Here in The City, hordes of anarchists are as mundane as hordes of shoppers at Union Square or crab-cracking tourists at Fisherman's Wharf. But in the rest of the country -- particularly over there on that other coast -- they're seen as a danger to everything that's good and right with America, even if they're just fun-loving kids with a taste for Emma Goldman.

First, the Tenth Annual Bay Area Anarchist Bookfair which Rona Marech wrote-up in the Chron got the attention of one of the pseudo-Wonkettes, Greg Beato (hey, Ana Marie's first novel isn't going to write itself). Check out the cute accordion-playing anarchist -- we will always maintain that the best place to meet people in our fair city is at any kind of political activity. We have to restrain ourselves from cruising at every protest.

Then, checking in with our friends at Gothamist because we wanted to see if they'd caught artist Banksy's NYC art-pranking that we found on the Cephaloblog, we find out that the NYPD is cracking down on their Critical Mass rides, arresting 37 people last Friday, and were reminded once again why we left that city for this one. Anyway, seems the NYPD want Critical Mass, which started here in San Francisco and has since spread around the world, to get a permit for their monthly rides. The nerve! But what can you expect from a city government that would never, ever do something like this to an office in City Hall.

Chronicle photo by Liz Hafalia.