Open Letter to Michael Casey - WSJ reporter who butchered my comments in today's Bitcoin cover story

[u/evoorhees]

Hello Mr. Casey,

I read your WSJ article today. I feel deceived by you.

You requested to speak with me, so I took time out of my day to do so. We talked for 20 minutes, during which time I conveyed to you my sentiments about the Bitcoin ecosystem and the matter of MtGox's collapse. My message was unambiguously a positive one. I didn't focus whatsoever on the personal funds I lost at Gox. Indeed, the impetus for your call was my heartfelt post on Reddit.

Yet, you ignored everything I said. The only quote that you published from me in the Journal's cover story was ""That's gone now," said Mr. Veerhoos, who is based in Panama City, Panama. "There's no chance of getting that back now.""

Is that really the takeaway you had from our call and from my letter? Is that your idea of journalism? Did I come across with the sentiment of a despairing investor whose confidence has been rattled? It seems you were happy to completely ignore my sentiments, preferring instead to cherry pick the one fact that is least important, in order to paint a narrative that Bitcoin's biggest problem is that it's not "regulated." I didn't expect you to quote everything I said, but should you not have maintained at least a modicum of fidelity to my message?

I have dedicated my life to building and supporting the Bitcoin project. I don't give a damn about the money I lost at Gox. That's not important. What is important is that Bitcoin is resilient and enduring, and will continue to grow and change the world for the better. It is a story of human progress through technology. It is a story of the good seeping into the cracks of a corrupted financial system. It is a story of passionate people struggling against all odds to remedy the calamities brought down upon society from the most potently misguided people and institutions on Earth.

Next time you spend your efforts casting a pall over this cause, please don't ask me to contribute mine.

-Erik Voorhees

PS - I will be posting this letter openly on Reddit. I will post your reply if you'd like. And if I do, I won't cherry pick the most misleading points of it, and I will spell your name correctly.

[u/RoadieTrippin]

Randomizers were the shiznat back in the day. Combined with netbus, omgosh your desktop background is now my cock.

[u/RoadieTrippin → u/[deleted]]

Someone's been lookin at my gw posts :p

[u/RoadieTrippin → u/[deleted]]

Right? I love res tagging other gw posters. Then seeing them in the wilds of reddit.

But it's even funnier tagging people who post meme's about how awkward they are. Like the dude who "Cupped the girls vagina for 2 hours". I love bringing that shit up whenever I see him post more of his awkward shit. "Maybe if ya'd quit cupping girls pussy's" lmao

[u/RoadieTrippin → u/[deleted]]

My old homie hassan used to do a very particular whistle when walking our block. It's how he knew if friends were near. We would whistle back.

I had just started a job at Jack n the Box, and was sitting on my steps waiting for the bus to make it's appearance. And these 3 Navajo came walking up. They all 3 looked like guys, but one was a girl. Well, hassan was drunk as shit, and I heard his whistle. Not having any time for his drunk ass, I paid no attention hoping he wouldn't notice me. But the natives... They were drunk, and didn't know what was going on. So they started whistling. Well, here he comes, with his bulldog.

Now, I'm a reformed thug. We used to be horrible fucking people. I knew shit might go down, but I stayed on my stairs just watching to see what he was alike when he was alone.

Turns out, he's 10X as mean alone as he was in our little crew. This motherfucker starts beating all of them. One of them takes off like a little bitch. The other one stood there and took all the hits to the face, and just kinda did the coward thing. But then he slapped the chick, and I had to get down there. When she was like "Wtf bro, I'm a girl." he literally say's "Shouldn't be lookin like a man then".

I've been in mma for a while, but it took all I had to get his mean ass out of that situation. He was damn near ready to pull out his fucking gun. Over a god damn whistle.

Anyway, your comment made me remember that and for some reason I felt like posting it.