Play War Thunder for free on PC, PlayStation or Xbox: wtplay.link/visualventure24. New and returning players that haven’t played in 6 months will also receive a massive bonus pack across all platforms! pls watch more internet documentaries for the algorithm 🥺: ua-cam.com/play/PLeXjXziPsewi5KFY7DZN_hvGUjXTclhdH.html p.s. if you've opened up the flap thingy to read this, I'd like to let you know...YOU ARE AN AMAZING PERSON.
@@SarahBroadbent-l4v he posted that it was coming out at 10 am today, yesterday. Yk how like some UA-camrs show it’s going to premiere soon? That’s what he did lol
@@dec210 years sentence. He would have been out in 5-8 years on good behaviour. I hardly can believe he was offered that and rejected it. If I had made a journal like that one would think he was f’d. Weird decision to decline that.
i noitce that which kinda tick more what he is still horrible as it open access to many bad stuff but the jail time he got kinda feel bad taste how killers, ped"o**, grap**st get wayyyyyyy less.
It's a silly quote. Lots of people get away with doing shit. Eg Donald fucking Trump? Elon Musk? Musk buying Twitter and turning it into even more of a right wing cesspit - is that destroying him or making the world better???
Realistically, what would he do if he got out? He won't get hired anywhere, approved on anything, no one's gonna want him around. It's better for his situation to take the longer sentence as it gives him somewhere to stay and something to do for the rest of his life. Freedom means nothing to someone who has nothing to go back to.
@@user-um8zt2ke8o There are many people that do 10 years and get out to start living a healthy and happy life again, Not to mention, when they say 10 years, they mean less with good behavior and such. Another point is, he was still quite you, healthy, good looking, smart, well educated. Of course, he still had the rest of his life to make his life better and beautiful. He seems like the guy that wouldn't just survive, I think he could prosper
He’d do contract work for the government and do talks like the rest of them. Or he could become a rapper. Or do both lol. Or go after criminals with a slight tinge of irony
Yeah that's the part where I really think should've resulted in the lengthy prison sentences not the substances. It's one thing to sell substances. It's a whole other thing to attempt to end someone's life. He let this stuff get into his ego and his head.
Whoever his lawyer was should have been disbarred for incompetence. They knew damn well he was guilty and that Ross would face life without parole in a trial. Maybe they tried to reason with him but Ross just wouldn't listen.
The Eagle Scout is not given because you have the best character. It’s a rank that you earn by getting certain merit badges and providing leadership on a project like building a gazebo for a park.
@@woofwufI’m sure he has all his life now to regret not doing that. FYI when the FBI charges you, it means that they got you in a corner. They win like 95% of cases which is insane.
heres the thing: we ALL do it too, you really wouldn't have thought about it until you're recruiting people to an illegal drug operation, it was soooo stupid
He is a pretty cleancut educated white guy. If he had kept his day job he might've walked. And if he had been a blonde woman, she would've been acquitted and sued the government for prosecution.
@@FolstrimHori He even censors simple words (drugs) so he won't lose money on the video because of UA-cam rules. Like, some simple words like drugs are said normally on the big news networks and local newscasts.
remember people you can do whatever you want but remember to pay taxes or the irs gonna be the one that rlly hunt you down if your criminal organization makes so much money
Stop trying to portray this guy as an "accidental criminal". He actively made each of these decisions every step of the way. He was not a "boy" he was an adult in his twenties. He had a master's degree. Do not sympathize with this man. You make it sound like it was only drugs being sold on this site with some random assassination attempts... like that's not bad enough on its own. But Silk Road was used for HUMAN TRAFFICKING. He can talk about "wanting to change the world" all he wants, but the reality is he wanted money and power. He wanted to be able to do whatever he wants without consequences, and that's just not how life and society works. He's not a victim. He's a criminal mastermind. Y'all been watching Goodfellas too much and completely missing the point of the story.
Good points I was thinking the same, he was so intelligent but decided to use his intellect for chronic criminality. They talking like he was some kinda saint that fell off the beaten path, he made a conscious decision to make my by any means necessary. The only thing I agree with this dude on is if people wanna partake in doing drugs, it's their business, other than that fk this guy!
You say human trafficking as if it isn't just another version of tryst or backpage. Not that I'm condoning it as boy scout medal worthy, but you say it as if he was buying people from Cambodia from a group of kidnappers
A life sentence doesn’t mean “in prison for life” 😂 it’s a legal term, usually meaning a period of time around 30 years. Give or take, depending on the court. And people get multiple charges, so they face multiple sentences. It’s not as deep as you think
And that he would log into the website at a public library like wtf was the point of that? Wasn’t that the whole reason he was too paranoid to go out with his girl because he didn’t wanna get caught but just casually logs into Silk Road in a public building? 🥴
2:38 in scouting you dont get promoted to any rank, you earn it. The rank of eagle scout is earned through demonstrating leadership in many ways, and gaining skills and merit badges.
@@Dungeon_Dunce2011you can earn bronze and silver ‘Eagle Palms’ which are little feather pins if you earn additional merit badges after earning Eagle rank
@@kenw2225 in the eyes of the law, he facilitated the sale of hard drugs, ILLEGAL drugs by creating the website alone. he may have had good intentions but the law doesn’t see is at that
I've seen another video about him saying his reason for making it was to end having to meet a sketchy dude for it and end violence between deals since you just ordered it like Amazon
just a note, at 2:32 it says Bronze -> Silver -> Eagle ....? its not that. its Star, Life, Eagle. and you arent promoted you have to work to earn the ranks
Yeah, bronze - silver - gold are for Girl Scouts, but like BSA they’re level of awards not promotion. I feel like it would have been better to clarify that because I feel some people who don’t know will miss how big of a deal an eagle award is
He did not deserve what he got. Those corrupt cops coerced him into hiring a hit on someone that he wouldn’t have tried to kill otherwise. At worst he deserved 5 to 10 years for setting up a drug market place and selling mushrooms on it but that’s it. Anyone saying “he got a 10 year sentence and didn’t take it” do some research bc the sentence was 10 to life and they were gonna throw the book at him regardless if he took a plea or not went to trail.
Damn if he took the 10 year plea deal he literally would've been out by 2025 which is NEXT YEAR now which is not even that bad considering the crimes he committed.
This is the most random yet most interesting video idea of yours so far. I’m super excited to see this one. I mean, going from a BOY SCOUT to a DRUG DEALER is super random yet super interesting 🧐
It's just storytelling devices, he just leaned heavily towards it. He could have just brushed over that little fact. It's like calling Kyrie Irving a church boy to big baller. Just because like most kids he went there. It just so happened that he was one. Another content creator could have used his College Dropout status , to make just as compelling of a video. That's where what has been said gets distorted. I've watched other videos of this & the boy Scouts part was just referenced.
it’s maddening how many people are so informed and watch UA-cam and think “omg this is accurate” because it’s not. He was never offered 10 years 🤦🏻♀️. They told him he would be getting 10 years to life in prison. Also for all he did? He started a website that he modded with like a handful of other people with the same login. He didn’t sell or buy anything but was enjoying chatting to the community. He’s got the longest sentence for a non violent crime. He was never a drug lord 🤦🏻♀️
i felt really bad for the parents, imagine expecting your son to be a scientist but they get arrested for being a drug lord Edit: Why are there still people trying to defend this criminal? He is not trying to ‘help’ people in anyway. He created a site where people bought and sold illegal stuff! If you did this kind of stuff today, wouldn’t you be arrested? Think before you comment! This is just sad. Grow up and go touch some grass.
