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AlterNet Community Discussion

You know what we think -- now we want to hear what you think! That's why, at the end of every new story and blog post, we've provided space for your comments. The comments area is a shared community space for readers to contribute feedback, ideas and information. You're invited to drop in anytime and give us an earful. Be on the lookout for comments from writers and editors as they respond and contribute to the discussion!

Check out the 40 stories and blog posts most commented on in the past week.

Published between: to

Christian Story of Jesus's Birth Is a Myth Born of Politics

Christian Story of Jesus's Birth Is a Myth Born of Politics

Rev. Howard Bess, Consortium News. December 23, 2009. [434 total comments]
Beautiful as it is, the story of the birth of Jesus is a myth born of the political needs of early Christians.

Is Obama's Problem That He Just Doesn't Want to Deal with Conflict?

Is Obama's Problem That He Just Doesn't Want to Deal with Conflict?

Drew Westen, AlterNet. December 23, 2009. [312 total comments]
Somehow Obama has managed to turn a base of new and progressive voters he himself energized in 2008 into the likely stay-at-home voters of 2010.

Can We Rescue the Republic Before the Dark Politics Take Over?

Can We Rescue the Republic Before the Dark Politics Take Over?

Kirk Nielsen, Miller-McCune.com. December 25, 2009. [301 total comments]
Books by Chris Hedges, Thom Hartmann and Cass Sunstein suggest that we've nearly lost our sense of self-government. None show the way to get it back.

I Volunteered For Obama in 2008, But His Support of Landmines Is the Last Straw

I Volunteered For Obama in 2008, But His Support of Landmines Is the Last Straw

Clancy Sigal, Comment Is Free. December 24, 2009. [251 total comments]
Obama's cruel and pointless refusal to ban child-killing landmines was my personal breaking point against the candidate I worked hard to elect.

10 Greediest People of 2009

10 Greediest People of 2009

Sam Pizzigati, Too Much: A Commentary on Excess and Inequality. December 22, 2009. [159 total comments]
As ordinary Americans reel from the Great Recession, these gluttonous all-stars continue to claw in absurd amounts of money.

Hordes of Angry Activists and a $27 Billion Court Case Is Making Oil Giant Chevron Pretty Nervous

Hordes of Angry Activists and a $27 Billion Court Case Is Making Oil Giant Chevron Pretty Nervous

Peter Asmus, East Bay Express. December 24, 2009. [128 total comments]
A dozen nonprofits are going right after the company's greed, and the outcome will likely have repercussions in the oil industry for years to come.

Glenn Beck's Year of Wild Conspiracies, Paranoid Delusions and Cynical Lies

Glenn Beck's Year of Wild Conspiracies, Paranoid Delusions and Cynical Lies

* Staff, Media Matters for America. December 22, 2009. [120 total comments]
Beck's unbridled ignorance and confidence in his own manipulative half-truths and lies make him the most dangerously effective misinformer of 2009.

The Ten Worst Nightmares Bush Inflicted on America

The Ten Worst Nightmares Bush Inflicted on America

Juan Cole, Informed Comment. December 22, 2009. [116 total comments]
Here are my picks for the top ten worst things about the wretched period, which will continue to follow us until citizens stand up to fix them.

In (Very Reluctant)

In (Very Reluctant) "Defense" of the Insurance Mandate

Joshua Holland, AlterNetAlterNet: Politics. December 23, 2009. [101 total comments]
Can we just have a reality-based discussion of the policy?

Hey, Dr. Dean, President Obama: It's Time to Get Real with Progressives

Hey, Dr. Dean, President Obama: It's Time to Get Real with Progressives

Harold Pollack, AlterNet. December 22, 2009. [87 total comments]
We can all agree that the Senate health care bill is far from perfect. What now?

3 Reasons Why Progressives Are So Frustrated

3 Reasons Why Progressives Are So Frustrated

Chris Bowers, Open LeftAlterNet: PEEK. December 23, 2009. [69 total comments]
Really, it's pretty simple.

Moyers, Moore and Maddow are the Most Influential Progressives

Moyers, Moore and Maddow are the Most Influential Progressives

Don Hazen, AlterNet. December 23, 2009. [68 total comments]
Recently we asked our readers to rank the most influential progressives. Here are the results.

