O P I N I O N

THE SOAPBOX

Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.

On Tuesday I, like many Manchester residents, watched the last Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting with keen interest. As someone who has three sons who all graduated from Manchester schools this was must-see TV. I remember only too well my middle and youngest sons having to share textbooks as the school system did not have enough to give every student their own book, a school system that is traditionally at or very near the bottom of spending per pupil in the state.

I was truly impressed with the two-plus hours of speakers and the overall quality of their speeches. I was in awe when Bryce Kaw-uh seemed to spill all the beans to City Hall secrets in his speech. But I could not help but to be transfixed by one person: Brittany Ping, a frequent candidate who has yet to hold office.

I had passing knowledge that Ross Ulbricht was a cause celeb of the Libertarian Party and it’s more radical Free Stater offshoot. But my curiosity was piqued by his pardon by President Trump bringing local politician, Brittany Ping, to tears on live television. It was then I decided I needed to know more about this man and what would seem to be such an egregious conviction.

Ross Ulbricht was the creator and developer of Silk Road, an online marketplace on the dark web. A place that most Manchester residents have no idea how to even access never mind use. His Silk Road Market place allowed for the use of untraceable cryptocurrency by anonymous users to buy virtually anything. The website allowed for the sale of heroin, fentanyl, meth, child pornography and murders for hire.

Ross Ulbricht, as founder and user of Silk Road, used the alias Dreadpirateroberts; he was not charged with murder for hire. But federal prosecutors did present lengthy intercepted communications which clearly detail him recruiting the Hells Angel motorcycle gang as a major drug seller for his Silk Road website. In addition, it appears Ulbricht further recruited and paid for them to murder four people who threatened to release the real names of users of SilkRoad. I will post supporting documents at the end.

While much of his crypto assets were seized, federal officials worry that as many as 13 crypto wallets within excess of $47 million are still hidden and available to him now. The Republican GOP, the “Party of Family Values,” the party of “Law and Order,” is now being brought to tears by the pardoning of someone who created a system for cryptocurrency to be used to buy  anything you wanted. Child porn, heroin, untraceable guns, murder, all for sale at a 15% commission. A man who committed crimes so heinous that he was sentenced to two life terms. Please think long and hard before you vote for that next rumored Free State Republican candidate. As Brittany Ping stated so eloquently, “elections have consequences.” Yes they do, intended or not. The transcript of those communications and sources are posted down below.

• https://www.wired.com/2015/02/read-transcript-silk-roads-boss-ordering-5-assassinations
• https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-silk-road-seized-arrests-2014-11
• https://web.archive.org/web/20150529222505/http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/644454/worlds-prolific-online-drug-dealer-supertrips-gets-10-years-2
• https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/10/how-the-feds-took-down-the-dread-pirate-roberts

Scott Hartford has lived in Manchester for over 25 years. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College with an AB in government and history.

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