In one of her first contributions to NewYorker.com, Maria Bustillos (@MariaBustillos) excels with her introduction of Bitcoin for that site’s audience.  Excerpts:

“[The fearmongering typical for most media coverage of Bitcoin] is a red herring, and has so far prevented the rational evaluation of the potential benefits and shortcomings of crypto-currency.”
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“Cash is also anonymous; it is also used in money laundering and illegal transactions. Like bitcoins, stolen cash is difficult to recover, and a cash transaction can’t readily be traced back to the source. Nor is there immediate recourse for the reversal of transactions, as with credit-card chargebacks or bank refunds when one’s identity has been stolen. However, I find it difficult to believe that anyone who has written critically of the dangers of bitcoin would prefer an economy where private cash transactions are illegal.”
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“‘I think if the U.S. government decided that Bitcoin was a bad thing and told me [to stop development of Bitcoin] I’d stop doing what I’m doing, quite frankly. But that wouldn’t be very effective […].’ [said Gavin Andresen] .”
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“In response to a question about his politics, Casascius’ Mike Caldwell had this to say:I am not an anarchist; I believe in the rule of law and a civilized society. But I also believe that unchecked power is a threat to the common good, and that anything that the public can do to challenge that power is a benefit to society. As an individual, if you accept bitcoin in exchange for your goods or your work, that is a vote for economic fairness’.”

 - http://nyr.kr/14C8LEo
 - http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=164977.0 (Futher discussion of the article)

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