Lmao buddy, the lines between scientist and drug lord are a very muddled, gray, and thin. Where the fuck do you think most of the good drugs come from? Sure, some of the crap out there comes from backyard meth cooks and shit like that- but that'd just on the low end and not really for amounts that would make you lots of money. The REAL manufacturing happens not only in mexico, but in warehouses and labs across America as well. Wanna know why it's called getting geeked?? Because IT nerds and scientist use it a lot, and scientist literally MAKE it. So.....
@@whenimmanicimgodly4228The Scouts is a huge part of the culture of the LDS Church, aka Mormons. Scouting is essentially built into the church, it's a kind of symbiotic relationship. The LDS Church sponsors scout troops, including supplying troop leaders via their semi-volunteer lay clergy system where adults in the ward are "called" to serve in certain positions involved with the running of the church. This means that pretty much every boy/young man in the church is involved in the Scouts. It's viewed as part of their social obligation for the church, as well as a social function and an opportunity for self-improvement. Many young men in the church view receiving their Eagle Scout as basically a pre-requisite or pre-cursor to serving a mission, and a young man becoming an Eagle Scout is viewed as a significant accomplishment/milestone within the ward, similar to how people view their child graduating from High School or receiving their Driver's License. Source: I was raised LDS in Utah County, Utah, and every man in my immediate orbit was a former Boy Scout, including my fiance who is an Eagle Scout. That being said, Scouting does exist outside of the LDS Church, in fact my nieces are now both Scouts (not Girl Scouts, "Boy" Scouts) and my sister is a troop leader, and while my siblings and I were all raised in the church, we've all since left as adults and view our upbringing as having been raised in a cult. So, my sister's involvement in the Scouts is entirely separate from being LDS/Mormon, and from what I understand their troop is secular and not involved with the LDS Church in any way. Particularly since, last I heard at least, the LDS Church hadn't quite embraced the idea of girls participating in "Boy" Scouts (though they often called women to serve as troop leaders, which is a whole other interesting conversation about how the church views gender roles, but I digress...)
First, there's no bronze or silver scout. Maybe back in the day? Also, you don't get "promoted" to eagle scout. It's something you earn because you deserve it. You have to strive for it. It's hard. It took me all 7 years. 3 days before my 18th, I was awarded the rank of eagle through my hard work and actions. I went before 2 boards, a local, and district. Had to complete a community project. And earn many many merit badges. I loved every second of it. If I could do it again. I would. Made life long friends and many fond memories. Side note, this guy's story is crazy.
I currently have my eagle project proposal for my troops committee scheduled! I will add, I think Mr Visual Venture may have mistaken the Girl Scout awards when saying bronze and silver, because the GS Gold award is the eagle equivalent from what I have heard.
I am also an Eagle scout, and that quick image blurb showing the ranks of scouting during the into was laughably wrong... it listed the award before Eagle as "Silver Scout". It took me all of 3 seconds to go onto google and search for "boy scout ranks" and... blam! Right there are the ranks, properly labeled and it's associated badge. I think dude somehow mixed up girl scouts and their ranks or awards as they call it. He put "Silver scout", there's no such thing, but the second to the highest award with girl scouts is the "silver award". Petty as hell, but simple shit like this always drives me bonkers. Do your research.
I knew that was BS and I never was a scout. Stuff like that makes it so hard to believe the rest of the video is even remotely correct in its information
Also an eagle, and the false fact of obtaining eagle based off only “good merit” is false. You obtain the rank through countless advancements, leadership positions and finally, a successful completing a self funded beneficial work project serving as a PM.
This plot line goes like deathnote which is insane. Like Ross and Light Yagami are similar philosophically and intellectual level wanting to change the world but turned evil down the road The criminal coach(cant remember his name) was like Ryuk pulling Ross into insanity And all of the pivotal plot points of getting info, scouting and catching Ross in the act. Like the more i think abt the more synonymous it becomes, its mind boggling 🤯
2:10 idk why but for me this is kind if sad. A little boy who had good morals somehow becoming involved in something so destructive. Somewhere along the way he must have realised that he was being lied to about how to make a living and went his own way.
Former Girl Scout here. We have Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards. You get this by doing something positive that makes an impact on your community. I’ve had friends in Boy Scouts that made it to the rank of Eagle Scout and from there you earn merit badges to win what’s known as palms. I’m not really really sure how it works, but depending on the amount of badges you earn you start off at bronze, silver, and inevitably gold.
@@misstekheadeagle scout here! yeah that really stuck out to me too because the vid got it kinda wrong u could say. u get ur eagle after years and leadership positions in the troop along with merit badges and stuff like that along the way. it’s a whole ordeal to get it so i had to jump to the comments cause you really gotta commit a fair amount of time “practicing scouting” to get that rank. i dont comment often i ain’t trying to argue 😭 idk if it came off that way but just tryna talk ab boyscouts 😭
@@dieyoungdiebig You did great in schooling us! I wasn’t sure if what I wrote was entirely accurate as I haven’t been active as a girl scout since the 1990s, but we used to collaborate with local boy/eagle scout troops on various community projects. I think being a scout is why I love to volunteer to this day.
@@SwitchMaxFX I'm responding to the end of the video where the guy pleaded with the judge to have mercy on him, yet dude put hits out on other people and showed none.
@achipofftholdblocktoys3387 agreed! When I heard, it was given, I was like, no it’s not. I have friends who became Eagle Scout and can tell you first hand how long it took them. They EARNED it through their hard work. I commend anyone who becomes Eagle Scout.
I wouldn t use him as an example , negative or not , most of the people who had high grades in school struggle cuz real world hits hard , and people with no high grades succeed more in life. Man cases like him happen once 800000 people , i think , and not the school is to blame for that , they didn t learn from there about dr8gs , he learned that quote that he twisted and turned him that way. , school pretty much kills creativity , free thinking , hopes and dreams , etc , and lets be honest there are more dr8g lords that are unneducated than with school , this thing with just because u get good grades doesn t mean they would be a good human quote errrrm man , hitler also went to school , and yet schools ain t taken down cuz " from there nasism happened" , Man rare cases are unavoidable , this life is a spinning wheel with lots of bads and goods , or how i would like to call it : an RNG fest. Cases like him happen anyway regardless of schools , u can t tell me graduates from oxford are all 100% successfull qnd , not criminals if they do stupid decisions that could alter that.
This video doesnt speak much on it but it’s speculated that FriendlyChemist and the hitman put out on him were actually the same person scamming Ross. Just that story itself is CRAZY.
