• i think if you ask yourself what could actually give other. Captain Capitulation, eye of the storm (2011-04-11). i think if you ask yourself what could actually give other people the right to tell you what to wear, you'll see the problem with the state in a nutshell: it is entirely without moral justification. it has no defensible theoretical underpinnings. its overwhelming existence is perfectly proportioned to the lack… (Linked Wednesday 2011-04-13.)

• Fear and Loathing at *The New York Times* Jesse Walker: Reason Magazine articles and blog posts. (2011-04-13). Thomas Friemdan continues his quest to prove himself the stupidest man on earth. (Linked Wednesday 2011-04-13.)

• notjessewalker: Tom Friedman goes to hotel bathroom, mistakes sink for phone, accidentally interviews toothbrush. It says things will look up in 6 months. Twitter / notjessewalker (2011-04-12). notjessewalker: Tom Friedman goes to hotel bathroom, mistakes sink for phone, accidentally interviews toothbrush. It says things will look up in 6 months. (Linked Wednesday 2011-04-13.)

• Comment on Reaching Left by JOR. JOR, Comments for Austro-Athenian Empire (2011-04-11). I think he wasn't saying "left-libertarianism won't work" and calling Long et al. evangelists so much as he was saying that the evangelistic efforts of left (and other) libertarians are a waste of time because people's political philosophies are determined by non-rational factors. I agree. Libertarians shouldn't shift left, if… (Linked Wednesday 2011-04-13.)

• “The Eastern Regions of Libya Are Now Free Regions” Jesse Walker, Jesse Walker: Reason Magazine articles and blog posts. (2011-02-18). Col. Qaddafi has an eccentric habit of periodically declaring that he has abolished the Libyan government. His subjects suddenly seem interested in taking him up on the idea. Amid reports of severe repression, claims are coming in that the city of Benghazi is now "out of the control of the Gaddafi… (Linked Friday 2011-02-18.)

• And Just Across the Strait from Yemen… Jesse Walker, Jesse Walker: Reason Magazine articles and blog posts. (2011-02-18). The BBC reports: Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Djibouti to call for President Ismael Omar Guelleh to step down. The demonstrators were reportedly monitored closely by security forces in riot gear. Mr Guelleh's family has governed the Red Sea city state since independence from France in… (Linked Friday 2011-02-18.)

• When rape is Your Tax Dollars at Work. Obsidian Wings (2011-02-19). Men in Uniform (Cont’d). (Linked Saturday 2011-02-19.)

• ST(O) : If all stories were written like science fiction stories. www.shrovetuesdayobserved.com (2011-02-19). (Linked Saturday 2011-02-19.)

• the basic problem with the notion of government is displayed in. Captain Capitulation, eye of the storm (2011-02-20). the basic problem with the notion of government is displayed in the "massive show of force." only it can do that. but even worse than that, only it can subject you to the indignity of using your own resources to intimidate and/or shoot you. surely it is occurring to someone this evening in… (Linked Monday 2011-02-21.)

• Go Down, Pharaoh. Jesse Walker: Reason Magazine articles and blog posts. (2011-02-05). “If you mention the idea of a revolution driven by civil disobedience rather than violence, you’re apt to hear the old saw that such revolts only work in countries with good-hearted leaders at the reins, not savage regimes held together by torture and terror. But contrary to the popular stereotype, Gandhian uprisings don’t succeed by shaming rulers until they can’t bring themselves to crack down. They succeed by delegitimizing authority—by breaking the braces that support the structures of social control, so the rulers can’t crack down. Political power is not a pyramid fixed in stone. It’s a complex, dynamic ecology of shifting loyalties and allegiances. When those loyalties and allegiances shift swiftly and in sufficient numbers, the result is a revolution. … If there’s an iron law of politics, it’s that everything can always get worse. But if you want a reason to be optimistic about Egypt, there’s this: Unlike a coup, an invasion, or anything involving a vanguard party, a people-power revolution strengthens rather than disrupts civil society. Of all the ways a regime can fall, this is the path that’s most likely to lead to a freer country. When it comes to political models, the liberated zone in Tahrir Square beats a barracks any day.” (Linked Saturday 2011-02-05.)

