Gavin will visit the Council on Foreign Relations

[freedomno1]

This might be what happened to Satoshi.....please be careful!

First an invite, then the next thing you know you're chained in a dungeon alongside the infamous Bitcoin creator.

Gavin might enjoy that
He found Satoshi!
Sorry for teasing ^_^

And if you take over the world I want administration of Britannia whistle 

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[Dalkore]

Very interesting that they extended this invitation.  Keep us posted.  Congrats.  

[lucullus]

I've accepted an invitation to do a question and answer session at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, DC on Thursday, February 6, 2014.

I've been told anything related to the Council on Foreign Relations tickle's peoples Grand Conspiracy buttons, so I thought it would be best to be open about exactly what will happen. I hope it doesn't spark as long a thread as my visit to the CIA, but Bitcoin is a lot bigger than when I visited the CIA...

Anyway, here's the invitation I received:

On behalf of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), I write to invite you to speak to our Washington-based members as part of our Voices of the Next Generation series. This program seeks to bring together our members with fresh, young voices in the nation’s foreign policy discourse. Given your work with BitCoin, you would be an important addition to the series. In the past, the Voices of the Next Generation series has featured Esther Duflo, Abdul Latif Jameel professor of poverty alleviation and development economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ayman Mohyeldin, Middle East correspondent, Al-Jazeera English, and Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director, Code for America.

CFR is a nonpartisan national membership organization and think tank, as well as the publisher of Foreign Affairs. Among our members are many past and present U.S. presidents, secretaries of state, defense, and treasury, as well as other senior U.S. government officials, renowned scholars, and major leaders of American business, media, and nongovernmental groups.

The format of the event will be a 90-minute question&answer session, moderated by somebody yet-to-be-determined. It will be "on the record," meaning press could be invited to attend and recordings and/or transcripts may be posted on CFR's website.

The audience will be CFR members and invited guests (and maybe press); it is not open to the public. I am not getting paid by the CFR.

I actually think it's cool. It's actually a sign of respect for the community that they'd want to meet with Gavin. If they were totally hostile there would be no meetings.

We have to get on from the conspiracy theories. Let us be realistic, if someone has to meet with these groups it should probably be Gavin. I view this development as excessively positive for the future of Bitcoin.

One of the greatest intellectuals of the United States, Noam Chomsky, has some interesting things to say how forums such as the CFR operate: "The Council on Foreign Relations is essentially the business input to foreign policy plainning." [1] As far as I can tell inside the US Chomsky is seen as a conspiracy theorist or left-wing nut (which would be certainly the view inside of circles such as the CFR). But the view outside of the US is quite different. What I would like to see is the cryptocurrency system becoming more international. The foundation claims that bitcoin is "non-political online money", which is really absurd if one thinks about it.

[1] http://www.chomsky.info/talks/19850319.htm

One interesting fact about the politics of the US. The more you represent the actual politics of the US in your speech the more you will be presented as a lunatic. That does not mean that you're not representing a certain political demographic, it just means that the political views in the US are all presented as crazy by the media. It's not a left or right thing, it's inclusion or exclusion.

arent you a crappy lil poster

[coinrevo]

How about visiting a council of foreign relations in china or russia? any invitations yet?

[Hippie Tech]

Everyone !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fnmhj58o0k

[NewLiberty]

Question: What do you call a Bitcoin which has the advantage of full compliance but the disadvantage of freezable wallets, fully traceable transactions and black-listable coins?

Answer:  A traditional bank account.


I.e If any change is implemented that effects the principals on which Bitcoin was founded it will just fork and take 80% of it's user base with it.
It will be so obvious it is no longer 'Bitcoin' that it's one of the biggest non-threats I've come across.  
I think what Gavin is doing is very smart, it buys Bitcoin (Which does have some actual weak spots - like  the centralisation of mining) a lot of time to expand & address issues without being curtailed.