It's genuinely crazy to me how people still think how someone looks on the outside has anything to do with them on the inside. Countless times we've seen people who look like they wouldn't do certain things, do the worst, yet people are still acting surprised when people commit crimes. This is exactly why so many people get away with the crimes they commit.
It was wild! Like literally the wild west... Internet now is so weak, its like 4 websites and all the communities like forums have basically died. Sorry you missed out
They made an example out of this highly intelligent young man. As a fellow Eagle Scout I can say that he has accomplished more than anyone I know personally
Eagle Scout might be hard to get but it isn’t THAT much of an accomplishment I grew up on a reservation doing the same things plus more outdoors and learned how to be a good civilian and help the community. A stupid Boy Scout badge that kids get doesn’t justify his actions of starting a dark web site where people were TRAFFICKED or killed. He is not a victim of anything but his own sinful pride and greed. And his own stupidity for not taking 10 years at that😂
It's sad and practically impossible to have a website where bad actors are not going to change your website into something that you didn't make it into. Ross didn't create the silk road, it was entrusted to him. Most people call Ross the criminal, when all he did was provide a truly FREE platform for it's member's. Society in general is the true criminal, creating a world where politicians and corporate executives get away with murder and imprison some of the brightest minds in history - all to maintain their power and wealth.
*TLDR: Silk Road unironically saved thousands of lives because people knew what they were buying vs buying laced substances. Videos like this, that solely focus on Ross' criminalization, negate all the factors that led up to a site like Silk Road existing in the first place. Videos like this also miss the mark in terms of discussing harm reduction, which is critical. Until we stop demonizing drug users & drugs in and of themselves, more senseless & tragic deaths from unintentional overdoses will happen. Even if you don't agree with substance use, unless you're a sociopath, most would agree that people don't deserve to die simply for using drugs & Silk Road helped to prevent these senseless deaths. Hope videos in the future will stop focusing so much on demonizing Ross & instead focus on harm reduction education instead.* Tbh, it's rather unfortunate how you framed this video - which I'll get into below. First of all, the US Gvmt made an example out of Ross Ulbricht because he was encroaching on their profits. Ironically, because of the reviews users could leave for sellers on Silk Road, SR was actually a much safer place to buy illegal substances (vs buying from sketchy dealers & getting robbed OR buying drugs that were secretly/unknowingly laced w/fentanyl that would lead to fatal overdoses). Reviews on Silk Road, allowed users to see the kind of seller they were buying from & the likelihood that what they were buying was "safe" or not. For example, these reviews allowed SR users to see if the person they were buying from usually sold what they claimed they were selling - meaning if you were trying to buy MDMA, you wouldn't get deadly PMA in its place. SR users could also see how often the person they were buying from had sold substances (vs being a new user), which often meant increased trustworthiness that you'd be getting what you paid for. If the person you were buying from only had a dozen sales under their belt, users would be more cautious given that they hadn't proved their trustworthiness online yet. Whether or not you agree with drug use, people are going to buy drugs anyway and frankly, I don't think people deserve to die sinply for using drugs. Silk Road helped curb a lot of the dangers that casual/social drug users experience, and in a very real way, SR helped to unironically promote harm reduction that would ensure the average 19 year-old wanting to take some substances at a rave or whatever, wasn't unknowingly going to take something that would kill them. In the US & many other places around the world, drug testing/harm reduction still is widely inaccessible & many times, casual users aren't testing their substances before ingesting, which has led to way too many preventable & tragic deaths. Most 19/20/21 year-olds who experiment in college, aren't buying reagent tests online to test their substances - especially since for the casual/social users, experimenting with drugs is usually spontaneous and not planned. This means, they don't have the time to order reagent tests online to test their substances before they try them, making it a major risk on if they're ingesting what they actually think they're going to ingest. The average casual user under 25 years old, especially college users, already think they're immortal anyway - which had sadly proven to be a dangerous & fatal combination one too many times. Silk Road helped promote livesaving means for these users because bad-faith dealers on SR were banned or had several reviews warning buyers not to trust their products. Due to all of this, your video's premise, wherein you solely focused on Ross' criminality, misses a much more important part of this entire conversation that surrounds; drug use, harm reduction, government hypocrisy, the DEA's continued limiting of PRESCRIBED pain medications for chronic pain patients (despite most drug overdoses having nothing or little to do with legally prescribed pain meds - which is evident in how even though the number of legally prescribed pain medications have decreased, the number of overdoses from street drugs are continuing to rise), prescription shortages, etc. Thus, it feels really short-sighted to ignore all of these connected factors that led to the popularity of Silk Road/Silk Road 2, simply to focus on one man. When people talk about SR & Ross Ulbricht, whether they realize it or not, by solely focusing on Ross's criminalization, they miss why SR existed, why it was so successful, why Ross received more prison time than most killers/rapists, etc. The conversations around HARM REDUCTION are still almost nonexistent in most parts of the world & videos like this, only further demonstrate that. Again, you don't have to "agree" with drug use, but only a sociopath would agree that the average/casual user deserves to die simply for using drugs - which millions of people are going to do anyway. Sadly, the US Gvmt knew what they were doing when they presented Ross' case to the world - because, instead of diving into conversations about gow Silk Road literally saved lives, the US Gvmt presented Ross's criminality on a silver platter & ignored all other questions that Silk Road & its users metaphorically begged us to talk about so that we'd focus on the criminalization over anything else. One of my closest friends passed away a few years ago because he took what he thought was molly & it turned out to be PMA. He wasn't someone suffering with the disease of addiction or anything like that. He was a casual user, who went to a rave (that didn't offer drug testing on site, like some raves in the EU have done for free, which saved multiple lives) & he was a wonderful human being. He had a great job, great friends, and welcomed me with open arms when I moved over 600 miles away from home to a new city and knew no one. He was a lovely human being & even if you don't agree with him using what he thought to be "molly" at a rave, he did NOT deserve to die in his earpy 30s! This is why harm reduction is critical, but instead of having those conversations, people would rather focus on demonizing drug use and people like Ross Ulbricht, who undeniably saved tens of thousands of lives - bc people were able to turn to Silk Road to get what they paid for vs unintentionally buying fentanyl-laced substances. Also, notice how the US Gvmt made an example out of Ross? They gave him that ridiculous prison sentence bc he was encroaching on their profits in a much more effective way & they didn't appreciate the competition. It's genuinely insane to consider that Ross was given an ungodly amount of prison time for undoubtedly saving lives through a website he created. Murderers & rapists will never see even a fraction of the amount of prison time Ross faced & it's disgusting that videos like this only seek to demonize Ross that much further & in a very real way, almost "justify" why he's been sentenced so long. All in all, this wasn't an attack on you or anything - I actually enjoy a lot of your content. I just feel like it's pretty shortsighted to look at the issues I mentioned above & to dismiss or not mention them, solely to focus on Ross Ulbricht. Ross was but a microcosm of a much bigger, much more interconnected phenomena & a video on these factors instead would be much more beneficial long-term. Thanks to all who read my small essay here haha *(Edited for some small grammar mistakes)*
I know I’m late to comment but there is no such thing as a bronze or silver scout in the Boy Scouts organization. The ranks go, Scout, tenderfoot, second class, first class, star, life, Eagle Scout.
