Damus
Ankh- Morpok profile picture
Ankh- Morpok
@nostrich

Bitcoin, Terry Pratchett, 🇵🇸

Relays (7)
  • wss://nostr-verified.wellorder.net/ – read & write
  • wss://relay.guggero.org – read & write
  • wss://orly-relay.imwald.eu – read & write
  • wss://nostr.superfriends.online – read & write
  • wss://relay.primal.net – read & write
  • wss://nos.lol – read & write
  • wss://nostril.cam – read & write

Recent Notes

Ankh- Morpok profile picture
This is a sharp pivot from the previous scenarios. You're now describing a **clash of two powerful forces**: The Fed is forced to choose between fighting inflation (by raising rates) and bailing out a collapsing fiscal system (by printing money).

The short answer is that under your specific assumption—**large-scale USD printing**—the macro logic would eventually overwhelm the Fed's hawkish stance, triggering a massive **"Digital Gold" rally** for Bitcoin.

However, the path to get there would be extremely violent, involving a liquidity crash first. Here is the breakdown of the mechanics and the likely timeline over the next 6 months.

### 1. The "Catch-22": Crisis vs. Inflation
For the US to print "large amounts" of dollars during a 6-month blockade, the economic situation would have to be catastrophic. Currently, the Fed is **not** printing; it is tightening to fight oil-driven inflation.

**The Conflict:**
- **Fiscal Collapse:** The US government needs to fund a war and support an economy crushed by $120+ oil. It cannot do this without borrowing.
- **Monetary Resistance:** The Fed (under Kevin Warsh or otherwise) knows that printing money now would send inflation (currently projected to hit 3.4%) into a spiral.
- **The Breaking Point:** For your scenario to happen, we likely see a **US Treasury market seizure** or a massive recession that forces the Fed to abandon inflation targeting to save the banking system.

### 2. The Institutional "Tells" (What to watch)
The market is currently waiting for a signal that this printing is about to start. Key voices suggest Bitcoin will not rally until the "money printer" goes brrr.

- **Arthur Hayes (Ex-BitMEX CEO):** He has stated he **will not buy Bitcoin** until the Fed actually eases policy and restarts money printing. He warns that until that moment, the blockade could trigger liquidations pushing BTC below $60,000.
- **Lawrence Lepard:** He is already calling for $200k Bitcoin because the "gradual print" ($40B/month) has started, and he believes the next round will be bigger than COVID.

### 3. The 6-Month Timeline under the "Printing" Assumption

If the blockade forces the Fed to pivot from "Hawkish Hold" to "QE (Quantitative Easing) Forever," here is how the price could react:

#### Phase 1: The Contagion (Months 1-2)
**Reality Check:** Even if the Fed *plans* to print, if they announce it during an oil shock, markets panic.
- **The Drop:** Investors fear stagflation (high inflation + no growth). Risk assets initially crash. If the Fed cuts rates or prints money while oil is spiking, the **US Dollar might actually spike** first as a safe haven, crushing Bitcoin.
- **Target:** Bitcoin could test the **$55,000 - $60,000** range as leveraged longs get washed out.

#### Phase 2: The Decoupling (Months 3-4)
**Scenario Shift:** The market realizes the printing is "unlimited" and designed to devalue the debt.
- **The Hedge Kicks In:** As the dollar supply swells, institutional investors pivot to the "Anti-Dollar Trade."
- **Scarcity Narrative:** With the government printing trillions, Bitcoin's fixed supply of 21 million becomes the most attractive asset on the risk-adjusted balance sheet.
- **Target:** Bitcoin breaks out of correlation with stocks, moving toward **$100,000 - $120,000**.

#### Phase 3: The FOMO Spike (Months 5-6)
**Hyperbole Phase:** If the blockade continues and the printing accelerates to fund the deficit...
- **The Suez Moment:** Analysts compare the USD losing reserve status to the British Pound in 1956. Capital flees currencies for "unstoppable" assets.
- **The Pump:** If we see the monthly printing press hit COVID-era levels ($200B+), targets like **$200,000 (Lepard)** or **$250,000 (Hayes)** become the psychological magnets.

### 4. Why "Printing" Beats the Blockade
There is a critical nuance here. You asked specifically about **Printing** resulting from the blockade, not just the blockade itself.

