoin-Society/events/224676885/

Updated web sites:

http://www.burtw.com/

http://www.jmwagner.com/

I hope to raise some money for you man. You are a good man.
We could have been you.

I hope everything will be ok soon.

Hold on! Take care.
thanks
That would be fantastic.  We do have a fund raiser in the works.  Three of my friends who are musicians and/or have bands have offered to play.  We are just looking for a venue to host the event.  It will be in the Boulder/Longmont area somewhere.  I will keep everyone posted.
1444  Bitcoin / Bitcoin Discussion / Re: My opinion concerning bitcoin forking on: August 19, 2015, 01:15:22 PM
If there is a fork:

You will want to own pre-fork coins so that you can own coins on both sides of the fork.

Waiting to buy coins till after the fork is not in your best interest.

People will (eventually) realize this.

People wanting pre-fork coins should cause buying pressure (eventually).

So keep your current coins and/or buy on these large uncertainty dips.  

People in the know will want pre-fork coins so there may be a big rush to buy if it looks like a fork is actually going to happen.

Don't get so emotional about this.

Most likely scenario:  much blather and to-do about nothing, which has been and is the standard operational procedure of the Bitcoin community for as long as I can remember.
1445  Other / Off-topic / Re: "Route 29 Batman" DEAD! on: August 19, 2015, 01:21:02 AM
That is a truly sad story.
1446  Economy / Speculation / Re: Coinwallet september stress test. -expect 30 day backlog on: August 18, 2015, 06:23:58 PM
You forgot to add "expect 30 day backlog if you don't pay a reasonable fee."
1447  Economy / Trading Discussion / Re: Do you buy and sell BTC in person? on: August 18, 2015, 02:21:45 PM
Never in person, I tend to stick to online exchanges mainly for ease of use (I believe there is a local Bitcoin meetup but I haven't had the time to see what it's all about yet).

Something to consider in the future....
Homeland Security can and does infiltrate Bitcoin organizations such as meetups and this web site.  So always keep it in mind that the people you are talking to at these meetups and here can be Homeland Security agents, confidential informants or cooperating witnesses.

Local meetups and this web site are very important for Bitcoin and this should not stop you from going and will not stop me as you can see:

http://www.meetup.com/Colorado-Bitcoin-Society/events/224676885/

However, be cognizant of this fact and be careful not to say anything that might be used against you.  This can be hard.

For example, a few years ago I saw an ad right here on bitcoin talk.  A guy from Darjeeling India was selling bulk Darjeeling tea for Bitcoins.  I love Darjeeling tea so I bought a large quantity.  Later, as I was going through the thousands of pages of "evidence" against me, including interviews with my friends, I found that one of my friends mentioned to Homeland Security that I bought this tea using Bitcoins.

It was entered into the evidence transcript like this:

Quote
Wagner used Bitcoins to purchase a large quantity of "tea"

This kind of pissed me off and I was really looking forward to bringing this up at trial - how they twisted this innocent purchase in their little pea brains to be an accusation against me.  

Anyway I was able to avoid the additional $100,000 that the trial would have cost me so that was good.
1448  Economy / Trading Discussion / Re: Do you buy and sell BTC in person? on: August 18, 2015, 02:03:11 PM
I buy from a local trader I found on LBC, he lives pretty close to my house and so far I haven't had any trouble with this guy, the first couple of times I was really cautious and would tell him to meet at a local cafe and would wait till the transaction had atleast 1 confirmation but now he trusts me and I trust him so when I call him and tell him I need this much BTC, I usually buy worth $50-$100 depending on the requirement and he sends it right over and then I walk to his house or the meeting point and give him the money.
This is perfect, and is the ideal situation theoretically.  

But if he still advertises and does a "lot" of trading through localbitcoins to the general public then beware.  If he is arrested they can and probably will take over his localbitcoins account and use if for their own nefarious ends.  In my case I refused all plea deals until they dropped the charges because I was able to cash in my retirement accounts and was able to take out a second mortgage on my home in order to hire a great attorney.  Those who end up with a public defender will probably end up with a plea to a lesser charge and some amount of cooperation in order to avoid jail.  Depending on his lawyer and how his case goes he may have to fork over all his trading partners as part of his cooperation for the plea deal.  

At the current time I believe that as long as you are not doing anything illegal with your Bitcoins you probably will not get into any trouble for going to localbitcoins, finding a buyer or seller, and then meeting with them to sell or buy Bitcoins.

But then again I used to believe that I would not get into any trouble for advertising on localbitcoins.

