Short answer - yes, they can.
All other opinions are just speculations, what they can do immediatly, and what they can after some time.

What you should bring in consideration - Goverments is not sure of bitcoins results to economics.
They are curios, like we are, on destiny of crypto currency. We still have some gap.

I am count this gap, as at least one year. Look at the date when Gavin was invited to the CIA conference and make a rough estimation

Cypherdoc- you are overexcited - beware of that filling - its dangerous.

You are all refer to $ as to some steady and relible value.
I am do not want to hurt anybody, but that is fantom, especcialy if you will look on $ from outside US boundaries.
$ is absolutly fiat now. I am just do not know how much cost one penny.
I am suggest that 1 dollar coupeur is worse more than one dollar.

We need some external help from economist. Yes Economists are not just some " Idiots that spend their time in universites". The really know some good stuff , that they learned on second or third courses.

We need to determine BTC coefficient, that reflex buy/sell power of bitcoin in relation to GOODS.

On really important goods, that are important for surviving: Salt, matches, bread, meat, fish, beans, gas, black iron, steel, coal, and so on. Including some luxury goods in that index should be considered illegal.
No monkey brains should counts as meat. No fuga fish should considered as fish. No luxury bath should considered as black iron. That things should reffer in their prices to main BTC index.

Point is - we nead some index to relay on. We need some numbers that we can show in our groceries as solid price, that we did not must change every day. There is somne coeef that can  be changed 30 times in a day. And some steady value that can be shown in some number value - price of goods. Now BTC related to that value as 1 btc -  30 unints of that constant value, tomorrow it will reffer to it like 1 to 100.
Than its just easy calculation. we can have some STABLE VALUE OF THE GOODS. And we can easy relate to this value in BTC.

I am to drunk to post that idea clearly. But i am hope that somebody got it in their mind.
Feel freee to use it. - that idea  is  hopping in the air for long time - feel free to use it.

I am will post  that b-sht untill someone will interested in that and start some constructive dialog about that. From that point, my shady mind will not help that idea anymore.

I am was always inrerested, why in topics like that, palladium was never mentioned.

 I am think there is a point, where we should ask help from economists. We need some indicator that not depends on some indicator of other currence. We need indication that will relay on value of impotant to survive things, wright now. Without relation on some inflatione currence. I am believe that, that this task are not so unknown by the economists. We need to point some coefficient, that we can show in our BTC prices.
We can even - depend on  that coeef. to clear out why our prices is that high or low.

Untill we have some steady BTC course, i am suggest that we, traders, will show our prices in relarion on that coeef.  THat will clear out questions on unfair BTC course of our sales.  

WE NEED SOME CONSTANT THERE.

We should to produce some constant, depending on things, that are reallly important.
Gas, bread, meat, beans, matches, salt, coffee, tea, sugar, chocolate, tabac, alcohol, black iron, steel,  and so on.

We cant depend on some virtual "price of dollar", or "evro". We need  some HARD index to relay on.
We need some hard trusted index of bitcoin value. We can even show our prices in that index. An if BTC value will change to other currencies, we still can show our prices in that value. For our customers, that will indicate how much of BTC they should pay for box of matches by easy calculating. That prices will not depend on our will - but on our greed. And users will have free choose to buy our goods now, or buy that goods later in other place.

Once again - we should not make our prices related to BTC  value to other currencies. We shoild can be able to show some prices in units that are relevant to BTC  currency cost to some REAL market things.

We should be able to post some relativly constant price in that unit (well, in matter of at least year),
and bill our customers without questions, according to that relatyve unit, in BTC.

i am hope, that somebody understand that idea better then i am, - i am to drunk, and will put some more clare explonation on it.

I am think that is important"
1-st)  - real economical index of bitcoin value.
2-nd) - Stable (anough to deal witj them  in practice) prices in some Units that related to BTC prices (depending on index).

I am weel post that idea abroad, cose i am feal that idea is important enough.
BUT, i am not pretend to be avtor of that idea in any way, - it`s just  flying around for long time.

Feel free to use or accomodate it without anu questions to me.
  

You should understan one single point - users  of bitcoins not worried becose of patents.
Why ?
They do not worried by patent schems it self.  Patents may burn in hell now.
Only what cares bitcoin community - How to do it ?  And it will happy to get answer through bounty system.

Patents, by itself, is on great danger now. I am happy with that. Is there anybody willing to place eternity life for human beings there ? I am will happy to place bounty on that  .

