Freedom First Bitcoiner

Happy Birthday to the late & great Hal Finney!

GM Nostr ☕️ Reading "The Hidden Cost Of Money" by Seb Bunney Good book - Check it out!

Bitcoin 101 Meetup Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025 Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Location: Private Room @ The Alfred, The Bitcoin Warehouse - 10363 104 Street NW, Edmonton 🔥One Giveaway of 21,000 Satoshi's ($25.00+/-) up for grabs! Hop on board for the second Bitcoin 101 Meetup on April 26th! New to Bitcoin or already hooked? Either way, this sunny session’s got your name on it. We’re bringing the good energy as we explore Bitcoin basics as a crew. We’re meeting Saturday from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM in a private room at The Alfred, nestled in The Bitcoin Warehouse. Our lively Bitcoin enthusiasts are here to lead the way—toss out your questions, grab solid insights, and find resources that fit your vibe. So pumped to see you there!

Edmonton Bitcoin Meetup Recap & Upcoming Event! Yesterday, we hosted our first meetup in the brand-new Tequila Room at The Alfred, located within the Bitcoin Warehouse in Edmonton. It was a fantastic afternoon filled with great conversations and connections! We were honored to have three special guests: - *Suman Kumar* joined us virtually to share her inspiring Bitcoin journey and introduce her new book, *Reclaiming Sovereignty*. Check it out here: https://shorturl.at/oy3xU). - *Dale and Susan* from the Crypto Boutique in Regina made the trip to attend the meetup and explore our new space. Dale runs a brick-and-mortar store called the Crypto Boutique, offering Blockstream’s Jade Hardware Wallet, educational materials, and more. They’re happy to ship to Edmonton and surrounding areas, so visit them at [The Crypto Boutique](https://thecryptoboutique.ca/)! A huge thank you to our guests and all attendees for making the event so memorable! Don’t miss our next meetup! * Join us on Tuesday, April 15th at 6:30 PM for an * Easter Event * at the Bitcoin Warehouse. It’s going to be a fun evening you won’t want to miss! Get all the details and RSVP at Bitcoin Warehouse www.bitcoinwarehouse.ca See you there!

ATTENTION Bitcoin 101 Meetup - Edmonton April 12 @ 3pm - Being held at The Alfred @ Mercer Tavern

Just a thought Is the Trump Administration making the markets unstable to drive foreign investment (especially China) to gold so that the US can than dump gold and buy Bitcoin and basically secure the next 100 years of a US dominated world order? The more i think about it the more it makes sense - remember how China was into silver long after the west moved to gold and how that worked out for China?

https://x.com/demianschatt/status/1909739072509362481?t=ErEqv9ZFwBws32mSLTrL_g&s=19

GM ☕️ The sad part is most people have no clue whats happening which makes them scared of the volatility and uncertainty in the markets. This being the most serious market melt down since I've started to seriously understanding how the macro markets work. Interesting things to monitor. 1. 10 Year treasury yield 2. The Carry Trade / DXY and especially the JPY vs USD 3. Stock market losing trillions in value and how that effects the US government receipts. 4. The Tariff situation and the geo-political game being played Conclusion - A very volatile ride up for hard assets - especially Bitcoin Keep Calm go touch grass and I'll see you on the other side!

Money printers are going to get fired up in a real hurry like we've seen many times before - buy bitcoin and wait.

GM ☕️ Whats happening in the macro environment today? Stock Market down - is Bitcoin starting to decouple?

Is it just me or do the French elites have a short memory? The French Revolution, kicking off in 1789, was a seismic upheaval that flipped the script on France’s social and political order, and no group felt the sting more than the elites—nobles, clergy, and the monarchy itself. It started with a financial crisis—decades of extravagant spending by kings like Louis XVI, coupled with costly wars and a tax system that let the aristocracy skate by while peasants got crushed, left the crown bankrupt. When the Third Estate (the commoners) demanded reform and got locked out of negotiations, they said "screw it," declared themselves the National Assembly, and sparked a revolution. For the elites, this was the beginning of the end: their cushy, privileged world was about to get torched. The revolution hit the elites hard and fast. By 1791, the monarchy was gutted—Louis XVI went from divine ruler to a guy under house arrest, and the feudal system that propped up the nobles got dismantled. Titles and privileges? Gone. Land? Confiscated or redistributed. The clergy, who’d been raking in tithes and living large, got slammed too—church property was seized, and priests were forced to swear loyalty to the state or face exile. Then came the Reign of Terror (1793–1794), where the guillotine became the great equalizer. Nobles who didn’t flee—émigrés who did were already losing estates—were dragged to the scaffold. Estimates peg around 16,000 executions, with elites disproportionately targeted; Marie Antoinette’s beheading in 1793 was just the glitziest example. The message was clear: old status wouldn’t save you. The fallout didnぜt stop there. Even after the Terror eased, the elites who survived—whether by hiding, fleeing, or swearing allegiance to the new order—found a France that didn’t need them. The Napoleonic era kept some noble trappings alive, but the revolution’s ideals of equality (at least on paper) and meritocracy gutted their automatic dominance. Wealth and influence shifted toward the bourgeoisie and military upstarts. For the aristocracy, it was a brutal demotion: from untouchable to hunted, then irrelevant. The revolution didn’t just kill people—it killed a way of life they’d banked on for centuries. Want me to zoom in on any specific elite faction or event?

From a Bitcoiner’s perspective, the world’s problems—corruption, inequality, endless wars, environmental mess—aren’t just random; they’re symptoms of a broken money system. Fiat currency, controlled by governments and banks, is the root of the rot. Bitcoin, they argue, isn’t just a better money—it’s the fix because it rewires incentives, strips power from the corrupt, and forces a rethink of how society runs. Here’s how they see it playing out. ### 1. Ending the Money Printer Bitcoiners say fiat money is a cheat code for governments and elites. Central banks can print cash out of thin air, devaluing what you hold to fund whatever they want—bailouts for buddies, bloated bureaucracies, or wars no one voted for. Inflation’s a silent tax, hitting the poorest hardest while the rich park their wealth in assets. Bitcoin’s hard cap at 21 million coins kills that game. No more infinite money means no more reckless spending. Governments have to live within their means, just like the rest of us. Less debt, less waste, less power to screw over the little guy. ### 2. Starving Corruption With fiat, corruption’s easy—print money, funnel it to cronies, hide the trail. Bitcoin’s blockchain is a public ledger; every transaction’s there for all to see. You can’t bribe someone or cook the books without leaving a trace. Plus, since no one controls it, there’s no central choke point for crooks to hijack. Bitcoiners believe this transparency and decentralization choke off the slush funds that keep corrupt systems humming. Imagine a world where politicians can’t just siphon cash—they’d have to actually work for it. ### 3. Fixing Incentives Fiat incentivizes short-term thinking. Politicians juice the economy with cheap money to look good, then leave the mess for later. Corporations chase quarterly profits, trashing the planet because fiat’s time preference is “now, not tomorrow.” Bitcoin flips this. Its scarcity and predictable issuance (halvings every four years) reward saving over spending, long-term planning over quick grabs. Bitcoiners argue this shifts society from a “consume everything now” mindset to one that values sustainability and legacy. Better money, better choices. ### 4. Defanging War Wars are expensive, and fiat’s the fuel. Governments borrow or print to bankroll bombs, knowing they can dodge the bill. Bitcoiners say a hard money like Bitcoin makes that impossible. No printing means you need real resources—taxes or voluntary funding—to fight. People won’t stomach that for endless conflicts. The theory goes: if war costs what it actually costs, we’d see less of it. Peace through financial discipline. ### 5. Empowering the Powerless In corrupt or failing states, fiat’s a weapon—banks freeze accounts, currencies collapse, savings vanish. Bitcoin gives people an out. Hold your private keys, and no dictator can touch your wealth. Send it across borders without begging a bank. Bitcoiners see this as a revolution for the oppressed—think refugees, dissidents, or anyone crushed by hyperinflation. It’s not charity; it’s a tool to level the playing field. A better money doesn’t just fix the system—it lets you opt out of it. ### 6. Reining in Inequality Bitcoiners argue fiat widens the wealth gap. The “cantillon effect” means new money hits the connected first—banks, elites, asset owners—while wages lag and prices climb. Bitcoin’s fixed supply stops this insider advantage. No one gets a head start; value comes from work, not proximity to the printer. It’s not a magic equalizer—early adopters still got rich—but it’s a system where the rules don’t inherently favor the already-powerful. ### 7. Forcing Accountability When money’s infinite, accountability’s optional. Governments and banks can fail and get bailed out, no consequences. Bitcoin’s unforgiving—lose your keys, it’s gone; scam someone, the network doesn’t care. Bitcoiners say this harshness is a feature, not a bug. It forces responsibility at every level. A world running on Bitcoin would punish waste and reward competence, from individuals to institutions. No more “too big to fail.” ### The Big Picture Bitcoiners don’t think it’s a utopia machine. It won’t fix human nature—greed, stupidity, and power trips stick around. But they see it as a foundation shift. Better money aligns incentives with reality: finite resources, transparent rules, individual control. It’s a reset button on a system they believe is too corrupt to reform from within. The world’s a mess because money’s a mess—fix the money, and the rest starts to heal. That’s the gospel according to a Bitcoiner. Whether it works? They’d say time—and the blockchain—will tell.

Bitcoin’s permissionless and borderless nature are core features that set it apart from traditional financial systems and contribute to its value proposition. Let’s break it down: Permissionless: Bitcoin operates without gatekeepers. You don’t need approval from a bank, government, or any intermediary to create a wallet, send, or receive bitcoin. This matters because it gives individuals full control over their money—no one can freeze your account, deny you access, or impose arbitrary restrictions. In traditional systems, banks or payment processors can block transactions or exclude people based on their policies or external pressures. With Bitcoin, as long as you have an internet connection and your private keys, you’re in charge. This autonomy is especially crucial in places where financial censorship or exclusion is common, like under authoritarian regimes or for unbanked populations. Borderless: Bitcoin doesn’t care about national boundaries. You can send it from New York to Nairobi as easily as across the street, with no currency exchange desks or international wire fees. This matters because it slashes the friction and cost of cross-border payments, which in traditional finance can take days and involve hefty charges from middlemen like SWIFT or remittance services. For example, migrant workers sending money home often lose 5-10% to fees—Bitcoin can cut that to a fraction. It also sidesteps capital controls, where governments restrict money flowing in or out, giving people a way to preserve wealth or transact globally when local systems fail them. Together, these traits make Bitcoin a decentralized, frictionless alternative to a world of siloed, regulated financial networks. They empower users by removing dependency on trusted third parties and enable a level of economic freedom that’s hard to replicate with fiat currency. That said, they also come with trade-offs—like regulatory scrutiny or volatility—but for many, the upsides outweigh those risks.

Interesting write up! From a Bitcoin perspective, the FIAT financial system’s underlying technology can be viewed as a centralized, trust-based framework that contrasts sharply with Bitcoin’s decentralized, trustless design. Let’s break it down: The FIAT system relies on a network of intermediaries—central banks, commercial banks, payment processors, and governments—that collectively manage and control the issuance, circulation, and validation of currency. At its core, this system is built on **ledger-based accounting**, but unlike Bitcoin’s transparent blockchain, these ledgers are private, fragmented, and maintained by trusted institutions. For example, when you deposit money in a bank, the bank updates its internal ledger to reflect your balance, but you don’t have direct access to verify it—you trust the bank to be honest. The "technology" of FIAT isn’t rooted in cryptography or distributed consensus like Bitcoin. Instead, it hinges on **legal frameworks and human-enforced trust**. Central banks, like the Federal Reserve or the European Central Bank, issue currency (e.g., dollars or euros) by decree, backed not by a tangible asset like gold (since the end of the Bretton Woods system in 1971) but by the "full faith and credit" of the issuing government. This issuance is often executed through mechanisms like **fractional reserve banking**, where banks create money by lending out more than they hold in reserves, effectively inflating the money supply. This process is opaque to the average user and lacks the algorithmic predictability of Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million coin cap. Transactions in the FIAT system are processed through centralized clearinghouses (e.g., SWIFT for international transfers or Visa/Mastercard for payments). These rely on proprietary software and databases, not open-source protocols. Every transaction involves multiple points of trust: the merchant trusts the payment processor, the processor trusts the bank, and the bank trusts the central authority. Contrast this with Bitcoin, where transactions are validated by a decentralized network of miners using **proof-of-work** consensus, eliminating the need for intermediaries. From a Bitcoin lens, FIAT’s "tech" is vulnerable because it’s not immutable or censorship-resistant. Governments can freeze accounts, banks can fail, and central banks can manipulate supply (e.g., quantitative easing) without public consent. Bitcoiners often criticize this as a system of "IOUs" rather than hard money—your dollar is a claim on value, not value itself, subject to inflation and devaluation. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s blockchain ensures every satoshi is accounted for, verifiable by anyone, and secured by cryptographic math rather than human promises. In short, the FIAT system’s underlying "technology" is a patchwork of centralized control, paper-based trust, and legacy infrastructure—a stark foil to Bitcoin’s transparent, decentralized, and mathematically enforced design.

🔥RAGE TWEET OF THE DAY🔥 I hate the traditional banking system! Got locked out of my amazon account due to a large purchase even then I have every security feature known to man kind on the account - authentication app, 2 factor verification via text and via email. After this i get locked out of my credit card - or at least the payment didn't go through and I was told to call them - so i did and they had no clue about any of these recent transactions - 2 minutes later i try the transaction again and it worked. People say lightning transactions don't work - that is a comical take to me at this point! 🔥The sooner this system burns down the happier i'll be!🔥

GM Nostr 🚨 Bitcoin Meetup - Today 🚨 Come join us for informal group discussions on anything and everything Bitcoin related ⚠️Where - Bitcoin Warehouse 10363 104 st, Edmonton ⚠️When - March 29th - 3pm to 5pm 💥1 Free Copy of "The Big Print" up for grabs💥

Edmonton Bitcoin Meetup - March 2025 Hey Bitcoin fans and curious minds! Join us for the Beyond Bitcoin Meetup at Bitcoin Warehouse @ Mercer's (10363 104 St NW, Edmonton, AB) on Saturday, March 29th, 2025, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM MST. No dull talks—just lively group chats on Security & Privacy, Bitcoin Philosophy, or Bitcoin 101. All levels welcome! Details: When: March 29th, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Where: Bitcoin Warehouse @ Mercer's Special Giveaway: We're giving away a copy of Lawrence Lepard's hot new book - The Big Print: What Happened to America and How Sound Money Will Fix It - a must read whether your just starting out on your Bitcoin journey or a seasoned Bitcoiner Bring your crew, questions, or curiosity—Edmonton’s Bitcoin scene is buzzing, and this is your spot to dive in. Depending on the crowd, we might split into tables for different vibes. Don’t miss it—let’s make it a blast!

YEG Events this week coming up! Howdy y'all 🤠 Next week will be a very busy week for Bitcoin in Edmonton... There are 5 events next week alone and one on March 29th. First up on Monday we have: Day 1: Introduction to Bitcoin – HRF Webinar Viewing and Discussion at 08:30am Then on Tuesday there are two events: Day 2: Get Started with Bitcoin – HRF Webinar Viewing and Discussion at 08:30am And on Tuesday night there is... YEG Bitcoin Social from 5-8pm And Wednesday has: Day 3: Bitcoin Crowdfunding – HRF Webinar Viewing and Discussion again at 08:30am For details check out the Bitcoin Warehouse meetup page: https://www.meetup.com/bitcoin-warehouse-edmontons-bitcoin-headquarters Then - Thursday night Adam & Co. will be having the March Bitcoin Meetup (@Remedy on 109th) from 7-9pm https://meetu.ps/e/NXbl2/5hWMY/i Edmonton will become Bitcoin city sooner than ya think!

🍺Bitcoin, Brews, and Bites Meetup🍷 ⚡️Join us @ The Bitcoin Warehouse for beer, wine ($3/can) & potluck appetizers! Talk Bitcoin, meet cool people. LRT <2 blocks away—don’t drink & drive. Great vibes await!⚡️ RSVP: Checkout this Meetup with Bitcoin Warehouse Edmontons Bitcoin Headquarters: https://meetu.ps/e/NX8Jd/D92W9/i

if your in Edmonton come check it out! https://x.com/yeg_bitcoin/status/1898418562261213493?t=lvYYv0GcCohAs9hScW18gw&s=19