• By: PW. PW, Comments on: More on the Non-Existent "War on Cops" (2011-02-04). #25 – The most interesting stat on that link is far and away the disparity between cops and the general public on sexual assault. The others are fairly close, or only slightly skewed to the cops or the general public. But for sexual assaults, cops show up at more than… (Linked Saturday 2011-02-05.)

From Mark Landler and Steven Erlanger (2011-02-05), Obama Backs Suleiman-Led Transition, at truthout:

Munich — The Obama administration on Saturday formally threw its weight behind a gradual transition in Egypt, backing attempts by the country's vice president, Gen. Omar Sulei­man, to broker a compromise with opposition groups and prepare for new elections in September.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking to a conference here, said it was important to support Mr. Sulei­man as he seeks to defuse street protests and promises to reach out to opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood. Administration officials said earlier that Mr. Sulei­man and other military-backed leaders in Egypt are also considering ways to provide President Hosni Mubarak with a graceful exit from power.

That takes some time, Mrs. Clinton said. There are certain things that have to be done in order to prepare.

— Mark Landler and Steven Erlanger (2011-02-05), Obama Backs Suleiman-Led Transition, at truthout

Indeed! For example:

Nor has Mr. Suleiman, a former general, former intelligence chief and Mr. Mubarak's longtime confidant, yet reached out to the leaders designated by the protesters to negotiate with the government, opposition groups said.

Instead of loosening its grip, the existing government appeared to be consolidating its power: The prime minister said police forces were returning to the streets, and an army general urged protesters to scale back their occupation of Tahrir Square.

. . .

In Tahrir Square, meanwhile, the military tightened its cordon around the protesters by reinforcing security checks at all the entrances.

— Kareem Fahim, Mark Landler and Anthony Shadid (2011-02-05), West [sic] Backs Gradual Egyptian Transition, New York Times

At home and abroad, the more things Change….

Elsewhere in the Times story, there’s this:

Protesters interpreted the simultaneous moves by the Western leaders and Mr. Suleiman as a rebuff to their demands for an end to the dictatorship led for almost three decades by Mr. Mubarak, a pivotal American ally^[1] and pillar of the existing order in the Middle East.

Just days after President Obama demanded publicly that change in Egypt must begin right away, many in the streets accused the Obama administration of sacrificing concrete steps toward genuine change in favor of a familiar stability.

America doesn't understand, said Ibrahim Mustafa, 42, who was waiting to enter Tahrir Square. The people know it is supporting an illegitimate regime.

— Kareem Fahim, Mark Landler and Anthony Shadid (2011-02-05), West [sic] Backs Gradual Egyptian Transition, New York Times

Of course Mr. Mustafa is right that that is what America — meaning the United States government — is doing. But I’m afraid I can’t agree with him if he blames it on the cluelessness or naïveté of Mr. Obama and his government. It’s not that they don’t understand what the people in Tahrir Square want and expect; it’s that they don’t care. The primary allies of governments are always other governments — because the first and most important commitment of any government is to government, just as such, and maintained at any cost.

See also:

• GT 2011-01-27: Change You Can Believe In
• GT 2011-01-21: Revolving Door
• GT 2010-06-30: Left flank (Cont’d), featuring Chuckles the Sensible Woodchuck!
• GT 2010-06-12: Left flank (Cont’d): Obama, the far left radical
• GT 2009-10-14: Left flank

1. ^[1]Sic. Is Hosni Mubarak one of your pivotal allies?↩

• Jury Says it's Okay to Record the TSA. schneier, Schneier on Security (2011-01-31). The Seattle man who refused to show ID to the TSA and recorded the whole incident has been cleared of all charges: [The jury] returned not guilty verdicts for charges that included concealing his identity, refusing to obey a lawful order, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. Papers, Please! says the acquittal… (Linked Tuesday 2011-02-01.)

