[ExI] pay to not play

[Dave S]

On Sunday, December 4th, 2022 at 4:14 PM, spike jones via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> Hunter Biden filled out an FBI form to get a license to buy a gun, form F4473. Lying on that form is a felony. On Hunter Biden’s F4473, signed under penalty of prison (it is legally an affidavit (lying on that is perjury (a felony))) Hunter said he was not doing drugs, signed it, got his firearm. That image of his F4473 is getting harder to find on the internet, but it can still be found. So. We know that Hunter was not doing drugs, in accordance with his own legal testimony.

Who published his 4473? They're not public information. Given the number of marijuana users in the country, it's safe to say that a lot of people have committed that felony, too. As a libertarian, I don't think it's the government's business.

> However… some of the content of that laptop leaked, such as a short video of Hunter with a gun in one hand, a crack pipe in his mouth. So… the content of that laptop with that video must be covered, otherwise the FBI cannot enforce F4473 or the other legalities surrounding purchase of a firearm, for they would implicate themselves. They had the laptop, they saw the indications that perhaps Hunter was doing drugs and lied on an F4473 and they helped cover that up. Or… they could maintain that he didn’t buy a gun, or they could maintain that he didn’t smoke crack. To do all this requires that laptop stay secret. Allowing that laptop to be public would undo decades of legalities surrounding gun ownership, which is not in the best interest of the FBI.

A video of some purported activity isn't proof that the purported activity actually happened, or that it happened prior to the signing of an ATF 4473.

> Conclusion: that laptop is worth billions of dollars. An inherent conflict exists. There hasta be money to be made here, lots of it. Somehow. To quote a famous politician “I want that money.” Good chance a shot at some of that profit involves Twitter.

You lost me, Spike. Who cares whether Hunter Biden lied on his 4473, to the tune of billions of dollars?

> Fun aside: the critical F4473 is now mostly behind paywalls, but that too reinforces my overall theme that government has been monetized in our times. It is not at all clear to me how government can be demonetized at this point. My further overall contention is that this presents enormous potential for profit.

The more power the government has, the more that power can be abused. Of course, scaling back the government's power will be resisted by those wielding or abusing that power. The two-party system practically guarantees that voters will toe the party line and the parties will defend their need to retain their power to fight the evil other party. Voters have amply demonstrated that they can't be trusted to think for themselves. I don't see a way out of this mess.

-Dave

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