In a "pure" blockade without printing, the Fed raises rates, the dollar strengthens, and Bitcoin is a risk-off loser.
In your **"Printing" scenario**, something breaks in the traditional financial system (likely the bond market).

| Feature | Pure Blockade (Current Risk) | Blockade + Printing (Your Scenario) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Fed Policy** | Rate Hikes / Pause | **Massive QE / Yield Curve Control** |
| **Dollar (DXY)** | Flies higher (Safety) | **Collapses (Debasement)** |
| **Bitcoin Role** | Risk Asset (Sells off) | **Digital Gold (Moonshot)** |
| **Primary Driver** | Supply Shock (Oil) | **Monetary Shock (Dollar Glut)** |

### The Bottom Line
If the Strait of Hormuz closure forces the US to choose between a depression and printing money, they will print money.

**The trade would be:** Buy the initial crash (below $60k) caused by the panic of the announcement, anticipating the eventual flood of liquidity 2-3 months later. Under this specific assumption, the technical "inflation hedge" narrative fails in the first month, but wins spectacularly by month 6.
Ankh- Morpok profile picture
🤔 food for thought. I think this “blockade” is going to carry on for the next 6 months.

Based on the current situation and historical patterns, a 6-month blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would likely create a challenging macro environment that acts as a heavy weight on the Bitcoin price, creating a high-risk, high-volatility trading range rather than a clear bull run.

Here is an extrapolation of the potential impact, broken down by key factors and a potential timeline.

### ⛓️ The Macroeconomic Weight: Inflation, Rates, and Risk-Off Sentiment

A prolonged blockade would trigger a cascade of economic consequences that directly conflict with Bitcoin's historical growth drivers.

* **Soaring Oil Prices & Persistent Inflation:** The immediate effect is a massive energy supply shock. With approximately one-fifth of the world's oil passing through the Strait, a blockade pushes crude oil prices into the range of **$150 to $180 per barrel**, as projected by Morgan Stanley in an "effective closure" scenario. This directly fuels global inflation, increasing costs for transportation, manufacturing, and basic goods.
* **Central Bank "Hawkish" Pivot:** To combat this imported inflation, central banks, led by the U.S. Federal Reserve, would be forced to hit the brakes on any plans to lower interest rates. In fact, they would likely need to **signal potential rate hikes** to prevent inflation expectations from spiraling out of control. Higher interest rates make holding risk-on assets like Bitcoin less attractive compared to yield-bearing instruments like government bonds.
* **Flight to Safety and Liquidity:** In this environment of spiking inflation and rising rates, investors typically shift into a "risk-off" posture. They move capital out of volatile assets (like cryptocurrencies and growth stocks) and into **traditional safe havens** such as the U.S. Dollar, Swiss Franc, and government bonds. Bitcoin is currently treated less as "digital gold" during acute crises and more as a high-beta risk asset.

**What This Means for Bitcoin:** The macro forces of tighter monetary policy and capital flight create a strong headwind, capping any significant upside potential and increasing downward pressure.

### ⛏️ Muted Impact on Bitcoin "Supply Side" (Mining)

While high oil prices hurt the economy, they have a surprisingly **limited direct impact on the Bitcoin network's operations**, known as its "supply side."

* **Low Direct Exposure:** The global Bitcoin mining network is highly efficient and geographically diversified. The vast majority of mining operations (roughly 90%) are located in regions like the U.S., Russia, and China, where electricity prices are driven by natural gas, coal, or hydro power, not crude oil.
* **Insulated Hashrate:** Even miners in oil-producing regions like the Gulf states, which are sensitive to crude prices, account for only an estimated 8-10% of the total network hashrate. Therefore, the cost of mining for most of the network would not directly spike with the price of oil.

**What This Means for Bitcoin:** The core operational cost for miners is largely unaffected. This means there's no major "supply shock" or forced selling from a mass miner shut-down. **The dominant risk is on the "revenue side"—a falling BTC price makes mining less profitable, not higher electricity costs**.

