Drug Policy Alliance Conference Comes at a Crucial Moment for Drug Reform

Anthony Papa, AlterNet

DrugReporter: More people than ever grasp the need to shift from criminalization to a public health model -- the Drug Policy Alliance's conference leads the way on this discussion.

Whistleblowers Say Oil Reserve Numbers Deliberately Inflated to Avoid Panic, Appease the US

Matthew McDermott, TreeHugger

Environment: Apparently the IEA was concerned that reporting the true reserve numbers would trigger a buying panic.

The Ft. Hood Massacre Is George Bush's Fault

Thom Hartmann, The Smirking Chimp

World: If Al Gore (or even Ralph Nader) had been President in 2001, the Ft. Hood massacre almost certainly wouldn't have happened. Because George W. Bush was president, it did.

Quitting Meat Is a Process -- Almost Impossible to Do All at Once

Jonathan Safran Foer, AlterNet

Food: When it comes to meat, change is almost always cast as an absolute. You are a vegetarian or you are not. It's a strange formulation, and it's distracting.

Ugly Truth: Most U.S. Kids Sentenced to Die In Prison Are Black

Liliana Segura, AlterNet

Rights and Liberties: The U.S. stands alone in the world in condemning thousands of juveniles to life without parole. And race is a huge factor. Will the Supreme Court even consider it?

Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh Stoking GOP Civil War

Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America

Media and Technology: The right-wing media are trying to play "king-maker." But they are incapable of picking winners and stand poised to rip the Republican Party apart.

Why Are We Locking Up Traumatized Veterans for Their Addictions Instead of Offering Them Treatment?

Penny Coleman, AlterNet

World: This Veterans Day, let's get past the bunting and ribbons and look at our returning troops' real needs.

AlterNet Audience Breaks Funding Records, Again: Continues to Buck the Trend

Don Hazen, AlterNet

We broke all of our fundraising records. Thank you for showing us you care about strong, independent journalism.

Feds Wanted Private Data on All Visitors to Liberal News Site

Daniel Tencer, Raw Story

Rights and Liberties: A Justice Department subpoena requesting information on visitors to an independent news site is raising serious privacy concerns.

Afghanistan Is Worse Off Than Ever, Thanks to the Sham Army We're Propping Up

Chris Hedges, Truthdig

World: Cultural barriers and naked corruption have rendered the Afghan National Army completely inept.

Who's Paying for the Recession Most of All? Young Workers

Lizzy Ratner, The Nation

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Young people have lost 2.5 million jobs to the crisis, making them the hardest-hit age group.

Does the House Bill's Public Option Kill Off the Senate's?

Booman, Booman Tribune

Health and Wellness: Why the health care reform act has a very long and very difficult road ahead.

10 Suicides a Year at Ft. Hood -- War Stress Is Taking Soldiers to the Brink

Dahr Jamail, Asia Times

World: The shooting tragedy at Fort Hood on Friday points to a much larger problem of combat stress and overdeployment in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Does the House Bill's Public Option Kill Off the Senate's?

Booman, Booman Tribune

Health and Wellness: Why the health care reform act has a very long and very difficult road ahead.

How the Stupak Amendment Radically Undermines Women's Rights

Rachel Morris, Mother Jones Online

Reproductive Justice and Gender: Bart Stupak's last-minute amendment to the health care bill is even more dangerous than you think.

9 Silly Things People Say When They Hear You Don't Want Kids (And Ways to Counter Them)

Liz Langley, AlterNet

Reproductive Justice and Gender: Wanting kids isn't just the social norm, it's said to be a biological imperative, the only supposed "duh" of evolution. But yet, some of us choose not to -- and for good reason.

Is Blind Faith in God and the Bible a Modern Invention?

Devilstower, Daily Kos

Belief: A new book points out that the ancient Christians -- and even early Americans -- did not share the blind faith of today's fundamentalists.

Students Who Exposed 30-Year-Old Wrongful Conviction Being Targeted By Chicago DA

Ari Berman, The Nation

Rights and Liberties: It's shocking that the state would rather keep an innocent man behind bars than admit a mistake.

Study Claims Even the Most Sophisticated News Readers Can Be Manipulated

Melinda Burns, Miller-McCune.com

Media and Technology: Revelations from a european study effort reveal that biased news can have a "time bomb" effect.

Soda Helps Make Americans Unhealthy and Fat -- Will Soda Tax Prevail Despite Pushback by Beverage Industry?

Christine Spolar, Joseph Eaton, The Huffington Post Investigative Fund

Health and Wellness: Soft drink makers, supermarket companies, agriculture and the fast-food business have poured millions into campaigning against taxes on sweetened beverages.

Despite Censorship By Beef Magnate, Michael Pollan Spreads Message About the Real Price of Cheap Food

AlterNet

Health and Wellness: Pollan took on Big Ag and cheap food in a panel discussion, after the protests of a meat industry chairman led to his speech at a University being canceled.

As Foreclosure Nightmares Increase, Will More Homeowners Pay Off Their Bankers in Violence?

Scott Thill, AlterNet

World: The economic crisis revealed late-capitalism's central offense: Human beings are being transparently treated if they were mere transactions. And they're going postal over it.

Lies About Marijuana Drive People to a Much More Harmful Drug -- Booze

Steve Fox, AlterNet

DrugReporter: Anti-pot propaganda drives most people to drink alcohol instead. But booze is far more dangerous than marijuana.

Atheists, It's Time to Stand Up to Jesus

Russell Blackford, Udo Schuklenk, Comment Is Free

Belief: Civility has its uses, but atheists should not be afraid to mock faith to undermine religious power.

House of Representatives Passes Health-Care Reform Bill in Historic Vote

Adele Stan, AlterNet

PEEK: With the vote of a single Republican, Democrats passed the Affordable Health Care Act for America.

Pentagon Pouring Your Money Into Afghanistan: Are They Preparing for a Very Long War?

Nick Turse, Tomdispatch.com

Forget the "debates" in Washington over Afghan War policy. Construction activity and the flow of money suggests that the Pentagon plans to be there for a long, long time.

Tea Partiers' New Hero: Ex-KGB Agent Who Thinks U.S. Will Collapse Next Year

Nick Baumann, Mother Jones Online

Igor Panarin warns that the U.S. will splinter into separate states controlled by foreign powers in 2010. Conservative activists think he may be on to something.

Young Conservatives Ashamed of GOP

Alana Levinson, The Nation

Many college-aged conservatives are turned off by the Bible-thumping intolerance of much of the Republican Party.

10 of the Nuttiest Statements Elected Officials Have Made in the Health Care Battle

Joshua Holland, AlterNet

Politics: Wild, over-the-top rhetoric and bizarre conspiracy theories about health reform aren't just coming from the right-wing blogs and talk-radio loudmouths.

House of Representatives Passes Health-Care Reform Bill in Historic Vote

Adele Stan, AlterNet

PEEK: With the vote of a single Republican, Democrats passed the Affordable Health Care Act for America.

Instant Sex: Has the Digital Age Destroyed Relationships or Made Them Better?

Vanessa Richmond, AlterNet

Sex and Relationships: Digitally-enabled mating culture has opened up the mate-finding process while also generating a whole new set of dating anxieties.

What Michelle and Barack's Marriage Has in Common with 56 Million Other Ones

Annabelle Gurwitch, AlterNet

Politics: The first couple has tried to preserve their "date night tradition." So have my husband and I.

The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America's Emerging Battle Over Food Rights

Makenna Goodman, TreeHugger

Health and Wellness: Because of its health benefits, many more people are turning to raw milk. But there's one hitch: Raw milk is illegal.

New York May Stop Heartless Health Insurers from Dropping Coverage When It Stops Being Profitable

William Ehart, Washington Times

Health and Wellness: The proposed Ian's law, named after a victim of muscular dystrophy who requires an electronic device to speak would protect the most vulnerable from losing coverage.

How Does a Religious Cult Have the Clout to Delay Health Care Vote?

Adele Stan, AlterNet

Politics: To keep House vote on track, Pelosi struggles to appease the Catholic church and The Family cult on abortion language.

Obama's First Year: It Ain't No Crystal Staircase

Robert L. Borosage, Campaign for America's Future

Politics: Obama will increasingly have to choose -- whether to hold to his vision and raise the stakes, or compromise his vision to cut the deal.

Nothing But Bad Policy Options for Obama in Afghanistan

Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com

World: Can we avoid an approach to Afghanistan where impending disaster is seen as an invitation to make things even worse?