I know the folk singer Utah Phillips by name but know little else about him. I was surprised to find out he identifies as an anarchist. Surprised and pleased. Anarchy as a political philosophy gets a consistantly bad rep in the press (I include even many left of center publications). It is usually grossly misrepresented and identified mainly with violence and destruction of property. Phillips seems to be the kind of anarchist I like, thoughtful and heartfelt. Here's a quote from this interview at AlterNet: Election 2004: Voting for the First Time:

You've said that your choice to not vote, to not participate in the system in that way, is one of the most sacred promises you've made. I know what it means to you to make this decision. It's sobering, because I think: Are things really that bad?

Yeah, it is that bad. Now, I am not putting myself forth as an example. I'm not putting myself forth as a role model. Anarchists don't make rules for other people. You make rules for yourself and then people have got to learn how to trust you. And if you blow it you have the courage to change, and you do change and an anarchist is always something you're becoming. I don't need any congratulations for what I'm doing at all. I feel lousy about it. I don't feel good about it all. I'm simply going to do it. And if there are consequences of my act, then I harvest those consequences. That too, is anarchy. (emphasis added)

Here are some links to interesting Anarchy sites:
Anarchist Politics & Direct Action by Rob Sparrow outlines some of the basic philosophical points of Anarchy and the value of direct action.
The Wikipedia entry on Anarchism looks fairly comprehensive and a good place to start.