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pls watch more internet documentaries for the algorithm 🥺: ua-cam.com/play/PLeXjXziPsewi5KFY7DZN_hvGUjXTclhdH.html
p.s. if you've opened up the flap thingy to read this, I'd like to let you know...YOU ARE AN AMAZING PERSON.
:)
:D
you make very good and interesting internet documents keep it going son your doing grate
how is the video 1 hour ago but this comment 1 day
@@SarahBroadbent-l4v he posted that it was coming out at 10 am today, yesterday. Yk how like some UA-camrs show it’s going to premiere soon? That’s what he did lol
This former boy scout is the true example of "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villian"
Boy scouts must be a recruiting station because I was a boy scout too and I ended being a small time meth dealer for several years :O
@@whenimmanicimgodly4228:0
:0
he was never a hero
yup, plenty of villains we see as the world leaders, most of them are 65+
Always remember that the Government doesn’t like competition 💯😂😂
Accurate
Exactly
Excellent point!!!!
😂😂😂
*cough* *cough* snowfall
No way the IRS found him first, like you have enough tax money 😭
They got Al Capone
That's why I always pay my taxes
The IRS has caught more criminals than the FBI💀
@@mcbby7 The perfect wat for government to legally steal from people to fund their corrupt practices
Just like what Saul said to Jesse if you want to stay a criminal you need to pay taxes.
Of course an IRS employee finds the real identity. Not even the FBI could find em but an IRS guy did 😂
🤣
They don’t play when it comes to untaxed $$$$
Fact: The IRS has a criminal intelligence that where they found him.
@@cyborgk9 the FBI did find him first 🤦🏻♀️. This guy didn’t do his research into any of this. So much misinformation and bias.
@@cyborgk9 The FBI specialized in tracking down Criminals but with this there was more to it than just tracking Him down.
Damn I bet he’s kicking himself for declining that 10 year plea deal
10 years is a sweetheart deal compared to his charges. And as of right now, he'd only have maybe 12 months left.
@@dec210 years sentence. He would have been out in 5-8 years on good behaviour. I hardly can believe he was offered that and rejected it. If I had made a journal like that one would think he was f’d. Weird decision to decline that.
@@jonnydangerduderNo. Fed time you have to do 90% at least of your time. still should’ve took that.
It’s scary how Ross got more prison time than serial killers, 🍇ists, and general criminals.
i noitce that which kinda tick more what he is still horrible as it open access to many bad stuff but the jail time he got kinda feel bad taste how killers, ped"o**, grap**st get wayyyyyyy less.
While i agree the others should get harsher sentences, Ross deserved life kn prison
@@failedfailure7940for providing a business?
If he had actually ordered and paid for hits he is no better than the one who actually did the murder.
But that corrupt cop thought he was slick lol
he made more profit the gov couldn‘t take, so of course
My friends the seemingly small choices you make everyday will either destroy your life or make the world a better place so choose wisely - great quote
He said that EXACTLY while i was reading this comment lmfao
@@arman100tnt me too lol
Ross' biggest mistake was having bad opsec.
Best reply I’ve read so far!! I’m a keep this in my head😊
It's a silly quote. Lots of people get away with doing shit. Eg Donald fucking Trump? Elon Musk? Musk buying Twitter and turning it into even more of a right wing cesspit - is that destroying him or making the world better???
I feel like I've seen him before he just looks like everybody's distant cousin
I can confirm my cousin is an creck dealer
daniel radcliffe aka harry potter mc
@@mallusrgreat I can confirm my cousin is Harry po'er
He looks related to dream
I never knew I had a white cousin
Refusing 10 years to getting 2 life sentences + 40 years, what a gross miscalculation.
Realistically, what would he do if he got out? He won't get hired anywhere, approved on anything, no one's gonna want him around. It's better for his situation to take the longer sentence as it gives him somewhere to stay and something to do for the rest of his life. Freedom means nothing to someone who has nothing to go back to.
@@user-um8zt2ke8o There are many people that do 10 years and get out to start living a healthy and happy life again, Not to mention, when they say 10 years, they mean less with good behavior and such. Another point is, he was still quite you, healthy, good looking, smart, well educated. Of course, he still had the rest of his life to make his life better and beautiful. He seems like the guy that wouldn't just survive, I think he could prosper
Yeah I bet he kicks himself for not taking the 10.
@@user-um8zt2ke8o I think he go back to doing something in that field of work
He’d do contract work for the government and do talks like the rest of them. Or he could become a rapper. Or do both lol. Or go after criminals with a slight tinge of irony
Crazy how 250,000 BTC today is worth 15billion dollars
He says “I just want people to be able do whatever they want as long as they don’t hurt anyone,” and then proceeds to sell hitman💀
that part
Yeah that's the part where I really think should've resulted in the lengthy prison sentences not the substances. It's one thing to sell substances. It's a whole other thing to attempt to end someone's life. He let this stuff get into his ego and his head.
@@StillMaya1 💯
@@lilofrfr that’s what I meant. He created a way to make hitman more accessible to people who wanted them.
he wasn’t found guilty of ordering any hits. the only time a hit was mention was in relation to a corrupt cop.
Man is the essence of "That escalated quickly."
10 year plea deal is crazy how does he not take that?!?!?!
Seriously they railroaded his ass
Nobody really knows but maybe principle, maybe he got screwed by a bad lawyer or a crooked prosecutor.
It's arrogant pride he made many mistakes trust nobody ever
Ego
Whoever his lawyer was should have been disbarred for incompetence. They knew damn well he was guilty and that Ross would face life without parole in a trial. Maybe they tried to reason with him but Ross just wouldn't listen.
The Eagle Scout is not given because you have the best character. It’s a rank that you earn by getting certain merit badges and providing leadership on a project like building a gazebo for a park.
That 10 year plea deal in a medium security would have turned into 6-7 with good behavior. Wild.
nah not fed.. state would get time shaved
He was really stupid to not take the plea deal knowing very well he did it and literally got caught in the act.
10 years for all he did would have been insane
@@woofwufI’m sure he has all his life now to regret not doing that.
FYI when the FBI charges you, it means that they got you in a corner. They win like 95% of cases which is insane.
Just as stupid as using your real name in an email? I think so lol and here we are 😂
heres the thing: we ALL do it too, you really wouldn't have thought about it until you're recruiting people to an illegal drug operation, it was soooo stupid
He is a pretty cleancut educated white guy. If he had kept his day job he might've walked.
And if he had been a blonde woman, she would've been acquitted and sued the government for prosecution.
20K Bitcoins is worth $1,824,837,800 CAD ($1.8 Billion) or $1.3B USD..... Crazy as fuck...
Foreal ??
@@jovanycivil2415 yes, it was 350k at the time but 1.3 billion now
that’s what i’m saying why is nobody else talking about this 😭😭my jaw dropped when i heard that
Yeah, is that cop a billionaire now??
All I would need is a few 100 million, call it a day and go on a very long vacation on the beach.
