The threat of prosecution will certainly dampen the value, as well as the rate of spread, of Bitcoin; but will ultimately fail to destroy it. Politicos aren't stupid, they look at these kind of things deeply before acting. If they attempt it, they would have to know that it's a stall tactic.
http://www.bitterwallet.com/what-does-the-ip-in-ip-address-stand-for-ask-stephen-timms/27968
They know nothing about what they imagine they can control.
This evokes the image of a blind Polyphemus chasing after Odysseus. Things would have gone much smoother for Odysseus if he had not announced his identity to Polyphemus...
Interesting
Perhaps the bag of winds is the internet, and we're the soldiers thinking that it's a bag of gold? Scary.