### 📉 A Timeline: 6 Months of Blockade

Combining these factors, here is how the next six months could unfold.

| Time Period | Likely Scenario & Bitcoin Price Drivers |
| :--- | :--- |
| **Months 1-2: Initial Shock & Repricing (Current situation)** | **Conditions:** Oil surges past $120. Fed turns decisively hawkish. Risk-assets sell off sharply. <br><br> **Impact on Bitcoin:** The price likely experiences a sharp correction. Recent data shows Bitcoin struggling to maintain levels near $80,000 under similar pressures, with key support levels now cited near **$71,900**. Volatility spikes significantly. |
| **Months 3-4: High-Friction Instability** | **Conditions:** Blockade enters a "new normal." Oil stabilizes in a high range ($100-$150). Inflation remains elevated, and recession risks grow. Market focus shifts to the deteriorating economic outlook. <br><br> **Impact on Bitcoin:** A sustained "risk-off" mood would keep Bitcoin in a volatile trading range. There would be short-covering rallies if any hint of diplomatic progress emerges, but macro pressures prevent a sustained breakout above key resistance. |
| **Months 5-6: Extreme Scenarios Emerge** | **Conditions:** Central banks are trapped between fighting inflation and preventing a deep recession. The longer the blockade, the higher the chance of a severe economic downturn. <br><br> **Impact on Bitcoin:** Two paths emerge. **(1) Recession Playbook:** A severe recession could decimate demand for all risk assets, sending Bitcoin to lower support targets (~$50,000). **(2) Regime Shift:** If stagflation deepens, the narrative of Bitcoin as a "non-sovereign store of value" could **re-emerge** for the first time since the 1970s gold bull market. This could mark a major turning point, but it is unlikely within the 6-month window. |

### 💡 Key Takeaways for Investors

To summarize the complex dynamics:

* **Short-term (0-6 months):** The blockade overwhelmingly acts as a **negative catalyst**. The direct link is via macro finance, not mining costs. Expect high volatility with a downward bias.
* **Primary Risk:** The biggest risk is a **deep risk-off capitulation** driven by recession fears, which could drive the price down towards the $50,000 - $70,000 range highlighted by market analysts.
* **Counterpoint:** While not the base case, a prolonged blockade that creates an environment of **structural stagflation (high inflation + low growth)** could plausibly reignite the long-term "store of value" investment thesis for Bitcoin.

Given the extreme uncertainty reflected in options markets—where 6-month targets range from **$70,000 to $130,000**—diligent risk management is essential in this environment.

I hope this detailed breakdown provides a clear framework for understanding the potential impacts. Do you have any questions about the specific data points or scenarios mentioned?
Ankh- Morpok profile picture
I have now got openclaw running on my Mac Studio 36GB memory with local model of GLM-4.7 and connected to signal which I set up through paying for a temporary SMS phone line through LNVPN.
Frankly I’m proud of myself even though it keeps crashing every hour on the hour!!!
Ankh- Morpok profile picture
🤔

Thank you for the clarification. For high school students, the complexity and moral nuance of this comparison are entirely appropriate—provided the framing is explicit and the discussion is guided.

Below is a **revised version of the comparison table** and accompanying **discussion framework**, specifically calibrated for high school learners (grades 9–12). It adds more precise sourcing, a clearer distinction between patterns and equivalence, and a set of higher-order thinking questions.

---

## Teacher’s Opening Statement (to be read or paraphrased)

> *“Today we are going to look at how governments and leaders use language to strip away the humanity of an enemy group. The examples come from two very different historical and political contexts: Nazi Germany (1933–1945) and Israel during the Gaza war (2023–present).*
>
> *These are not the same. Nazi Germany was a genocidal dictatorship that industrialized mass murder. Israel is a democracy with free elections, a judiciary, and civil society. The scale, intent, and outcomes are not comparable.*
>
> *But dehumanizing language follows similar patterns across time and place. Recognizing those patterns is a core part of ‘Never Again’—not because all situations are the same, but because the first steps often look alike. Our job is to see the pattern without flattening the history.”*

---

## Direct Comparison Table (High School Level)

| Dehumanizing Pattern | Nazi German Officials (1930s–1945) | Current Israeli Officials (2023–present) |
|----------------------|--------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| **Labeling civilians as “animals”** | Hitler: “Jews are vermin.” Himmler: “Jews are lice that cause typhus.” | Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Oct 2023): “We are fighting human animals.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also used “human animals.” |
| **Collective guilt (“all are guilty”)** | Goebbels: “The Jew is responsible for the war.” Entire Jewish communities were punished for individual acts. | President Isaac Herzog (Oct 2023): “The entire nation [in Gaza] is responsible.” Former Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir: “All Palestinians are terrorists.” |
| **Religious justification for destruction** | “The Jews killed Christ” / divine curse on the Jewish people. | Prime Minister Netanyahu and multiple ministers invoked “Amalek” (Deuteronomy 25:17–19) — the biblical command to destroy an entire people, including women and children. |
| **Calling for erasure of a place/people** | Hitler: “The Jewish race will be annihilated.” | Smotrich: “We must erase the village of Huwara.” Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu (Nov 2023): suggested dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza as “one of the possibilities.” |
| **Denial of political rights / personhood** | Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of citizenship and legal personhood. | Smotrich: “There is no such thing as a Palestinian people.” Coalition statements reject Palestinian statehood as a threat to Israel. |
| **Infantilizing or pathologizing the group** | “The Jewish problem” — a disease to be solved through removal. | “The Palestinian problem” — repeatedly framed as purely a security or demographic threat, not a political community with rights. |