In fact I'd encourage him to offer them a Bitcoin that has everything they could possibly want and more to be included in single update with 6 months notice. (Of course this will set him up as Dr. Evil in the eyes of the Bitcoin community but it looks like it's a sacrifice his willing to make.)

Question: Should I stay on the original Bitcoin fork or switch over to Bitchcoin?

Answer: Hmm, such a tough decision...

Personally, my response is, thank you.

Wouldn't it be nice to see that list?  It might be different from what's expected.  With all the fiat that came from the CFR's forebears, they might ask for something interesting and telling, they've been at this a long time.

Unless something changes, the future leaders of the US Government will be in that room.

They can be expected to believe what they have written here:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43339.pdf
Which they reference here:
http://www.cfr.org/economics/crs-bitcoin-questions-answers-analysis-legal-issues/p32148
It cites some of the more wicked expansions of monetary authority and centralization in US caselaw.

That they are coming to you for your help in these early days is surely interesting, you will take on a bit of their taint in this transaction, and they yours.  

[MikeH]

hmm..  

"Unremarked in any of the media coverage of the (Fed) appointments is the significant fact that all four of these Obama nominations to one of the most powerful institutions on the planet are not only members, but high-level operatives, of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the premier U.S. “think tank” promoting world government for the past century."

http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/item/17381-cfr-sweep-at-fed-obama-names-fischer-brainard-powell-to-join-yellen

[Adrian-x]

They can be expected to believe what they have written here:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43339.pdf

Wow thanks for the link - Gavin if you are up to it your public comments on any of the topics under consideration would be appreciated.

[guybrushthreepwood]

They can be expected to believe what they have written here:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43339.pdf

Wow thanks for the link - Gavin if you are up to it your public comments on any of the topics under consideration would be appreciated.

Can anyone summarise this for others? I haven't got a PDF viewer seemingly.

[dewdeded]

Can anyone summarise this for others? I haven't got a PDF viewer seemingly.

Here is the (unformatted) text: http://pastebin.com/6ehbDZiY

[guybrushthreepwood]

Can anyone summarise this for others? I haven't got a PDF viewer seemingly.

Here is the (unformatted) text: http://pastebin.com/6ehbDZiY

Thanks! Appreciate it.

[NewLiberty]

hmm..  

"Unremarked in any of the media coverage of the (Fed) appointments is the significant fact that all four of these Obama nominations to one of the most powerful institutions on the planet are not only members, but high-level operatives, of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the premier U.S. “think tank” promoting world government for the past century."

http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/item/17381-cfr-sweep-at-fed-obama-names-fischer-brainard-powell-to-join-yellen

More remarkable would be a Federal Reserve Board member that was NOT high up at CFR.  CFR members are a very large percentage of appointments.  The same folks started the CFR as the Federal reserve anyhow.
Are there members of the president's cabinet without CFR tenure?

As to the ridicule of "US Agenda" point raised early, some there may see weakening of the USA as a world authority as a necessary element of engendering war, which is the primary means of assuring all nations indebtedness to banking (Rothchild Formula).¹  The theory being that a single "peacekeeper" national authority might presage decreased war.
Further to that, the banks have enough US debt established so to the extent that the US hedgemon can deter aggression from countries that are not currently in debt, US power runs counter to the bankers interests, as they don't need more war from the US.

From a completely cynical banker-power perspective this might make sense?

For purpose of full disclosure, I take CFR's Foreign Affairs subscription, and read much of what they put forward on many topics, but am not a member of anything related.

Also of interest from the CFR here is their paper suggestion that the IMF perform some regulatory activity in regards Bitcoin by referencing:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2248419
or
http://pastebin.com/xpBHMJMe

Of note, the CFR definitely treat Bitcoin primarily as a currency.