Real life Scarface and Breaking Bad in a nutshell
Fr
it’s even @bstchld lore
yoooo i thougt the same thing
He is the one who knocks… selling Girl Scout cookies.
Lol Scarface reincarnated is El chino antrax
i swear to god half the boy scouts in my troop are gonna become criminals lol
"say my name"
"dread pirate roberts"
*"YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT"*
why is this guy so underrated? this is one of the best storytelling channels on youtube
Because this story and other's he's done have been covered hundreds of times already with more or less better research.
@@FolstrimHori He even censors simple words (drugs) so he won't lose money on the video because of UA-cam rules. Like, some simple words like drugs are said normally on the big news networks and local newscasts.
@@FolstrimHorinever heard this before.
@@shaneharrisnj3484and???
Damn, why are IRS so good at catching hidden criminals like they really need those taxes paid
So that they can launder the money in Ukraine
remember people you can do whatever you want but remember to pay taxes or the irs gonna be the one that rlly hunt you down if your criminal organization makes so much money
Do you need roads, firehouses, police? Yes they do need those taxes paid. And that's their job.
That’s why even notorious criminals pay taxes and try not to cross the IRS. They don’t play
@@ultimaIXultimasales tax property tax and many other local and state taxes pay for that.. stop simping for things you don't understand
I have seen this story told a million different ways and this video was still interesting enough for me to watch start to finish. Great job
same these are so good
the hits are actually debated, some people say they never happened but some say they did.
Lmao fr
Stop trying to portray this guy as an "accidental criminal". He actively made each of these decisions every step of the way. He was not a "boy" he was an adult in his twenties. He had a master's degree. Do not sympathize with this man. You make it sound like it was only drugs being sold on this site with some random assassination attempts... like that's not bad enough on its own. But Silk Road was used for HUMAN TRAFFICKING. He can talk about "wanting to change the world" all he wants, but the reality is he wanted money and power. He wanted to be able to do whatever he wants without consequences, and that's just not how life and society works. He's not a victim. He's a criminal mastermind. Y'all been watching Goodfellas too much and completely missing the point of the story.
Good points I was thinking the same, he was so intelligent but decided to use his intellect for chronic criminality. They talking like he was some kinda saint that fell off the beaten path, he made a conscious decision to make my by any means necessary. The only thing I agree with this dude on is if people wanna partake in doing drugs, it's their business, other than that fk this guy!
He was too ambitious.
You say human trafficking as if it isn't just another version of tryst or backpage. Not that I'm condoning it as boy scout medal worthy, but you say it as if he was buying people from Cambodia from a group of kidnappers
Sounds like a bootlicking statement if I've ever heard one
get off your knees buddy why does this affect u so much to the point u have to type a paragraph about it 💀
Bro created illegal amazon
The stupidest thing he did was use an email with his actual name. It's as stupid as giving a person multiple life sentences.
A life sentence doesn’t mean “in prison for life” 😂 it’s a legal term, usually meaning a period of time around 30 years. Give or take, depending on the court. And people get multiple charges, so they face multiple sentences. It’s not as deep as you think
Actually
Multiple life sentences aren't that weird when u think about the fact people can die and be brought back to life 😂😂
And that he would log into the website at a public library like wtf was the point of that? Wasn’t that the whole reason he was too paranoid to go out with his girl because he didn’t wanna get caught but just casually logs into Silk Road in a public building? 🥴
@@jonosterman2878then why call it a life sentence? Seems pretty dumb to me
A person is delivered multiple life sentences so that if one get’s overturned in court the guy still has to serve the other ones dumbass
2:38 in scouting you dont get promoted to any rank, you earn it. The rank of eagle scout is earned through demonstrating leadership in many ways, and gaining skills and merit badges.
yeah, also what was the Silver and Bronze scout thing? It goes star-life-eagle after first class, not bronze-silver-eagle
I know it is very frustrating
He just had to simply describe it like with medals for people without insider knowledge to understand
@@Dungeon_Dunce2011you can earn bronze and silver ‘Eagle Palms’ which are little feather pins if you earn additional merit badges after earning Eagle rank
Same thing. Promotions are earned.
Just the fact that the smallest decision to “make the world a better place” led to him becoming a drug lord and becoming corrupted is crazy to me.
He wasnt though. He just made a website.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
@@kenw2225😂😂😂😂 yea good luck with that in court
@@kenw2225 in the eyes of the law, he facilitated the sale of hard drugs, ILLEGAL drugs by creating the website alone. he may have had good intentions but the law doesn’t see is at that
I've seen another video about him saying his reason for making it was to end having to meet a sketchy dude for it and end violence between deals since you just ordered it like Amazon
just a note, at 2:32 it says Bronze -> Silver -> Eagle ....? its not that. its Star, Life, Eagle. and you arent promoted you have to work to earn the ranks
Yeah, bronze - silver - gold are for Girl Scouts, but like BSA they’re level of awards not promotion. I feel like it would have been better to clarify that because I feel some people who don’t know will miss how big of a deal an eagle award is
He did not deserve what he got. Those corrupt cops coerced him into hiring a hit on someone that he wouldn’t have tried to kill otherwise. At worst he deserved 5 to 10 years for setting up a drug market place and selling mushrooms on it but that’s it. Anyone saying “he got a 10 year sentence and didn’t take it” do some research bc the sentence was 10 to life and they were gonna throw the book at him regardless if he took a plea or not went to trail.
Damn if he took the 10 year plea deal he literally would've been out by 2025 which is NEXT YEAR now which is not even that bad considering the crimes he committed.
Yeah but we don’t know the conditions..🤷🏽♂️😎
What crimes did he commit?
@@alexragland9107bruh what condition will make you trade it for 2 life sentences? 😂
Ironically Trump says he will pardon him if elected president so he might get that 10 year deal yet.
@@shachede6828I'm nit gambling with my freedom when I know that I'm guilty...F THAT
This is the most random yet most interesting video idea of yours so far. I’m super excited to see this one. I mean, going from a BOY SCOUT to a DRUG DEALER is super random yet super interesting 🧐
It's just storytelling devices, he just leaned heavily towards it. He could have just brushed over that little fact.
It's like calling Kyrie Irving a church boy to big baller. Just because like most kids he went there.
It just so happened that he was one. Another content creator could have used his College Dropout status , to make just as compelling of a video.
That's where what has been said gets distorted.
I've watched other videos of this & the boy Scouts part was just referenced.
How have you NOT heard of this guy before now??
Sooooo random 😵💫🫨🤪
Yet super interesting
And random
And yet interesting
In the uk I feel like Scouts becoming drug dealers isn’t that weird 💀
@@demeter-the-greatNot to mention how random yet interesting it is. It's kinda interesting how random it is as well. We're such silly gooses. 🦆🤪
Ever heard of someone being smart but makes the dumbest decisions? This guy is the prime example.
Intelligence is not the same thing as sense or wisdom.
