Matthew Bracken (@Matt_Bracken)

[A comment about the below memes on Free Republic:} "In a game of “Spot the Patsy” between Sam and Caroline, I’d go with Caroline being the patsy, and Sam the mastermind. Between Sam and almost anyone else, I’d pick Sam as being the patsy. Sam looks just sharp enough to know there was a patsy, and think it wasn’t him. Caroline looks like she thinks Patsy is a girl she knew in junior high. " [My reply:] I think Sam is above Caroline in the awareness dept, but both are patsies of MUCH higher minds. This was well thought out, and Sam was just the paid actor “Zelensky” in the scheme of things. Smart enough to pass himself off as the financial wizard iconoclast, NOT smart enough to conceive of it all. This operation existed on several levels for different results and time phases. 1. The insiders funneled money out, via cutouts, into their own pockets. 2. The Zelensky and Co. clique in Kiev got to launder vast money, sending a % back to the originators. Some of this FTX to Ukraine money actually bought a bullet. Most went to the Ukro elite bosses [this ensures compliance and silence], but nearly as much went back to the USA as kickbacks. Some of this went into political hands, for no congressional no-oversight, and so the SEC looks other way) 3. Longer term goal: The entire fiasco, having run its course and been burned, will be used to discredit crypto generally as unsecure. “This is why we need laws to outlaw people having secret crypto wallets with no oversight.” (But the mega millions stolen and laundered during 1. and 2. are still gone, so they were a big success.) If the GAE can’t control crypto, it will be outlawed. Federal LE stings will be set up to make examples out of “unregistered crypto outlaws.” Ten years in prison will make crypto unpopular. Folks will get out instead of complying with registration/regulation. 4. Finally, and the ultimate goal, the whole thing will be used to help usher in a national CBDC. It will be sold just like Trump Russia Collusion, the Covid Pandemic, mass vaccination, Climate Change, Ukraine, you name it. FTX will be the evil villain and reason for CBDC. “All good Americans support one safe and secure digital currency!” Just hold your hand over the chip reader, and you are good to go. @WRSA