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Overstock.com's first month taking Bitcoin has exceeded their expectations and they quickly passed $1 million dollars worth of Bitcoin transactions.

Davi Barker from BitcoinNotBombs presented his "Authoritarian Sociopathy" project, and was often engaged in Bitcoin conversations that swirled the Summit regarding the issue of government involvement in the use of crytocurrencies like Bitcoin. Davi also attended the Texas Bitcoin Conference along with another Freedom Summit presenter, Meghan Kellison. Meghan focuses her support of Bitcoin as an effective tool for philanthropic efforts like Satoshi Forest. (http://seansoutpost.com/satoshi-forest/)

The same discussion about attempts to regulate Bitcoin by government actions that permeated the Freedom Summit in an intimate and personal exchange of ideas, was duplicated at the Texas Bitcoin Conference. It seemed that, in the end, it was obvious to most that any government involvement in Bitcoin would only be superficial, and would have little effect on the effectiveness of Bitcoin as an alternative to FIAT currencies.

My focus was the use of Bitcoin as a tool of Free Speech. The desire to support liberty causes is building, but the greatest peril to those with resources hoping to further a freedom oriented effort is the threat of retaliatory actions by the status quo at all levels of society that will not hesitate to use the forces of government to have their way. Even the idea of government in general, as an organizer of society, is under attack when individuals financially support efforts that demonstrate the benefits of free-market voluntary solutions in the face of oppressive government coercion, that is designed to economically and socially engineer populations for the benefit of selected monopolies of force and power, inside and outside all levels of government. This "ruling class" is destined for the ash heap of history, and I have personally been witness to the rise of the Phoenix from the ashes in the minds of thousands with the talent and the desire to make it happen.

Bitcoin is easy to use, non-reversible, transparent, and totally open for inspection... but this also leaves a trail back to the individual account that generated the transaction if you are a government with the unlimited resources to "deter" dissent. (http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Funding/Funding-Center.htm)

Thursday morning, March 6th 2014, FreedomsPhoenix posted news articles from AntiWar.com about a confirmed story breaking across the Internet regarding the US supported coup in the Ukraine, during the Olympics in Russia, that uncovered communications confirmed by various governments that protest leaders contracted with the snipers that killed their own supporters. The following day, I received a USA Today newspaper at my hotel in Austin that didn't include this information, and in its place was the expected support of the new leader put in place overnight for Ukraine... a central banker that immediately invited a billion dollar plus gift from the US congress and the involvement of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in the Tax/Debt enslavement of the Ukrainian people.

Sooooo, what happens when an individual with resources thinks it might be a good idea to financially support AntiWar.com's efforts to share this sort of information?... they get on a government list via a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) effort to find out who is supporting this libertarian oriented group's effort to get the truth. (http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2011/08/21/antiwar-com-vs-the-fbi/)

Efforts to protect the users of Bitcoin has been difficult and requires a much higher understanding of crytocurrency use, and often a high understanding of Internet protocols that is far too advanced for the general public. And when the issue is discussed in the media or by government representatives, the issue of privacy is always associated with the desire to purchase drugs or to cause harm... like is done with cash.

Coordinators of the Texas Bitcoin Conference and the Hacker Event that produced $1.25 Million in prizes allowed me to relay my concerns and desires to the hackers, and we talked about this issue on my radio show at length live from the event and while I was a guest on FreeTalkLive that also broadcasted from the event.

Result?... $250,000 was awarded to the crew that demonstrated that just such a tool was possible and that they were the ones to complete the project.... BOOMSHAKALAKA!

Much more to share, but I have to meet Donna's deadlines, too :)

Pictures from the Freedom Summit in Phoenix, AZ February 14-16th, 2014:

Pictures from the Freedom Summit 2014 in Phoenix, AZ - Patrick Byrne, Larken Rose, Will Grigg, Anthony Gregory, Tim Frey, Meghan Kellison, Davi Barker, John Buttrick, Charles Goyette, Paul Rosenberg,Tarrin Lupo, Cody Wilson, John Bush, Catherine Bleish, Marc Victor, James Babb, Rosa Koire, Greg Peterson, Phranq Tamburri, Bill Buppert, and host Ernest Hancock...

Freedom Summit Hosts, Ernest and Donna Hancock: