[The following post is an interview between Julia Tourianski & Jeff Berwick]
It, quietly, may be the most important trial of our generation. As with most trials in the USSA, there are no victims and most of the “evidence” used to kidnap, torture and sequester the “defendant” was made up by the mafia… sorry, government.
If you don’t know about it, it is the Silk Road trial. And the person who has been kidnapped, stolen from and tortured is, of course, the one on trial, Ross Ulbricht.
According to the US government, Ross Ulbricht was the mastermind behind a completely voluntary, free market where participants could trade whatever they like with each other. Without even convicting them of these ridiculous charges they have already stolen $28.5 million worth of bitcoin from Ross and users of the idyllic free-market known as Silk Road.
Interestingly, this case is finally getting some attention by slaves and sheeple. We interviewed Ross’ mother, Lynn, in the summer ending in the only edition of my podcast where I almost ended up in tears after talking to his incredibly brave and indignant mother.
And, just yesterday, the Libertarian Party in the USSA actually came out swinging.
Nicholas J. Sarwark, writing for the Activist Post, said this:
Attorney and Simple Justice blogger Scott Greenfield notes the freedoms that are at stake in this trial:
• ‘If Ulbricht is convicted, it opens the door for the censure and erosion of a free Internet. Under present law, website hosts are not held responsible in civil cases for illegal actions on their sites. This case could set precedent and open the door to criminal liability for web hosts.

• ‘A US citizen’s constitutional rights are being violated with vague allegations that do not cite specific crimes, a violation of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the US Constitution. In addition, his Fourth Amendment rights have been violated with illegal warrants and searches and seizures lacking any warrant. If the government can misapply the law against Ulbricht, it can do it to any of us.

• ‘In its documents, the government equates the desire for privacy (use of Tor for example) with criminal intent.

• ‘This case represents the first challenge to the government’s attempt to expand the money laundering statute to include digital currency.’