@@dubuyajay9964 Agreed!
it’s maddening how many people are so informed and watch UA-cam and think “omg this is accurate” because it’s not. He was never offered 10 years 🤦🏻♀️. They told him he would be getting 10 years to life in prison. Also for all he did? He started a website that he modded with like a handful of other people with the same login. He didn’t sell or buy anything but was enjoying chatting to the community. He’s got the longest sentence for a non violent crime. He was never a drug lord 🤦🏻♀️
Double life + 40 without parole is absolutely outlandish. punishment has to fit the crime
i felt really bad for the parents, imagine expecting your son to be a scientist but they get arrested for being a drug lord
Edit: Why are there still people trying to defend this criminal? He is not trying to ‘help’ people in anyway. He created a site where people bought and sold illegal stuff! If you did this kind of stuff today, wouldn’t you be arrested? Think before you comment! This is just sad. Grow up and go touch some grass.
Lmao buddy, the lines between scientist and drug lord are a very muddled, gray, and thin.
Where the fuck do you think most of the good drugs come from? Sure, some of the crap out there comes from backyard meth cooks and shit like that- but that'd just on the low end and not really for amounts that would make you lots of money. The REAL manufacturing happens not only in mexico, but in warehouses and labs across America as well.
Wanna know why it's called getting geeked?? Because IT nerds and scientist use it a lot, and scientist literally MAKE it. So.....
They did not get arrested.
@@n1mand he's referring to ross
I would think, dang my son is a bad azz I thought he was gay😂
Being scientist = lame being drug lord = based
I'm like 95% sure "former boy scout" is a title that could be given to pretty much every American male born between 1985-2000
Apparently still going if you're a Mormon..
Idk why
@shadow1150zz like only mormans have them going or you can only join if your monron??? I wanna know more, Mon
@@shadow1150zzbecause the Mormons are happy to ignore the abuse that goes on in any institution as long as they can control their congregation.
@@whenimmanicimgodly4228The Scouts is a huge part of the culture of the LDS Church, aka Mormons. Scouting is essentially built into the church, it's a kind of symbiotic relationship. The LDS Church sponsors scout troops, including supplying troop leaders via their semi-volunteer lay clergy system where adults in the ward are "called" to serve in certain positions involved with the running of the church. This means that pretty much every boy/young man in the church is involved in the Scouts. It's viewed as part of their social obligation for the church, as well as a social function and an opportunity for self-improvement. Many young men in the church view receiving their Eagle Scout as basically a pre-requisite or pre-cursor to serving a mission, and a young man becoming an Eagle Scout is viewed as a significant accomplishment/milestone within the ward, similar to how people view their child graduating from High School or receiving their Driver's License.
Source: I was raised LDS in Utah County, Utah, and every man in my immediate orbit was a former Boy Scout, including my fiance who is an Eagle Scout.
That being said, Scouting does exist outside of the LDS Church, in fact my nieces are now both Scouts (not Girl Scouts, "Boy" Scouts) and my sister is a troop leader, and while my siblings and I were all raised in the church, we've all since left as adults and view our upbringing as having been raised in a cult. So, my sister's involvement in the Scouts is entirely separate from being LDS/Mormon, and from what I understand their troop is secular and not involved with the LDS Church in any way. Particularly since, last I heard at least, the LDS Church hadn't quite embraced the idea of girls participating in "Boy" Scouts (though they often called women to serve as troop leaders, which is a whole other interesting conversation about how the church views gender roles, but I digress...)
Yeah but eagle scout that % drops to less than 5%
8:55 if you wanna skip the sponsor :/
Thank
W
U a G
First, there's no bronze or silver scout. Maybe back in the day? Also, you don't get "promoted" to eagle scout. It's something you earn because you deserve it. You have to strive for it. It's hard. It took me all 7 years. 3 days before my 18th, I was awarded the rank of eagle through my hard work and actions. I went before 2 boards, a local, and district. Had to complete a community project. And earn many many merit badges. I loved every second of it. If I could do it again. I would. Made life long friends and many fond memories. Side note, this guy's story is crazy.
Was looking for this
I currently have my eagle project proposal for my troops committee scheduled! I will add, I think Mr Visual Venture may have mistaken the Girl Scout awards when saying bronze and silver, because the GS Gold award is the eagle equivalent from what I have heard.
I am also an Eagle scout, and that quick image blurb showing the ranks of scouting during the into was laughably wrong... it listed the award before Eagle as "Silver Scout". It took me all of 3 seconds to go onto google and search for "boy scout ranks" and... blam! Right there are the ranks, properly labeled and it's associated badge. I think dude somehow mixed up girl scouts and their ranks or awards as they call it. He put "Silver scout", there's no such thing, but the second to the highest award with girl scouts is the "silver award". Petty as hell, but simple shit like this always drives me bonkers. Do your research.
I knew that was BS and I never was a scout. Stuff like that makes it so hard to believe the rest of the video is even remotely correct in its information
Also an eagle, and the false fact of obtaining eagle based off only “good merit” is false. You obtain the rank through countless advancements, leadership positions and finally, a successful completing a self funded beneficial work project serving as a PM.
Apologies for the errors, it’s 3 am and I can’t sleep. 😂
Who cares?
Need allert!!!!😮
@19:19 “generating 1 BILLION dollars of transactions” while showing $1 million dollars on screen lol
Scientist + Drug lord?
Waltah is that u?
I guess I got
what I deserved
Walter was a chemist 😂😂
@@realpersonishere BEEFY DIE FAN
@@alexcasique6998hey genius chemist are scientists😂😂😂go hide now
He turned down 10 years? Lol
what a dumbass
Was thinking the same thing. That would’ve been a slap on the wrist but he had that thing called an ego that was too big
2 life’s plus 40 no parole hahah bet he’s regretting that ego move 😂
He'll regret that decision until the day he dies. Hubris has been the downfall of many.
I'm kinda glad he turned it down because he deserves much more than 10 years lol
It's crazy that he got a life sentence but child rapists get 20 years all the time
This plot line goes like deathnote which is insane.
Like
Ross and Light Yagami are similar philosophically and intellectual level wanting to change the world but turned evil down the road
The criminal coach(cant remember his name) was like Ryuk pulling Ross into insanity
And all of the pivotal plot points of getting info, scouting and catching Ross in the act. Like the more i think abt the more synonymous it becomes, its mind boggling 🤯
2:10 idk why but for me this is kind if sad. A little boy who had good morals somehow becoming involved in something so destructive. Somewhere along the way he must have realised that he was being lied to about how to make a living and went his own way.
Usually, when somethiing like this happens... crazy, life changing scenarios must've happened
Hey, the silver scout and bronze scout things are for Girl Scouts. Boy Scouts have different ranks. Small mistake but really stuck out to me
Former Girl Scout here. We have Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards. You get this by doing something positive that makes an impact on your community.
I’ve had friends in Boy Scouts that made it to the rank of Eagle Scout and from there you earn merit badges to win what’s known as palms. I’m not really really sure how it works, but depending on the amount of badges you earn you start off at bronze, silver, and inevitably gold.
