I suppose you all know here about the story of SilkRoad 1.0, Ross Ulbricht and the legal fight in which he is involved after his arrest a few months ago.
There were also the arrests of the Admins/Mods of SilkRoad 1.0, Inigo, Libertas and SSBD, great and important members of the community.
There was at start a lot of rumors around SilkRoad, Ross Ulbricht wasn't perhaps the first DPR, he was stupid and did big mistakes while promoting SilkRoad at start.
now that the dust settled down, we know more and there are, what seem to be, facts.
First to say we have to be carefull with all the information that is given by FBI, the "Parallel Construction" method lead to the obligation to give a limited credit to the official versions given by the authorities but that's not at all the subject here.
Let's assume the authorities theories and facts are true, Ross Ulbricht was DPR from the start, the one that had the first idea, that developed it with the help of other people, who managed SilkRoad for years without enormous problems and stayed opened even through them.
let's assume he also did the mistakes with his email that the FBI alleged, that seems like a big fail, the little detail that kills all, but remember it is something easy to judge after, who have never done small mistakes like that in his life...
In the end he was the pioneer, the thinker, the motor of the great change that have happened with SilkRoad, the godfather of all DarkNetMarkets that exists now.
Of course there was a money motivation, like in everything, who wouldn't want to earn money.
But there was also an ideal, ideas, a whole Libertarian way of thinking in the Ross Ulbricht actions that have driven his project.
If today, admins create DarkMarkets, Vendors can use DarkMarkets to sell products, and buyers can buy their products freely, secure, safe, it is because there was this man at start, with the will and the guts to achieve his dream and the ideal of others.
Of course like always criticizism is easy, critize the money he made in this, critize the mistakes he made, how he managed SilkRoad.
But let's be realistic, how many people in this community would have done this 4 years ago? would have risked their life, taken a lot of time on their life, manage the problems, to make SilkRoad the new trend of Drug Business in the World starting from nothing?
Let's not forget about these guys, and especially Ross Ulbricht, that have fallen onto the battlefield of the "Drug Wars" in a fight for our freedom, for our liberty of action, our liberty to choose to use or not substances in our own body.
Ideas i strongly believe in myself.
A lot of people may think that it is a lost fight but i am among the ones that think that the fight is never finished and that we should never forget the soldiers that have fallen in this war.
The goverments and governmental Agencies always try to make you think that you doesn't matter, that you are a criminal when you consumme drugs, that these people they arrests are criminals to our societies like you are as a user...
Never let them you fool you, everything is important, every small action matter, nobody is alone in this, never, and a strong community is something that can't be stopped...
In this fight they seem to always win because they make everybody think they can't loose, that there is nothing more behind all this that some junkie addicts driven by their drug addiction.
A kind of egoistic addicts that will never be able to defend their interest and unite together to be stronger, to defend themselves and to fight back for their rights and freedom.
If you want to follow Ross Ulbricht in his fight with US Justice, want to Help him and his family in some way, or simply support him and his family with friendly messages don't hesitate.
Let's not let this great man to be forgotten and to be abandoned in his fight against US Justice, if all of us can enjoy the freedom to develop and use DarkMarkets it is because of this man, his vision, his ideal, his utopia and the will to share it with the world.
I wouldn't have done it myself, You, who are reading this, wouldn't have done it i believe, so let's not let him be forgot and fight alone, even a simple sympathy message to him and his family help them to get through these dark times.
I can't say more to convince you that this great man desserve your support, attention, and help.
I hope you will take the time to learn more about him and his Ideas.
Here is a good article to understand who he was :
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/business/eagle-scout-idealist-drug-trafficker.html?_r=0
http://www.modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/jail-visit-the-alleged-dread-pirate-roberts
Here are the relevant links for that :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EyzWwljp7c
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Ross/1404947826409117
One of his manifesto published and an extract of his linkedln Profile :
http://media.heavy.com/media/2013/10/facebook-manifesto.jpg
http://media.heavy.com/media/2013/10/ross-ulbricht-linkedin1.jpg
Salute to you Captain, we all thank you for what you have done during these SilkRoad years, you will never be alone in this fight for freedom and our rights.
at least the first dpr knew how to keep a market stable