An animated introduction courtesy of PhD Comics.

• Q: Why Has the ACLU Been Silent About TSA Abuses? A: Because You Haven’t Been Listening. Radley Balko, Radley Balko: Reason Magazine articles and blog posts. (2010-12-13). In May, Matt Welch noted a storm of criticism from the right toward the ACLU for not defending some kids who were sent home from school for wearing shirts depicting the American flag to a Cinco de Mayo celebration. The problem was that the ACLU had intervened on the kids'… (Linked Monday 2010-12-13.)

• We Can Beat You, But Not Pay You. Modesto Anarcho (2010-12-13). The State is not welfare. It is not social service. The State is violence. (Linked Monday 2010-12-13.)

• notjessewalker: Why can’t Americans just set aside mindless partisanship and embrace mindless bipartisanship? #nolabels. Twitter / notjessewalker (2010-12-13). notjessewalker: Why can’t Americans just set aside mindless partisanship and embrace mindless bipartisanship? #nolabels (Linked Monday 2010-12-13.)

• The mirage of revealed preferences. Stephen Smith, Market Urbanism (2010-11-24). I often hear from libertarian-inclined defenders of the suburban status quo that the fact that American is so overwhelmingly suburban is proof that it's what Americans want. Economists call this "revealed preference," but it could also be understood as voting with your feet and wallet. People have made the decision… (Linked Monday 2010-12-13.)

• i can't do physics, because i can't do the math. but let me say. Captain Capitulation, eye of the storm (2010-12-13). i can't do physics, because i can't do the math. but let me say in defense of my turf that i don't think we should let physicists loose in the realms of metaphysics and epistemology. hawking, as the tls review puts it, thinks the reverse: philosophy is 'dead' because it's not… (Linked Tuesday 2010-12-14.)

• behind the curtain. flip flopping joy (2010-12-15). The State is male in the political sense. So is the Department of State. (Linked Wednesday 2010-12-15.)

• notjessewalker: Mixed metaphor alert: “The bottom line is that it is a fast moving train and that has become clear” http://bit.ly/dOogX4. Twitter / notjessewalker (2010-12-14). notjessewalker: Mixed metaphor alert: “The bottom line is that it is a fast moving train and that has become clear” http://bit.ly/dOogX4 (Linked Wednesday 2010-12-15.)

• Another flabbergastingly stupid comment from Jim Pasco. Dr. Q, Gangsters in Blue (2010-10-18). Since the issue of filming police became a hot topic in the mainstream press (see here), I've been very interested in hearing the arguments that police use to justify placing limits on the right to record cops. To me, the idea that people ought to be allowed to film police… (Linked Monday 2010-10-18.)

• Boofrickityhoo. Unqualified Offerings (2010-10-18). “Now, I do realize that there might be economic repercussions if bankers are unable to recover some of their losses. Fortunately, I have a solution: They can sell their own organs to raise cash.” (Linked Monday 2010-10-18.)

• The Explosion of Pink. Rachel, Our Bodies Our Blog (2010-10-12). It's October, so the explosion of pink products at the grocery and other stores shouldn't surprise us: it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the time of the year when we're asked to eradicate breast cancer by buying pink-ribboned  products. Over the years, many women's health activists have criticized the pink… (Linked Monday 2010-10-18.)

• Primary Sources for USA vs George Donnelly. George Donnelly, Anarchoblogs in English (2010-10-18). As promised, here are my primary sources for the short film United States of America vs George Donnelly: How US Marshals Framed a Peaceful Photographer. I apologize for the delay. I'm working on getting even more information and hope to release it soon. Here is the raw video footage from… (Linked Monday 2010-10-18.)

• Kathryn Schulz on Wrongness. Igor Kandyba, FiveBooks (2010-10-17). The author of Being Wrong says punditry is conducive to bombast and certainty, both major contributors to wrongness. You are not more likely to be right if you're on the left, or on the right. !!!@@e2;20ac;2dc;If you think like a fox you're more likely to have a sophisticated, nuanced way of thinking…. (Linked Monday 2010-10-18.)

• Drug cops smash into wrong house, terrorize elderly couple – Chicago Breaking News. www.chicagobreakingnews.com (2010-10-18). Andrij and Anna Jakymec were startled by a late night raid on their home by Cook County sheriff’s police gang crimes narcotics unit officers executing a search warrant. (E. Jason Wambsgans/ Chicago Tribune) Cook County sheriff’s police on a drug raid smashed into a Southwest Side house late Thursday night, (Linked Monday 2010-10-18.)

• Intellect as Evasion. Mel, BroadSnark (2010-10-14). Normally, I like Jay Smooth.  But this video really irritated me. I understand why people are critical of the anti-intellectualism displayed by right wing populists who seem so disdainful of reading books, processing facts, or critical thinking of any kind.  But it amazes me when otherwise observant people can't see… (Linked Monday 2010-10-18.)

