In a classic politician move, Obama implements Bush administration war policy, re-arranges forces for a long-term occupation strategy, doesn’t fix the humanitarian nightmare that US policy had a large hand in creating, and declares “Mission Accomplished!”

Says Jeremy Scahill in a Democracy Now interview:

[The US Embassy in Iraq is] the largest embassy of any country in the history of civilization. I mean, it’s a city unto itself. And it necessitates, Hillary Clinton believes, between 6,000 and 7,000 private security operatives…

There are also—the State Department also has plans to remake some US bases into what they call “enduring presence posts,” EPPs. And so, you’ll have these outposts around the country that are essentially—what is essentially unfolding here is a downsized and rebranded occupation, Obama-style, that is going to necessitate a surge in private forces. The State Department is asking for MRAP vehicles, armored vehicles, for Black Hawk helicopters and for these paramilitary forces. So, yes, you can say that officially combat has ended, but in reality you’re continuing it through the back door by bringing in these paramilitary forces and classifying them as diplomatic security, which was Bush’s game from the very beginning.

See the full interview at Little Alex in Wonderland.

This is believable “Change” from the newest star of the ruling class.

It’s that time of the month where I get everything together for my monthly Center for a Stateless Society feature. In Liberty and Creativity I explore how creativity will be involved in a successful struggle for liberty and how a free society will foster greater creativity. This includes a brief look at how creators can thrive in the absence of intellectual property regimes.

I also did my regular two news commentaries this week.

In No Boondoggle Too Costly I take a look at what Governor Christie’s support of funding the Meadowlands Xanadu complex says about the mentality of government.

Even a self-styled reformer rules by the logic of government: “We’re digging ourselves into a hole, so let’s get more shovels.” Climbing out of the hole would make you look like a quitter.

It’s easier to dig when you can use taxation to make others pay for the shovels. Government is not funded by individual choice. It is funded through coercion based on the choices of those making the rules.

Liberty For All Means Immigrants Too is a response to people expressing concern for liberty while advocating government restrictions on the liberty of immigrants.

Immigrants should not be seen as a threat to liberty, but as potential allies in the fight for liberty.

Liberty means nothing if the freedom of any group is placed above individual liberty. And people do not stop being individuals if they are born in a different country.

If you haven’t tuned into Thinking Liberty, you’re missing a live anarcho-podcast that keeps getting better and better. In May we moved to a new location with our own equipment, and the quality of the production improved dramatically. The improvement in production quality made us more enthusiastic and confident in the show, and we’ve presented guests and our own views on how to expand liberty within the cracks of oppression until the whole damn wall breaks open.

Thinking Liberty is live Tuesday nights from 8-10pm on ThinkingLiberty.net. Archives can be downloaded from ThinkingLiberty.net. We’re also on iTunes, the Liberty Radio Network and PatriotRadio.com.

Aus-Rotten: “The System Works for Them”

New commentary at Center for a Stateless Society.

In Anarchy Road, I give some examples about how roads might be maintained without government.

A question often asked of anarchists is “How would roads be built in anarchy?” The short answer is “Roads would be built and maintained in as many ways as people found to work.”

In a previous column, I responded to the question of roads in anarchy by asking Who Would Maintain Roads Worse Than the State? But focusing on the failures of the state left little room for describing some examples of how roads might work in a stateless society.

In What Will Johnny Rotten Do in Israel? I take a look at cultural boycotts and cultural exchange.

Although pickets and boycotts that are made in the pursuit of freedom and do not infringe on anyone’s liberty should not be condemned, that doesn’t mean that they must be endorsed.

If you like what you see, chip in to support more work like this.

Thanks to bile, the History of Anarchism presentation I did at AltExpo 6 is now available as an mp3 download.

Grab it below:
A History of Anarchism.

My weekly commentaries are up at Center for a Stateless Society.

In Costa Rica and Drug War Escalation, I take a look at gunboat law enforcement in Central America.

The Costa Rican government recently agreed to allow up to 46 United States warships and 7,000 Marines into Costa Rican waters. The official reason for this massive projection of power is to combat drug trafficking.

Calling United States drug policy “The War on Drugs” was never an exaggeration.

In Almost Getting Away With Murder, I discuss the Johannes Mehserle verdict.

Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer Johannes Mehserle was given a slap on the wrist for his January 1, 2009 murder of Oscar Grant. A jury found Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and not guilty of the second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter charges he faced. It is sad that the lightest possible felony conviction for shooting a man pulled face down onto concrete while another officer held him down can be thought of as “at least something.”

Rich Paul and 2 others were arrested in Massachusetts, apparently on some kind of firearm charges. Rich is a dedicated activist and I’ve enjoyed talking with him at several New Hampshire events. Pete Eyre, a trustworthy solid voluntaryist, vouched for the character of Rich and at least one of the other activists involved. So I encourage you to chip in to bail them out of jail.

From Ladies of Liberty Alliance:

UPDATE: Pete and Adam of Cop Block were later arrested, apparently for attempting to film as they brought bail money for Rich Paul. See Cop Block.

UPDATE: Jason Talley reports on Facebook: “Adam M. Mueller Pete Eyre and Rich Paul are back in New Hampshire. They will be on Free Talk Live to discuss their overnight stay in Massachusetts. Tune in! Free Mark Capuzzo!” (4:33pm 7/2/10)

More info:

Free Keene Forums
Twitter updates from Pete
Twitter updates from Allison
Twitter updates from Adam

This:

Kevin Carson’s new Center for a Stateless Society paper The Thermidor of the Progressives: Managerialist Liberalism’s Hostility to Decentralized Organization is excellent. I’ll incorporate some of the points he makes in the C4SS feature exploring the intersection of liberty and creativity that I’ve been planning to do for a while.