What I was arrested for was "operating a money transmittal business without a license", a Federal felony with a maximum 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  The entire case boiled down to one question:  was what I did using localbitcoins a business or was it trading for my own account?  So it is those that advertise and do lots of trades with the general public on localbitcoins that need to be concerned, generally not those that use the service to find traders for legal purposes.



But, as you know, I was wrong before.
1449  Economy / Services / Re: [WTB] Looking for BTC addresses which held any BTC before May 2014 on: August 17, 2015, 08:43:25 PM
How are are you willing to pay address?
How many addresses do you need?

0.01 BTC per adress, how many you can give Smiley

.01 per address lmao. the addies that havent claimed the clams are worth 4.6 clams each and 1 clam=.013 last i looked. so youre a bit short on your buying price
Someone like me with hundreds of possible addresses might think it is a good deal.  I don't have to do all the "legwork" to cash in, I get a bit of BTC for something I think is worthless and will be even worth less as time goes on.  Anyway that is his offer, everything is negotiable, right?
1450  Bitcoin / Legal / Re: Banned bitcoin on: August 17, 2015, 08:31:03 PM
All of you brave young men that say "they can't ban Bitcoins" need to spend a few nights in solitary confinement with the threat of 5 years in Federal prison hanging over your head in order to solidify your deeply held beliefs.

They won't ban Bitcoins as it will be too profitable to just arrest you, throw your ass in jail, and then make you pay into their "asset forfeiture fund" to let you out - USD and Bitcoins accepted there.  

I leaned the hard way to the tune of about $300,000 exactly what they are capable of under the marshal law (patriot act) in which we currently live.

Very well written article about the case, and civil asset forfeiture in general:

http://coinjournal.net/burt-wagner-localbitcoins-case-shows-danger-of-overbearing-government

If you live in the Boulder/Denver area I will be speaking:

http://www.meetup.com/Colorado-Bitcoin-Society/events/224676885/

Updated web sites:

http://www.burtw.com/

http://www.jmwagner.com/
1451  Economy / Trading Discussion / Re: Do you buy and sell BTC in person? on: August 17, 2015, 08:19:20 PM
I believe that doing a "few small trades" through localbitcoins may be OK.  But if you live in the United States under marshal law (the patriot act) doing a lot of trading here can get you into trouble.  Read on.

Very well written article about my case, and civil asset forfeiture in general:

http://coinjournal.net/burt-wagner-localbitcoins-case-shows-danger-of-overbearing-government

I will be speaking:

http://www.meetup.com/Colorado-Bitcoin-Society/events/224676885/

Updated web sites:

http://www.burtw.com/

http://www.jmwagner.com/

Be careful out there.

It won't do any good, since they can legally lie to your face, but you can always ask the person you are trading with "Are you a homeland security agent or a cooperating witness or a confidential informant for any government agency?" and "Are you audio or video taping this perfectly legal person to person transaction for any reason?"  It might just put them off their game a bit.
1452  Economy / Services / Re: [WTB] Looking for BTC addresses which held any BTC before May 2014 on: August 17, 2015, 06:07:01 PM
Never heard of this CLAM-thingy before. How do I claim my CLAMS?
It is an ALT:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=623147.0
1453  Economy / Services / Re: [WTB] Looking for BTC addresses which held any BTC before May 2014 on: August 17, 2015, 05:15:42 PM
I ran the following Bitcoin Limbo Game a while back:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=779081.0

You might be interested in contacting some of the folks in that thread, all with early addresses.

The winner was:

https://blockchain.info/address/1HgwzAJdu8r5h1pviriV7KGnqc6fUHNqiq

2010-08-08 03:58:48

Interestingly that address still contains the 0.1 BTC prize money.  Wonder if he forgot about it.

Of course, I have a lot of addresses that meet your criteria.
1454  Bitcoin / Bitcoin Discussion / Re: BurtW arrested (update: charges dropped!) on: August 17, 2015, 12:39:20 PM
Very well written article about the case, and civil asset forfeiture in general:

http://coinjournal.net/burt-wagner-localbitcoins-case-shows-danger-of-overbearing-government

If you are in the Boulder/Denver area I will be speaking:

http://www.meetup.com/Colorado-Bitcoin-Society/events/224676885/

Updated web sites:

http://www.burtw.com/

http://www.jmwagner.com/
1455  Other / Politics & Society / Re: america on: August 16, 2015, 05:30:49 PM
...
So stealing the cash from the vehicles of honest hard working citizens of the United States is now a game with honorific awards to the cop who can grab the most cash.  All set to a rousing video - just like a video game.
...