War Vet: I Served 40 Months in Iraq, After Which I Didn't Want to Go Back Home

War Vet: I Served 40 Months in Iraq, After Which I Didn't Want to Go Back Home

Anonymous, New America Media. December 24, 2009. [63 total comments]
Veteran with PTSD: "I don't feel comfortable at home anymore. My threat tolerance and response to perceived threats is so finely tuned that I felt safer in Iraq. "

Nigerian Man Attempted to Blow Up US Airliner

Nigerian Man Attempted to Blow Up US Airliner

Agence France PresseDecember 26, 2009. [59 total comments]
A young Nigerian man with reported links to Al-Qaeda was under arrest Saturday after trying to blow up a US airlinerv headed for Detroit.

The Senate Deal May Be a Sh*t Sandwich, but If You're Hungry Enough ...

The Senate Deal May Be a Sh*t Sandwich, but If You're Hungry Enough ...

Joshua Holland, AlterNetAlterNet: Politics. December 24, 2009. [59 total comments]
Maybe I'm missing something.

A Very Wingnutty Christmas from Chuck Norris

A Very Wingnutty Christmas from Chuck Norris

Thers, Whiskey FireAlterNet: PEEK. December 25, 2009. [57 total comments]
When Chuck Norris wishes you a happy holiday ...

How Wall Street Bought Barney Frank

How Wall Street Bought Barney Frank

Kevin Connor, AlterNet. December 22, 2009. [54 total comments]
Barney Frank takes pride in being the Left's darling, but he's almost entirely funded by Wall Street and his votes show it.

Al Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment Passes, Infuriating Several (Male) Republicans

Al Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment Passes, Infuriating Several (Male) Republicans

Steve Benen, Washington MonthlyAlterNet: PEEK. December 22, 2009. [48 total comments]
Franken's measure passed, 68 to 30.

Obama's Af-Pak War is Not Just Deadly and Counterproductive: It's Illegal

Obama's Af-Pak War is Not Just Deadly and Counterproductive: It's Illegal

Marjorie Cohn, AlterNet. December 23, 2009. [47 total comments]
Some 30 percent of all U.S. deaths in Afghanistan have occurred during Obama's presidency. His escalation of that war is not what the Nobel committee envisioned.

Palin's 'Lie of the Year' Was Not a Misunderstanding

Palin's 'Lie of the Year' Was Not a Misunderstanding

Matt Gertz, Media Matters for AmericaAlterNet: Health and Wellness. December 23, 2009. [44 total comments]
No chance now to try to preserve her credibility now.

Osama bin Laden Nearly Killed Bill Clinton?

Osama bin Laden Nearly Killed Bill Clinton?

Daniel Tencer, Raw Story. December 22, 2009. [30 total comments]
According to a new book, Osama bin Laden attempted to assassinate President Bill Clinton during a summit in the Philippines in 1996.

For the Record, I'm No Holocaust

For the Record, I'm No Holocaust "Skeptic"

Joshua Holland, AlterNetAlterNet: Rights and Liberties. December 24, 2009. [29 total comments]
According to the logic of some, it's a debatable point.

We Have a Winner! Sarah Palin's

We Have a Winner! Sarah Palin's "Death Panel" Fallacy Named "Lie of the Year"

Steve Benen, Washington MonthlyAlterNet: Politics. December 22, 2009. [28 total comments]
The award was bequeathed by Politifact, an independent fact-checker.

Senate Passes Health-Care Reform Bill; Feingold, Rockefeller Issue Appeals to Progressives

Senate Passes Health-Care Reform Bill; Feingold, Rockefeller Issue Appeals to Progressives

Adele Stan, AlterNetAlterNet: Politics. December 24, 2009. [27 total comments]
With no public option or Medicare buy-in, the Senate's health-care reform bill passes in the early hours of Christmas Eve.

Rep. Keith Ellison: Public Option Still Possible If We Get Loud

Rep. Keith Ellison: Public Option Still Possible If We Get Loud

AlterNet Staff, AlterNetAlterNet: PEEK. December 25, 2009. [27 total comments]
Ellison still fighting.

Top 10 Ethics Scandals of 2009

Top 10 Ethics Scandals of 2009

CREW Staff, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. December 24, 2009. [26 total comments]
Madoff, Sanford and Murtha are just a few who made it onto the top 10 list of the nation's most ethically challenged players of the year.

Why Men Fake Orgasms

Why Men Fake Orgasms

Elizabeth Black, AlterNet. December 23, 2009. [26 total comments]
Many women would be surprised to learn that men often fake orgasms. But why? Our limited, patriarchal view of sexuality, of course.