I am not in any way want to stop you brave fight. I am will describe why. We need at least one state, that does not announce bitcoins outside the law and allow  operation of an exchange with him. Incidentally, this state can become very rich, by the way.  States should fight for that privilege. That is their willings - should their stand on their knees, or they have enough will to fight. Fight not with their arms, but with their wisdom and diplomatic assets.  There is already many good candidates - Greece, Serbia, Horvatia, Slovenia,  - that states are already suffer allot, and we can hope that worldwide attention will not leave them alone in their struggle.  Russia will not stop BTC`s , cose its great instrument to move corrupt money around the glob (let`s face the truce). China will not blok the BTC`s for long time, longer than any other country. They even can hold with some hopes in it. With their believe in long term profit, they will be always mistaken. This error will occur because of their self-confidence, on their analyses. Stupid, - Economics did not experiment  taken in some controlled pool, - It happens in wide open sea of variables. You never can be sure that you will have some advantages, only thing you can count on - somebody will have that advantages, and then hope, that it will be you. Looks i`m to drunk to declare my thoughts clearly. Just ignore them.

Well, you did major step in that direction - open id auth is available - the rest is technical problem.

PS: That will be wanderfull, if you will able to add possibility to buy their work. Wright now i am download Carina Round albums illegal from torrents .  I am lazy bastard and if there is no link - " Buy easy, with your BTC "   - i am will go the other easy  way.  A am not evil in deep  of my soul, at least i am believe in that.  But i am LAZY anough.  . I am will of cos, "donate" some sum of BTC, but i am cant say, that i am "buy"
something from them.

The problem with donations to artist`s , - donators want not to be anonymous . They do not donate pot smoking legalization, they donate artists. You should  upgrade that site in that way : Artists and anybody, can see who donate them, unless that "whoo"  choose the other way.
Let donators  use some Gmail or facebook  authorization, if donator want to do it in that way.


EDIT: That is realized, as i can see,  so my previous arguments is just blah-blah.
Nice project , find new name for my self - Carina Round. Not a Nina Hagen, but steal - good.

By the way, is there some open code platform for bitcoin accepting sellers ?
 Is there any open soft that will help, even small, buisness owners to manage their wallets in that assets ?
(There is a lot of problems, if you check corresponding threads).
I am think there is a good use for old BTC moneys.
Is it time to declare BOUNTY for such a software right now  ?

Well, i am will say - do it.
Even if that video will be disaster, in process of making that video, you will find many answers on questions that bother you.
People suffering to much from intellectual laziness. That work can not  make you any damage, but can serve as intellectual start up for you, at least.

Well - there is will be drop off in weekend. Do not loose opportunity. 

Сколько было загузок загадочной прграммы бэкапа кошелка ?
(насколько я понимаю, прога была выложена по адресу http://www.mediafire.com/?5ow399n25o9yko9 )

Осторожненько с ней.

Hm... When somebody trying to drawn question in details, that are sign of really hard struggle in mind of questioned person.
I am cant say anything about nature of "mental". I am can advice you to put yourself on place of your ex-stepfather and make some guesses.
Than you can determine, and answer directly on his thoughts. 
Well, that will be harder now, when he received that strange mail, that only hardened his doubts about you.

To avoid legal problems, you can use standard options, and then propose to use BTC, along with other options. That was mentioned above.
So, the main problem is - authentication of user. He will lost his anonymity in process.
No test can be used to prove age. As alternative, only some weird stuff comes to mind.
Like - photo of some body part with proof (like btc address written on paper or on that body part). But that is really mad. And maybe not so effective, until some suit will prove that this is enough.

That happens if you received your bitcoins in small sums, on lots of different addresses. Solution - its still possible to use 0 fee, or at least real low fee, per Kb. Well, you should use that opportunity and accumulate that bitcents on another own account.

That depends on patience of old BTC owners. If their nerves will break at some point and they will start mass sell ... Than we should  talk in terms, of at least,   decades. If they will stay steady, and put BTC on market carefully, well 1000$ is matter of 2-3 years. That counts even in case of some "legal" interference.
 But you never should forget, that BTC can gone with the wind, at any moment, - that is experiment, nobody know for sure what can happen.

Economics is not always a complete answer on question why some societies answer to hard times in "positive" style, and others tend to react in "negative" way, - that  leads to self destruction.

Actually - "minors" are paying for porn successfully wright now, with existing methods. That problem is not solved.
You should determine what you want more clearly. Do you wand to stop minors from easy access to porn, or you just dont want have any legal related problems with this ?
That problems require different approaches and have different prices.
And, "how to not allow access to porn, for minors" (for real), is not solved anyhow, till now.

Well, that article, - is like chewing the same snots again. Sorry.