You just reminded me. Here's another game they used to (maybe still do?) play:

Cop ‘Game’ Involved Sharing Nude Pictures Of Drunk Women

"A California highway patrolman says that for several years he has participated in a “game” in which he and other police officers shared explicit pictures they had taken from the cell phones of female arrestees."
What was the award system?  Was there a quality factor or was it just based on the quantity of pictures?  I wonder how they picked the "winner" of the game.
1456  Other / Politics & Society / Re: america on: August 16, 2015, 04:50:55 PM
Another great quote about Desert Snow and Black Asphalt Knights:

Quote
Black Asphalt also has served as a social hub for a new brand of highway interdictors, a group that one Desert Snow official has called “a brotherhood.” Among other things, the site hosts an annual competition to honor police who seize the most contraband and cash on the highways. As part of the contest, Desert Snow encouraged state and local patrol officers to post seizure data along with photos of themselves with stacks of currency and drugs. Some of the photos appear in a rousing hard-rock video that the Guthrie, Okla.-based Desert Snow uses to promote its training courses.

Annual winners receive Desert Snow’s top honorific: Royal Knight. The next Royal Knight will be named at a national conference hosted in Virginia Beach next year in collaboration with Virginia State Police.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2014/09/07/police-intelligence-targets-cash/

So stealing the cash from the vehicles of honest hard working citizens of the United States is now a game with honorific awards to the cop who can grab the most cash.  All set to a rousing video - just like a video game.

These titles are used by the cops in their resumes.

Check out Undersheriff Rudy Mora at this site:  http://www.bernalillocountysheriff.com/cmdstaff.html

He includes the following in his on line profile:

Inducted as Royal Knight #13 of the Black Asphalt (2009)

1457  Other / Politics & Society / Re: america on: August 16, 2015, 04:19:24 PM
Personally yes, I am 53 years old and had never been arrested until now.  
So, you are totally wrong.  Things have gotten much much worse in my lifetime.  It is not an illusion.  You are dead wrong.

I'm very sorry about the way you're being treated by the US legal system - no person should ever experience something like that. I don't have enough knowledge to be able to discuss with you, especially given the hard data you're showing. Probably I shouldn't even have spoken in the first place. The reason for that was the situation from my native country(Poland). Around here there're a lot of people saying that before the fall of Soviet Union everything was in a better shape, there was no poverty etc. The problem is that back then practically everybody was poor so that wasn't any distinction. Also what speaks through them is that these 20 years ago or so they were much younger and healthier, they were living the best moments of their lives etc

But I see clearly that what's happening in the USA isn't that case. I'm sorry if I offended you somehow by what I wrote. And by the way, why did the police start to kill so many people since the year 2009?(that would be logical if it had started in 2001).
Thank you for speaking.  Your situation is very different and I appreciate that and your post.  It is very difficult for me/us to see our country being destroyed before our very eyes.  I am angry and offended by a lot of thing - you are not one of them.

To try to answer your question:

Everything is very tied together but one of the things that has changed in the last few years is the militarization of the police.  They have purchased a lot of military equipment and it changes their mindset in subtle and not so subtle ways.  The police used to be our servants.  Now they have an "us" versus "them" attitude.  On the road many of them see themselves as "knights of the asphalt", fighting on the side of justice and good and everyone else on the road is "the enemy".  That explains their "shoot first, fill out the paperwork later" attitude toward the population in general.

They even have various award levels for these "knights of the asphalt"

Check this out:

Quote
ROYAL KNIGHT PROGRAM
The Royal Knight Program was developed to help motivate and acknowledge relentless criminal interdiction police work. Royal Knight Status can only be awarded to road officers who have met a number of requirements and have been accepted by the Desert Snow Board. Individuals selected for Royal Knight Status must show a sustained and professional effort to protect the motoring public by identifying and apprehending some of America's worst criminals.

ROYAL KNIGHT’S UPON ACCEPTANCE FROM THE BOARD WILL BE:

Presented an award at Desert Snow’s Annual National Conference if the recipient is in attendance.
Awarded a personalized Royal Knight Coin with a lifetime assigned number of acceptance.
Allowed to purchase "Royal Knight" accessories (jacket, ring, shirts, etc…).
Considered for an associate instructor position with the Desert Snow Training Program
APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS FOR ROYAL KNIGHT STATUS:

Minimum of 5 years as a full time sworn law enforcement officer.
Minimum of 100 self-initiated (Not a tip or whisper stop) qualified Incidents / Seizures *(See below).
Must have made a large number of submittals to the Black Asphalt Electronic Networking System within 72 hours of the Incident / Seizure.
Must have attended a Desert Snow Course or Annual Conference.
Must support the Desert Snow Program and website.
Must be in good standing with their employing agency.
Must have a good overall reputation amongst the courts and law enforcement community.
Must MAIL a complete and organized binder to the Desert Snow Office with as many of the following as possible:
A letter requesting Royal Knight consideration
A breakdown of all Incidents / Seizures with their subsequent dates and case numbers
Commendable letters
Letters of recognition
Letters of recommendation
Criminal interdiction training received
Instructor qualifications
Any other information you would like considered
*QUALIFIED INCIDENTS / SEIZURES:

Each Incident / Seizure where one or more of the following were present will count as one qualifying event

Recovery of an Absconded, Missing or Kidnapped Child
Arrest of a Suspected Terrorist
Transportation of Explosives (Felony)
Transportation of Weapons (Felony)
Major Narcotics Arrest from a Passenger or Commercial Vehicle
Marijuana – More than 1 pound
Cocaine – More than 5 Ounces
Crack Cocaine – More than 5 Ounces
Methamphetamine – More than 5 Ounces
Heroin – More than 5 Ounces
Ecstasy – More than 5 Ounces
US Currency – Successful forfeiture of more than $5,000
Successful forfeiture of a vehicle with an Aftermarket Constructed Compartment
Other Narcotics Arrests will be considered on a case by case basis upon submittal of application
Other Incidents / Seizures will be considered on a case by case basis upon submittal of each application; However 90% of the Incidents / Seizures submitted must be one of the specific qualified events listed above.

Source:

https://desertsnow.com/pages/view/6
1458  Other / Politics & Society / Re: america on: August 15, 2015, 04:20:46 PM
Wow, both videos are painful to watch.  Note on the first video:

When homeland security [state] searched the office I was using at my client's site (causing me to lose that client) they confiscated many things:  all of the computers, paperwork, electronics, etc.

For many years I have carried a copy of the constitution of the United States in my briefcase.  Not sure exactly why.  I got it many years ago and it had just remained in there since I got it.

They confiscated my copy of the constitution of the United States!

I have a couple of theories on this:

1) Having never seen or read the document themselves they opened it up, started to read it, and then confiscated it as an obviously subversive document.  Counter to their actions that day.  For example this little bit:  
Quote
[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

2) They actually knew what it was (but still not having actually read it for themselves) and confiscated it as evidence that I was some sort of "constitutionalist nut job" - in other words someone who has read it and does know what it says.

Note on the second video:

We noticed very quickly that the public school education being foisted on our daughter was less than shit.  As far as we could tell any actual learning was purely accidental.  She knew everything about how bad people are destroying the planet, how to recycle, and tried to learn the scores of petty rules that changed daily.

Teach civics?  Not a chance.  However, they did have, every year, a decent sized unit on "how to be a good consumer".

Needless to say she no longer attends public school.  Even if this new school does not teach her what the bill of rights is, what it says, or how it applies to her she has already learned more about rights, duty, and the broken "justice" system than most adults through her personal life experiences.

Not many 9 year old kids have testified in front of a State Judiciary committee hearing on civil asset forfeiture and are looking forward to testifying in front of the US congress, given a chance to do so.

www.burtw.com and www.jmwagner.com
1459  Other / Politics & Society / Re: america on: August 15, 2015, 01:19:46 PM
Here are your 2014 numbers:

http://www.justice.gov/afp/reports-congress/fy-2014-total-net-deposits-fund-state-deposit#FN2

What is up with Delaware?  They sure don't seem to be "pulling their weight" when it comes to self funding the police state.

Answered my own question about Delaware.  It is not that they don't steal from their people it is that the Federal government is not getting their cut of the action:

Quote
Delaware has terrible civil forfeiture law, scoring an F on the law grade.  The state’s final grade is pulled up to a C only by limited use of equitable sharing (an evasion grade of A) to date.  In Delaware, the government only needs to show probable cause to forfeit property.  If an innocent owner objects, the owner has the burden of showing that the property was wrongfully seized or not subject to forfeiture.  These problems are compounded by the fact that law enforcement in Delaware keeps 100 percent of the revenues generated by civil forfeitures, creating a perverse incentive to seize as much property as possible.  Fortunately for Delaware citizens, law enforcement in the state does not seem to have used forfeiture as aggressively as the law permits.  It is hard to know the extent of forfeiture in Delaware, though, because there is no provision under state law that requires data to be collected or reported.
1460  Other / Politics & Society / Re: america on: August 15, 2015, 01:06:51 PM
Here are some statistics for you on police killings from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_the_United_States

List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, 2015 (listed: 323)
List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, 2014 (listed: 623)
List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, 2013 (listed: 337)
List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, 2012 (listed: 602)
List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, 2011 (listed: 166)
List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, 2010 (listed: 284)
List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, 2009 (listed: 62)
List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States prior to 2009 (listed: 215)
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