• To Protect and Serve. Daily Brickbats (2010-10-19). Cops are here to keep us safe. (Cont’d.) By running red lights, crashing into bicyclists, and leaving the scene of the accident. (Linked Tuesday 2010-10-19.)

• Little Miss Muffet. Jill, I Blame The Patriarchy (2010-10-19). "Here is my question," announces blamer JenniferRuth. "Can arachnophobia be blamed on the patriarchy?" The answer is yes! Patriarchy is the gnarly firmament of dominant culture, and nothing may exist outside it; therefore absolutely everything can be blamed on it. This, friends, is the beauty of patriarchy-blaming. Whenever one encounters,… (Linked Tuesday 2010-10-19.)

• Letters Respond to Lancet Home Birth Editorial With Feminist Perspective. Rachel, Our Bodies Our Blog (2010-10-19). In July, The Lancet published an editorial, "Home Births: Proceed with Caution," in which the editors discussed the apparent safety of home birth for most low-risk women, contradictory or low-quality evidence on infant outcomes, and the recent, controversial Wax meta-analysis. Perhaps most likely to cause feminist double-takes was the following… (Linked Tuesday 2010-10-19.)

• Civic Engagement is for Suckers. Kevin Carson, Center for a Stateless Society (2010-10-19). I frequently encounter "progressives" who argue that political involvement is the only way to achieve significant change. Refusal to participate in the process is "defeatist" and "irresponsible." This, apparently, is what passes for gritty realism on much of the "progressive" Left. That argument is pessimistic beyond belief. The events of… (Linked Tuesday 2010-10-19.)

• So, I got married... Anarchoblogs in English (2010-10-20). In steampunk attire, of course. Mazel tov, Db0! (Linked Wednesday 2010-10-20.)

• Molly'sBlog 2010-10-17 17:35:00. mollymew, Anarchoblogs in English (2010-10-17). AMERICAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT MINNEAPOLIS:RNC (FOUR) AGREE TO PLEA BARGAIN:This the latest from the Defend the RNC 8 group. The four remaining defendants will likely enter a plea bargain next Tuesday. What this means the future will tell. Here’s the story.@@@@@@@@@@Important Update on the RNC 8 Case: New Hearing Tuesday 10/19… (Linked Wednesday 2010-10-20.)

• Dissent in the age of Obama. Phil Dickens, Anarchoblogs in English (2010-10-05). Following on from Sunday’s post on Barack Obama’s appalling civil liberties record, I have come across an interesting opinion piece by Cindy Sheehan. It seems that Obama’s line of dissidents carries echoes of the Watergate Scandal and even the Red Scare. Her thoughts can be found over on Al Jazeera;Recently,… (Linked Wednesday 2010-10-20.)

• Genes are left-wing. Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing (2010-10-13). Writing in the Guardian, clinical psychologist Oliver James claims that genetics has turned into a “left wing” science, because it has failed to identify any innate, genetic reasons why some people are winners and others are losers — suggesting that, instead, it’s society’s fault that some people end up on… (Linked Wednesday 2010-10-20.)

Benoît B. Mandelbrot (20 November 1924 – 14 October 2010)

Mathematics is a thing of beauty, and Mandelbrot — best known for his development of fractal geometry; also one of the most important innovators in applied mathematics during the past half-century — should also be remembered as one of our day’s most remarkable writers, and artists.

• Will It Optimize? John Gruber, Daring Fireball (2010-07-23). Another splendidly intricate post from Peter Ammon. Only of interest if you enjoy puzzles on GCC optimizations.  â˜…  (Linked Wednesday 2010-08-04.)

• !!!@@e2;2dc;2026; An Improved Liberal, Accurate Regex Pattern for Matching URLs. John Gruber, Daring Fireball (2010-07-27). Back in November, I posted a regex pattern for matching URLs. It seems to have proven quite useful for others, and, even better, based on feedback from those who've used it, I've since improved it in several ways. The problem the pattern attempts to solve: identify the URLs in an… (Linked Wednesday 2010-08-04.)

• On Broadway. Cat and Girl (2010-08-04). The joke only works under the Copenhagen Interpretation of QM. (Linked Wednesday 2010-08-04.)

• Speaking the Truth is for Losers and Egomaniacs. cherylcline, der Blaustrumpf (2010-08-05). In Savage Mules:  The Democrats and Endless War, Dennis Perrin writes that "Speaking the truth is for losers and egomaniacs."  Had I read that before Wikileaks gained much traction, I probably would have agreed without fully comprehending.  In light of the accusations hurled against Julian Assange, however, I see that… (Linked Thursday 2010-08-05.)