• Revolution in Egypt: Learn More! inciteblog, INCITE! Blog (2011-02-01). Are you excited about the grassroots revolution happening in Egypt?  Do you want to learn more about the background of what's happening and what the movement is organizing for?  Here are some resources: First, a recent video of a protester in Tahir Square in Cairo.  She explains the political goals… (Linked Tuesday 2011-02-01.)

• “Free as in Sexist?”: Sexism in the Free Culture Movement. Joseph Reagle (2011-01-28). The introduction to my draft on free culture and sexism: In the summer of 2010, David Finsher and Aaron Sorkin’s film about the beginnings of Facebook (“The Social Network”) attracted much discussion about the portrayal of women in geeky projects. Tracy Clark-Flory (2010fpo), writing for Salon.com, wrote the film prompts… (Linked Tuesday 2011-02-01.)

• Early Corporate Welfare: "An act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen" Jad Davis, The jVerse (2011-01-31). A friend pointed out a fascinating article on "An act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen"[1] which the author points to as a precedent for Congress mandating health coverage for citizens of the United States. I don't have any disagreement with his conclusion, that the Constitution in no… (Linked Tuesday 2011-02-01.)

• Annual Bay Area Anarchist Cafe. kate, Anarchoblogs in English (2011-02-01). The Anarchist Cafe is on! Every year, the Bay Area Anarchist Bookfair is preceded by the annual Anarchist Cafe, an sober-space gathering with vegan dinner and performances, that provides a space for folks to gather before the madness of Bookfair weekend sets in. Much fun, good eats, lots of good… (Linked Tuesday 2011-02-01.)

• It's a Child, Not a Choice. Center for a Stateless Society (2011-02-01). “No, it’s not an anti-abortion rant… The problem isn't lack of competition within the government education mandate. The problem is the government education mandate.” (Linked Tuesday 2011-02-01.)

• Obama Marxism Watch — Be Very Afraid! Kevin Carson, Center for a Stateless Society (2011-01-06). For over two years, we unappreciated patriots have taken upon ourselves the thankless task of outing Barack Obama as a closeted Marxist and exposing his insidious socialist agenda for enslaving this country. While Obama sat in his Red Study Circle with comrades Geithner, Summers and Rubin, busily reading "Quotations from… (Linked Tuesday 2011-02-01.)

• Traffic Problems Will Disappear by Year 2000 (1955) Matt Novak, Paleofuture Blog (2011-02-01). From the 1958 Disneyland TV episode Magic Highway, USA The September 22, 1955 Lewiston Daily Sun (Lewiston, ME) ran a wonderful piece titled, “Hope For the Motorist: Traffic Problems Will Disappear by Year 2000.” Such unbridled optimism for the yet to be developed Interstate Highway System is downright cute. Well,… (Linked Wednesday 2011-02-02.)

• Store Fronts. Dorothy, Cat and Girl (2011-02-01). (Linked Wednesday 2011-02-02.)

• Hell No, We Won’t Fire. Jesse Walker, Jesse Walker: Reason Magazine articles and blog posts. (2011-01-31). When the troops won't shoot, the game's just about over: The Egyptian army has said it will not use force against protesters calling for the removal of President Hosni Mubarak ahead of a "million people" march. The military said it considers the people's demands "legitimate". (Linked Wednesday 2011-02-02.)

• Andrew Jackson. IOZ, Who Is IOZ? (2011-01-10). Is there a bigger, more sanctimonious boob in the whole blessed world than Keith Olberman? “Violence, or the threat of violence, has no place in democracy”? Um, uh, what? Tell it to the Cherokee. Tell it to the Iraqis. Tell it to Baltimore and Washington South of the Capitol. Tell… (Linked Wednesday 2011-02-02.)