Essentially this shows how they are setting Bitcoin up to take the blame for some future national currency failures.  Section 5 of that paper may be of specific interest:
"V. HOW TO COUNTER THE BITCOIN THREAT VIA THE IMF"
What enforcement mechanism this may take is not determined and the document recognizes it as a problem.  Some of the mechanisms suggested would certainly take the help of someone like Gavin, others such as interfering in FOREX and Exchange markets are things they already do for other currencies.

[waxwing]

Also of interest from the CFR here is their paper suggestion that the IMF perform some regulatory activity in regards Bitcoin by referencing:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2248419
or
http://pastebin.com/xpBHMJMe

Of note, the CFR definitely treat Bitcoin primarily as a currency.

Essentially this shows how they are setting Bitcoin up to take the blame for some future national currency failures.  Section 5 of that paper may be of specific interest:
"V. HOW TO COUNTER THE BITCOIN THREAT VIA THE IMF"
What enforcement mechanism this may take is not determined and the document recognizes it as a problem.  Some of the mechanisms suggested would certainly take the help of someone like Gavin, others such as interfering in FOREX and Exchange markets are things they already do for other currencies.

The paper is bizarre in a number of ways, but what I find particularly odious is the repeated reference to a hypothesized "speculative attack by bitcoin holders". I suppose the author would characterize the 50% (hyper)inflation in Venezuelan bolivars right now as a "speculative attack by dollar holders". What he means by "attack" is voluntarily choosing to hold bitcoins instead of national currency.

To be fair, it *is* possible to short dollars against btc on margin by borrowing them, which of course is easier than it should be due to rigged low interest rates. He worries that raising interest rates would be terrible for national economies (read: terrible for banking cronies printing to QE infinity). That, of course, is us evil bitcoiners' fault.

[NewLiberty]

Also of interest from the CFR here is their paper suggestion that the IMF perform some regulatory activity in regards Bitcoin by referencing:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2248419
or
http://pastebin.com/xpBHMJMe

Of note, the CFR definitely treat Bitcoin primarily as a currency.

Essentially this shows how they are setting Bitcoin up to take the blame for some future national currency failures.  Section 5 of that paper may be of specific interest:
"V. HOW TO COUNTER THE BITCOIN THREAT VIA THE IMF"
What enforcement mechanism this may take is not determined and the document recognizes it as a problem.  Some of the mechanisms suggested would certainly take the help of someone like Gavin, others such as interfering in FOREX and Exchange markets are things they already do for other currencies.

The paper is bizarre in a number of ways, but what I find particularly odious is the repeated reference to a hypothesized "speculative attack by bitcoin holders". I suppose the author would characterize the 50% (hyper)inflation in Venezuelan bolivars right now as a "speculative attack by dollar holders". What he means by "attack" is voluntarily choosing to hold bitcoins instead of national currency.

To be fair, it *is* possible to short dollars against btc on margin by borrowing them, which of course is easier than it should be due to rigged low interest rates. He worries that raising interest rates would be terrible for national economies (read: terrible for banking cronies printing to QE infinity). That, of course, is us evil bitcoiners' fault.

Maybe it seems bizarre from our perspective?

Take it from their point of view.  These are the descendants of the folks that have created all the central banks.  It is their divine right to govern all the world and hold it to their standard such that any who seek their own liberty are an aberrant evil needing to be quashed.  The contempt sometimes bleeds through the artful rhetoric.  It is all for our own protection, you know.  Law and government are just tools to keep the wayward in line, fat, dumb and happily chewing cud and milked until slaughter time.

OK, that maybe goes a little far, most of them are not at all like that....but there are some few there for which it does not go far enough.

[Bitware]

Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase and the Council on Foreign Relations stated,

"They [Bitcoins] will eventually be made as a payment system to follow the same standards as the other payment systems and that will be probably be the end of them," he said.

http://www.businessinsider.com/jp-morgans-jamie-dimon-on-bitcoin-2014-1

... in case anyone was still wondering why Gavin was summoned.