De-centralization of the internet, of which we are applauding proponents, will make it so no government, ever, can stop free transaction, trade, speech and money. But it isn’t fully here yet.
In the meantime, our correspondent on the ground, Julia Tourianski, of Brave the World, is in New York and covering the trial.
Here is our conversation.
The Dollar Vigilante (TDV): Tell us why you are currently in New York City?
Julia Tourianski (JT): To support Ross Ulbricht, who stands accused of being the “mastermind’ behind the Silk Road. I’ve said that I believe he was thrown under the bus by others involved with the website as they felt the breath of the State down their necks. He was the nice one. He was the principled one. So now the defense comes out and says almost that; that Ross simply created the Silk Road as an an economic experiment, quickly handing it off to another entity as it got bigger. That same entity sold him out. He was of a pure heart. He was an easy target.
TDV: For those who many not know anything about Ross or the Silk Road, why don’t you tell us in your own words what it is all about.
JT: Well, the Silk Road was an anonymous free market, where people could choose to sell anything they like. I cannot speak on Ross’s behalf, but it seems to me that the man was not financially motivated (not that that’s a sin) but instead a purist in his ideals; an all or nothing kind of guy. You can’t have a free marketplace while censoring certain products can you? Either way, he was not the only DPR and actually said so in court yesterday. I know individuals who have corresponded with him in the “early days,” having full discussions about freedoms and self governance, and then months later, after trying to contact the same individual, getting confused responses of a different nature. The entire thing is murky; that is the nature of the online world.
TDV: Yes, I actually know many of the “collaborators” in trying to create that particular free market. The criminal US government can subpoena me all they want on it and can expect a resounding, indignant amount of silence from me. Their “authority” is not recognized here. Roger Ver, also known as the Bitcoin Jesus (and upcoming speaker at Anarchapulco along with yourself) stated about Ross, “If guilty, he’s a hero. If innocent, he needs help.” Roger also donated over $160,000 to the Ross Ulbricht defense fund. Tell us your thoughts on Roger’s statement and also let us know how he has been helping through this process – even despite the fact that he has been banished from entering the USSA.
JT: After hearing the defence’s opening statement, Ross is a hero either way. He is brave. He has not sold out. He has not taken a plea deal. He seems to be simply telling the truth about his story. Ver recognizes this (sorry for the assumption) and has stood by Ross and the Ulbricht family throughout as you have. He made it possible for them to pay their defense team (who are doing an excellent job) and for volunteers to do what needs to be done during the duration of the trial; influence, awareness, reporting, and cathartic presence.
TDV: That’s beautiful and great. Many in the freedom community have gotten angry at past activists and entrepreneurs who harmed no one but took a plea deal when faced with the threat of kidnapping and torture from the US government, like Adam Kokesh. And for that reason, Ross is even a bigger hero of liberty for not backing down. He would make Thomas Jefferson proud.
Yesterday was the first day of the trial. Tell us how things have been leading up to yesterday, what happened yesterday and what you expect to happen in the coming days.
JT: First, I want to say, many big names in the liberty movement haven’t said much about this trial. I thought they would have but it has been very disappointing.
TDV: I do know people are doing things behind the scenes… but it takes a few days to come out. But, I mentioned the same thing during Adam Kokesh’s heinous kidnapping and torture after he loaded a shotgun on YouTube in Washington, District of Criminals, and I was shocked at the lack of support at his trial. But, that is one reason I like you, you show up on the ground and work in realtime… you do have to realize that many of these people are working like crazy, around the world, fighting millions of injustices. It’s not easy.
JT: Aside from that, another thing that shocked or surprised me was to hear the defence say “ ROSS ULBRICHT DID START THE SILK ROAD”. Woah. But the defence made the prosecution faceplant. They argue that the prosecution’s accusation, of Ross being a “mastermind`’ falls short of common sense. A Mastermind? Who is well versed in security? Who is greedy and egotistical? Who signs into silk road…with a vulnerable bittorrent client running on his machine, in a public library? Makes zero sense.
I came into this quite disenfranchised, and after today, after seeing the prosecution fall so very short (they spent an hour proving that the Silk Road sold drugs….yes we know this, not that relevant) the jury was bored, we were bored, and their credibility was on shaky foundations. I am happy. I am hopeful.
TDV: Do you think boredom alone will result in this man, Ross Ulbricht, being set free from his captors?
JT: Boredom= irrelevance. So if they are focusing on “look, drugs were sold on the silk road” for an hour, how does that prove Ross was the only DPR? It was laughable.
This is history in the making. The Judge is scared of nullification. I was told that the justice said “the organizer of the protest is in the audience.” They are watching, they are weary. So maybe we have more going for us than we figured.
TDV: That is a good point. I also heard the “judge” say that he will do an “anonymous jury” if the protestors outside don’t stop telling jurors about their fully legal right to tell them that if they disagree with the law, itself, they can nullify. This trial gets more interesting by the day. Thanks for the update, please keep us updated via your channels and keep safe up there in New York City.
JT: Thank you.
CONCLUSION
In closing, when I first heard the news about Ross Ulbricht my first question was, “Why? Why did he stay in the USSA?” The US is near the very top of the most dangerous countries in the world in terms of you getting extorted or kidnapped for virtually anything.
In Mexico, as example, if you told almost anyone in the government that someone was operating a free online marketplace you’d likely get a look back, “So? Entonces?”
Even if the Mexican government were to go after someone like Ross there’d just be a short meeting, some money would be exchanged, and everyone would just go on with their lives.
In the US, however, once you get ensnared by the largest police state in human history you rarely get out.
It is our hope that this trial gets all the attention it deserves as being ridiculous and, we hope, one day soon Ross can get freed from his captors who continue to hold him in a work/rape camp.
If you believe in freedom please get involved by physically showing your support, write/share/like any pro-Ross content or donate to the Free Ross campaign.
There’s an old saying that is apt and can be paraphrased here… “First they came for Ross…”
