The crying of bitcoin lots

[kelber at mindspring.com]

A story about how the U.S. Marshals Service auctioned off some of the bitcoins it "confiscated" from the deep web (or whatever you want to call it) Silk Road network:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/daily-report-winner-of-bitcoin-auction-seeks-to-increase-currencys-use-in-emerging-markets/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Technology&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body

What interests me is how the decision was made to auction the bitcoins, which obviously enhances their value. Wasn't the US government trying to squash the bitcoin? I think these supra-national currencies are the wave of the future, and mark the eventual, if not demise, then marginalizing of government-issued currencies. But what do I know. Alice, I'd actually like to hear your opinion on this.

Laura
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Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l