Powerful House Rep. Slaughter: Senate Went off the Rails and Passed a Weak Health Care Bill

Powerful House Rep. Slaughter: Senate Went off the Rails and Passed a Weak Health Care Bill

Rep. Louise Slaughter, AlterNet. December 24, 2009. [25 total comments]
Supporters of the weak Senate bill say "just pass it -- any bill is better than no bill." I strongly disagree.

The

The "Slow Money" Movement May Revolutionize the Way You Think About Food

Kari Lydersen, AlterNet. December 22, 2009. [22 total comments]
In an economy structured around industrial agriculture, sustaining small farms can be a challenge. 'Slow money' economics could be the answer.

Reality Is Sooo Boring When Compared to Right-Wing Fantasyland (Happy Holidays!)

Reality Is Sooo Boring When Compared to Right-Wing Fantasyland (Happy Holidays!)

Joshua Holland, AlterNetAlterNet: PEEK. December 25, 2009. [22 total comments]
Happy whatever to you and yours.

If We Don't Fix the Senate's Miserable Health Bill, the Repercussions Could Last for Decades

If We Don't Fix the Senate's Miserable Health Bill, the Repercussions Could Last for Decades

Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post. December 24, 2009. [20 total comments]
Calling the Senate's health bill a "awesome achievement" like Paul Krugman did is to encourage the preservation of a hideously broken system.

Will Our 'Green Jobs' Dollars Help a Ritzy Car Company Open a Toxic Manufacturing Plant?

Will Our 'Green Jobs' Dollars Help a Ritzy Car Company Open a Toxic Manufacturing Plant?

Seth Sandronsky, AlterNet. December 26, 2009. [20 total comments]
Tesla makes a sleek electric roadster at $110,000. A new model's generating buzz, but one possible manufacturing site's haunted by ghosts of the old economy.

New Year's Resolutions To Help Make Corporate Fat Cats and Our Politicians Human Again

New Year's Resolutions To Help Make Corporate Fat Cats and Our Politicians Human Again

Jim Hightower, AlterNet. December 26, 2009. [20 total comments]
I was working on my list of New Year's resolutions when it occurred to me that some of the people running our country could benefit from my suggestions.

Commander Changes Tune, Says He Won't Court-Martial, Jail Pregnant Soldiers

Commander Changes Tune, Says He Won't Court-Martial, Jail Pregnant Soldiers

Amanda Terkel, Think ProgressAlterNet: Rights and Liberties. December 23, 2009. [19 total comments]
But he also has no plans to expand soldiers' access to emergency contraception (Plan B).

Pope Benedict Attacked During X-Mas Eve Mass

Pope Benedict Attacked During X-Mas Eve Mass

Staff, AlterNetAlterNet: PEEK. December 24, 2009. [17 total comments]
Security failed the Pontiff.

The Award for Nonexcellance in Climate Journalism Goes To ...

The Award for Nonexcellance in Climate Journalism Goes To ...

Dr. Joseph Romm, Climate ProgressAlterNet: PEEK. December 23, 2009. [17 total comments]
Unfortunately, the list is pretty long.

Crazy Idiot Sets Off Firecrackers on an Airplane ... You Know What this Means, Right?

Crazy Idiot Sets Off Firecrackers on an Airplane ... You Know What this Means, Right?

Thers, Whiskey FireAlterNet: World. December 26, 2009. [17 total comments]
Thanks, Jerk

Sorry, O'Reilly. Christians started the

Sorry, O'Reilly. Christians started the "War on Christmas"... in the 16th Century

Bruce Wilson, AlterNetAlterNet: Politics. December 25, 2009. [16 total comments]
Protestants banned Christmas in Scotland for 4 centuries.

GOPer Says Health-Care Scheme Won't Be Repealed

GOPer Says Health-Care Scheme Won't Be Repealed

Steve Benen, Washington MonthlyAlterNet: Health and Wellness. December 24, 2009. [15 total comments]
If it passes, it's just not likely to be unpassed -- here's why.

How Obama Pushed Hard For a Public Option, Then Bailed When It Mattered Most

How Obama Pushed Hard For a Public Option, Then Bailed When It Mattered Most

Zaid Jilani, Think ProgressAlterNet: Politics. December 22, 2009. [14 total comments]
Despite his history of supporting the government-run insurance plan, Obama did little to pressure lawmakers when it mattered most.

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