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by KGIII 3191 days ago
No, my argument boils down to he is willfully breaking the law while openly stating his plans and that the judges aren't going to appreciate that, the SEC isn't going to find it funny, and the prosecuting attorney is going to submit it as evidence. He is doing this while he is fully aware that prison is the likely outcome.

That's not rational. That is irrational thinking that is likely to result in harm coming to the actor.

That's pretty much the definition of mental illness.

They aren't even alone. They are just one example. Watch the comments about ICOs and cryptocurrency. You'll see comments that are saying the government can't stop them, them the individual.

No, the government can't necessarily stop an idea. They can't even really prevent cryptocurrency. What they can do, and do very efficiently, is stop the individual.

That is irrational thinking. It is how people end up in prison. I'd like it if, you know, HN visitors didn't end up in prison. I'm kind of fond of some of you. Prison is not a nice place, I've worked at one.

When you start mucking about with things with real-world implications, it's no longer a game. It's no longer something you can talk your way out of. It has real-world penalties. There are negative consequences.

The government can, and will, stop those who draw negative attention. They really, really hate it when you negatively impact the economy, as a general rule.

However, you're right. It is their life to risk. That doesn't actually make it sane.

It's not like they are going to go to prison rich. No, the government is going to issue fines to go along with their prison sentences. Do not taunt the men with guns. Taunting men with guns only works in video games and movies.

3 comments

Please stop talking about mental health in this context.

You may or may not be correct in your prediction about the legal ramifications of this person's actions actions but making comments about their mental health is completely erroneous.

KGill if you have a specific criticism that we're being irrational, please contact us. Info in profile.

This country was founded on taunting men with guns and winning. Every bit of social progress does too. I am a small actor in comparison but the ideas are what matters.

Aye,

When there's nothing left to believe in,

It's time to make believe something better.

It's not like they are going to go to prison rich.

Well, this is the most interesting part: They will. If they go to prison at all, they'll go to prison rich, and no one will be able to take their money. Once they're out, if their opsec is half-decent, they'll still have it.

Having money in a third-party-inaccessible form just means that when the government decides to confiscate it, you sit in jail indefinitely for contempt of court until you make it accessible.
Well, yes. But that means your opsec has failed. If they know how much Monero you have, you've messed up.

It's quite easy to mess up, of course. But that's beside the point. The idea is to reveal a small sum of money while obscuring most of your proceeds.