@@misstekheadeagle scout here! yeah that really stuck out to me too because the vid got it kinda wrong u could say. u get ur eagle after years and leadership positions in the troop along with merit badges and stuff like that along the way. it’s a whole ordeal to get it so i had to jump to the comments cause you really gotta commit a fair amount of time “practicing scouting” to get that rank.
i dont comment often i ain’t trying to argue 😭 idk if it came off that way but just tryna talk ab boyscouts 😭
@@dieyoungdiebig
You did great in schooling us! I wasn’t sure if what I wrote was entirely accurate as I haven’t been active as a girl scout since the 1990s, but we used to collaborate with local boy/eagle scout troops on various community projects. I think being a scout is why I love to volunteer to this day.
Doesn't Life Scout come before Eagle?
YESSSS!! I love the Silk Road story. Can't wait.
He overlooked the freedom to trade those substances hurts someone else very far away.
War thunder ad is the only ad I will stand by. It’s free on my Xbox and I play the planes all the time it’s badass
Can't stand how these evil cowards want mercy, but never gave any to their victims.
Are you aware that the actual d- lords got a slap on the wrist? And most are now back on the streets
If you knew the story you would know this title is 110% false clickbait.
Man made a website and got two life sentences, people selling the actual drugs are still out there selling then same drugs
@@SwitchMaxFX I'm responding to the end of the video where the guy pleaded with the judge to have mercy on him, yet dude put hits out on other people and showed none.
Difference is People ask for drugs,so it’s their fault if they die from it
An Eagle is not given to any Boy Scout. It is earned. There are merit badges to be earned and an Eagle project (service project).
@achipofftholdblocktoys3387 agreed! When I heard, it was given, I was like, no it’s not. I have friends who became Eagle Scout and can tell you first hand how long it took them. They EARNED it through their hard work. I commend anyone who becomes Eagle Scout.
This shows that someone might not be who you think they are. Always be careful about who you hang around and communicate with.
Is that that you took away from this? Are you *stupid* ? Some things change people and their perspective. That’s what really happened here.
Remeber kids. Even the Joker is afraid of the IRS. So pay your taxes 😂
I can't believe actual adult lawyers were arguing over whether they had the REAL Dread Pirate Roberts or not
This hits between friendlychemist and redandwhite turned out to actually be one guy co-ordinating a big lie and scamming silk road
Damn the plea deal was nice. 10 years wasn’t too bad
This Ross Guy makes me think of Light Yagami from Death note!
Bro shoulda took the plea deal🤣😭
Imagine how he feels turning that 10year deal down , that’s the stupidest fucking thing he’s ever done besides making the website
Bro didn’t even take the ten year plee, 2 life’s plus 40 no parole 😂😂
the boy scout to drug lord pipeline is crazy
(in all seriousness, this is a great video!)
Too greedy... he got too greedy.
That's how the majority of criminals fall.
It's absolutely ridiculous that you have to sensor the word "drugs"
why do I feel like the CIA was actually behind Silk Road, not this kid
Vro was the scape🐐
That's why he didn't take the plea deal. He was told if he said no, he would get out
Yes, that actually might be the case, I mean, nobody is stupid enough to turn down 10 yyears knowing that they are guilty of the crim
imagine if Jayoma was his lawyer
This just proves, Just because someone gets better grades doesn't mean, they will be a good human.
I wouldn t use him as an example , negative or not , most of the people who had high grades in school struggle cuz real world hits hard , and people with no high grades succeed more in life. Man cases like him happen once 800000 people , i think , and not the school is to blame for that , they didn t learn from there about dr8gs , he learned that quote that he twisted and turned him that way. , school pretty much kills creativity , free thinking , hopes and dreams , etc , and lets be honest there are more dr8g lords that are unneducated than with school , this thing with just because u get good grades doesn t mean they would be a good human quote errrrm man , hitler also went to school , and yet schools ain t taken down cuz " from there nasism happened" , Man rare cases are unavoidable , this life is a spinning wheel with lots of bads and goods , or how i would like to call it : an RNG fest. Cases like him happen anyway regardless of schools , u can t tell me graduates from oxford are all 100% successfull qnd , not criminals if they do stupid decisions that could alter that.
I mean, yeah? Who's saying good grades equals good person in the first place?
no shit.
He was fitted up on all charges and that's why he didn't take that 10yr deal
@@stancamita9126 yeah I was straight A student, and I can't even pay my bills. I don't know how to live
I've heard the dpr story many times. Never knew he was a fellow eagle scout.
I remember going on silk road and thinking everyone was just a bunch of scammers. Cant help but feel like i missed out on a golden age
Bro feeling nostalgic 😂😂😂
This video doesnt speak much on it but it’s speculated that FriendlyChemist and the hitman put out on him were actually the same person scamming Ross. Just that story itself is CRAZY.
GOTTA GIVE KUDOS TO THE EDITOR BRO I AM SO JEALOUS
I learned about this guy in my venture to obtaining my Eagle, but never really looked into it, great video, you have earned a sub!
Why does this feel like young Walter White in Breaking Bad
11:01 what you mean she was a freshman he was a grad student ???
Freshman in College or freshman in HS?
Clearly said they met at college she was a freshman in college
He could have used his knowledge for something greater than that. He could of actually worked with FBI to catch crimes like that.
It's genuinely crazy to me how people still think how someone looks on the outside has anything to do with them on the inside. Countless times we've seen people who look like they wouldn't do certain things, do the worst, yet people are still acting surprised when people commit crimes. This is exactly why so many people get away with the crimes they commit.
So mad I didn’t experience non moderated internet 😔
It was wild! Like literally the wild west... Internet now is so weak, its like 4 websites and all the communities like forums have basically died. Sorry you missed out
Whats wild is that it wasn't even like a real sting operation they literally just stole from him in a library and happened to be correct.
Incredible what he did though. The creation was impressive
They made an example out of this highly intelligent young man. As a fellow Eagle Scout I can say that he has accomplished more than anyone I know personally
Eagle Scout might be hard to get but it isn’t THAT much of an accomplishment I grew up on a reservation doing the same things plus more outdoors and learned how to be a good civilian and help the community. A stupid Boy Scout badge that kids get doesn’t justify his actions of starting a dark web site where people were TRAFFICKED or killed. He is not a victim of anything but his own sinful pride and greed. And his own stupidity for not taking 10 years at that😂
Bro is Pablo Escobar Jr 💀💀💀
Pablo would be like you always on that damn laptop 🤣
@@txkj7 bro is mad 💀
Got taken down by an IRS employee lol
@@UnKnown-xl1iyDo you know what a joke is?
@@user_finland I figured the one in the first reply is being rude, sorry if I got it all wrong
this guy is my hero. he doesnt deserve to be in jail.
You're kinda right.
@@YourWorstNightmareyes yeah because Ross is not black so he should be let go.
@@Bubble23428 this comment says alot about police.
yea selling human and hitman what a good guy.
It's sad and practically impossible to have a website where bad actors are not going to change your website into something that you didn't make it into. Ross didn't create the silk road, it was entrusted to him. Most people call Ross the criminal, when all he did was provide a truly FREE platform for it's member's. Society in general is the true criminal, creating a world where politicians and corporate executives get away with murder and imprison some of the brightest minds in history - all to maintain their power and wealth.