And yea, Jamie Dimon is a member... scroll down - http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=D

[NewLiberty]

Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase and Council on Foreign Relation stated,

"They will eventually be made as a payment system to follow the same standards as the other payment systems and that will be probably be the end of them," he said.

http://www.businessinsider.com/jp-morgans-jamie-dimon-on-bitcoin-2014-1

Oh Jamie, how common of you.  That is the old method.

In response to the government-created problem of too-big-to-fail banks, new regulation was created for all banks.  The new regulation is the same no matter how big the bank so the little ones can barely afford it and have to sell out to the big ones, creating even more too-bigger-to-fail.

Banking regulation is often the use of law/government/force against your competition to ensure your continued capability to charge the highest fee.  It is no surprise that Dimon runs to this for defense.

P2P bitcoin puts this to the lie though.  When we are all our own bank, just how much regulation can be demanded?  It is not as though there is even a way to regulate every individual in this way.  Furthermore we are not asking for "consumer protections" we are asking for the opposite of that:  Protection from your consumer protections through the use of math and code.  Let us then protect ourselves, please.

[MikeH]

And yea, Jamie Dimon is a member... scroll down - http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=D

he's just anti-bictoin cos Max Keiser calls him a criminal and says he'd like to give him syphilis for christmas.

[ArticMine]

the CFR are scumbags, we should settle on a code so you can clue us into what happened, eg. at the next conference bend over and rub your butt if you've been blackmailed to sabotage bitcoin.

actually I don't think they'll want to kill it, going by all their talk about the NWO in their own publications the corporate members probably love bitcoin, if they weren't behind it to begin with - at the very least they'll find it useful in their drug running and other criminal activity.


wait.. what's this about the Bitcoin Foundation collaborating with the Gates foundation and Brookings Institute?

they wouldn't give a shit about child exploitation, along with the list below Gates is also invested in Nestle who obtain cocoa through child slavery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQvEX2Xait4

There is a very simple way to deal with this: Just use GNU/Linux instead of Microsoft Windows.

[Morbo]

There is a very simple way to deal with this: Just use GNU/Linux instead of Microsoft Windows.

This kind of escapism serves you well when you don't have to interact with the whole Microsoft ecosystem and its dumb users at all, not many people can afford that.

[2bfree]

I'm usually pretty careful not to call people names.  Did I screw up?

I DO think there are lots of crazy conspiracy theories. I might even believe some of them myself, but that doesn't make me crazy (just "almost certainly wrong.").

RE: child exploitation:  Good example.  We all agree that child exploitation is BAD, right?

We might disagree about what (if anything) we should DO about it, but isn't it worth discussing whether or not there is something we MIGHT do about it?  For example, maybe offering mostly-anonymous bounties to reward anybody who gives information that leads to the arrest and conviction of people abusing children for profit or pleasure is a good idea.  Maybe those bounties could be paid in Bitcoin.

Maybe that is a terrible idea that will have awful consequences, but instead of rational discussion there's a knee-jerk GOVERNMENT BAD! that, in my humble opinion, is counter-productive to making the world a better place.

I don't like people assuming that they know what I'm thinking, or assume that because I'm willing to talk to people that I agree with those people, or assume that because I'm pragmatic about regulation I "want regulation."  For the record:  I'm mostly libertarian, I think we'd be just fine if we replaced 99.911% of regulations with voluntary, private, market-based solutions. But that ain't gonna happen any time soon.

Gavin short comment about government bad, if republic where regulation to regulate government then not bad, if the other way around then bad. I use to think people need to be regulated will I met a congressmen from Texas who explained how it should be. Trust me when I say something is wrong. Just be nice and buy us time most of the evil is financed by central banks I met Ben Still he understands that but he hasn't figured out the solution yet this community is closest to the solution if we don't get crushed somehow so stall be nice but know who you are dealing with the those who fear the people or those who the people fear (tyranny or liberty).

In any case I can't wait to read (or watch,listen) to the report. Good luck!