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Say what you will about him, the man knows the audience he's speaking to and catered to them masterfully. The fact that he uttered the possibilty of a Ross Ulbricht pardon shocked me. I also checked his twitter feed after this and he's sharing an article from LewRockwell.com I disrust all politicians, but I'll admit, he now has my attention at least.
↩ replying to npub1d7fw...scgq
Since his remarks passed me by at the time, and I firmly stand in support of the efforts the vaccines represent, I tried finding some sources on them today. I found the following Newsweek article pretty credible and insightful, and while I still disagree with how he seemed to want to stir an overall counterproductive sentiment, I found his actual comments unexpectedly restrained, or at least somewhat intelligently, and credibly made. Unlike any other public figure I heard speak decidedly critically on the topic, especially the aggressively mindless podcast tourists. The article has ample annotations after each segment, I suggest reading it if you find the topic worth your time.
Newsweek
RFK Jr. on Vaccines, COVID and Dr. Fauci: "I Read the Science"
The late senator's son discussed his skepticism about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, called Dr. Fauci "an abject failure," and share...
↩ replying to Gregor
I don’t think I’d call him restrained by any stretch. He compared public health measures to attempt to contain covid to the holocaust (which even his wife, Cheryl Hines, criticized him for). He’s been the public face of the antivax movement since the early 2000s. He also promotes other baseless conspiracies, like 5G being a means to control the public’s behavior. This story gives some good background (gift link, in case you don’t have an NYT subscription).
A Kennedy’s Crusade Against Covid Vaccines Anguishes Family and Friends (Published 2022)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has risen to become a major figure in the vaccine resistance movement. Those close to him say it’s “heartbreaking.”
↩ replying to npub1d7fw...scgq
I read the article, thanks for the link. In regard to the Holocaust reference, I also found this CNN interview video while actually looking for a copy of his BTC Conference speech yesterday, which only eventually started coming out long after the livestreams for some reason, and from the actual speech excerpt to his own explanation provided, he seemed to have only invoked it in regard to mass surveillance technologies, and with no direct or implied connection to vaccine policy or mandates. Again, judging from the actual clip from his speech, as he continued his line of thought into mentioning post-war East Germany, he seems to exclusively refer to the abuse of surveillance infrastructures. He also explained why and for what he subsequently apologized. His remarks on 5G seem again much more connected to an arguably technologically valid concern about interconnecting high speed data networks with surveillance devices. I see nothing in these sources, including the linked NYT article, that makes him seem blatantly deceptive, manipulative, or completely unrealistic. At the same time, I just find it impossible as a layman to access, process and understand the necessary information to make full judgements on the full efficacy and symptom range of vaccines. From a layperson perspective I see any judgement mostly based on existing trust or lack thereof in publicly accredited institutions. I found it reasonable to do more than nothing in regard to a highly infectious virus, and social distance, wear masks, and get vaccinated. However, I have heard nothing said by Mr. Kennedy, that seemed as outrageous as the third party characterizations of it. I also have seen no evidence for him holding these views for profiteering reasons. This stands in contrast to transparently financially motivated charlatans like this self professed mRNA technology inventor. If you have sources, with direct, first hand quotes, that show Kennedy obviously, deliberately lying or misrepresenting facts, I revise my position, but with the articles and interview mentioned so far, I see his mass surveillance concerns as valid, his vaccine concerns as unrelated to the surveillance matters, and his remarks taken out of context by third parties on all sides for ulterior motives, or misunderstood, misconstrued by thoughtless people.
literal commentary. an elegant speech - he educates, unsnarls narratives just enough to help bridge misunderstanding, pushes the boundaries of acceptable while being intellectual and respectful. he actually deeply understand his topics, which allow him to, even during a prepared speech, demonstrate he is capable of nimble conversation and discussion. he recognizes bitcoin and digital data are only as useful as citizen access to it, and he easily navigated the thin line between explaining it literally by challenging some of the buzz words usually flung around. he's personable relatable and interesting. he recognizes there is no bitcoin or any free asset without a protected and free internet and sets the stage for slowly unraveling the narratives which choke the entire tech community because of his broad spectrum understanding of all social layers (which is rare). he would easily beat trump because trump won't have the same seriousness to match his intellectualism and kennedy wouldn't tolerate being bullied. i suggest if he isn't the candidate in the end, he's the vp, though i know that probably not popular amongst the purists who made a deal with the devil over mars. eyeroll.
Powerful speech by RFK, and he addresses all concerns. To add on, coal, fossil fuel and natural gas continue to be the predominant energy source (80% of global energy supply) despite treaties, regulations and environment concerns. We need a diff incentive to boost renewable energy I recall your tweet a few years back -
X (formerly Twitter)
jack (@jack) on X
#bitcoin incentivizes renewable energy
 It was a bold statement and a right one, and global reaction was overwhelmingly positive. I wrote some of these down 2 mths after that tweet and I’m sure there is more now : 1. Using waste of non - renewable energies - Stronghold Digital Mining in Pennsylvania combines waste coal and hydropower to mine Bitcoin. - Denver's Crusoe Energy Systems utilizes waste gas from oil drilling to achieve carbon negativity, as flares often fail to fully burn the methane it contains. 2. Under-utilised clean non-renewable energy - El Salvador expands geothermal mining and uses funds from Bitcoin mining to fund social infrastructure like schools and clinics - a lot of benefits to nuclear energy if used right. Texas power grid also uses 10.9% of nuclear energy to power its state - Suarez advocates Bitcoin miners near South Florida's Turkey Point nuclear plant. 3. Expanding renewable energies - Lord Fusitu'a of Tonga's Parliament harnesses ocean wave kinetic energy. - Tara Ocean project tests successful ocean energy mining collaboration between Paris and Los Angeles. - Paraguay's Deputy, Carlos Antonio Rejala Helman, capitalizes on Bitcoin projects leveraging hydroelectric energy which is net positive for the country. - Your company Block, @jack and Blockstream is building an open source solar-powered bitcoin mining facility 4. Potentials in underdeveloped countries - In "The Humanitarian and Environmental Case for Bitcoin," Alex Gladstein highlights many African countries lack access to basic amenities like electricity and clean water, despite untapped solar and hydroelectric resources. Countries such as Congo, South Sudan, Somalia, Libera, Sierra Leone, Chad, Niger, Malawi and the Central African Republic have less than 10% access to electricity. Bitcoin mining demand can attract long-term infrastructure investment. 5. Potentials in turning illegal miners into harvesting renewables - Malaysia remains one of the highest Bitcoin mining countries yet nobody knows who these miners are. With its tropical rainforest climate and abundant sunlight and water, Malaysia has ample opportunities to harness solar energy and repurpose abandoned hydroelectric dams. Bitcoin's demand can drive global change and have a positive environmental impact.
↩ replying to hh
It’s good that Tesla is contributing towards solar energy. I would separate person from the cause. My hot country lacks affordable solar panels and abandoned hydro to gov’t-controlled energy and rampant corruption in the supply chain. Elon may get a lot of things wrong but harvesting energy source and making it equitable is right Ideally Elon should champion decentralisation of supply chain so that he won’t be controlled by gov’ts globally, but that’s another story for another day.
↩ replying to hh
Yea. I’m not sure if he is net positive, but I’m just going by each actions. That aside, I think it’s pretty incredible that global leaders and entrepreneurs are picking it up. The re-use of waste from non-renewable energy was very innovative. I think when Blocks’s nanotech miners come out, it’s gonna be a game changer