---

## Critical Differences Table (Essential for Balance)

| Dimension | Nazi Germany | Current Israel |
|-----------|--------------|----------------|
| **Type of regime** | Dictatorship, single party, no elections | Parliamentary democracy with contested elections |
| **Official policy** | State-organized genocide (Final Solution) | Military counterinsurgency / occupation; no official policy of genocide (though some ministers advocate ethnic cleansing) |
| **Dehumanization dissemination** | Centralized state propaganda (schools, film, press) | Individual ministers’ statements; often criticized by other officials, media, and civil society |
| **Outcome at time of writing** | 6 million Jews murdered | ~30,000–40,000 Palestinians killed (including combatants) in Gaza war; no industrialized extermination system |
| **International legal response** | No international courts at the time | ICC and ICJ proceedings against Israel for possible war crimes and genocide; Israel rejects jurisdiction |
| **Internal opposition** | Impossible — imprisonment or death | Active opposition parties, Supreme Court (weakened but functional), human rights NGOs like B’Tselem |

---

## High School Discussion Questions

### Level 1: Comprehension
1. What specific phrases from Nazi officials and Israeli officials are most similar in meaning?
2. According to the table, what is one major difference between Nazi Germany and Israel that prevents us from calling them “the same”?

### Level 2: Analysis
3. Why might a leader in a democracy use dehumanizing language even if they do not plan genocide? What political function does it serve?
4. President Herzog said the “entire nation” in Gaza is responsible for Hamas’s attack. Is this statement factually or morally different from Goebbels blaming “the Jew” for Germany’s problems? Why or why not?

### Level 3: Ethical application
5. If “Never Again” means we must stop genocide before it starts, what should a person do when their own country’s leaders use language like “human animals” or “Amalek”?
6. Some argue that any Nazi comparison is antisemitic and shuts down debate. Others argue that refusing to apply Holocaust lessons to Israel is a form of exceptionalism. What do you think? How would you respond to both sides?

---

## Suggested Extension Activity

**“Spot the Pattern” — Anonymous Quotes**
Give students 5–6 dehumanizing quotes with the source removed (mix Nazi, Israeli, Rwandan Hutu, Bosnian Serb, etc.). Ask them to identify:
- Which quotes use animal metaphors?
- Which invoke religious destruction?
- Which claim an entire people is guilty?

Then reveal the sources and discuss: *“Why do humans in conflict so often reach for the same toxic language, even when their situations are different?”*

---

## Final Note for You as the Teacher

You will likely face pushback from some students (or parents) who feel any Nazi comparison is illegitimate. Acknowledge that concern directly: *“It is right to be uncomfortable. That discomfort is part of learning. We are not saying Israel is Nazi Germany. We are saying that certain words—‘animals,’ ‘erase,’ ‘the entire nation’—have a history. When we hear them today, we have a responsibility to pause and ask: where does this lead?”*

If you would like me to prepare a one-page handout for students (with sources and citations), a quiz, or a role-play exercise where students must respond to a leader using such language, I am glad to help.
Ankh- Morpok profile picture
To everyone on nostr.
“And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
— Dylan Thomas

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THE FUCKING GOOD NIGHT. RAGE!!! RAGE !! AGAINST THE DYING OF THE FUCKING LIGHT.
Ankh- Morpok profile picture
Do not go gentle into that good night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
— Dylan Thomas
Ankh- Morpok profile picture
Sir Terry Pratchett explaining why I post on nostr
“There is a special kind of hope that comes when a person sees their own life printed in a newspaper. Not because they are famous, but because they are seen. It is the hope of knowing that they exist, that their struggle is real, and that they are not alone in the dark."
— The Truth
Ankh- Morpok profile picture
Damn openclaw. Everyone says it easy to set up but try setting it up with an an anonymous signal or anonymous matrix account!!! Makes no fucking sense. I’m not giving up!!! #openclaw #fuckingopenclaw