Today is the two-year anniversary of the Independent Bitcoin Educators Node Network On March 29th, 2023 @My First Bitcoin returned the countersigned MOUs to the very first 'nodes' In two short years that network has become self-governing and grown to include projects and educators in 39 nations! This has been a grand experiment to make real the phrase: we are more than the sum of our parts! Happy birthday! Here's to many more!

Good morning from El Salvador We are now in DAY 51 since the government rescinded Bitcoin as legal tender, at the request of the IMF (effective 30 April) It was obvious from the start that most people were unaware of how IMF loans work & why nations ask for them anyway. It was also obvious that the El Salvador govt had no interest in people learning about either--and when govt tells you to stop asking questions, is exactly when you should be asking questions It was an uphill battle that is now won There are lots of people asking these questions now Ironically, what did it for many Bitcoiners was @nayibbukele himself who addressed the concerns in a tweet--by calling anyone who questions him a 'whiner' lol. this is the head of a nation anyway, his immature projection of 'bitcoiners abandoning El Salvador' created a critical mass of people starting to look closer and realize things are not adding up that critical mass with many Salvadoreans was the saga that played out on facebook regarding Chivo Pets. In summary, the govt annouced they were closing Chivo Pets (likely related to the IMF agreement) and got lots of backlash from the local population. The president blamed Salvadoreans, saying they complained too much and thats why it was closing. A day later Chivo Pets was re-opened (it operated at a loss, subsidized by Chivo Wallet which now must be shut down or sold off. I suppose Chivo Pets will move to a new govt dept that can absorb the loss now) Let's pause a second and compare the two situations Both were prompted by the IMF loan, but in both instances rather than explain things openly and honestly the president blamed whoever was asking questions. And in both cases the president ended up calling more attention to the situation and has left more people pondering for themselves what is reality and what is just marketing There are tons of people who will support, without question, whatever this govt and pres does. But, the number of people who are thinking independently about what IMF loans are and why a govt would ask for one anyway is now MUCH higher then it was 51 short days ago I'll continue to ask questions. Always I'll continue to speak truth to power. Always This journey has been liberating and enlightening but at this point my orginal objectives have all been achieved This isn't the end. This is the beginning. Grassroots bitcoin education & adoption is more important than ever in El Salvador & beyond Step one is understanding the problem--how the IMF and govt work is advanced financial literacy Step two is building the solutions. Support everyone who is building toward an alternative future--one without institutions like the IMF nor unquestioning loyalty to any politician or govt

Fuck the IMF

I would rather fail at trying to change the world, than acquise to this one

Make the IMF irrelevant

Recent changes to Bitcoin policy in El Salvador... - Bitcoin is no longer legal tender (effective 30 April) - The govt can no longer accept Bitcoin as payment for anything (effective 30 April) - the govt can not 'accumulate' bitcoin in any way, this includes stopping any public mining (effective unknown) - the govt will have to dox all their bitcoin address and holdings (to the IMF for sure, unclear if this will be made public as well) - Chivo, the govt bitcoin app, will be wound down (by end of June) the reason? El Salvador is heavily in debt, which contrary to govt posturing, has INCREASED significantly in recent years and as a lender-of-last-resort the IMF was able to attach basically whatever conditions they wanted to the loan the future? Bitcoin never needed this govt or any other govt. It should be as clear as ever that if we want a better world, it is up to us to create it. Support independent & impartial bitcoin education

According to the IMF, El Salvador is still compliant with the loan agreement--which prohibits spending public money (buying) or resources (mining) to accumulate new Bitcoin Yet more Bitcoin is added every day to the public wallet I see two possibilities 1. The govt is transferring Bitcoin from their undisclosed (to the public, but disclosed to the IMF) wallets into their public one 2. Some private entity is donating to the public wallet--perhaps Tether In both possibilities El Salvador is trying to walk the tightrope of actually complying with the IMF but projecting an image of defiance & independence to the public I still think the best action would have been for President Bukeke to just talk directly & honestly with his nation Though, I'm an idealist who thinks we can reimagine our world and build a better one. For a politician trying to be popular in the present, marketing sometimes matters more than truth--which seems to be the conclusion he came to on this issue And, sadly, he is very likely correct in the assumption that the false viral message of defiance will spread much faster and farther than a complicated and nuanced truth

Good morning from El Salvador We are now in Day Three since the government rescinded Bitcoin as legal tender, at the request of the IMF Some updates... After skipping a few days for the first time since the 'bitcoin-a-day' program began, the govt seems to have made up for it and purchased 5 bitcoin yesterday. No word on what happened earlier in the week, but good to see they are back on track. As far as I can tell, this program will not be affected by the IMF deal, at least not at first, though we shall see No other updates from on the ground, but in being very vocal in my opposition to removing legal tender status at the behest of the IMF I have learned a lot about the Bitcoin community. One major surprise is how little Bitcoiners seem to know about how the IMF works This isn't just some loan. This isn't about the law changes El Salvador quietly pushed through earlier this week. This is about power, and how much leverage the IMF now has in determining El Salvador's future. If the govt decided, you know what, we need to update some laws. Great. But, that's not what happened. They are now making law changes cause Daddy IMF wants it, not cause they do. Expect more of the same now. This is the IMF playbook, always has been Some background on me: I've been strongly opposed to the IMF since 2001 when I first realized thier actual role in the world. For more than two decades I've been protesting them. Literally. My first IMF related arrest was in 2002. I never worked for them, but I worked for the UN and UNICEF for over 10 years and got some insight into the global bureaucracy that the IMF was born out of. I've also travelled the globe--to more than 70 nations--, working as a journalist and seeing with my own eyes how the IMF has shaped the world When I first heard about Bitcoin, I understand its potential instantly. I literally sold everything I had (which as a nomadic anarchist was not much) and went all in (I lost that entire first purchase when the exchange was hacked and later, the UK govt seized all my assets cause I was selling p2p bitcoin and they didnt like one of my customers). I understood Bitcoin immediately as a solution because I was already neck deep in the problem, which is best represented by the IMF and how they use 'loans' to control the world and shape our future. There was only one other time in my life when I dropped everything and went all in. El Salvador in 2021, when they announced Bitcoin as legal tender, and implicitly, gave the finger to the IMF. I've built a life here. My son was born here. Whatever its faults, that this nation was willing to resist the IMF made this place incredibly special to me. Maybe you can understand why this news has hit me so hard But I digress. I had wrongly assumed that the why & the how of the IMF was widely known among Bitcoiners. I've come to realize over the past few days that most think of the IMF as simply an organization that gives loans to nation states I'm going to write more in the coming days and weeks about the IMF to try and help people understand how that org works. Any good beginner resources to recommend for those just getting started?