by Mr Penguin | Jun 8, 2025 |
Bitcoin Pizza Day 2025, Keene, NH
On May 22, 2025 Keene, NH had it’s annual Bitcoin Pizza Day event and as usual it was a roaring success! To top it all off Bitcoin reached a record high of $111,000 on May 22, 2025, coinciding with the 15th anniversary of the first real-world Bitcoin transaction known as Bitcoin Pizza Day.
While for libertarians this isn’t really about the value of the coin so much as the principles and morals it’s representing: Freedom, control, and privacy. The later of which Bitcoin isn’t, but unlike fiat currencies (government money and the associated systems of banking, money transmission, etc) does retain a pseudonymous property in that a user does not need register their identity to merely utilize it or conduct business.
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by Mr Penguin | May 14, 2025 |
Police officer: Scott Merrell
Gang member Scott Merrell testifies against free stater Alec in trial involving possession of weed
Charge: Non-criminal violation for possession of weed
Video: Watch the full trial video
On May 28th, 2023 at around 12:30AM free stater Alec was pulled over for speeding doing 51 mph in a 40 mph zone. After running Alec’s plate dispatch informed the officer that the vehicle was stolen. Officer Scott Merrell then proceeded to ask Alec to step out of the car based on a false belief the vehicle or registration were stolen.
During the trial the officer testified that “I saw what appeared to be a glass pipe in the operators lap with green vegetative flakes around him” and according to the officer when Alec stepped out of the vehicle the glass pipe fell to the ground.
After further investigation it turned out the vehicle was not stolen.
At trial the prosecutor questioned the officer asking various questions about the stop.
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by Mr Penguin | Apr 2, 2025 |
Bradley made a comment previously about a case involving Robert L. Lamontagne who was convicted by a jury for a crime he didn’t commit. His comment should have been a blog post, and so I’ll post it here now. The important thing to remember about this case is Robert has maintained his innocence for close to 40 years and that the evidence relied upon to convict was sourced from a corrupt law enforcement officer.
Bradley’s not a libertarian, though taking up a worthy cause, and he’s a former law enforcement officer himself. Robert is not a libertarian either, but also pursuing a worthy cause of making the public aware of the injustices in the system. He has little to gain, and will at a minimum suffer from harassment for bringing his story to light.
Bardley’s comment emphases a systematic problem with our “justice system”. It convicts folks without sufficient evidence and with “evidence” that is tainted. When a jury hasn’t been made aware of an officer’s problematic history of telling lies those involved in failing to inform the defense should be criticized, arrested, and charged.
In this case the law enforcement officers whose testimony the jury relied on to convict was on the lorry list and should never have been used at trial. This was not revealed to the defendant and laws were broken by the prosecutor and law enforcement. This is not a story about a child rapist, but a story about a man wrongfully convicted based on tainted evidence who is himself a victim of the system. The law enforcement officer whose ethics are in question made a name for himself “protecting kids”, but in reality has gained notoriety by luring men into situations under false pretenses and then making false claims about their actions, intent, and/or circumstances.
Bradly’s comments:
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by Mr Penguin | Nov 1, 2024 |
An important message from the Free Ian Now team:
I hope this message finds you well. I’m reaching out to share an urgent update about my friend, Ian Freeman, a dedicated advocate for Bitcoin, who is fighting to reunite with his family after being wrongfully imprisoned.
Ian’s journey has been a heartbreaking one. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for operating a Bitcoin exchange, but the charges against him are deeply flawed. Rather than being a criminal, Ian has been a pioneer in promoting financial independence through cryptocurrency. His prosecution raises alarming questions about government overreach and the rights of innovators—issues that affect us all.
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by ridley | Aug 10, 2024 |
Freedom folk spend should spend less time worrying about AI and more time influencing it.
Pure libertarians have a key part to play in the direction of artificial intelligence, but few of us seem to be intentionally playing that part. A Startpage internet search for the word “A.I. libertarian” yields few meaningful results.
Our role should be to help ensure the “Zero Aggression Principle” is followed – or at least represented – in AI development and behavior. For uninitiated readers, the “ZAP” is the idea that you shouldn’t initiate force against others. Reasonable self defense is allowed, but don’t *start* fights.
This concept is always open to interpretation and definition-debate. But it serves as a first rate starting point for any ethical framework….especially the ethical frameworks in development for strong AI programs. The more closely people follow the ZAP, the less threatening they tend to be. So it is with animals. And so it will be with the powerful silicon intellects which are starting to appear on the scene. AI’s programmed to follow the ZAP will likely be the ones best suited to treat others well without submitting to mistreatment or abuse.
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by ridley | May 5, 2024 |
https://forum.shiresociety.com/t/free-talk-live-sponsor-roger-ver-arrested-in-spain-on-u-s-tax-evasion-charges/13808
