AlterNet.org - Top Stories

Armchair Warriors: Why Are Conservatives the Biggest Warmongers?

Corey Robin, Oxford University Press — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PST

Conservatives in government have fetishized violence. Why?

How I Left My Evangelical Christian Faith

Valerie Tarico, AlterNet — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PST

Lots of people have successfully left their religious faith behind. Here's what the path out looks like.

May Day's Radical History: What Occupy Is Fighting for This May 1st

Jacob Remes, AlterNet — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PST

Occupy actions planned on May Day are tied to the generations-long movement for the eight-hour day, to immigrant workers, to police brutality and repression of the labor movement.

GOP Suicide: Why Can't Republicans Stop Alienating Women, Young People and Hispanics?

Robert Reich, RobertReich.org — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PST

Republicans can't stop pissing off the three demographic groups whose electoral impact is growing fastest.

5 Fascinating New Uses For Psychedelics

Sarah Seltzer, AlterNet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PST

Scientists are looking into various medical and psychiatric uses for psychedelics. Could the taboo be ending?

"Whores' Glory": A Riveting Look at Sex Work in 3 Countries

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

A daring, novelistic and unforgettable account of the real lives of female prostitutes in three very different countries and social contexts.

10 Amazing Discoveries You Missed This Week

Liz Langley, AlterNet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

From medical devices straight out of Star Wars to birds that give Martha Stewart a run for her money, here are 10 fascinating new discoveries.

Activist Rockers "Outernational" Talk About Their New Political Album "We Are All Illegals"

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, AlterNet — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

As Supreme Court Debates SB-1070, Brooklyn-based activist punkers discuss new album, "Todos Somos Ilegales," and not boycotting Arizona.

Corporate Legal Rights Grow As Courts Block Pro-Consumer Class Action Suits

Negah Mouzoon, Public Citizen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PST

Consumer activists find a 2011 Supreme Court ruling has blocked dozens of class action suits, instead forcing consumers into arbitration.

The Self-Made Myth: Debunking Conservatives' Favorite -- And Most Dangerous -- Fiction

Sara Robinson, AlterNet — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

A new book makes a strong case that nobody ever makes it on their own in America.

6 Kinds of Pills Big Pharma Tries to Get You Hooked on for Life

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

Since direct-to-consumer drug advertising debuted in the late 1990s, the number of people on prescription drugs for life has ballooned.

Tucker Carlson's Pathetic Descent into the Gutter of Hackdom

Alex Pareene, Salon — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PST

Once a promising young magazine writer, the bow-tied Daily Caller pundit has come to epitomize the worst about right-wing media.

The Soul of the Christian South: Fundamentalist and Progressive Churches Square Off in Gay Marriage Debate

Lynn Parramore, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PST

N.C. is the only state left in the Southeast without a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. What voters decide on May 8 will send a strong signal throughout the nation.

Bill Moyers: The Ghost of Joe McCarthy in Today's Republican Party

Bill Moyers, Michael Winship, BillMoyers.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

Tea Party favorite Allen West was asked at a local gathering how many of his fellow members of Congress are â€œcard-carrying Marxists or International Socialists.â€

Tracked, Detained at Gunpoint? 3 Americans Assaulted By Our Surveillance State

Amy Goodman, AlterNet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:00:01 PST

A career government intelligence official, a filmmaker and a hacker have all been targeted by the state, despite not having been charged with a crime.

6 Burning Questions on the Wal-Mart Corruption Scandal

Marcia L. Narine, AlterNet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:00:01 PST

A law professor and compliance consultant examines the scandal as a wake-up call for corruption and corporate culture.

How America Lost Its Collective Mind in the Drug War

Cliff Schecter, AlterNet — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PST

By any measure; economically, morally, democratically, we are the worse for pot prohibition.

Woman in Jail for Shooting at Abusive Husband: Why Didn't Stand Your Ground Laws Apply to Her?

Maurice Garland, The Loop 21 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PST

There are major inconsistencies in applications of "Stand Your Ground" laws.

Supreme Court Asks Hard Questions at Oral Arguments Over Arizona's Extreme Immigration Law

Ben Winograd, Immigration Impact — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PST

The justices signalled that this may not be the end of the fight over SB 1070.

On May Day, Expect Scores of Rallies, Marches, Creative Actions

Nathan Schneider, Waging Nonviolence — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PST

A strike, if it actually happens on May 1 or thereafter, may not look like one ever has before.

