If your freedom money still requires you to ask permission, is it really freedom money?
Hey đź‘‹
We are doing fundraising campaign to defend #PoW against over-regulation/ban in the EU.
https://geyser.fund/project/defendpow
If you could support our work/repost, we will be very grateful 🫶⚡️
Discussion
You don't have to ask permission. You can absolutely choose to not comply. That doesn't mean there won't be consequences. We will have to choose between definite slavery or potential consequences.
It is not about requesting permission at all. When you defend your freedom it is not requesting something, it is using procedure in democracy (likely we have such privileges) to preserve your position and show wrong approach of government who is representing your interests. Governments live on our money/taxes, and again in democracy you can defend your position in a safe way.
Where are you going to move if all countries become authoritarian?
I don't think you are getting my point at all.
I'm not saying you shouldn't defend freedom, I'm saying you should accept NO regulations at all. Maximum freedom. Your post said you were fighting against overregulation. That implies that you are accepting some regulations. My point is that allowing any involvement will always trend TOWARD less freedom, not more. Government has no business AT ALL in Bitcoin. Not in mining, custody, or trade. None. Allowing any involvement at all will eventually make you lose.
Do you use passport to move from the country to country? Do you use banking? Do you pay your bills? Do you call police/emergency if someone injured? Do you follow rules when driving? Answer to you, not me.
If any of those answers “yes” - it means you comply with regulations or you expect them to be implemented. Im not theoretical, but practical. Your bravery will probably end with the moment of arrest/fines in case if #bitcoin is labeled in the regulations as a tool for illicit activities only.
I’m kinda on your side with this one but do you really think it’s impossible to gain support for no regulation on bitcoin in EU??
Too many actors are pushing for regulation and this process is at the very developing stage.
And it has happened because at the stage of discussion there were no voices of those who defended #bitcoin.
What I try to do to build solidarity circle of bitcoiners and activists to educate legislators and regulators in democracies to slow or minimize draconian regulation approach.
Most of legislators were not aware that the laws they adopted made banking/financial data absolutely exposed to the abuses of dictatorships. And it is not something theoretical: I and many activists, our families paid a huge price for that mistake.
And I ask one simple question to them: give me just one instrument which will replace p2p bitcoin transactions and mixers as a privacy measure to defend my and other activists rights to fundraise and support/transfer money in a safe way for politically repressed people in dictatorships.
So what I hear in response? Regulators and legislators don’t have answers even to protect right now the traditional financial institutions. So this discussion is very effective.
Thank you!!
You should use procedure to remove government entirely. But you only have noncompliance as an option if procedure doesn't work.
Try to live in Somalia or other failed state, then with this experience it will be easier to have discussion.
I don’t have privilege to be theoretical, but I need to have effective tools to resist oppression in the more and more shrinking democratic world.
Your responses make absolutely no sense relative to any of my points so I will go ahead and end the conversation. Thanks, and take care.
We live with different experiences and it is ok, that you don’t get it. Enjoy your freedom. Someone defended it in your country a long time ago. But with current trends it will not last forever.
My freedom in the US was the direct result of people who decided to no longer allow any involvement from the king. They didn't become more free by negotiating with him and settling for not having "overregulation" (whatever that even means). Starting with an undefined definition of success is not a winning strategy. I'm not sure how you're getting that I dont want to fight for freedom out of anything I have said. I've said the exact opposite. You will always end up with more tyranny by allowing any regulation of Bitcoin. They will only ever want more. The only chance of winning long term is to start from the position that you have a right that can't be violated. Allowing any level of violating will only result in future violations. I can't make that any more clear so, again, take care.
It is all about privileges and instruments you have in your hands to defend your life, close to your people, or your peaceful environment, home where do you live. If you don’t defend them, but enjoy your freedoms - it means someone did this job for you.
My 15 years of experience in human rights gave me painful lessons that all freedoms have to be defended or better to be preserved from abuse, and reality doesn’t care if you admit it or not.
In democracies you have more chances to defend/preserve your freedoms in easier and safe way. In case of political prisoners or victims of torture of dictatorships - political pressure of democratic institutions is the only chance to save imprisoned activist’s lives.
In dictatorships even like of the post in social media can cost you a life. Same can happen with bitcoin, especially if democracies label it in the regulations with criminal activities.
#bitcoin as a technology doesn’t need me or you. But it was created by freedom fighter Satoshi #Nakamoto to support freedom fighters. In solidarity I don’t want to allow to some lazy privileged individuals in democratic countries to ban/label #bitcoin or #PoW with any illicit activities/threat to security at the early stage of its existence.
In democracies I can safely explain to regulators that it is an enormous mistake of privileged people, who don’t know what is financial exclusion in practice and forget that technology is always should be evaluated as a neutral tool. It can be used by bad and good actors. But it doesn’t mean that legitimate actors should suffer.
And those whom I met from regulators agreed with me and our recommendations, both in US and EU. That is why I want to continue my work in defense of neutral language to bitcoin and PoW as technology in democracies.
I cannot do this in authoritarian states.
I experienced what does it mean being financially excluded due to coordinated attacks of three dictators in the very heart of EU, in Brussels. Also just as my colleagues activists in dictatorships - we need both bitcoin as the only financial tool we have rights now and both political support of democratic governments who help us to release political prisoners.
I am not criticizing you for advocating for freedom. I am criticizing you for advocating for *Bitcoin* which is supposed not to need such advocacy. If Bitcoin does need advocacy, it is by that very fact unworthy of it.
I understand your point and actually share it absolutely. But I guess you would agree that we still at the early stages of real development of functionality of #bitcoin.
So what I do with my advocacy: I allow and protect end-users (activists) to be able use bitcoin right now as the only payment instrument we have, at the same time to preserve the safe environment for the technology to develop.
But the goal is to have bitcoin based financial instruments which censor resistant. To reach this point of adoption we need still more years. But for many those who are financially excluded in authoritarian states it is a matter of life and death right now.
So I do all possible to have them access/ use of bitcoin right now and be supported by democratic governments due to political repression in their countries right now.