Libertarians built a Bitcoin economy in a small town, feds shut it down

[LoyceV]

How's the weather in el salvador. If raids are on the table, I wonder if bitcoin safe havens will see a good influx of crypto migrants. Crypto refugees?

I'd prefer a raid by the FEDs over a raid by a gang:

El Salvador has one of the highest crime rates in Latin America. Violence between gangs is common and targets are usually rival gang members or the military and police. While most gang violence occurs away from tourists and visitors, no location is completely safe. Most visits to El Salvador are trouble-free but there have been isolated attacks on tourists including robberies, car-jackings and violent assaults.

avoid displaying items of value
there remains a small risk of kidnapping
if you’re attacked, don’t resist

[1715299537]

1715299537

[1715299537]

1715299537

[1715299537]

1715299537

[1715299537]

1715299537

[Ucy]

One of the strongest points presented by the police was that libertarians were exchanging with a drugs dealer aware about who the man was, since he was an undercover agent and exposed it later.

What kind drug? Paracetamol, ibuprofen, cocaine, etc? I actually think the government can decide to allow/ban certain man-drugs... but natural herbal drug shouldn't be... It's doesn't make sense to ban them.  They can however have laws against their abuse.
You can't tell a Christian not to eat/use a particular herb whereas they are permitted to eat it by their laws.     

[Fesatmas]

I wonder why a country that has gained her independence way back 1847 is still blind and dumb about the renaissance of the world's economy,which has simply grown above trade by batter into currency exchange. Bitcoin, to them is maybe seen as a medium some group of gangsters or Internet guru practically gets money in the name of foreign currency trading and profit making over time ...
The may believe its fake so the begin to work against it..
But who gave these police men or the government Authority over someone's private affair???
To the extent of demolishing buildings and machine with funds that worth that amount??
The should better be illuminated so they could even depend and invest thier country's economy..Thanks

Because that's how the real owners of this country want things to be, they want chaos and divide among the people so their power won't be threatened because they know that a united people is going to be a problem for them, they are only 1% so they have to do all means possible to keep the chaos. Also, this is a big threat to us as a community because it can happen to any of us.

Don't get me wrong, the opposition and the regime always try to create a conflict that is designed to make people feel confused about which policy to side with. In this situation the US always tries to be a hero even by placing it as a supporter of weapons even though it is still with world security and so on. Who dares then he will be silenced. Which country stands and will be confused with its own brother.
The term liberal appears as a form that is not much different, the term only evolved based on the era that led it.
Sometimes in the economy, Bitcoin becomes a target to beat the wealth of the bankers, dealing with the problems behind the politicians behind the round table.

[uneng]

One of the strongest points presented by the police was that libertarians were exchanging with a drugs dealer aware about who the man was, since he was an undercover agent and exposed it later.

What kind drug? Paracetamol, ibuprofen, cocaine, etc? I actually think the government can decide to allow/ban certain man-drugs... but natural herbal drug shouldn't be... It's doesn't make sense to ban them.  They can however have laws against their abuse.
You can't tell a Christian not to eat/use a particular herb whereas they are permitted to eat it by their laws.     

Natural herbs have healing properties that shouldn't be wasted, but it doesn't mean they should be used in innapropriate ways. Anyway, the main issue presented here isn't the drugs usage itself, but the coop relationship that was established between the called libertarians and the potential drugs dealer who approached the community.
If that was really the case, the police was just doing their legit job and the community members victimizing themselves. I believe there are no excuses to maintain a relationship with a drugs dealer since this kind of people is involved in the most atrocious acts against civilized society.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

If there is actually a connection with drug dealing (either intentionally or not), then it will be impossible to side with these people.

For me, siding with them would depend on what kind of drugs were being dealt and exactly what they're connection was to it.  I generally don't like drug dealers, but I've met a lot of them through my work and not all of them are equal.  Some do it out of desperation, some to feed their own addictions, and then there are others who are absolute scumbags who don't care about the people they're hurting in the least.  

And what if the drug was marijuana?  In that case, I wouldn't care whatsoever.  But in any case, yeah....it sure would be nice if the public were given enough detail such that they could make an informed opinion on the matter.

I don't believe everything the feds are claiming (we saw that in the case of Ross Ulbricht), but it looks like some amount of shady activity was going on there.  

