As for my personal politics, some people seem to think I'm some kind of archlibertarian, a hyper-conservative.

There have been times throughout American history where what is right is not the same as what is legal. Sometimes to do the right thing you have to break the law.

Has the center of gravity shifted such that all governments have greater powers and fewer restrictions than they ever had, and are empowered by technology in a way that no government ever was in the past?

I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant.

Citizens with a conscience are not going to ignore wrong-doing simply because they'll be destroyed for it: the conscience forbids it.

I went to St. Petersburg - St. Petersburg is awesome.

Hong Kong has a reputation for freedom in spite of the People's Republic of China. It has a strong tradition of free speech.