The TSA is looking for Bitcoin

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Mar 6, 2014, 2:14 pm

#16

sbrower

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Quote:

Originally Posted by flyerhog

Or the Magic the Gathering Online Bitcoin Exchange is simply incompetent to handle business transactions. Occam's razor, my friend.

1. I am a lawyer. While I believe in the principle of Occam's razor, I see way too many exceptions.

2. Mt. Gox said that not only did they lose the Bitcoins, but they ALSO lost all the money in their bank accounts. Online banking isn't yet Magic the Gathering.

3. When you take a 50 year view of ACTUAL disclosures, "governmental action" may be the more likely explanation. Isn't it necessary to agree on the "most likely" cause in order to perform a valid analysis?

Mar 7, 2014, 12:15 pm

#17

mikeef

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Quote:

Originally Posted by sbrower

1. I am a lawyer. While I believe in the principle of Occam's razor, I see way too many exceptions.

No way they'd let you bring that on the plane. Not only does it conflict with the TSA's policy of "failed logic" but it's also a razor.

Mike

Mar 8, 2014, 1:46 am

#18

FredAnderssen

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Quote:

Originally Posted by WillCAD

This whole money thing has always steamed me. I think if I were rich enough, I'd love to travel around with a wad of cash - say, $11,000 - just to piss off the rank and file TSOs who are always on the lookout for that big drug money catch.

And you can travel with far less -- just a few thousand dollars -- and still be harassed and possibly have the cash confiscated.

Mar 8, 2014, 7:21 am

#19

InkUnderNails

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Quote:

Originally Posted by FredAnderssen

And you can travel with far less -- just a few thousand dollars -- and still be harassed and possibly have the cash confiscated.

If I were to try this little experiment, I would have a stack of bill sized paper topped by a single large bill, maybe a $100 but more likely a well used $50. The stack would be securely wrapped in shrink wrap and taped.

Every single non-money piece of paper would have the following: "Only an idiot would not know that I can travel domestically with however much cash I pleased. So, why are you reading this?"

Mar 8, 2014, 8:11 am

#20

GUWonder

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Quote:

Originally Posted by sbrower

Reading this thread I had a sudden thought. Do you think that the failure of Mt. Gox was actually caused by a governmental agency for the purposes of destabilizing the Bitcoin market to end a "threat" to currency control?

Well, some conspiracy theory characters have speculated that Bitcoin was created by a party on the government's take.

If you want to monitor the market, why not co-opt (at least some) "supplier(s)" to the market and (at least some of the) market exchanges? If you want to monitor the market, why not disrupt those who undermine your ability to monitor the market? This wouldn't be the first time a government has taken such an approach to wage one or more of its non-winnable "wars". Regardless of who created the product/"currency".

Mar 8, 2014, 3:34 pm

#21

FredAnderssen

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Quote:

Originally Posted by InkUnderNails

That's a great idea. It's always fun to mess with the idiots of the TSA.

How about a poker chip from a large Las Vegas casino? Aren't there ones that are worth 100 grand? One would think the TSA would be looking for those, too.