Man, if you dig into anyone's doings far enough, you'll find something shady.  But I don't trust law enforcement reports to be accurate, nor those made by the media.  This group doesn't sound like it was some backwater, anti-government militia that operates out of a fortified compound, though.  It'd be nice to hear an opposing viewpoint or at least a news report with verified facts.

What kind drug? Paracetamol, ibuprofen, cocaine, etc? I actually think the government can decide to allow/ban certain man-drugs... but natural herbal drug shouldn't be... It's doesn't make sense to ban them.  They can however have laws against their abuse.
You can't tell a Christian not to eat/use a particular herb whereas they are permitted to eat it by their laws.     

Ah, I didn't read your post before making mine (I'll never get over that bad habit).  Drug laws, IMO, are counterproductive.  People are going to use drugs regardless of their legality--they always have, they always will.  Prohibition in the 1920s failed spectacularly, as did Reagan's war on drugs.  Putting people in prison for substances they choose to ingest is just another infringement on individual freedom. 

Yes, the problem of addiction is a very real, very serious one--but do laws help the problem at all?  Nope.  They just make the US's incarceration rate even higher, and drug users need help and not punishment.

[Fesatmas]

Natural herbs have healing properties that shouldn't be wasted, but it doesn't mean they should be used in innapropriate ways. Anyway, the main issue presented here isn't the drugs usage itself, but the coop relationship that was established between the called libertarians and the potential drugs dealer who approached the community.
If that was really the case, the police was just doing their legit job and the community members victimizing themselves. I believe there are no excuses to maintain a relationship with a drugs dealer since this kind of people is involved in the most atrocious acts against civilized society.

More precisely, it will have an impact on the next generation, if it is allowed to circulate on a large scale and there are no actions that incriminate the dealers. We clearly condemn, according to the rules of all countries that drugs are still a threat and are mutually agreed upon in every country (except for other rules that I don't know about in which countries drugs are free to roam). However, so far, which country has tried to loosen the rules on drug dealers and let people go free. What will happen in the future if it is left like that?

[jaysabi]

....

I'm surprised this hasn't received more publicity.

There is an odd angle here where they praise bitcoin cash and criticize bitcoin for not adopting larger block sizes
...

I do not see this as a big event to be honest. There are many "libertarian" groups in the US and many of them are simply a poor excuse for a hillbilly group of half drug traffickers and half drunkards waving the confederate flag.

Those that are not, are actually trying to live a delusion, trying to live their lives as if there were on a free country - meaning they can ignore the laws - and declare some short of sovereignty and be left alone. The world does not work like that. If you want a libertarian state, you will need to either conquer one by war or by convincing a massive number of people. And that is only to create it, then you will need to defend it. Anything else is delusional.

On the bitcoin cash topic, I see that these people wanted to use bitcoin as currency, as it was intended in the beginning, and that spirit is better achieved with BCH

I never understood the adherence to smaller block sizes either.  It's like hardcoding a limit into the ability to enable mass adoption.  A currency that can't be used without lengthy transaction delays or significant fees is not a useful currency.  But the ship has long sailed on bitcoin as a functional currency.  Now it's all about price appreciation and FOMO.  No one uses it as a currency.

[dkbit98]

One more interesting article related with Ian Freeman and continuation of his story and releasing from jail after he paid $200,000 bond, and waiting for minimum ten years or life time in prison!
This is probably one of the best crypto related articles I ever saw, released for New York Magazine on August 16 after Freeman was interviewed by journalist Simon Wood.
Ian talks about his early life and how he became libertarian after first time smoking a pot at age 16, and after that he was bitten by a Bitcoin bug like many other libertarians.
Freeman could have been a bitcoin billionaire now but he regrets nothing according to his own words:

Is there something I regret? I mean, of course not.
This is my mission. I’ve been given this mission from God to get this alternative form of value into people’s hands.

I don't think Freeman should go to prison for life, but in this twisted system anything is possible, while real criminal politicians are safe at their homes living as fat parasites.
You can listen to Freeman on his radio website:
https://www.freetalklive.com/


Source: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/08/bitcoin-ian-freeman-fbi-doj.html
archive: https://archive.ph/61xUa