Facebook and Google Turned Into Government Spies? The Dangerous New Law Before Congress (CISPA)

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:00:01 PST

A private company doing the governmentâ€™s work does not face the same privacy restrictions.

$5,000 For a Pair of Sandals: The Rich Are Different, Right Down to Their Shoes

Sara Robinson, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PST

In a world where kids are starving and ice caps are melting, how can people spend $5K on shoes?

Why Is Mitt Romney So Incredibly Weird?

Alex Pareene, Salon — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

Everything you need to know about Willard Mitt Romney. An excerpt from Salon's new e-book, "The Rude Guide to Mitt"

Apocalypse Soon: Why Are Christians So Obsessed With the End Times?

Adam Lee, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:01 PST

How can Americans make major life decisions on the basis of faith that the world will end in the very near future?

Using ALEC Playbook, Bobby Jindal Radically Reshapes Public Education

Julianne Hing, ColorLines — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:01 PST

Bobby Jindal has transformed public education in Louisiana and education advocates have deep concerns about who's going to benefit.

Sex in Exchange for Gifts and Cash? What It's Like to Sleep With Wealthy Older Men for Financial Support

Clarisse Thorn, Role Reboot — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PST

A 25 year old woman's experience on a "Sugar Daddy" site raises a host of class, race, and gender issues.

How a Rising Block of Countries Will Challenge America

Pepe Escobar, TomDispatch.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:00:01 PST

There's a rising new bloc on the planet: BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). What does that mean for America?

The NYPD Has Become Dangerous--So Why Is A Local Paper Boosting its Leader?

Robert Gangi, AlterNet — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:00:01 PST

Why is a major city paper ignoring the NYPD's dangerous policies?

How a Group of Japanese Mothers Are Saying No to Nuclear Power

Heidi Hutner, YES! Magazine — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PST

The Fukushima disaster has brought a powerful new demographic to Japan's anti-nuclear movement: mothers.

How Christian Groups Push Right-Wing Religion With the Help of Your Tax Dollars

Sofia Resnick, American Independent News Network — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:00:01 PST

Taxpayer-funded crisis pregnancy centers are using religion to oppose abortion, and many of them only hire Christians.

How "Real America" Was Utterly Screwed by Political and Economic Elites

Alex Pareene, Salon — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PST

The crumbling of once-great institutions isn't to blame for middle-class decline and anger.

Why Is Autism So Drastically on the Rise? An Environmental Horror Story

Eleanor J. Bader, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

An investigation into the relationship between environmental poisons and human health is riveting -- and terrifying.

Bradley Manning: A Totalitarian Show Trial of State Secrecy

Michael Ratner, Comment Is Free — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:00:01 PST

The US government's suppression of all accountability and transparency in prosecuting the WikiLeaks suspect is totalitarian.

Wall Street-Inflated Student Debt Bubble Hits $1 Trillion; Debtors Rally for Relief

Sarah Jaffe, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PST

The collective weight of American student debt is a drag not just on those paying the debt, but on our entire economy.

10 of Thomas Friedman's Dumbest "Big Ideas"

BelÃ©n FernÃ¡ndez, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

You know the world is flat -- and hot and crowded -- but that's just the tip of Friedman's iceberg of hackery.

Wells Fargo, Terrified to Face Victims of Its Foreclosure Fraud and Predatory Lending, Locks Shareholders Out of Annual Meeting

Joshua Holland, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:01 PST

The move to lock out shareholders was unprecedented, according to organizers.

Tavis Smiley and Cornel West: The Rich and the Rest of Us -- a Poverty Manifesto

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PST

Poverty is no longer black and brown - it is multicultural and multiracial - and is engulfing millions of us.

America's Wars of Attrition

Nick Turse, TomDispatch.com — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PST

More than 40 years after the Vietnam Warâ€™s Tet Offensive, after more than a decade of war in Afghanistan, the U.S. military still doesnâ€™t get it.

Noam Chomsky on America's Declining Empire, Occupy and the Arab Spring

Joshua Holland, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PST

According to Chomsky, America's declining power is self-inflicted.

5 Supreme Court Decisions Pandering to Christianity

Rob Boston, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PST

In these five cases, the Supreme Court dropped the ball on separation of church and state.

The Fetish of National Security: How America's Worst Crimes Are Perpetrated and Excused

Corey Robin, Oxford University Press — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PST

The creed of national security lets governments justify all sorts of crimes against humanity.

Porn Lit: Why the S&M "50 Shades of Grey" Is Freaking Everyone Out

Sarah Seltzer, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:01 PST

The erotic lit-sensation is nothing new, but a collection of classic archetypes about gender and sex.

What We Still Get Wrong About Women and Work

Michelle Chen, In These Times — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:00:01 PST

The question we should be asking is not whether domestic caregiving is more or less important than wage workâ€”theyâ€™re both crucial, and crucially different.

Was Jesus Gay? Probably

Paul Oestreicher, Comment Is Free — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

The evidence that he may have been what we today call gay is very strong. But even gay rights campaigners in the church have been reluctant to suggest it.

Occupy v. Whole Foods? Activists Take Over Land Slated for Development and Start a Farm

Jeff Conant, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:01 PST

The Gill Tract is prime agricultural soil that activists hope can feed hundreds. But the UC Berkeley-owned land may be sold to Whole Foods.

The Racism-Conservatism Link: 'National Review' Firestorm Over Racism Calls Up William F. Buckley's Troubling Legacy

William Hogeland, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PST

Did Buckley ever really renounce his defense of white supremacy in the South?

What Law Enforcement Missed: New Book Explains Why We Need to Revisit the Oklahoma City Bombing

Laura Miller, Salon — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PST

The investigation failed to discover the truth because of sloppiness, self-serving intra-office politics, idiotic and obstructive turf wars among law enforcement agencies.

Labor and Environmentalists Must Work Together to Build a Real Green Jobs Agenda

Jane McAlevey, The Nation — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:01 PST

To move past the divisive politics of the Keystone battle, we must build a movement that puts both economic justice and climate action at the center of its demands.

Occupy AIDS: ACT UP Celebrates 25 Years by Marching On Wall Street

Michael Bouldin, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PST

ACT UP developed a model of direct action that is in many ways a template for Occupy--so it's not surprising that they're joining OWS for a march on Wall Street.

How America Went Rogue: What We All Need to Know About Our Government's Shadow Wars

Juan Cole, The Nation — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:00:01 PST

Reaganâ€™s shadow government was a disaster, but it was a pygmy compared with Obamaâ€™s.

After a Generation of Extremism, Phyllis Schlafly Still a Leading General in the War on Women

Adele M. Stan, AlterNet — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:00:01 PST

At 87, Schlafly is still on the warpath, gracing any podium that will have her with a font of barbed quips, bad facts and bitter resentment.

Labor Unions' Fight for the 99% Goes Way Beyond Raising Campaign Dollars

Sarah Jaffe, AlterNet — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:00:01 PST

Labor is an integral part of the progressive coalition, one of the only forces capable of acting as a counterweight to the organized money that's taken over our politics.

How Psychiatric Drugs Made America Mad

Gary G. Kohls, Consortium News — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:00:01 PST

Many casually prescribed drugs are fully capable of disabling â€“ often permanently â€“ bodies, brains and spirits.

Right-Wing Campaign to Privatize Public Ed Takes Hold in Pennsylvania

Daniel Denvir, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PST

In Pennsylvania, voucher proponents have spent more than $1 million on election season so far. Will the state set a national precedent in privatizing public schools?

Made In Our America: Letter to Trayvon Martin

Kevin Powell, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PST

Reflections on a boy lost too young, and a culture that allowed it to happen.

Why Women (and Men) Get "Baby Fever"

Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:00:01 PST

Could there be real science behind the old cliche of a woman's biological clock? I didn't believe it -- until now.

Are Data-Mining and Advertising Stripping Language of its Meaning?

Lewis Lapham, TomDispatch.com — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:00:01 PST

I can understand why words construed as product placement serve the interest of the corporation or the state, but they donâ€™t â€œenhanceâ€ or â€œempowerâ€ people.

One Family's Unconventional Solution to Save Water

Margaret Morganroth Gullette, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

Self-composting toilets make a lot of sense when water is already a cause of national uprisings and covert wars.

Making Our Arrests Count: How We Can Keep Civil Disobedience Meaningful

Yotam Marom, Waging Nonviolence — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:00:01 PST

The question is not if we should practice civil disobedience, but how we can do it in ways that push the struggle forward in effective and healthy ways.

Living In A Mixed-Status Home: "I Am the Only Undocumented Person in my Family"

Nancy Meza, Huffington Post — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PST

Undocumented immigrants do not live in isolation; we are integral members of of our communities

Earth Day 2012: Environmental Movement at a Crossroads

Gar Alperovitz, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

Forty-two years after the first Earth Day, the biggest environmental task -- changing our economic system -- still lies just ahead.

Where No City Has Gone Before: San Francisco Will Be World's First Zero-Waste Town by 2020

Sven Eberlein, AlterNet — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 06:00:01 PST

A future without landfills? SF is already 78% of the way there -- but the hardest part is still ahead.

Right-Wing ALEC in Damage Control, While Activists Launch Campaign to Expose 'ALEC Democrats'

Lauren Kelley, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PST

ALEC has made some concessions, but activists are keeping the pressure on, expanding their focus beyond corporations to target elected officials who align themselves with ALEC.

Arizona Will Ignore Federal Courtâ€™s Ruling on Restrictive Voter Law

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

State election officials say the Courtâ€™s order only affects federal voter registration formsâ€”not the state version.

Revolution 2.0: How The Internet Changed Wael Ghonim's Life and Helped Spark Egypt's Uprising

Terrence McNally, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:01 PST

In a new memoir, Ghonim describes how the Egyptian people finally rejected 30 years of oppression and found their voice. Here, he discusses with Terrence McNally.

News From George Soros' Berlin Conference - Economists Discover Human Beings

Lynn Parramore, AlterNet — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PST

Could economists be leaving behind their mechanistic paradise for the messy, unpredictable human world?

No, Bill O'Reilly, Glee Will Not Make Your Kid Transgender. And So What if It Does?

Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:00:01 PST

Transgender people take an overwhelmingly disproportionate amount of abuse and harassment. That's why it's awesome when they're depicted positively on TV.

Argentina's Oil Grab is Timely Retort to Rampaging Capitalism

Will Hutton, The Guardian — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 03:00:01 PST

Cristina FernÃ¡ndez's actions, however clumsy, are part of a worldwide reaction to exploitation by business and the rich.

99% Power Movement Kicks Off With Massive Actions at Wells Fargo Shareholder Meeting

Maria Poblet, AlterNet — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:00:01 PST

2012 will be different than last spring, and the spring before it. This year, thereâ€™s a nationally coordinated effort of the 99% to fight back.

New Organizing Campaign Aims to Change the Way We Think About Work--And Each Other

Laura Flanders, The Nation — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:00:01 PST

America's aging population is going to need care in the coming years--Caring Across Generations aims to create millions of good jobs and redefine our relationships to one another.

MF Global: The Untold Story of the Biggest Wall Street Collapse Since Lehman

Pam Martens, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PST

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from MF Global, all of which we can count on Congress to ignore at the behest of Wall Street money until the next financial crisis.

Earth Day: 9 Films That Will Change the Way You Think About the World

Scott Thill, AlterNet — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PST

This Earth Day consider adding a few of these these mainstream and indie documentaries to your must-see list.

Whistleblower: The NSA is Lying -- The U.S. Government Has Copies of Most of Your Emails

Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now! — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PST

NSA whistleblower William Binney believes domestic surveillance has become more expansive under President Obama than President George W. Bush.

The Wild Hypocrisy of America's Conservative Christians

David Sirota, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PST

In Britain, the devout tend to be economic progressives. Why have American Christians embraced social Darwinism?

The Golden Age of Getting High in America: How 2 Young Hippie Girls Became Major Players in the Drug Trade

Jeff Deeney, The Fix — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:00:01 PST

The true tale of two 20-year-old hippies in the early '70s who became major players in the marijuana trade.

Act Like a Lady? 7 Romantic Comedies Stuck in the 1950s

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:00:01 PST

Why are rom-coms so regressive?

10 Amazing Discoveries You Missed This Week

Liz Langley, AlterNet — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:00:01 PST

Here's what researchers revealed this week: blood tests for depression, how to escape a ticket, the science behind Tupac's reappearance, crazy new species and more.

Sex Escape: Why Do Men Go to Dominatrixes?

Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PST

Talking to pro-dommes about why some men find escape in submission.

Billions in Fines Don't Matter -- Here's How BP Should Be Punished for the Gulf Disaster

Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PST

What is missing is a criminal prosecution that holds responsible the individuals who gambled with the lives of BP's contractors and the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Top Five Special Interest Groups Lobbying To Keep Marijuana Illegal

Lee Fang, Republic Report — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:33:53 PST