Sending someone life in prison for a training site is insane.
This previous boy trooper is the genuine illustration of "You either pass on a legend or sufficiently live to see yourself become the MASTERMIND"
Amazing you can call someone who never sold drugs a drug lord. Free Ross!
you make some of the best informational youtube videos on the platform
Chicken and stars soup to imitate blood in a photograph?????
Oh my god, not taking that 10 years is gonna be on his mind for the rest of his life.
Ssl/2A on background makes it sound really good. Great story)
*TLDR: Silk Road unironically saved thousands of lives because people knew what they were buying vs buying laced substances. Videos like this, that solely focus on Ross' criminalization, negate all the factors that led up to a site like Silk Road existing in the first place. Videos like this also miss the mark in terms of discussing harm reduction, which is critical. Until we stop demonizing drug users & drugs in and of themselves, more senseless & tragic deaths from unintentional overdoses will happen. Even if you don't agree with substance use, unless you're a sociopath, most would agree that people don't deserve to die simply for using drugs & Silk Road helped to prevent these senseless deaths. Hope videos in the future will stop focusing so much on demonizing Ross & instead focus on harm reduction education instead.*
Tbh, it's rather unfortunate how you framed this video - which I'll get into below.
First of all, the US Gvmt made an example out of Ross Ulbricht because he was encroaching on their profits. Ironically, because of the reviews users could leave for sellers on Silk Road, SR was actually a much safer place to buy illegal substances (vs buying from sketchy dealers & getting robbed OR buying drugs that were secretly/unknowingly laced w/fentanyl that would lead to fatal overdoses).
Reviews on Silk Road, allowed users to see the kind of seller they were buying from & the likelihood that what they were buying was "safe" or not. For example, these reviews allowed SR users to see if the person they were buying from usually sold what they claimed they were selling - meaning if you were trying to buy MDMA, you wouldn't get deadly PMA in its place.
SR users could also see how often the person they were buying from had sold substances (vs being a new user), which often meant increased trustworthiness that you'd be getting what you paid for. If the person you were buying from only had a dozen sales under their belt, users would be more cautious given that they hadn't proved their trustworthiness online yet.
Whether or not you agree with drug use, people are going to buy drugs anyway and frankly, I don't think people deserve to die sinply for using drugs. Silk Road helped curb a lot of the dangers that casual/social drug users experience, and in a very real way, SR helped to unironically promote harm reduction that would ensure the average 19 year-old wanting to take some substances at a rave or whatever, wasn't unknowingly going to take something that would kill them.
In the US & many other places around the world, drug testing/harm reduction still is widely inaccessible & many times, casual users aren't testing their substances before ingesting, which has led to way too many preventable & tragic deaths. Most 19/20/21 year-olds who experiment in college, aren't buying reagent tests online to test their substances - especially since for the casual/social users, experimenting with drugs is usually spontaneous and not planned. This means, they don't have the time to order reagent tests online to test their substances before they try them, making it a major risk on if they're ingesting what they actually think they're going to ingest. The average casual user under 25 years old, especially college users, already think they're immortal anyway - which had sadly proven to be a dangerous & fatal combination one too many times. Silk Road helped promote livesaving means for these users because bad-faith dealers on SR were banned or had several reviews warning buyers not to trust their products.
Due to all of this, your video's premise, wherein you solely focused on Ross' criminality, misses a much more important part of this entire conversation that surrounds; drug use, harm reduction, government hypocrisy, the DEA's continued limiting of PRESCRIBED pain medications for chronic pain patients (despite most drug overdoses having nothing or little to do with legally prescribed pain meds - which is evident in how even though the number of legally prescribed pain medications have decreased, the number of overdoses from street drugs are continuing to rise), prescription shortages, etc.
Thus, it feels really short-sighted to ignore all of these connected factors that led to the popularity of Silk Road/Silk Road 2, simply to focus on one man.
When people talk about SR & Ross Ulbricht, whether they realize it or not, by solely focusing on Ross's criminalization, they miss why SR existed, why it was so successful, why Ross received more prison time than most killers/rapists, etc. The conversations around HARM REDUCTION are still almost nonexistent in most parts of the world & videos like this, only further demonstrate that. Again, you don't have to "agree" with drug use, but only a sociopath would agree that the average/casual user deserves to die simply for using drugs - which millions of people are going to do anyway.
Sadly, the US Gvmt knew what they were doing when they presented Ross' case to the world - because, instead of diving into conversations about gow Silk Road literally saved lives, the US Gvmt presented Ross's criminality on a silver platter & ignored all other questions that Silk Road & its users metaphorically begged us to talk about so that we'd focus on the criminalization over anything else.
One of my closest friends passed away a few years ago because he took what he thought was molly & it turned out to be PMA. He wasn't someone suffering with the disease of addiction or anything like that. He was a casual user, who went to a rave (that didn't offer drug testing on site, like some raves in the EU have done for free, which saved multiple lives) & he was a wonderful human being. He had a great job, great friends, and welcomed me with open arms when I moved over 600 miles away from home to a new city and knew no one. He was a lovely human being & even if you don't agree with him using what he thought to be "molly" at a rave, he did NOT deserve to die in his earpy 30s!
This is why harm reduction is critical, but instead of having those conversations, people would rather focus on demonizing drug use and people like Ross Ulbricht, who undeniably saved tens of thousands of lives - bc people were able to turn to Silk Road to get what they paid for vs unintentionally buying fentanyl-laced substances.
Also, notice how the US Gvmt made an example out of Ross? They gave him that ridiculous prison sentence bc he was encroaching on their profits in a much more effective way & they didn't appreciate the competition. It's genuinely insane to consider that Ross was given an ungodly amount of prison time for undoubtedly saving lives through a website he created. Murderers & rapists will never see even a fraction of the amount of prison time Ross faced & it's disgusting that videos like this only seek to demonize Ross that much further & in a very real way, almost "justify" why he's been sentenced so long.
All in all, this wasn't an attack on you or anything - I actually enjoy a lot of your content. I just feel like it's pretty shortsighted to look at the issues I mentioned above & to dismiss or not mention them, solely to focus on Ross Ulbricht. Ross was but a microcosm of a much bigger, much more interconnected phenomena & a video on these factors instead would be much more beneficial long-term. Thanks to all who read my small essay here haha
*(Edited for some small grammar mistakes)*
Jouw video’s zijn van ongelofelijk hoge kwaliteit en enorm leerzaam. 10/10
this guy knows nothing about Boy Scouts but the video is great lol
Even the Joker was afraid of the IRS. No surprise the FBI couldn't figure it out but an IRS guy could.
*Who would win ?*
- The entire FBI
- One google search
bro this is litterally alternate universe death note
Dumping out a white mountain in the public library would have been less risky than having that laptop...
So this is the Silk Road guy??! Damn, those were wild times
I know I’m late to comment but there is no such thing as a bronze or silver scout in the Boy Scouts organization. The ranks go, Scout, tenderfoot, second class, first class, star, life, Eagle Scout.
I learned to take a plea deal for 10 years instead of double life.